Tag: extreme
0 M3 Rock Festival – Friday Review
Last Friday night, the M3 Rock Festival started its Friday night KIX off party in style, with not one, not two, but 5 great bands to kick off this awesome annual pilgrimage of classic hard rock. The weather was abysmal, but that did not stop the record crowd from pouring into the Merriweather Post Pavilion
Baltimore’s Bad Seed Rising started off the show, with a tight set of heavy tunes. These young rockers sound great and have a lot of potential. If you haven’t checked them out yet, visit their Facebook page here.
We missed the first few songs from Winger, as we were busy talking to KIX frontman Steve Whiteman (Interview coming to HRH soon). We missed hearing the new Winger tunes from their new album Better Days Comin’, but we did see the band perform most of their classic hits including: “Can’t Get Enough”, “Down Incognito”, “Madalaine” and “Seventeen”. Kip Winger and company sounded great.
Lita Ford was up next, and Lita’s set was not without some surprises of its own. Lita’s former Runaway band mate Cherie Currie joined her on stage for some Runaways classics including “Cherry Bomb”, “American Nights” and “Queens of Noise”. It was a great rock moment, and completely unexpected.
Nothing could have prepared me for what came next. Extreme took the stage at M3 for the first time since the very first M3 in 2009. From the very first note, Extreme was on fire! Gary Cherone was looking great, and sounding even better. Nuno Bettencourt was a lot of fun to watch, as he laid down his incredible guitar licks for those classic Extreme tunes. Extreme pulled off one of the best performances of the weekend, and easily the best of the Friday Night KIX Off party. I can only hope that Extreme will put out some new music, and tour, even if it is on a limited basis. This one off performance was not enough. Hopefully they will get an invite to M3 2015.
Speaking of new music, Hagerstown heros, KIX were the headliners once again at M3 and deservedly so. 2014 was the first time we have heard NEW KIX tunes at M3, and the new songs “Can’t Stop The Show” and “Love Me With The Top Down” were great. KIX has a new album coming out in July, and it can’t get here soon enough. Once again, KIX’s set was outstanding. Steve Whiteman’s vocals were perfect, and Brian Forsythe and Ronnie Younkins guitars were great as well. KIX is the one band that I always look forward to seeing at M3 every year, and they did not disappoint.
The M3 Rock Festival got off to a great start, and as great as Friday night was, Saturday was even better. More on that soon! Check out our photo gallery from the Friday Night, below!
2 The Sixth Annual M3 Rock Festival Begins Next Friday Night
The Sixth Annual M3 Rock Festival starts next Friday, and the 2014 lineup is stronger than ever. Each year, the fine folks at the Merriweather Post Pavillion bring in some of the finest classic rock acts in the U.S This year’s festival includes some first time acts at M3 including Autograph, Heaven’s Edge, Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, Femme Fatale, and John Corabi. (Corabi has been at M3 before with RATT, but never as a solo artist).
Friday Night’s headliner is Kix, and Saturday Night’s is Tesla. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Queensryche with Todd La Torre, or Jack Russell’s Great White, look no further. If you haven’t seen Extreme, Night Ranger or Stryper live, don’t miss this excellent opportunity to see them perform.
Overall, it is seventeen bands for a reasonable price, and tickets are STILL available. Don’t miss your chance to check out one of the coolest music festivals of the year.
You can buy tickets at this link!
Check out clips from Heaven’s Edge, Femme Fatale and Autograph below.
Heaven’s Edge – Skin to Skin
Femme Fatale – Falling In And Out of Love
Autograph – Turn up the Radio
0 Nuno Bettencourt Issues An Extreme Update
Hi Everyone… I know it’s been a while since we have given any updates… I have been touring non-stop for the last few years and finally have some time off! But I wanted to fill you in on everything Extreme. We had a great time performing Pornograffitti in Japan. The shows were very special. It felt good to play some of the deep cuts. We also had a chance to play some new markets this summer such as Russia and China. We didn’t know what to expect but the fans were incredible! Don’t worry Brazil… we did not forget about you…. we are still planning on coming there soon and are just working out the details with the promoter. Lastly, I have been working on a lot of new material for Extreme and we are looking at our schedules now, so hopefully we can start working on the new Extreme record before the end of the year. We will fill you in as things progress. Until than…
Peace,
Nuno
0 GARY CHERONE & NUNO BETTENCOURT of EXTREME to SING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM – SATURDAY, MAY 26TH @ 7PM @ FENWAY PARK
Boston’s very own Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt of multi-platinum recording band EXTREME are performing the National Anthem this Saturday, May 26th at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays game.
Most recently, in the celebration of Fenway Park’s centennial, Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt and Daniel Bard joined forces and recorded a version of the song “Let The Good Times Roll” available on the 100 Year Anniversary Red Sox Commemorative album. A portion of proceeds benefits the Red Sox Foundation.
Bettencourt will also be celebrating his special fan Darren Parker, who has self-proclaimed himself as one of Nuno’s biggest fans. The band and fans know him as NunoFreak. Darren has an inoperable brain tumor rendering him unable to work as his medical bills are mounting.
A fundraiser is being held on June 23 at Sleep’s Bar & Grill in Bluffs, IL which will include an auction, donations and freewill. Darren’s dream was to have Nuno show up but unfortunately he will be in London on tour with Rihanna. Bettencourt came up with a solution to help.
Last Friday, Nuno surprised Darren by calling him on the phone and invited him to be his special guest with Gary for the Red Sox game. This generous offer includes Darren to be on the field when they perform the National Anthem. After the Anthem, Nuno will gift him one of his Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N4 guitars so Darren can auction it on eBay to help cover his medical expenses. The Red Sox has kindly agreed to let Darren come in the afternoon to watch sound-check and then stay in the park to watch batting practice. “We are making this real special for him.” states Bettencourt. After the phone call with Nuno, Darren sent management an email saying that he “Literally had to pull the car over on the side of the road for 20 minutes to just process the conversation he just had with Nuno.”
Here is Darren’s website to learn more about his situation and the fundraiser.
Gary Cherone (lead vocals) and Nuno Bettencourt (guitar) are the driving force behind the iconic Boston rock band Extreme. To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released six albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. They also achieved a Billboard #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Pornograffitti and a Top Five hit with “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, the band’s trademark sound is a mix of hard rock funk—fueled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style and Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics.
1 Top 10 Videos of 2010 – #7 – Extreme – King of the Ladies
Extreme’s “King of the Ladies” was on the highly under rated CD, Saudades De Rock. The Video was also available on the Extreme DVD, Take us Alive.
2 Video – Extreme – Run
Extreme released a new video “Run” in support of their latest album Saudades De Rock last July. Check out the video below!
1 Extreme’s ‘Take Us Alive’ Concert Premieres on the HDNet Concert Series June 6th at 8:30 PM EST
THE FULL VERSION OF THIS CONCERT WITH BONUS VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE NOW ON DVD
Multi-platinum band EXTREME’s newly released live concert DVD ‘Take Us Alive,’ will premiere on the HDNet Concert Series, June 6th at 8:30 PM ET.
The band performed and recorded this “in your face” live concert in their hometown of Boston at the House of Blues. This is EXTREME’s first live DVD/CD showcasing their flawless performance of all their biggest hits, including “Hole Hearted,” “Get the Funk Out,” and the number one hit “More than Words,” as well as songs from all their records.
HDNet is your exclusive, high definition home for popular, critically acclaimed original programming and will be broadcasting a tailored version of EXTREME‘s ‘Take Us Alive’ concert starting in June. If you miss the first airing, the concert will repeat that night as well as on June 13th at 5:50 PM ET followed by a regular rotation so check the listings.
HDNet Take Us Alive trailer:
The HDNet networks are available in the U.S. and Canada via:
* DIRECTV
* DISH Network
* Charter Communications
* Comcast
* Insight Communications
* Mediacom Communications
* NCTC Affiliated cable systems
* Verizon Fios
* Bell Express Vu
* Star Choice
* Shaw
* Cogeco
About EXTREME:
To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released five albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. They also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, the band’s trademark sound has always been more a mix of hard rock funk—fueled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style, Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics, Pat Badger’s rock solid bass, and the hard hitting Kevin Figueiredo on drums.
Weblinks: www.extreme-band.com / www.myspace.com/extreme / www.frontiers.it / www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords / www.HD.net
5 GARY CHERONE OF EXTREME – THE HARD ROCK HIDEOUT INTERVIEW!
Gary Cherone, singer and songwriter. The front man for the world renowned and musically diversified Extreme. Be it Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Funk Metal or a chart topping Pop Ballad, Gary Cherone never fails to capture the emotion and heart of a song. Extreme, with their 2008 reunion, has given a bounty of relief to loyal fans, after a thirteen year hiatus. With three quarters of the original Extreme lineup intact, Gary Cherone, guitarist & songwriter Nuno Bettencourt and bassist Pat Badger have proven that they still have plenty of Hard Rock left in their musical tanks, alongside newest band mate and drummer Kevin Figueiredo.
With 2008’s critically acclaimed Saudades de Rock followed by a triumphant touring schedule, this second chapter of Extreme is just beginning. Extreme’s reunion has even led to the release of Take Us Alive, a live CD/DVD recorded in August of 2009, in their hometown of Boston Mass, at the House Of Blues, with a release date of May 4, 2010.
Hard Rock Hideout had the privilege recently to catch up to Gary Cherone, while his busy schedule allowed. Gary talks about the reuniting of Extreme, “Take Us Alive”, his musical influences, the now classic “More Than Words” ballad, a dream duet and his true feelings of being the lead singer for Van Halen too. As polite and candid as he is down to earth, Gary Cherone has proven to this writer, that he and Extreme certainly are an American Rock ‘N’ Roll success story. Here is what Gary had to say:
HRH: Gary, what is the Extreme Rock ‘N’ Roll story behind “Take Us Alive”?
Gary Cherone: It’s our first live CD/DVD, the story behind it is surprisingly, after a thirteen year break, we have never played or felt stronger. “Take Us Alive” documents the 2009 tour and covers the full spectrum of the Extreme catalog of albums.
HRH: Seeing the fans sing the lyrics to “More Than Words” on “Take Us Alive” gave me those good and cool chills, did it have an effect on you while on stage?
Gary Cherone: Absolutely! This song has been a blessing and a curse over the years for Extreme. The band resented this song for a while because it was the one and sometimes only song people knew from us. We learned to embrace it though, now it’s a special song to us. After thirteen years, coming back to see the fans sing along to it live, every night, makes for one of the highlights of the night.
HRH: Were there any vintage, live Rock albums over the years, that influenced you to one day make a live Extreme album?
Gary Cherone: You are absolutely the first writer to ask this question and I’ve been waiting for this! KISS “I” and “II”, Cheap Trick “at Budokan”, The Who “Live At Leeds”, and The J. Geils Band had three terrific live albums. There are too many of them really, to mention. Just recently, I was sending emails to the guys saying, “hey, we finally have our KISS Alive out! It’s exciting after all these years to to have our live album. We recorded the show in Boston, at the House of Blues, it’s our hometown and it meant a lot to us to have it filmed there.
HRH: Gary, “Last Hour” from “Saudades de Rock” I point to as a career highlight for you vocally. Did you reach for any personal emotion to record this song?
Gary Cherone: Thank you very much. “Last Hour” is one of my favorites on this record. I always start on a personal level then lyrically go in different directions. I try to translate emotion onto tape. Steve Perry, (Journey), he came a few times during the making of “Saudades de Rock”. This was the only song Steve Perry hung out with us on in the control room.
HRH: Wow, Steve Perry! You must have been a bit nervous there?
Gary Cherone: I felt pressure with a legend sitting in there! I think seeing Steve Perry made me reach in for that little extra!
HRH: Have you known Steve Perry for some time?
Gary Cherone: Steve Perry is a friend of the band, has been for some years.
HRH: “Saudades de Rock”, do you look upon this album as a comeback or continuation of Extreme?
Gary Cherone: Both I guess. We treat it as a continuation. The public looks at it as a reunion record after thirteen years. “Saudades de Rock” is not a one-off album, this was the first of hopefully many more Extreme albums to come.
HRH: Gary, who is the singer that you would want to make the dream duet with?
Gary Cherone: I always wanted to do something with Ann Wilson, (Heart), she’s it! I’m always mentioning Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury and Roger Daltrey in conversations, about being the best voices in Rock ‘N’ Roll history, yet Ann Wilson, she is an amazing singer. There’s still time to do a duet with her, I just have to write the right song.
HRH: There’s plenty of time left Gary!
HRH: Are there any younger musicians or bands out there in 2010, that have made an impression on you?
Gary Cherone: Late at night, I’ll watch VH1 to catch new music. Muse comes to mind. The music I listen to is rather mellow compared to the Hard Music world I live in! I like Stone Temple Pilots, they have a new record coming out. I really like their new single “Between The Lines”. Norah Jones, I like to listen to her music.
HRH: Any Rock legends your listening to?
Gary Cherone: Bob Dylan, there is enough in his catalog to listen to and enjoy for the next twenty years! As a singer and songwriter, Bob Dylan is just great, there is no one else like him.
HRH: If a major motion picture was made on the career of Extreme, would the word “united” be in the title?
Gary Cherone: It would certainly be in the title. Extreme is a close bond of brothers, past members included. We grew up together, went around the block long enough to know what friendship is about. “United” would definitely be the theme of the movie.
HRH: Extreme has personified Rock Music diversity through song, time and again. How important is it to not be stereotyped into one specific genre?
Gary Cherone: I think that is probably a distinction we wear with pride. When you look at AC/DC, I would not want them any other way, you know what you are getting. Then, I look at the Beatles, Queen and Led Zeppelin, all three had no barriers, they really wrote honest music with expression. They did not try to ever fit in. When I sit down with Nuno, we really don’t know what is going to come out when we create music. We sit down together and write, Nuno plays the guitar and what comes flowing out of us during those moments is what becomes the record.
HRH: What changes in the music industry, within the last twenty years, annoy you the most?
Gary Cherone: Extreme has been fortunate and blessed from the past. After 13 years of being away, we know there will be touring and small venues, we don’t care
how big the place is we play at. The digital revolution, where music can be downloaded for free, it doesn’t bother me so much. If people get turned on by Extreme through You Tube, then the interest to come see us live or buy our music can result and that is a good thing. There are pro’s and con’s to technology, it’s like comparing LP’s to CD’s, nothing changes.
HRH: Nothing beats those days of buying real vinyl.
Gary Cherone: If you show a kid an LP today, they would look at it as if it’s from another planet. There was nothing like going to the record store back when I grew up, getting the album home and putting the needle to the wax! Our parents used to look at us like we were crazy or something! That’s our generation though.
HRH: Today, the kids are raised on MP3’s.
Gary Chreone: I’m sure if we were kids now, that’s how we would get turned on to music. The sad thing is, kids get turned on song by song today. We grew up on concept records like Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”. Would kids have the attention span to listen to a whole piece of music like that now? A pro in technology is Guitar Hero, it’s giving kids an outlet to discover so many great bands and songs.
HRH: If you had a magic wand and could change just one thing that is wrong in the world today, what would you change?
Gary Cherone: (In a disguised voice, sounding like a Miss Universe contestant): All I want is world peace. (laughs)
HRH: (laughs)
Gary Cherone: I don’t want to sound like a Miss Universe contestant and say all I want is world peace! I’d like to see less pain in the heart, which is manifested physically by people abusing other people or emotionally abusing each other. This is such a big question and difficult to answer or resolve. It’s not that hard to start now, on a local level, by being kind to your neighbor. Our song, “Peace” on “Saudades de Rock” has two verses, the first verse lyrically is very local and internal, while the second verse covers the bigger issues of the world.
HRH: Any Tour plans for Extreme in 2010?
Gary Cherone: Nuno is out on tour with Rihanna right now. It’s a long shot, that maybe Extreme schedules tour dates at the end of the year. I’m working on another Rock project this Summer called Hurt Smile.
HRH: Hurt Smile? Is this a Rock or Hard Rock band? How heavy?
Gary Cherone: Hurt Smile is more rawer than Extreme and Hard Rock. My brother, Mark Cherone, plays guitar.
HRH: Very cool, I wish you guys the very best! I look forward to hearing Hurt Smile in the future.
Gary Cherone: Thanks!
HRH: Gary, what is your most positive experience you look back upon, being the lead singer for Van Halen?
Gary Cherone: For three years I was in the band and it was a fantastic experience I’ll never forget. Being on tour was the best part and all the crazy moments on stage! Just Playing with the mighty Van Halen! Getting to know Van Halen as human beings and recording the record, (“Van Halen III”), with Van Halen was such a great experience. Eddie was such a generous person, they all were generous. It all feels so surreal now, being ten years removed from Van Halen, I’m like, I was really in that band! I was very fortunate to be a part of Van Halen for a moment in time.
2 New Video – Extreme – King of the Ladies
Extreme has released a new video clip for their song “King of the Ladies”. “King of the Ladies” is on the band’s 2008 CD Saudades De Rock. This video is also one of the four bonus videos on Extreme’s new DVD Take Us Alive, which was released on Tuesday. Check it out below!
2 New Extreme Video Sampler “Decadence Dance”
Frontiers Records have released a new video sample of the song “Decadence Dance”. This is from the new DVD, “Take Us Alive” which be released on April 23rd in Europe, and May 4th in the USA.
1 Frontiers Records to release the new EXTREME Live DVD and CD
“TAKE US ALIVE” WILL BE RELEASED APRIL 23rd IN EUROPE & MAY 4TH IN THE USA
EXTREME is releasing their ‘Take Us Alive’ live CD and DVD on Frontiers Records world-wide April 23rd in Europe & May 4th In USA. In 2008, following a 13 year hiatus, the band returned to the stage for their ‘Take Us Alive’ world tour, which encompassed 75 cities and multiple continents in support of their new and groundbreaking record, Saudades de Rock.
This recording captures EXTREME at the peak of their game with a renewed enthusiasm led by Gary Cherone’s spellbinding stage performance and powerful vocals, Nuno Bettencourt’s ferocious guitar, Pat Badger’s flawless bass and Kevin Figueiredo’s pounding drums not to mention the Extreme trademark, spot on, back up vocals.
This brilliant performance was recorded on the last night of their tour at the House of Blues August 8, 2009 in EXTREME’s hometown of Boston, MA . “We wanted to do something really special for our hometown fans that were there for us since the beginning… the club days,” states Nuno. “It was the last night of the tour and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by bringing it back to where it all started… Boston.”
The concert showcases material from all 5 EXTREME albums and exhibits the bands broad stylistic abilities. Features include a blistering rendition of the Zeppelin-minded “Comfortably Dumb,” the scorching “Play With Me,” the funked-up “Cupid’s Dead” as well as the anthemic “Get The Funk Out.” Songs like their #1 hit “More Than Words” and the top 5 “Hole Hearted,” highlight the crowds enthusiasm and loyal support their fan base has had for this beloved foursome. “As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We couldn’t wait to get out there and play for our fans.”
The DVD will contain 4 unreleased bonus videos from their latest record Saudades de Rock. Videos include the songs “King of the Ladies”, “Interface”, “Run” and “Ghost.” The videos were produced by Nuno Bettencourt. “This DVD/CD is a culmination of all the years we played together and the chemistry the four of us put out live,” explains Bettencourt.
Concert Track Listing
Decadence Dance, Comfortably Dumb, Rest in Peace, It (‘s a Monster), Star, Tell me Something I Don’t Know, Medley – Kid Ego – Little Girls -Teachers Pet, Play With Me, Midnight Express, More Than Words, Ghost, Cupid’s Dead, Take us Alive, Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee, Get the Funk Out, Am I Ever Gonna Change, Hole Hearted.
Bonus Music Videos (DVD only)
King of the Ladies, Interface, Run, Ghost
About EXTREME:
To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released five albums, plus a greatest hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. They also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, the band’s trademark sound has always been more a mix of hard rock funk—fueled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style, Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics, Pat Badger’s rock solid bass, and the hard hitting Kevin Figueiredo on drums.
Weblinks: www.extreme-band.com / www.myspace.com/extreme / www.frontiers.it / www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords
2 Ratt and Extreme Tour Dates!
Celebrated rock pioneers RATT and EXTREME have teamed up to bring you this summer’s most rockin’ tour lineup.
The tour, which will feature sets from both bands with Ratt closing, kicks off on July 12th in Amarillo, TX and runs through August 7th in Hampton Beach, NH. It will cross the US and cover 16 markets, with more to be announced soon.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of their landmark debut Out Of The Cellar, Ratt will be playing the album in its entirety.
Both bands are excited about the double bill. “Warren DeMartini and Nuno Bettencourt on same stage, same night?? ‘Nuff said, we’ll see you there!” says Ratt’s Bobby Blotzer.
Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt concurs, “One hot summer night. Two bands fully loaded with musicianship. Mix in one part memorable songwriting. Add nine ounces of passionate performers. Throw in three well respected guitarists. Add a touch of West Coast raunch and a hint of East Coast funk. And you get yourself a recipe for one night of unforgettable rock and roll.”
Ratt is currently in the studio recording its first new record in over 10 years with famed producer Elvis Baskette (credits). The band announced its new partnership with Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records earlier this year. The album is planned for release this fall.
Extreme recently released their first new album in thirteen years Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”) which is a groundbreaking record that reaffirms the beloved, Boston-bred foursome’s stature as innovators in the world of rock & roll.
Over the past two years, Ratt has toured the world in support of their releases Tell The World – The Very Best Of Ratt and their first ever DVD, Videos from the Cellar- The Atlantic Years. During this time, the current lineup of Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbie Crane and Carlos Cavazo played shows in Australia, Colombia and Peru for the first time in their careers. Their mega-hit ‘Round and Round’ was prominently featured in the Oscar nominated 2008 film The Wrestler, and the band will be headlining Rocklahoma this July.
One of the most popular rock acts of the past 20 years, Ratt’s brand of guitar-driven melodic rock helped shape the LA metal scene. The band boasts a deep catalog of hits including smashes like ‘Round and Round’, ‘Lay It Down’, ‘You’re In Love’, ‘Lack of Communication’ and ‘Wanted Man’, which are beloved by fans the world over. The band has gone on to sell millions of albums worldwide. With 1984’s mega-platinum debut Out Of The Cellar celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the band is looking forward to starting a new chapter with new music to complement the impressive legacy they have established over two-plus decades.
To date, the Grammy-nominated Extreme have released five albums, plus a greatest hits set – selling over 10 million records worldwide. They also achieved a #1 hit single, ‘More Than Words’ – from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti – on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five ‘Hole Hearted’. Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, the band’s trademark sound has always been more a mix of hard rock funk – fueled by guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt’s signature style, Gary Cherone’s resonant vocals and socially conscious lyrics, Pat Badger’s rock solid bass, and the hard hitting Kevin Figueiredo on drums. Extreme has recently been introduced to an entire new generation of fans with the inclusion of their song ‘Play With Me’ in the popular video game Guitar Hero as well as ‘More Than Words’ featured in hit movies Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Love Guru.
Tour dates are as follows:
July
10 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma **
12 – Amarillo, TX – Midnight Rodeo
13 – San Antonio, TX – Scout Bar
14 – Odessa, TX – Dos Amigos
16 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theater
17 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
18 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock
19 – Anaheim, CA – Grove
22 – Denver, CO – Ogdon Theater
23 – Kansas City – Crossroads
24 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
25 – Toledo OH – Harley Davidson-LOT **
26 – Cheswick, PA – Ches-a-rena
28 – New York, NY – Nokia Theater
30 – Westbury, NY – Westbury Theater
August
2 – Allentown, PA – Crock Rock Festival
5 – Springfield, VA – Jaxx ***
6 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
7 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino
8 – Clearfield, PA – ClearfieldCountyFairgrounds **
15 – Sky City, NM – Sky City Casino **
29 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Casino **
** – Ratt only
*** – Extreme only
Courtesy of Bravewords.com
6 M3 Festival Review
I must admit that I was pretty excited when I first read about the lineup for the M3 festival in Columbia, Maryland. Unlike Rock Gone Wild, and Rocklahoma, this is a one day festival, cram packed with more classic hard rock acts that you can handle in one day. There was several bands on this festival’s roster that I have not seen before, so it was a complete no-brainer. I made the trek to Columbia, MD Friday night. Sure it took roughly 8 hours each way by car, but it was well worth it, in my opinion.
The weather was perfect for the event. It was hot and sunny all day, and the crowd for M3 filled up the stands pretty quick.
Before most folks made into the festival, they were greeted by the heavy beats of Carmine Appice’s SLAMM. I only caught the tail end of their performance, but it seemed pretty cool for the most part. This wasn’t SLAMM’s scheduled set time, as they played later on in the festival. Their early performance helped to generate excitement amongst the large crowd filing into the venue.
The festival kicked off with former Guns N’ Roses and Kill for Thrills Guitarist, Gilby Clarke. Gilby’s set was short, but he fired off some of my favorite songs of his including “Tijiuana Jail“ and “Cure Me or Kill Me“. He even threw in “Be Yourself” from the Rockstar: Supernova CD. Imagine That! I never expected to hear a song from this CD again. I think Gilby handled it better than Lukas Rossi.
After Clarke’s set, I had to pick and choose which bands I wanted to see play live because several of the set times over lapped. I HATED this part of the festival. I genuinely like every band on the bill, and wanted the chance to see every band perform. This was not possible, so I had to sacrifice one band over another several times throughout the day. I don’t think this was fair to the bands, or to the fans who paid to see them.
The first choice was Y&T vs. XYZ. Y&T beat out XYZ in the battle of the alphabet bands,and rightly so. Y&T is celebrating their 35th anniversary in 2009, and I wasn’t budging from my seat. This band doesn’t know where Cincinnati, Ohio is on the map (they never play in my hometown), so I couldn’t wait to see them play. Dave Meniketti and company blasted out a rocking set of tunes that spanned over their vast career including, “Dirty Girl”, “Black Tiger”, “Mean Streak”, and “Summertime Girls”. My only complaint is that their set was too short. I would have loved to have heard some more Y&T songs. Some friends of mine were at the XYZ stage, and said XYZ put on a hell of a show as well. I guess you win some and you lose some. I enjoyed Y&T and I hope the rock gods will be kind enough to offer me another chance to see this band, when they can play a full show.
The next band dilemna after Y&T was Slaughter vs. Jetboy. I like Slaughter, but this was no competition for me at all. I immediately ran over to the second stage to check out Jetboy’s set. I got there early, and was front and center for the show.
Jetboy guitarist Billy Rowe was having some sound issues to start the show, but the crew got him fixed up pretty quickly. Jetboy rocked the crowd hard, and put on an extremely tight set of tunes. Out of all of the bands at M3, I would say Jetboy was in the top 2 as far as the performance they gave. These guys should have played on the main stage for sure. Mickey Finn’s vocals were great, and his bright green Mohawk made him one of the most photogenic rockers of the day. The whole band was on fire during this set. Fernie Rod and Billy Rowe’s playing was great. I didn’t know who to keep an eye on. Billy was blasting away on the slide guitar, and Fernie was adding in his awesome licks. Michael Butler is a pretty fun bass player to watch as well. This guy knows how to get a crowd going. New drummer Doug Hovan didn’t miss a beat. Those that hung out for Jetboy’s set got treated to some classic Jetboy tunes including “Feel The Shake”, and “Heavy Chevy”. They also a played a few new unreleased songs that were nothing short of A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!. I can’t wait to see what fans reactions are when they hear these songs. Prepare to be blown away!!
Next up on the main stage was Jani Lane and his new solo band featuring Kerri Kelli from Alice Cooper on Guitar. Jani’s set consisted primarily of Warrant tunes (no surprise there), and a brand new unreleased track. Jani’s voice sounded good, as did his band. Jani has always managed to attract some pretty good guitar players, and Kerri Kelli is definitely one of the better ones. I like Jani Lane and I wanted to stay for more songs, but he is coming to my hometown in a couple of months, and I will definitely be going to see him then. I hung out for 3 or 4 songs, and ran back to stage two for the Bulletboys.
Marq Torien might be the only original member left of the Bulletboys, but this band does not rock any less. I didn’t make it over for the start of their set, but I did catch three or four of their songs before I had to depart for my Jetboy interview. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to hear “Smooth Up In Ya”, but I will definitely catch the Bulletboys on their tour with Faster Pussycat later this year.
I met up with Fernie Rod and Billy Rowe, for a really cool sit down interview, which I will post at HRH later this week. By the time our interview was done, Dokken was finishing up their set. They sounded ok from where I was standing, and I was able to catch Jon Levin wailing away on those infamous George Lynch solos.
I quickly ran back up to stage two to catch Steel Panther perform. I didn’t expect much from these guys, but you know what…. I loved their set. Their songs are a really good hair metal parody, but they are so good at what they do, you can’t help but like them. I must admit that the only songs that I knew were “Death To All But Metal” and “Fat Girl”, but I liked all of the tunes they performed. I will certainly pick up their CD when it becomes available. I couldn’t stay for Steel Panther’s entire set either, as I didn’t want to miss one minute of Kix’s set. I ran back down the hill to stage one and got there right before Kix took the Stage.
The best performance of the day, easily goes to Kix. They were absolutely fantastic. Maryland obviously has a strong appreciation for their band, and rightfully so. Kix’s excellent set included the following songs (in no certain order): “Midnight Dynamite”, “Itch”, “Get It White It’s Hot”, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” , “Cold Blood”, “Blow My Fuse”, “Girl Money” and a bunch more. Singer Steve Whiteman is every bit as good as the day he started this band. Ronnie Younkins and Brian Forsythe have to be one of the most under appreciated guitar tandems in rock today. Kix’s set was so good, they could have closed this show, and everyone would have been happy. Luckily, there was plenty of rock left on this day. I ran back up the hill to stage two to catch L.A. Guns.
This L.A. Guns is the version with Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Scotty Griffin and Stacey Blades. The same lineup has been together for quite a few years now and sound great. Stacey Blades might not be Tracii Guns, but he is a damn good guitarist, and does a great job on these classic L.A. Guns tunes. Phil Lewis made this rock fan feel old by mentioning that 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the Cocked & Loaded CD. Good Grief…has it been 20 years already? I enjoyed their short set.
Extreme’s set over lapped with L.A. Guns so I missed the beginning of their show. I really wanted to stay for the whole Extreme set too, but the end of their set overlapped with KEEL’s. From what I could tell, Gary Cherone sounded exactly the same, and Nuno Bettencourt was amazing as always. I enjoyed the few songs that I got to hear.
I quickly ran back up the hill (are you seeing a pattern here) to catch the start of KEEL’s set. Judging from what I could tell from KEEL, I should have stayed to watch Extreme. I don’t know what the deal was, but something was missing in KEEL’s performance. I think Ron Keel may have been having some sound issues as his voice did not seem very loud in a few songs. He was using a wireless microphone, and this could have been oen of the problems. I thought his voice was a lot smoother, and no where near as coarse as it was back in the 80’s. It was this coarseness that gave KEEL such a cool metal sound, and I didn’t hear it during their set. They played songs from all of their albums which was cool, but I kept feeling like this was a phone in perfomance. Some of the songs from the KEEL set list was (in no order): “Cherry Lane”, “The Right to Rock”, “Speed Demon”, “Because The Night” and a few more. I hope I get the chance to see KEEL again. I love their music, and they definitely deserve a second chance. I had high expectations for KEEL at M3, and the band didn’t meet them.
I headed back down the hill one final time for RATT & Twisted Sister. I wanted to see Carmine Appice’s SLAMM, but I was ready to see two full sets of music before I called it a day.
RATT was up next, and they did not disappoint me. Pearcy’s voice sounded pretty good for the most part, and Warren DeMartini was awesome. He has been one of my favorite guitarists for a long time, and he did not disappoint. My seat for the main stage event was on the far right hand side of the stage, and the sight line wasn’t the greatest. I immediately realised that the rhythm guitarist was not Carlos Cavazo, but appeared to be John Corabi. His hair was a little different since the last time I saw him, and I almost didn’t recognize him. The one thing I have noticed the last couple of times that I have seen RATT is that Corabi kind of stands off to the side and lets the rest of the band do their thing. I don’t know if there is bad blood there, or what the deal is. Corabi is a terrific musician and singer, but I wonder how happy he is in RATT. Aside from that, I enjoyed RATT’s set. Their set list included: “Lay It Down”, “You’re In Love”, “Back For More”, “Wanted Man” and much to my surprise and enjoyment, “Nobody Rides For Free’ (From the Point Break Movie soundtrack).
Twisted Sister took the stage around 9:30, and immediately was experiencing sound issues. JJ French did not have any sound to start the show, and it took quite a while for the Twisted Sister crew to get him fixed up. After the inital snafu’s at the beginning of their set. Twister Sister kicked some major ass to close out the M3 festival. This was my first experience seeing Twisted Sister and a couple of things surprised me. These guys talk a lot during their shows. Dee Snider was pretty funny, but did he really need to continue to advertise his House of Hair Radio show during Twisted Sister’s set? Was JJ French’s rant about American Idol really necessary? Twisted Sister needs to play more and talk less during their shows, in my opinion. Aside from too much talking, I loved Twisted Sister. Their set was high energy, hair flinging fun, and the band really does try to put on the best show possible. Their set list included the following songs: “Under the Blade”, ‘Horror-teria”, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, “Burn in Hell”, “The Price”, and I Wanna Rock”. Twisted Sister’s set was a great ending to an amazing day at Merriweather Post Pavillion. I hope they make this an annual event. If they do, I will be back!!
2 Video – Extreme – Rest In Peace
I have listened to Extreme’s “Rest In Peace” hundreds of times, but I had no idea that their was a video to accompany this song until recently. Check out “Rest In Peace” below.
13 Hard Rock Hideout’s Top 15 of 2008
As good as 2007 was for new releases, 2008 blew it away. At the beginning of the year, I don’t think anyone expected to have new releases by AC/DC, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses all in the same year.
This year Rocknrollcoastie joined the HRH team and I asked him to submit his picks for 2008 as well. This way you get a double dose of the The 15 Albums from Hard Rock Hideout.
The following are Rob Rockitt’s Top Picks for 2008!
15. Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
What’s this? Have I lost my mind? When Chinese Democracy came out, I expected Hell to Freeze over. Much like many of you, I didn’t expect this album to ever see the light of day, much less in 2008. I didn’t give this album the best review when it was released. After the first couple of listens, I didn’t like it very much. Lets face it, this more like the Axl Rose Project than a true Guns N’ Roses CD. There is no Slash, no Izzy, No Duff. The album has very few sounds that resemble the old band that once cranked out some awesome hard rock.
I didn’t give up on this album and kept it in my playlist. After a couple of weeks of repeat plays, I have warmed up to this disc. Sure it doesn’t sound like the old band, but there is some pretty good music to be found if you give this the proper chance.
14. Thunder – Bang!
When Rocknrollcoastie reviewed this CD earlier this year, I previewed all of the clips, then quickly purchased the CD. I have liked Thunder since their Backstreet Symphony CD, and this disc is on par with that one in my opinion. It is a great sounding bluesy hard rock disc Buy it!
13. Jaded Sun – Gypsy Trip
Ireland’s latest rock act delivers the goods with their excellent debut CD, Gypsy Trip. I have been playing this CD a lot as of late. I think you will be hearing a lot more about these guys in 2009.
12. Black Tide – Light From Above
Somebody must have forgotten to give the young men in Black Tide a calendar. These guys rock like is 1988. You have to love it when a new band can reproduce that classic 80’s metal sound. Light From Above is a great debut for these Florida rockers.
11. Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
I have never been a huge Shinedown fan, but this CD changed my mind. “The Sound of Madness” is the first Shinedown CD that I could listen to all the way through without wanting to skip a track or two. I like all of the songs on this disc. This is a very solid record, and one of 2008’s nice surprises.
10. JORN – Lonely Are the Brave
Jorn Lande has been bringing us great new hard rock every year for several years now. Whether it is a solo CD, or another project he is working on, you can always expect Jorn Lande to be fairly consistent. Lonely Are The Brave is a little darker than most JORN CD’s but is a very good disc. Take one listen to the songs “Night City”, “Shadow People” or the very Black Sabbath with Dio like tune, “Soul of the Wind”, and you are bound to love this disc.
9. Metallica – Death Magnetic
This album has divided fans with its sound, but I thought this was a pretty good disc from Metallica. Sure, this disc doesn’t live up to their classic thrash metal from the 80’s, but at least they gave it their best shot. They should take notes from Testament next time around.
8. Testament – The Formation of Damnation
In my opinion, Testament one upped Metallica for best Thrash album of 2008. Heavy and killer! No thrash metal fan should be without this.
7. Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles
With S.O.L.A. Motley Crue turned in their best album since Dr. Feelgood. This one is still in heavy rotation in my play list today.
6. Disturbed – Indestructible
From the opening air raid sirens of Indestructible, you can almost tell immediately that you are about to take in one excellent album. In my opinion, this is Disturbed’s best work ever. The songs on this disc have an excellent heavy groove, that will satisfy the majority of headbangers out there. There are a ton of awesome guitar licks on this disc by Disturbed axeman Dan Donegan. Disturbed even got nominated for a Grammy for their song, “Inside The Fire”. Don’t miss this!
5. Alice Cooper – Along Came A Spider
Alice Cooper is an artist that has always been hit or miss with me. When I first read about the new concept album, “Along Came A Spider”, I rolled my eyes and dismissed this disc as another Alice Cooper album that would not deliver. Boy was I wrong! “Along Came A Spider” is one of the better Alice Cooper releases. The story behind this disc is creepy and cool. Slash plays on a track, and this is probably the only place you will hear Ozzy Osbourne playing a harmonica. Cool stuff!
4. Black Stone Cherry – Folklore and Superstition
Black Stone Cherry has been one of my favorite newer hard rock acts, since 2006 or so. Folklore and Superstition wasn’t quite as heavy as their debut, but is still as solid as ever. “Blind Man”, “Soulcreek”, “Please Come In” and “The Bitter End” are as good as it comes.
3. Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
David Coverdale nearly pulled an Axl Rose, by making us wait so long for this new disc. While Good To Be Bad isn’t as good as ’84’s “Slide It In”, or the fabled self titled album from 1987, it is a return to the sound that Whitesnake fans love, and easily one of the top discs of 2008. Doug Aldrich could be the best guitarist to take the stage with Coverdale since John Sykes. Don’t believe me? Give this one another listen!
2. AC/DC – Black Ice
I am sure a lot of folks will disagree with me, but I think “Black Ice” is the best new AC/DC CD since “The Razor’s Edge”. Some of the songs on this disc may go down as AC/DC classics.
1. Tesla – Forever More
Tesla is a band that rarely disappoints me. If you have ever seen my Last FM playlist, you know I play the hell out of this band. Tesla’s 2004 CD “Into The Now” was probably my least favorite out of all of Tesla’s releases. With that being said, it made Tesla’s CD Forever More sound that much better. I like every song on this disc, and I never grow tired of listening to it. This is easily one of the best discs that the band has releases to date. For my ears, it was the highlight of 2008!
RocknRoll Coastie’s Top 15 of 2008!
Man! What an amazing year both musically and personally. With releases from bands like Motley Crue, White Lion, Dokken, Alice Cooper, & Whitesnake, just to name a few, it felt more like 1988 than 2008. So much great music came out this year and it showed me more than any other year that hard rock is very much alive and well.
Personally it was a great year because I happened to not only stumble across HardRockHideout, which I happen to think is the best hard rock site on the internet. I harassed Rob Rockitt a few times and of all things he invited me to jump on this train that HardRockHideout has become and come along for the journey. Damn what a wild ride it has been so far not only have I made a good friend, I have been introduced to so much new music it is not even funny and let’s face it, it isn’t everyday a person pisses off a whole country but somehow I managed to do just that by giving a Hungarian band a bad review. As wild and crazy as it has been this year I have the feeling it is only going to get better.
When Rob asked me if I wanted to put together my top 15 albums I thought there is no way because there has been so much great music come out in the past year. Then I was faced with do I go with the popular choices loved by the masses or do I stick to my guns and go with the bands and albums that I loved? I decided to go with the bands and albums that I loved this year, I guess I should warn everyone not to expect a lot of big name bands on my list. NOBODY forced me to choose these albums, I chose them of my own free will so love’em or hate’em here they are:
15. The Wildhearts – Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before Vol 1
Yeah I know it is a covers album which has almost become a cliche in itself. But this isn’t your everyday run of the mill covers album with songs from Warren Zevon to the Toadies to Fugazi it is a pretty eclectic choice of songs here. To be honest the Wildhearts are probably one of the few bands that could get me to listen to the 90’s alternative music on here.
14. Theory of a Deadman – Scars & Souvenirs
I pretty much spent most of the summer cranking the third release from this Canadian band. Finally out of the shadow of Nickelback the guys really stepped out on their own with Bad Girlfriend, I Hate My Life, & Little Smirk just to name a few.
13. From The Inside – Visions
The second release from Danny Vaughn’s Journey inspired project. Tons of great music here including Light Years, Making Waves, Listen To Your Heart, and 21st Century.
12. Big Cock – Motherload
Taking sexual innuedos to a new level Robert Mason and the guys 3rd release simply rocks. I wish these guys would take themselves seriously and go on tour I could guarantee they would be one of the best shows out there. If you haven’t heard Breaking My Balls, Bump and Grind, or M.I.L.F. you are missing out.
11. Hinder – Take It To The Limit
I can see most people rolling their eyes at this pick and to be honest when I heard Hinder had a new album coming out I wasn’t expecting much. But the guys put out an album filled with good time party anthems and let’s be honest it is going to be bands like Hinder, Buckcherry, and Nickelback that are going to keep straight up rock in the limelight in the 21st century. Besides what man can resist a video filled with hot Playboy cybergirls??
10. Talon – Fallen Angels
This California band came out of nowhere and completely blew me away. Melodic rock at it’s finest, Chandler Mogel is a monster singer with a great voice and Jim Kee is a phenomenal guitarist. Burn, Baby Jane, What About Me, and Always Be My Baby are all great songs.
9. 7th Heaven – U.S.A-U.K.
This is another band that came from out of nowhere and blew me away. From what I understand these Chicago natives have been around for a while but replaced their former singer with Kevin Semple before recording this album and he is an awesome singer. If you are a fan of “Hysteria” era Def Leppard you have to get this album you would be hard pressed to tell the bands apart if you didn’t know the songs.
8. Marcello/Vestry – Self Titled
Another slab of melodic rock, this time it comes from Danger Danger axeman Rob Marcello and vocalist Frank Vestry, with a little help from Danger Danger’s Bruno Ravel who played bass and produced the record. Great catchy sing along songs like Fireworks, All I Wanna Do Is U, and Gone fill this record. It is exactly what you would expect from members of Danger Danger and I for one am not complaining at all.
7. House of Lords – Come To My Kingdom
After the fiasco that was the Power & the Myth, James Christian started pretty much from scratch with House of Lords and released World Upside Down in 06. In ’08 the band came back even stronger with Come To My Kingdom dare I say the best HoL album to date. James’ voice still sounds great and Jimi Bell, B.J. Zampa, and Matt McKenna have made the band even stronger. I don’t think there is a weak song on this album.
5. Extreme – Saudades de Rock –
One of the first albums I reviewed for HRH. 13 years is a long time to wait between albums but honestly I think it was a good thing for the guys in Extreme. They came back stronger than ever with some strong kick ass songs and the addition of Kevin Figueiredo was an awesome decision. I liked this album when it was released but the more I listened to it the more I loved it.
5. Tesla – Forever More
Four years between new albums also did Tesla a world of good. Forever More is head and shoulders above 04’s Into The Now and like Extreme the addition of guitarist Dave Rude did wonders for the band. I Wanna Live, Just In Case, All of Me, and Pvt Ledbetter are just a few of the stand out tracks on Forever More.
4. There is no number 4 because of a tie for third.
3. The Quireboys – Homewreckers & Heartbreakers (Tie)
One of my all time favorite bands returned in ’08 with a new album their first in 4 years and all I can say is Wow! Homewreckers & Heartbreakers is the best Quireboys album since A Bit of What You Fancy. Bluesy Faces inspired rock at it very best, Spike has never sounded better than he does on this album. Mona Lisa Smiled, I Love This Dirty Town, Louder, and One For The Road are a few of the highlights on this album. In case you didn’t know Spike also released a great solo album titled So Called Friends around the same time definitely worth checking out.
3. Badmouth – S/T (Tie)
If I had a song of the year hands down it would be Rivethead by these Swedish ass kickers. Just that one song makes Badmouth’s debut worth the money but on top of Rivethead this album is filled with straight up rock n roll anthems like Pedal to the Metal, Kick It Up, and Cocaine Girl. Throw in a couple of songs like Last Train and Take Your Toothbrush With You that remind me of one of my favorite bands Backyard Babies you have a can’t miss album.
2. Backyard Babies – S/T
This album was my choice for my number 1 for the longest time but it was dethroned when the band at number 1 now released their new album. But this album from Sweden’s finest has everything a great rock record should great sing a long in your face songs, great solos, a hell of a lot of attitude. Degenerated, Come Undone, Nomadic, Abandon, and Back on the Juice are just a few of the ass kickings you have in store when listening to this album.
1. D-A-D (Disneyland After Dark) – Monster Philosophy
Is it just me or did Scandinavian bands kick a lot of rock n roll ass this year? Another of my all time favorite bands and I know there may be only one person in the states that agrees with me here but hands down Monster Philosophy is the best album of the year. 22 years and 10 studio albums and still most rock fans in America have no clue who D-A-D are. In one word LEGENDS, this album is filled not only with great songs but great vocals from Jesper Binzer and the sounds Jacob “Cobber” Binzer gets from his guitar are unbelievable. I can’t forget Stig Pedersn on bass or drums by Laust Sonne. While there are albums that may have three great songs and the rest of the album are good songs, on Monster Philosophy there are 13 great songs and each one sounds completely different from the others. Maybe some person at an American record company will pull their head out of the sand and sign D-A-D and get their albums released and re-released here in the states but if they don’t I will keep paying the import price because every one of their albums are worth the money.
I hope you enjoyed our top picks for 2008. If you would like to see what other hard rock and metal writers have picked as their top albums of 2008, check out the following links below:
Heavy Metal Addiction — http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/
Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
Rock And Roll and Meandering Nonsense — http://rnrnonsense.toomanyvoices.com/
All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Metal Excess — http://metalexcess.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/
Rock Of Ages — http://rockofages.wordpress.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
The Metal Minute — http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/
5 Extreme – Saudades De Rock (2008)
According to Wikipedia “Saudades de Rock” roughly translated means “Nostalgic Yearning for Rock”. With that being said it doesn’t change the fact that Extreme’s first album in thirteen years is still unpronounceable to almost anyone not familiar with the Portuguese language. Fortunately the title is the only bad thing I found with this release.
Before I listened to this album I went back and reintroduced myself to Extreme’s music because quite honestly after “Pornograffitti” they lost my attention. The songs were there occasionally but not albums as a whole. There were no such problems with Saudades from start to finish it had me bobbing my head, tapping my feet, and singing along.
Everything gets started with “Star” where the band’s admiration for Queen shines brightly with the vocal harmonies, thumping bass line, and a damn good solo from Nuno Bettencourt. From there it goes to “Comfortably Dumb” with a funk feel Extreme is famous for. Other standout tracks include “Take Us Alive” with what I would call a Texas Stomp feel, “Run” that goes back to the Queen influences again maybe a little to much because the opening lines reminded me of Fame right off the bat. “Last Hour” has a bluesy swagger to it once it gets started. “Flower Man” has a great foot tapping vibe to it even though I can’t understand a single word Gary Cherone is singing. “King of the Ladies” would have fit nicely with any song on “Pornograffitti”. When “Ghost” first started playing I had to check my I-Tunes to make sure someone hadn’t slipped a Coldplay song in there but after a few listens that little mistake was forgiven. Peace (Saudade) gives a nod to the Beatles with some great vocals, harmonies, and piano playing.
Throughout the album Extreme shines together as well as individually. Nuno Bettencourt’s playing is unbelievable; Gary Cherone’s vocals are strong as ever, bassist Pat Badger keeps everyone tight and in line. But in my opinion the “Star” of this album is drummer Kevin Figueiredo not only did he help write three of the tracks he gives one of the best performances I have heard in a long time. In case you didn’t know, one of Figueiredo’s drumming mentors was Mike Mangini. If you pick up the European version you also get an extra track, a demo from 1985 called “Americocaine”
“Saudades de Rock” gives you every thing you would expect from Extreme, plus a few surprises without the trash that plagues a couple of their previous releases.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Star
2. Comfortably Dumb
3. Learn To Love
4. Take Us Alive
5. Ru
6. Last Hour
7. Flower Man
8. King Of The Ladies
9. Ghost
10. Slide
11. Interface
12. Sunrise
13. Peace (Saudade)
Extreme is:
Gary Cherone – Vocals
Nuno Bettencourt – Guitars
Pat Badger – Bass, backing vocals
Kevin Figueiredo – Drums, percussion
Reviewed by Rocknrollcoastie.
1 Extreme’s “Saudades de Rock” In Stores Today!
Today, August 12th marks the street date for EXTREME’s new album Saudades de Rock.
Currently, you can stream the entire album over at AOL’s “Listening Party”
1 Extreme UK Tour Dates
If you live in the UK, you are in luck. The reunited Extreme is heading your way in November.
Check out the dates below.
DATE CITY VENUE
11/11/08 Cambridge, UK Corn Exchange
11/12/08 Norwich, UK Norwich UEA
11/14/08 Leeds, UK Leeds Academy
11/15/08 Glasgow, UK Glasgow Carling Academy
11/17/08 Newcastle, UK Newcastle City Hall
11/18/08 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
11/20/08 Newport, UK Newport Centre
11/21/08 Southampton, UK Guildhall
11/23/08 Birmingham, UK Birmingham Carling Academy
11/24/08 London, UK Astoria
5 Check Out Extreme’s New Tune, “Comfortably Dumb”
EXTREME have released another new track from their forthcoming album, Saudades de Rock and you can only hear it in one place.
The song, “Comfortably Dumb” can only be heard exclusively over at Ultimate-Guitar.com, where you can stream the new song and share your feedback with other fans.
http://artists.ultimate-guitar.com/extreme
SAUDADES DE ROCK IS IN STORES AUGUST 12TH
EXTREME TAKE US ALIVE SUMMER TOUR DATES
Jul 29 2008 – The Chance Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 31 2008 – Bank Of America Pavilion Boston, MA
Aug 1 2008 – Brookhaven Amphitheater Farmingville, NY
Aug 2 2008 – Rams Head Baltimore, MD
Aug 4 2008 – Irving Plaza NY, NY
Aug 5 2008 – Chameleon Club Lancaster, PA
Aug 6 2008 – House of Blues Cleveland, OH
Aug 8 2008 – Emerald Theater Detroit, MI
Aug 9 2008 – House of Blues Chicago, IL
Aug 10 2008 – Union Center Blvd Bash Cincinnati, OH
Aug 12 2008 – Amos’ Southend Charlotte, NC
Aug 13 2008 – Center Stage Atlanta, GA
Aug 15 2008 – House of Blues Orlando, FL
Aug 16 2008 – Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aug 18 2008 – House of Blues New Orleans, LA
Aug 19 2008 – Meridian Houston, TX
Aug 20 2008 – House of Blues Dallas, TX
Aug 22 2008 – The Marquee Phoenix, AZ
Aug 23 2008 – House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
Aug 25 2008 – Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Aug 26 2008 – House of Blues Los Angeles, CA
3 Check Out The New Extreme Song “Star”
EXTREME will hit the road next week to kick off their “Take Us Alive” Summer tour – their first tour in over a decade! The tour is in support of the band’s new album studio album, Saudades de Rock which is in stores on August 12th.
Click on the album cover for Saudades de Rock to check out the new single, “Star”!
Be sure to check out Extreme playing live this summer at the dates below.
EXTREME TAKE US ALIVE SUMMER TOUR DATES
Jul 11 2008 – Rocklahoma Pryor, OK
Jul 29 2008 – The Chance Poughkeepsie, NY
Jul 31 2008 – Bank Of America Pavilion Boston, MA
Aug 1 2008 – Brookhaven Amphitheater Farmingville, NY
Aug 2 2008 – Rams Head Baltimore, MD
Aug 4 2008 – Irving Plaza NY, NY
Aug 5 2008 – Chameleon Club Lancaster, PA
Aug 6 2008 – House of Blues Cleveland, OH
Aug 8 2008 – Emerald Theater Detroit, MI
Aug 9 2008 – House of Blues Chicago, IL
Aug 10 2008 – Union Center Blvd Bash Cincinnati, OH
Aug 12 2008 – Amos’ Southend Charlotte, NC
Aug 13 2008 – Center Stage Atlanta, GA
Aug 15 2008 – House of Blues Orlando, FL
Aug 16 2008 – Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aug 18 2008 – House of Blues New Orleans, LA
Aug 19 2008 – Meridian Houston, TX
Aug 20 2008 – House of Blues Dallas, TX
Aug 22 2008 – The Marquee Phoenix, AZ
Aug 23 2008 – House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
Aug 25 2008 – Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Aug 26 2008 – House of Blues Los Angeles, CA
6 2008 New Rock Releases and Reissues (Updated)
I started compiling the following list of New releases for 2008. This may not be a complete list, but so much great new music has arrived in 2008, so far, I though it would be a good idea to keep a running tab of what has come out, and what is on the way. The releases through August have been confirmed. Releases with a question mark have not been confirmed yet. This list will be updated as more news arrives.
Updated July 9, 2008
January
Drive By Truckers – Brigher Than Creation’s Dark
Airbourne – Running Wild (U.S. Release)
Bullet For My Valentine – Scream Aim Fire
Gamma Ray – Land of the Free, Part 2
Ayreon – 01011001
American Speedway – Ship of Fools
Lillian Axe – Love and War (Reissue)
Lillian Axe – S/T (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez – Screwed Blued & Tattooed (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez – Powertool (Reissue)
Stonerider – Three Legs of Trouble
Thieves & Liars – When Dreams Become Reality
Tiles – Fly Paper
Saint Daemon – In Shadows Lost From the Brave
Pagan’s Mind – God’s Equation
February
DVD – Iron Maiden – Live After Death
DVD – Scorpions – Live at Wacken Open Air 2006
DVD – Overkill – Live at Wacken Open Air 2007
DVD – Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
Three – End is Begun
Pillar – For the Love of the Game
Avantasia – The Scarecrow
UFO – Phenomenon (Reissue)
UFO – No Heavy Pettin (Reissue)
UFO – Force It (Reissue)
Type O Negative – Dead Again (Red Version)
Hurricane – Over the Edge (Reissue)
Hurricane – Take What You Want (Reissue)
Hurricane – Slave To the Thrill (Reissue)
Hericane Alice – Tear the House Down (Reissue)
Baton Rouge – Shake Your Soul (Reissue)
Baton Rouge – Lights Out on The Playground (Reissue)
Wrathchild America – Climbing the Walls (Reissue)
Tangier – Four Winds (Reissue)
Tangier – Stranded (Reissue)
Danko Jones – Never Too Loud
King’s Call – No Alibi
March
Benedictum – Seasons of Tragedy
Inflikted – Cavalera Conspiracy
Saving Abel – S/T
Steve Stevens – Memory Crash
Firewind – The Premonition
DVD – Zebra
King Kobra – Ready to Strike (Reissue)
King Kobra – Thrill of a Lifetime (Reissue)
Icon – Right Between the Eyes (Reissue)
Black Tide – Light From Above
House of Lords – Come To My Kingdom
Warrior – Fighting For The Earth (Reissue)
Shannon – Angel in Disguise
Whitecross – 1987
Black Crowes – Warpaint
Diamond Head – Borrowed Time (Reissue)
Diamond Head – Canterbury (Reissue)
April
Fatal Smile – World Domination
Saints of the Underground – Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner
Theory of a Deadman – Scars & Souvenirs
Whitesnake – Good To Be Bad
Dominici – 03 A Trilogy Part 3
Asia – Phoenix
Testament – The Formation of Damnation
The Sword – Gods of The Earth
Dream Theater – Greatest Hit (And 21 other pretty cool songs)
P.O.D. – When Angels and Serpents Dance
Sevendust – Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow
In Flames – Sense of Purpose
Kamelot – Ghost Opera: The Second Coming
Ministry – Cover Up
DVD – Axel Rudi Pell – Live Over Europe
Keel – Lay Down the Law (Reissue)
White Lion – Return of the Pride
Circle II Circle – Delusions of Grandeur
Crimson Glory – S/T (Reissue)
Crimson Glory – Transcendence (Reissue)
Tantric – The End Begins
Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I – IV
May
Iron Maiden – Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989
MSG – In the Midst of Beauty
3 Doors Down – S/T
Bombay Black – Psycho Magnet
Def Leppard – Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Kip Winger – From the Moon To the Sun
Eden – Oblivion
King’s X – XV
M.ILL.ION – Thrill Of The Chase
Dokken – Lightning Strikes Again
10 Years – Division
Jon Oliva’s Pain – Global Warning
Flotsam and Jetsam – Cuatro (Reissue)
Gun Barrel – Outlaw invasion
Brother Firetribe – Heart Full of Fire
Circle II Circle – Delusions of Grandeur
Southern Gentleman – Valley of Fire
10 Years – Division
Glenn Hughes – First Underground Nuclear Kitchen
Souls of We – Let The Truth Be Known (Featuring George Lynch and London LeGrand)
June
Disturbed – Indestructible
Bret Michaels – Rock My World
Man Raze – Surreal
Motley Crue – Saints of Los Angeles
Judas Priest – Nostradamus (2 CD Set)
JORN – Lonely Are the Brave
Flotsam & Jetsam – When The Storm Comes Down (Reissue)
Clusterhead – Times of No Trust
Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
Harem Scarem – Hope
Valient Thorr – Immortalizer
July
The Dogs Divine – Way of Life
Stephen Pearcy – Under My Skin
Tesla – Comin Atcha Live – DVD
Hydrogyn – Deadly Passions
Gypsy Rose – S/T (Featuring David Reece)
Harem Scarem – Hope
Ritchie Kotzen – Live in San Paolo
Silent Rage – Four Letter World
Night Ranger – Hole in the Sun
Jet Black Stare – In This Life
Jesse James Dupree and Dixie Inc – Rev It Up and Go Go
Alice Cooper – Along Came a Spider
Black Sabbath – The Rules of Hell CD Boxset
August
Black Stone Cherry – Folklore & Superstition
Slipknot – All Hope is Gone
Trapt – Only Through The Pain (Aug 5th)
The Showdown – Back Breaker
Dragonforce – Ultra Beatdown
Extreme – Saudades De Rock (Aug 15th)
Asphalt Valentine?
September
Tesla?
Papa Roach – Metamorphisis
Evergrey – Torn
Bullet – Bite the Bullet
Buckcherry – Black Butterfly
Metallica – Death Magnetic
Iced Earth – The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II)
October
Anthrax?
November
Starbreaker – Love’s Dying Wish
December
AC/DC?
Aerosmith?
1 EXREME ‘TAKE US ALIVE’ WORLD TOUR LAUNCHES ON JULY 29
Recently Announce First New Album In Thirteen Years
Saudades de Rock available August 12th on Open E Records
This summer, EXTREME will release Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”),
their first studio album in thirteen years which will coincide with their first
world tour in over twelve years. Saudades de Rock will be released on August 12th
on Open E Records and distributed by Fontana.
The multi-platinum, Boston-bred band’s 2008 ‘TAKE US ALIVE’ world tour gets
underway on July 29th at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and will be anchored
by a hometown gig two days later at the Bank of America Pavilion. In advance of
the tour, Extreme will be a co-headliner on July 11th at the five day Rocklahoma
Festival in Pryor, OK. See all current dates below.
The iconic rock foursome – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt,
bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – recorded their fifth
studio offering at NRG Studios in Los Angeles with Bettencourt at the helm as
producer and mixer. Saudades de Rock boasts 13 tracks, including the infectious
roar of “Star,” the groove-laden, swagger of “King Of The Ladies”, a raw funk
rock anthem called “Learn To Love”, and the expressive ballad “Ghost.”
“’Saudades’ was always a beautiful word to me,” Bettencourt explains about the
Portuguese album moniker. “It expresses a longing; an underlying sadness for
something or someone that’s been missing in your life, and never quite sure if
it will ever return. In this case, for us, it’s Rock and Roll. Saudades de
Rock.”
Gary Cherone adds, “I like how it expresses that longing we’ve been feeling to
play for our fans and be together again.”
www.extreme-band.com
www.myspace.com/extreme
# # #
EXTREME ‘TAKE US ALIVE’ WORLD TOUR 2008:
Jul 11 – Pryor, OK @ Rocklahoma *
Jul 29 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
Jul 31 – Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
Aug 1 – Farmingdale, NY @ Brookhaven Amphitheatre
Aug 2 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head
Aug 4 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Aug 5 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
Aug 6 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Aug 8 – Detroit, MI @ Emerald Theater
Aug 9 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Aug 10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Union Center Blvd Bash
Aug 12 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
Aug 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
Aug 15 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
Aug 16 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
Aug 18 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Aug 19 – Houston, TX @ Meridien
Aug 20 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
Aug 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee
Aug 23 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
Aug 25 – San Francisco, CA @ Filmore
Aug 26 – Los Angels, CA @ House of Blues
Sep 13 – Milan, Italy @ Rock of Ages Festival
More dates to be added.
To date, the Grammy-nominated EXTREME has released four albums, plus a greatest
hits set—selling over 10 million records worldwide. On the strength of multiple
world tours, they also achieved a #1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their
1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100,
which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two
acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, it overshadowed the
band’s trademark sound: a mix of hard rock funk in the spirit and style of their
predecessors Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen and Van Halen—fueled by
BETTENCOURT’s signature guitar flights and CHERONE’s resonant vocals—and matched
with a social consciousness in their lyrics.
OPEN E RECORDS is a new label that is distributed by Fontana. A portion of Open
E Records profits will be donated to Music Drives Us, a foundation created as a
way to support music in New England. The Foundation also gives scholarship money
for individuals who desire to continue their musical education.
www.musicdrivesus.com.
1 New Extreme Music Samples Online
On August 1st, EXTREME will release through Frontiers Records in Europe “Saudades de Rock”, their first studio album in thirteen years which will coincide with their first world tour in over twelve years.
The iconic rock foursome – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – recorded their fifth studio offering at NRG Studios in Los Angeles with Bettencourt at the helm as producer and mixer. “Saudades de Rock” boasts 13 tracks (plus one exclusive bonus track for the European edition, Americocaine demo 1985, the very first studio demo recording of Extreme) including the infectious roar of “Star,” the groove-laden, swagger of “King“, a raw funk rock anthem called “Learn To Love” and the expressive ballad “Ghost.”
“A record is what makes a band vital”, says Bettencourt. “For the fans, it’s like, ‘Show me if you still got it.’ And we’ve done that. I really think this is the best record we’ve ever done.”
Based on the enthusiasm of the rock aficionados and diehard fans that have followed the band since its self-titled debut, Extreme’s 2008 ‘Take Us Alive’ world tour is destined for success and will bring the band to an exclusive gig in Europe at Milan’s Rock of Ages Festival on September 13th. Showcasing material from the majestic new album and classics from discs like 1990’s multi-platinum, “Pornograffitti”, not to mention 1992’s critically acclaimed “III Sides to Every Story”, the members of Extreme are thrilled to be heading out on the road.
“Saudades de Rock” finds the men of Extreme excited to be back together and playing to their collective strengths. And clearly, the accomplishment is not lost on them. “It didn’t take long for us to be reminded of what we were capable of,” Cherone enthuses. “We always knew Extreme was special. We always knew it was a matter of time.”
It’s a sentiment that carries over to the title of Extreme’s phenomenal new disc. “’Saudades’ was always a beautiful word to me,” Nuno explains. “It expresses a longing; an underlying sadness for something or someone that’s been missing in your life, and never quite sure if it will ever return. In this case, for us, it’s Rock and Roll. Saudades de Rock.”
“Saudades de Rock” European track listing includes:
Star; Comfortably Dumb; Learn To Love; Take Us Alive; Run; Last Hour; Flower Man; King Of The Ladies; Ghost; Slide; Interface; Sunrise; Peace (Saudade); Americocaine (demo 1985 – European bonus track).
Full streaming of “Star” will be available on the band and Frontiers’ myspace sites from Tuesday June 17th.
3 New Extreme CD Due in August
Extreme announce first new album in thirteen years, Saudades de Rock available August 12th on Open E Records
This summer, EXTREME will release Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”), their first studio album in thirteen years which will coincide with their first world tour in over twelve years. Saudades de Rock will be released on August 12th on Open E Records and distributed by Fontana.
The iconic rock foursome – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – recorded their fifth studio offering at NRG Studios in Los Angeles with Bettencourt at the helm as producer and mixer. Saudades de Rock boasts 13 tracks, including the infectious roar of “Star,” the groove-laden, swagger of “King”, a raw funk rock anthem called “Learn To Love”, and the expressive ballad “Ghost.”
“‘Saudades’ was always a beautiful word to me,” Bettencourt explains about the Portuguese album moniker. “It expresses a longing; an underlying sadness for something or someone that’s been missing in your life, and never quite sure if it will ever return. In this case, for us, it’s Rock and Roll. Saudades de Rock.”
Gary Cherone adds, “I like how it expresses that longing we’ve been feeling to play for our fans and be together again.”
The multi-platinum, Boston-bred band’s 2008 ‘TAKE US ALIVE’ world tour gets underway on July 29th at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and will be anchored by a hometown gig two days later at the Bank of America Pavilion. In advance of the tour, Extreme will be a co-headliner on July 11th at the five day Rocklahoma Festival in Pryor, OK.
3 Extreme – S/T (Release Year – 1989)
Extreme’s debut CD hit the hair metal scene in 1989. I always thought their debut CD was a little hit
and miss. There are some good songs, and there are a few tunes that feel like filler material.
The one thing that propels Extreme past many of their peers is the superb guitar work of Nuno Bettencourt. Without Nuno, I often wonder if this band would have been a blip on the musical radar.
Bettencourt adds a funky groove to Extreme’s music that helps seperate them from so many of the bands that oversatured the music scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The band broke out in 1989 with several videos on MTV that launched a fairly solid career for Gary Cherone and company.
This self titled debut isn’t the band’s strongest effort by any means, but it is definitely worth a listen. Check out the songs Wind Me Up, Kid Ego, or the Play With Me, and you will certainly have a rocking good time.
This is one of those discs that you have to get out from time to time, if only to hear Bettencourt shred. His guitar work on Play With Me is worth the price of admission, all by itself.
Extreme has reunited in 2007, and will play the first show of their 2008 tour, at the Rocklahoma music festival in July. For more information on Extreme, check out their myspace page.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Little Girls
2. Wind Me Up
3. Kid Ego
4. Watching, Waiting
5. Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go To School Today)
6. Teacher’s Pet
7. Big Boys Don’t Cry
8. Smoke Signals
9. Flesh ‘N’ Blood
10. Rock A Bye Bye
11. Play With Me
Extreme is:
Gary Cherone – Vocals
Nuno Bettencourt – Guitars
Pat Badger – Bass
Paul Geary – Drums
0 Extreme To Tour With Kings X
EXTREME will make their much-anticipated return to the stage this summer in support of Saudades de Rock (pronounced “sow-dodge”), their first studio album in 13 years. The multi-platinum, Boston-bred band’s 2008 Take Us Alive world tour gets underway on July 29th at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and will be anchored by a hometown gig two days later at the Bank of America Pavilion. In advance of the tour, Extreme will be a co-headliner on July 11th at the five day Rocklahoma Festival in Pryor, OK.
The iconic rock foursome – vocalist Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, bassist Pat Badger and new drummer Kevin Figueiredo – will be supported by KING’S X on all North American dates. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp will offer additional support dates.
Information on the groundbreaking new album Saudades de Rock— which was produced by Bettencourt at L.A.’s NRG studios and is planned for release to coincide with the tour–is forthcoming. Fans can expect the same unwavering songcraft and diverse musical approach that made Extreme legendary. Simply put, Extreme’s fifth studio offering – which boasts the infectious roar of ‘Star’, the groove-laden swagger of ‘King’, a raw funk rock anthem called ‘Learn To Love’, and the expressive ballad ‘Ghost’ – just may be its finest hour yet.
As excited as the members of Extreme are by their latest musical accomplishment, they can’t wait to take it to the stage.
“As much as we enjoy recording, for me, I’ve always loved playing live for the fans,” Cherone says. “We can’t wait to get out there and play this music.”
“We wanted to record as much of the new album as possible live in the studio,” Bettencourt adds. “And because of it, these songs will translate easily to the stage. We’re really looking forward to getting out on tour, putting on a show. That’s really where the band shines.”
“We always knew Extreme was special,” the guitarist says of the completion of Extreme’s long-awaited fifth album. “We always knew it was a matter of time.”
The Grammy-nominated Extreme have released four studio albums to date, plus a greatest hits set. Selling over 10 million records worldwide on the strength of multiple world tours, the group achieved a 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1991 with ‘More Than Words‘. Culled from their 1990 multi-platinum album, Extreme II: Pornograffitti, the disc also produced the Top 5 hit ‘Hole Hearted’.
Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, they overshadowed the band’s trademark sound: a mix of hard rock funk in the spirit and style of their predecessors in LED ZEPPELIN, AEROSMITH, QUEEN and VAN HALEN. Fueled by Bettencourt’s signature guitar flights and Cherone’s resonant vocals, the band’s socially conscious lyrics set them apart from their peers. In 1992, the band was asked by Queen’s Brian May to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert. As the world watched, the band earned considerable credibility within and beyond the hard rock fraternity.
Extreme’s tour schedule has been updated and is now as follows:
July
11 – Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma
29 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
31 – Boston, MA – Bank of America Pavilion
August
1 – Long Island NY – Brookhaven
2 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head
4 – New York City, NY – Fillmore at Irving Plaza
5 – Lancaster PA – Chameleon Club
6 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
8 – Detroit, MI – Harpo’s (NEW DATE)
9 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
10 – Cincinnati, OH – Union Center Blvd Bash (NEW DATE)
12 – Charlotte, NC – venue tba (NEW DATE)
13 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
15 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues (NEW DATE)
16 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Revolution (NEW DATE)
18 – New Orleans LO – HOB
19 – Houston TX – Meridian
20 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
22 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theatre
23 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
25 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
26 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
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!
2 The Return of Extreme
EXTREME REJOIN FORCES FOR NEW ALBUM AND TOUR IN 2008
EXTREME are set to return in the spring of 2008 with their first album of all new material in 13 years. The band features original members NUNO BETTENCOURT (guitar), GARY CHERONE (vocals) and PAT BADGER (bass), along with new drummer KEVIN FIGUEIREDO.
In the coming weeks, EXTREME will announce their plans for a world tour in 2008 as well as a release date and label for the as yet untitled album, which is being produced by BETTENCOURT, who says: “It will have all the ingredients of an EXTREME record. The music is always Funkier than most rock bands—and born a Bipolar Bastard child of Mr. Zeppelin and Mrs. Beatles.”
The Grammy-nominated EXTREME have released four albums, plus two greatest hits sets—selling over 10 million records worldwide—and completed multiple world tours. They also achieved a 1 hit single, “More Than Words”—from their 1990 multi-platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti—on the Billboard Hot 100, which they followed with the Top Five “Hole Hearted.” Although these two acoustic hits brought the band great mainstream success, it overshadowed the band’s trademark sound: a mix of hard rock funk in the spirit and style of their predecessors Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen and Van Halen—fueled by BETTENCOURT’s signature guitar flights and CHERONE’s resonant vocals—and matched with a social consciousness in their lyrics. A career highlight came for EXTREME when Queen’s Brian May asked them to perform at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert in 1992, which gave the band considerable credibility beyond the hard rock fraternity.
EXTREME have been introduced to a new generation of music fans who are connecting with the band through MySpace as a result of the inclusion of their song “Play With Me” on 2007’s “Guitar Hero” video game. Outside of EXTREME, CHERONE joined Van Halen as lead singer in 1998, co-writing the Van Halen III album and touring the world with them. BETTENCOURT joined up with Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell to form the band Satellite Party and co-produce their album Ultra Payloaded. Satellite Party also consisted of drummer KEVIN FIGUIEREDO, whom was previously in a band with BETTENCOURT called Dramagods.
Through the years, BETTENCOURT and CHERONE have remained close and continued to collaborate on occasion. But what exactly inspired them to rejoin forces as EXTREME?
“Rock and Roll Famine…I know it might sound crazy, but there is a massive shortage of rock and roll on this planet,” says BETTENCOURT. “It’s almost extinct. I mean the true spirit of quality rock and roll—you know, Musicianship, when you would give up every moment of your day to master your instrument and create your own identity and sound so as to respectfully outdo all your past heroes whilst proudly wearing the badge of their influences.”
“Passion,” says BETTENCOURT, is what drives EXTREME. “To do whatever it takes, with integrity, to bring music to the people, not because of fame…but just cause you simply couldn’t wait to share it with them.”
“We realized,” adds BETTENCOURT, “not only are the people starved for rock and roll…So are we. Let’s eat.”
Look for the Boston-based group to perform Saturday, December 1 at the Boston Music Awards at the Orpheum Theatre.
Here is Extreme’s video for Get The Funk Out!
Hard Rock Hideout 
