Tag: L.A> Guns
1 M3 Rock Festival – Saturday Review – Part 2
I knew when I saw the announcement for the lineup at M3 in 2014, it was going to be an awesome show. As Friday night, and the first half of Saturday had already proved at M3, this was the Festival show to be at this year.
One of the acts that I was most anxious to see at M3 was Red Dragon Cartel. This return of Jake E. Lee to the big stage is something that I could not miss, and judging from the capacity crowd at the second stage, Jake E. Lee’s fans were in full force. Red Dragon Cartel did a great selection of tunes including music from Ozzy Osbourne, Badlands and of course Red Dragon Cartel. Darren Lewis did a fine job on vocals, and Jake E. Lee was freakin’ amazing, just as I had expected. As great as Red Dragon Cartel was, the evening was only going to get better from there.
Next up on the main stage was Queensryche. This was Queensryche with Todd La Torre on vocals in case you were wondering which version. I have not seen Todd LaTorre with Queensryche before, but I recall Queensryche’s last appearance at M3. It was obvious there was tension in the band at the time, and it ended up being one of the band’s last shows with their former singer Geoff Tate. With that being said, this was a different Queensryche than the one I saw previously, and I gotta say, I was impressed as hell. Queensryche was on fire at M3. They came out with all guns blazing, and Mr. LaTorre was absolutely incredible. As soon as I heard the opening riffs of “Nightrider” I was hooked. I haven’t heard Queensryche do this song in years. I was also super excited to hear “Queen of the Reich”. Man…oh Man, Queensryche practically stole the show, and I am pretty sure Todd LaTorre made about 10,000 new believers at the M3 Rock Festival. They were fantastic! A couple of days after M3, it was announced that Geoff Tate will and Queensryche have come to an agreement, and that Tate will no longer use the Queensryche name. This is good news, and I look forward to supporting both Queensryche and Geoff Tate in the future.
Our day was super packed, and I am sad to say that I missed Autograph. This was due to a conflicting schedule for an interview that we had lined up with Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy from Night Ranger. (coming to HRH soon).
Next band up was Sebastian Bach and his solo band. As much as I love Sebastian, his performance at M3 this year was not my favorite. He kept going on and on about how his new album was # 1 on iTunes, and while I think that is great, and a hell of a hard accomplishment for any hard rock / musician from the 80’s, it came across kind of douchey. Sebastian seemed upset that folks still want to hear Skid Row songs, and while he did them and sound great, it kind of set the mood for his show. He was good, but he could have been so much better. He was amazing at the 2012 M3.
L.A. Guns was up next on the second stage. Aside from Kix, L.A. Guns has probably played more M3 Rock Festival’s than any other band, and always enjoy their shows. This year the band has a new guitarist, former Endeverafter frontman and guitarist Michael Grant. I have been fortunate enough to see Michael play with his former band, and I already knew that he is one bad ass dude. Grant does a great job as the band’s latest Axe slinger, and of course Phil Lewis and company were great. I can’t understand why they were on the second stage, but I digress.
I am embarrassed to say that the first time I saw Night Ranger live was at the 2012 M3 Rock Festival. Since then, I have made up for lost time and have seen them play live several times. The reason why I have gone, and will continue to go to Night Ranger concerts is that the band puts on an incredible live show. Brad Gillis and Joel Hoekstra really tear it up on stage, and are a blast to watch play. Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy still deliver some of the best rock vocals on the planet. Night Ranger’s set was far too short, but their condensed set was damn impressive, and I thought they were easily the best band of the day. The joy of music always comes out on the faces of Night Ranger. They always seem to enjoy playing as much as I do hearing and seeing them. Night Ranger also debuted their new song “High Road”, and I gotta say the new song is pretty good. I look forward to hearing the rest of the new album soon.
I didn’t make it over the hill again for Slaughter as the sky had opened up and turned what was an awesome weather day, into a rather soggy evening. I chose to protect my gear from the rain, and hung near the main stage for Tesla.
Tesla has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, and it has been a couple of years since I have seen them play (ironically Night Ranger opened up for them then too!) Night Ranger is always a tough act to follow in my opinion, but Tesla lived up to the challenge. Not only did Tesla debut a new song “MP3” off of their soon to be released album Simplicity, they also played killer set of tunes that covered the majority of their discography. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t hear “Song and Emotion” (one of my personal favorites) or Cumin’ Atcha Live, but it was still a great show. The Merriweather Post Pavilion was jam packed to one of the biggest crowds that I have ever seen for M3, and Tesla kept them all standing. This was a true testament to one great band.
Of all of the M3 Rock Festival’s I have been to, this one was by far my favorite. It was a great time with my good friend Ryo Vie, packed with awesome music and memories that I will never forget. I am already counting the days until M3 Rock Festival # 7 in 2015. I don’t know how they will top this lineup next year, but I have a feeling the next M3 Rock Festival is going to be even better!
1 L.A. GUNS TO RELEASE LIVE IN CONCERT, FROM M3, WITH BEHIND-SCENES AND INTERVIEW EXTRAS ON FEBRUARY 12
L.A. Guns provided one of the most talked-about performances at the 2012 M3 Rock Festival in Maryland last May. That full concert was professionally captured in a multi-camera shoot and packaged with behind-the-scenes, studio, and interview extras in L.A. GUNS: LIVE IN CONCERT to be released February 12 by Cleopatra Records. Also included are three studio music videos from the critically-acclaimed album, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER. The accompanying CD provides the audio tracks for the M3 concert.
L.A. Guns continues carry the torch of the glam/sleaze/rock scene from the Sunset Strip, always delivering their trademark sound, but also creatively moving forward with the type of exciting new music displayed in HOLLYWOOD FOREVER. It is this combination of old and new that keeps L.A. Guns on the road, on the radio, and on the minds of rock fans across the globe. L.A. GUNS: LIVE IN CONCERT captures the band at one of the biggest rock festivals in the U.S. and showcases the fan favorites like “Never Enough” and “The Ballad of Jayne” as well as tracks from the new record. The concert is uncut and has material not seen in the live festival feed.
In the bonus material, documentarian Jack Foster interviewed Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades, and Scotty Griffin about songwriting, collaboration, and the band’s rich history. In-studio footage throughout the recording process was also captured, including creative banter with legendary record producer Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen) . Former L.A. Guns member Kelly Nickels makes a special appearance as well.
TRACK LIST
LIVE AT THE M3 ROCK FESTIVAL
- Sex Action
- Never Enough
- You Better Not Love Me
- Sweet Mystery
- Revolution
- Sleazy Come, Easy Go
- Electric Gypsy
- The Ballad of Jayne
- Rip N’ Tear
STUDIO VIDEOS
10. You Better Not Love Me
- Arana Negra (Black Spider) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s72JTne0sbI
- Requiem (Hollywood Forever)
THE MAKING OF HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
- The Beginning
- Bookends
- Writing Songs
- Working Together
- Time Crunch
- Phil’s Songs
- Hot Rods & Strippers
- Treasure Chest
- Vinyl Spider
- Hot Take
With new guitarist Frank Wilsey, L.A. Guns is starting the new year with club dates in the Midwest and their home start, gearing up for the epic Monsters of Rock Cruise to the Bahamas in March.
1/17 Viper Alley Lincolnshire, IL
1/18 Small’s Hamtramck, MI
1/19 Soaring Eagle Casino Mt. Pleasant, MI
1/26 Tiki Bar Costa Mesa, CA
3/14 Bahia Cabana Ft. Lauderdale, FL
3/15 Jake’s Tavern Sarasota, FL
3/16-20 Monsters of Rock Cruise
L.A. GUNS: LIVE IN CONCERT will be in stores and online at MSRP $16.99.
1 L.A. GUNS CONTINUES 2012 WORLD TOUR IN SUPPORT OF HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, RESPONDS TO TRACII GUNS’ INTERVIEW
L.A. Guns continues to tour the U.S. and Europe in support of the critically-acclaimed new record, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER (Cleopatra Records). The 14-track album, available now in-stores, online, and on vinyl, includes the charting single “You Better Not Love Me.” Former L.A. Guns member Kelly Nickels makes a special appearance, playing bass on “Venus Bomb” and providing backing vocals on other tracks. Another highlight of HOLLYWOOD FOREVER is “ArañaNegra,” which is sung entirely in Spanish. The album is the fourth L.A. Guns record produced by Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen).
This week, the band starts a Scandinavian tour. Current dates through the summer include:
7/26 DBTL Festival Turku, Finland
7/27 Klubi Tampere, Finland
7/28 Vauhtiaiot Festival Race & Rock Sienaioki, Finland
7/31 Tavastia Helsinki, Finland
8/3 Blaest Trodheim, Norway
8/4 Untouchables Rock Club Jevnaker, Norway
8/8 Gamla Oslo, Norway
8/9 Sin City Copenhagen, Denmark
8/10 Skogsrojet Festival Rejmyre, Sweden
8/11 KG5 Mariestad, Sweden
8/12 Harry B. James Stockholm, Sweden
8/17 Ramona Mainstage Ramona CA
8/18 Malone’s Santa Ana CA
8/24 Bergen Performing Arts Center Englewood NJ w/Skid Row
8/25 Ollies Point Amityville NY w/Skid Row
Recently, former L.A. Guns member Tracii Guns, reported that he is retiring his version of the band. All the members of L.A. Guns (Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades, and Scotty Griffin) believe this will help everyone to move on from the past, from the confusion, and wish Tracii all the best in the future.
3 L.A. Guns – Hollywood Forever (2012)
It is a good thing that I don’t review CD’s after one listen. After I listened to L.A. Guns new CD, Hollywood Forever the first time, I didn’t like it very much. Maybe I expected this album to be another Cocked & Loaded, or maybe I was just too tired when I listened to it. Needless to say, my opinion has done a complete 180 since then, I can’t get this CD out of player. Hollywood Forever may not be Cocked & Loaded, but it is clearly their best album L.A. Guns have released since Hollywood Vampires.
L.A. Guns has managed to recapture their former sound and this is due mainly to the killer guitar work of Stacey Blades. . Hollywood Forever oozes that awesome 80’s sleazy sound, and that is due mainly to Stacey’s playing on this album.
L.A. Guns most powerful instrument has always been the voice of Phil Lewis. Phil proves that he still has one of the best voices in the business on Hollywood Forever.
The album starts off with the ripping title track “Hollywood Forever”. This is the way to start out a rock album. This heavy rocker could go down as one of L.A. Guns best yet.
The best songs on the album are ‘Hollywood Forever”, “You Better Not Love Me”, “Sweet Mystery” and “I Won’t Play”, but there are several more that will grow on you with every listen. “Eel Pie” is one of those tracks that I keep finding myself replaying. “Vine Street Shimmy” is another song that I keep gravitating too. I hope this one finds its way into L.A. Guns live set some time soon. This is a fun and upbeat rocker that L.A. Guns fans are going to love.
I thought the inclusion of the cover song Arana Negra was pretty clever, even though it is in Spanish. I understand the lyrics “Hola coma estas”, but my Spanish is pretty weak after that. It is a catchy song, even if I don’t know all of the words that Phil Lewis is singing.
Overall, this is a very strong effort from L.A. Guns, and one that every fan should pick up. I love this album, and I think you will too!
You can purchase Hollywood Forever from Amazon.com at this link. Don’t miss this!
Rating: Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Hollywood Forever
02. You Better Not Love Me
03. Eel Pie
04. Sweet Mystery
05. Burn
06. Vine St. Shimmy
07. Dirty Black Night
08. Underneath The Sun
09. Queenie
10. Crazy Tango
11. Venus Bomb
12. I Won’t Play
13. Requiem (Hollywood Forever)
14. Arana Negra (Black Spider)
L.A. Guns are:
Phil Lewis – vocals
Stacey Blades – guitar
Scotty Griffin – bass
Steve Riley – drums
Additional Musicians:
Kelly Nickels – bass and backing vocals
0 L.A. Guns – New M3 Photo Gallery & New Video – You Better Not Love Me
L.A Guns wasn’t supposed to play at the M3 Rock Festival in 2012. When Cinderella cancelled, L.A. Guns (and Great White) were added to the bill. L.A. Guns quickly proved that they deserved to be there with a rockin’ set of L.A. Guns classics and their brand new song, “You Better Not Love Me”. I like this song the first time I heard it, and I am glad it has been released for all to hear in a video format.
“You Better Not Love Me” is on L.A. Guns new album, Hollywood Forever, which is due out June 5th, 2012. Check out the video below! You can pre-order Hollywood Forever here! Check out the video, and our L.A. Guns M3 Photo Gallery below!
1 Set Times Announced for the M3 Rock Festival
The set times have been announced for the 4th Annual M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD. Check below for bands and start times. Good Tickets are still available for the M3 Rock Festival at this link.
0 L.A. GUNS RELEASES ALBUM ART, FINAL TRACK LIST, AND NEW SONG TEASER FOR HOLLYWOOD FOREVER
While on a tour of Europe this month, L.A. Guns has been incorporating some tracks in the set list from the new record, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, out June 5 on Deadline/Cleopatra Records. The cover art, final track list, and a sneak peek at one of the songs are now available.
Track List:
Hollywood Forever
You Better Not Love Me
Eel Pie
Sweet Mystery
Burn
Vine St. Shimmy
Dirty Black Night
Underneath The Sun
Queenie
Crazy Tango
Venus Bomb
I Won’t Play
Requiem (Hollywood Forever)
Araña Negra (originally recorded by The Bicicletas)
Former L.A. Guns member Kelly Nickels makes a special appearance, playing bass on “Venus Bomb” and providing backing vocals on other tracks. Another highlight of HOLLYWOOD FOREVER is “Araña Negra,” which is sung entirely in Spanish. The album is the fourth L.A. Guns record produced by Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen).
The L.A. Guns spring European tour continues in Spain the first week of May, then brings the band back to the U.S. for summer club dates and festivals including M3
5/2 Sala La Boite Madrid, Spain
5/3 Sala Studio 54 Leon, Spain
5/4 Sala Acapulco Gijion, Spain
5/5 Sala Guardetxe San Sebastian, Spain
5/6 Music Hall Barcelona, Spain
5/12 M3 Festival Columbia MD
5/31 Prime Time Tap Oglesby IL (Phil, Stacey)
6/1 Off Road Ranch (Midwest Bike Fest) Norfolk NE (w/Dokken)
6/2 The Grove Lincoln NE
6/22 Bay City River Roar Bay City MI (w/Skid Row)
6/23 Columbia Music Hall Portsmouth OH (w/Skid Row)
6/24 Ripper Owens Tap House Akron OH
6/30 Buffalo Valley Music Festival Duluth MN (w/Dokken)
7/7 4th of July Town Celebration Enfield CT (w/Warrant & Skid Row)
7/14 Seboeis Stream Campground Howland ME
7/15 Asylum Portland ME
7/20 AWA Amphitheater/Casino Del Sol Tucson AZ (w/Skid Row)
6/21 910 Live Tempe AZ
8/10 Skogsrojet Festival Rejmyre, Sweden
8/11 KG5 Mariestad, Sweden
8/12 Harry B. James Stockholm, Sweden
8/24 Bergen Performing Arts Center Englewood NJ (w/Skid Row)
8/25 Ollies Point Amityville NY
1 L.A. GUNS Album Title and Track Listing Announced
Album release date, track list, and That Metal Show taping announced
While finishing touches are being put on their summer-release studio album, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, L.A. Guns spent a few days in Los Angeles shooting three videos to support the record, and are releasing “You Better Not Love Me” online next week.
With videographer Jack Foster behind the lens, the band shot indoor scenes at the legendary Circus Disco in Hollywood. With an LED logo in the background, the band meshed theatrics with its expected rock energy on the big stage. Later, additional scenes were shot in L.A.’s colorful Little Mexico and the landmark Hollywood Forever cemetery. Videos for “Requiem (Hollywood Forever),” and “Aranga Nigre” were also shot. Said Stacey Blades, “It was a blast hammin’ it up in a big venue and stage for the cameras. We are so excited about the new album coming out and videos to boot. 2012 is the year of L.A.GUNS!”
Also announced this week is the final track list for HOLLYWOOD FOREVER. The album, which is the fourth L.A. Guns record produced by Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen), will drop June 5.
Track List:
Hollywood Forever
You Better Not Love Me
Sweet Mystery
Eel Pie
Burn
Requiem (Hollywood Forever)
I Won’t Play
Vine St. Shimmy
Arana Negra (originally recorded by The Bicicletas)
Gonna Take You Down
Queenie
Underneath The Sun
Venus Bomb
Dirty Black Night
Rattlesnake
Additionally, L.A. Guns is taping an exclusive interview with That Metal Show on March 17. They’ll discuss moving above and beyond past conflicts and the exciting events of 2012, including the album and upcoming tour. The episode will air May 19.
www.facebook.com/officialLAGuns
cleopatrarecords.com
2 An Update From L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns posted the following update:
Yesterday was our last day of pre-production, We got to play 20 new songs to Andy Johns, The guys from Cleopatra and our agent. They all seemed to like what they heard. On Monday we start tracking drums in a big old school studio for a few days and after that hours days and weeks in the little studio with Bruce Witkin. We ran in to our old band mate Mick Cripps last night and he’s on board to play a few tracks so that’s him and Kelly wow that is four fifths of the original band!!!! How cool is that.
0 L.A. Guns Sign With Cleopatra Records
L.A. Guns featuring Phil Lewis, Steve Riley, Stacey Blades and Scotty Griffin are pleased to announce the signing of their new record deal with Cleopatra Records. The band are currently in pre-production and expect to start tracking in early February with legendary producer, and old friend, Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Cinderella,Van Halen and Chickenfoot, as well as the last three L.A. Guns albums). A CD and vinyl release, as well as bonus tracks available only on iTunes, is set for early summer. A nine-month World Tour following the release is also currently being put together.
Singer Phil Lewis is said to be thrilled to get back in the studio and finally get a chance to record once again with Andy. “We’ve been waiting a long time to get back in and record. Our last album, Tales From The Strip, was incredibly well-received and we’re looking forward to putting out something even better! With today’s uncertain musical landscape it’s great to have a label like Cleopatra Records behind us. We’ve been friends with Brian Perera (Cleopatra Records owner and founder) for a long time, and are really looking forward to working together on this and many more projects with him in the future.”
7 Dilana is L.A. Guns New Singer?!
Remember Dilana from Rockstar Supernova? Tracii Guns has announced Dilana as the new singer for L.A. Guns. Personally, I like Dilana, I thought she should have won that Rockstar Supernova show. She gained many fans from that show, so it should be interesting to see who shows up at a L.A. Guns show now.
Quite frankly, I think this is an interesting move for Tracii Guns. Dilana is a hell of a singer, and may surprise quite a few people. I will miss seeing Jizzy live (get Love/Hate back together Jizzy!), but I am interested in seeing this version of L.A. Guns live.
Apparently, not all fans like this decision. Check out this awesome Youtube clip below. (Thanks Kenny!!)
From L.A. Guns Official website:
Dilana is the new singer for L.A. Guns after an incredible amount of scrutiny and mixed opinions.
The final straw was her audition where she completely took control of the environment by injecting a type of soul into these old new songs that I have never heard before. The first tune we jammed on was the Otis Redding classic ” These Arms Of Mine ” and even a very skeptical Jeremy looked up at me and mouthed Holy Shit to me and I had the same feeling.
Then we ran through One More Reason, Never Enough and of course The Ballad Of Jayne and it was an awakening of just how professional and soulful of a Singer Dilana is.
After getting Responses from Label Steve Vai, my Agent and Manager who are all really into a drastic positive change for L.A. Guns and Myself , we all feel this is a ballsy and risky change that we all collectively feel good about. I expect there will be some changes in the live setlist and I hope we can get straight into writing mode ASAP and record some fresh Rock n Roll also ASAP . We hit the road starting in San Antonio Texas September 21st.
-Tracii Guns / L.A. GUNS