Tag: Jeff Paris
0 BlancaWhite – Resurgence of Rock (2011)
BlancaWhite is the music project of Ken Savage and Austin Schell. On their debut effort, Savage and Schell have attracted the vocal talents of Paul Shortino, Terry Ilous, Lorraine Lewis and Jeff Paris. What they have accomplished is an full of fun, classic sounding tunes that will appeal to most rock fans.
Paul Shortino can sing anything and make is sound great . Two of the tracks he sings on, “Resurgence of Rock” and “Livin’ It Up” are easily my favorites on this CD. “Resurgence of Rock” is a clever tune that mentions many of the great hard rock acts of the 80’s. “Livin’ It Up” is a cool, extremely catchy anthem that would sound great at any party.
There are moments on “Take Me Back” when Jeff Paris sounds like Rod Stewart. This song has a very cool classic vibe that demands replay. “Another Hotel Bar” is a story telling type of song, that could easily describe musicians in many of today’s rock bands. Paris does a great job on this tune as well. This song is one of Resurgence of Rock’s highlights.
It is good to hear Lorraine Lewis back in action. I have heard sing since Femme Fatale’s debut was released in 1990. She does a good job on the song “Still Turnin’ Heads”. I didn’t really care forthe song “Hundred Years War”. Lorraine sings in a lower register for much of this song, and it sounds unnatural for her.
Terry Ilous always does a tremendous job on everything he sings. “Your Boyfriend is Lame” is no exception. You can get a free download of the upbeat rockin’ tune, “Your Boyfriend is Lame” by visiting this link.
Overall, BlancaWhite’s debut is a solid effort, and one that classic rock fans will likely enjoy. For more information on Resurgence of Rock, please visit this website.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Resurgence of Rock (Paul Shortino)
- One For the Ages (Jeff Paris)
- Your Boyfriend is Lame (Terry Ilous)
- Take Me Back (Jeff Paris)
- Livin’ It Up! (In A Mexican Bar) (Paul Shortino)
- Still Turnin’ Heads (Lorraine Lewis)
- Another Hotel Bar (Jeff Paris)
- Hundred Years War(Lorraine Lewis)
- Woman Side/ Famous Last Chords (Paul Shortino)
1 “RESURGENCE OF ROCK,” BLANCAWHITE’S DEBUT ALBUM, INSPIRES A GLOBAL RESURGENCE OF HARD ROCK
It’s high time for a resurgence of classic hard rock! With that rallying cry, BlancaWhite has released its debut, full-length album, “Resurgence of Rock,” to significant fanfare and acclaim. Sung by legendary vocalists from the 70s and 80s hard rock era, Resurgence of Rock is original, in-your-face, party-hardy hard rock at its finest!
An extraordinary international project two years in the making, Resurgence of Rock taps the exceptional talents of 80s vocalists Paul Shortino (QUIET RIOT, ROUGH CUTT and KING KOBRA), Terry Ilous (XYZ and GREAT WHITE), Lorraine Lewis (FEMME FATALE and L.A. NOOKIE), and Jeff Paris (CINDERELLA, VIXEN, SLASH and KEB MO), who deliver stunning performances with all the skill and spirit of hard
rock’s greatest era.
Billed as a “hard rock grass roots revolution,” Resurgence of Rock is the brainchild of international lawyer Ken Savage and brothers Austin and Rick Schell, who spared no effort or expense to bring their hard rock dreams to fruition. “We’re just ordinary rock fans who want the world to return to the glory days of hard rock, and we cared enough to do something about it,” says Savage, a fifth-generation Texan based in Paris, France. “This is hard rock made by fans for fans, pure and simple. It was a thrill and an honor to make this album, and we hope every hard rock fan from the
70s and 80s will enjoy it.”
Resurgence of Rock is unique in the manner it mixes hard rock sounds of the 70s and 80s with a modern-day perspective. “The driving rock sounds on this album are straight out of the classic hard rock era. But the subject matter and lyrics are from the perspective of today,” notes Savage. “The songs ought to appeal to anyone who grew up in the late 70s or 80s. The songs either look back on that era with fondness, or they address issues that someone who grew up in that period, now with a few more years under his or her belt, faces today.” In short, “Resurgence of Rock is a unique mix of the vintage, classic sounds of bands like AC/DC or Van Halen, with the perspective of today,” explains Savage.
BlancaWhite adopted the models of the Alan Parsons Project and early Queens of the Stone Age and scoured the world to locate the best vocalists for each of their songs. “This project was an extraordinary odyssey that took us to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, Nashville, and Paris. The logistics and challenges were horrific,” says Savage. “We wanted the very best in terms of singers, as well as mixing and mastering, and we did whatever was required to make that happen. It was challenging and exhilarating at the same time!”
BlancaWhite is named after the world-famous bar in Matamoros, Mexico, just across from the Texas border where Savage and the Schells grew up. The international influences on the album are unmistakable. BlancaWhite’s founders are particularly proud of the fact that one of their key hard rockers, “Your Boyfriend Is Lame,” contains lines in Spanish and French, and that they were able to locate Terry Ilous, perhaps the only natively tri-lingual hard rock vocalist of the 80s, to sing that song.
Little surprise that SAMMY HAGAR, VAN HALEN, and AC/DC were major influences on the album. “We were most strongly influenced by Sammy, Eddie, Malcolm, and Angus, with some combination of DEF LEPPARD and JUDAS PRIEST as well,” says Savage. “There are strong Mexico and partying themes to this album, and even a reference to Van Halen’s Cabo Wabo in our title song. Sammy ought to be proud of
what he’s inspired!”
BlancaWhite is already working on its next album. BlancaWhite intends to keep making “hard rock music with a modern twist” as well as matching exceptional singers to particular songs. “We hope everyone gets a real kick out of Resurgence of Rock. It’s time for rock music to become fun again, without any higher calling. And hold on to your hats – there is much more to come!,” says Savage.
Check out the Electronic Press Kit below!
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
ResurgenceOfRock.com
BlancaWhite.com
0 Liberty N’ Justice – Chasing A Cure EP With Vic Rivera (2011)
What does Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, and Eddie Ojeda have in common? They are all from successful bands from the 80’s, and they have performed together on the new Liberty N’ Justice EP, Chasing a Cure!
The lineup on this EP is a hard rock fan’s dream. Paul Shortino, Ron Keel, Eddie Ojeda, Philip Bardowell,Tony Palacias, Terry Ilous, Jeff Paris, Richard Kendrick,Donnie Vie, JK Northrup, Benny Mardones, John Pine and Bill Leverty have joined forces to create five new songs with a purpose.
With the Chasing A Cure EP, Liberty N’ Justice is trying to create awareness of epilepsy and raise money for research to find a cure. The disease hits very close to home for Liberty N’ Justice founder, Justin Murr. Justin’s oldest daughter, Trinity Paige Murr, was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 7. For the past five years she has battled through daily medication, hospital stays, cluster seizures, induced comas, three weeks in the ICU — and finally brain surgery.
Chasing a Cure is available through the Liberty N’ Justice website. 100% of the proceeds are being donated to the Epilepsy Foundation in Trinity’s name.
This EP is only available to those who donate through the Liberty N’ Justice website. It is not on sale in stores or online anywhere else.
So how is the music? It is easily the best melodic rock I have heard in 2011. I have been a fan of Paul Shortino and Ron Keel for a long time, and have been anxiously awaiting the release of the new King Kobra CD that Paul is singing on. Shortino and Keel’s voice blend together nicely for one rockin’ tune with “Say Uncle”.
“Paige’s Song” with Philip Bardowell and Tony Palacios reminds me a lot of a Mr. Big tune. It is a slower number, but the music is very good. Bardowell’s vocals are terrific, and Tony Palacios guitar licks truly enhance this song.
I always enjoy hearing new stuff from Donnie Vie. In my opinion, Enuff Z’nuff’s music is amongst the most under rated tunes in the late 80’s and 90’s. If you are an Enuff Z’nuff fan you need the song “Throwing Stones”. It does not disappoint!
Terry Ilous is one of those singers that could sing the phone book and sound good. Needless to say, his vocals here are terrific. Of course he has a little help from Jeff Paris (who has written more hit rock tunes than you can imagine), and Richard Kendrick from the Steve Blaze fronted Near Life Experience.
Remember Benny Mardones from the song “Into the Night“? I always though Mardones has a voice that was similar to ex-Journey front man Steve Perry. Ironically, the song “Chasing A Cure” sounds as if it could have been a left over Journey track.
The bottom line, if you are melodic rock fan, or of the musicians involved in this project, you are going to enjoy Chasing a Cure. When you donate money for this EP, you can feel good about your money going to a good cause, and get some great tunes in return! You can get Chasing a Cure, from the Liberty N’ Justice website at this location!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track listing:
- Say Uncle (Paul Shortino of Rough Cutt/Quiet Riot/King Kobra, Ron Keel of Keel, and Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister)
- Throwing Stones (Donnie Vie of Enuff Z’ Nuff and JK Northrup)
- Paige’s Song (Philip Bardowell of MAGDALEN/Unruly Child/The Beach Boys and Tony Palacios of Guardian)
- Playing God (Terry Ilous of XYZ, Jeff Paris and Richard Kendrick of Near Life Experience)
- Chasing A Cure (Benny Mardones, John Pine and Bill Leverty of Firehouse)
