Tag: Robert Mason
4 T&N – Slave To the Empire (2012)
What can you expect on T&N’s new CD Slave To the Empire? How about five cool versions of Dokken songs, and some killer new stuff as well?! Slave to The Empire has
plenty of guest stars (Doug Pinnick, Robert Mason, Sebastian Bach, Tim “Ripper” Owens), and each one of these singers do an outstanding job on the Dokken songs they sing.
The new T&N songs are pretty good too.
I always new Jeff Pilson was a great back up singer to Don Dokken, but after listening to “Into the Fire”, it is clear to me that Jeff Pilson’s voice is superior to Don’s. I like the
extended version of the song on this CD. It is a great update to a Dokken classic. In fact, Pilson’s voice shines on all of the songs that he sings on this album. Give the song “Rhythm of the Soul” a listen and you will understand just how big Mr. Pilson’s voice.
The Dokken song that I was concerned about the most on this album, was “Tooth & Nail”. I wasn’t sure how Doug Pinnick’s voice would translate on this song. Pinnick added a little more soul, but also a lot more power to this song. I love this version!
Warrant singer Robert Mason does a trenmdous job on “It’s Not Love”. I am sure he sang this one a few times during his tenure with Lynch Mob, and it shows, as this version is excellent!
I never thought I would like Sebastian Bach singing a Dokken tune, but I love his voice on “Alone Again”. His vibrato and voice are quite different from Don Dokken. While this version is similar to the original, I think I prefer this version. I like this so much that I would love to see Sebastian perform this song live.
“Mind Control” is my favorite out of all of the new T&N songs. This song really rocks. “Kiss of Death” on the other hand is my least favorite out of the Dokken tunes. Tim “Ripper” Owens does a good job on the song, but I still prefer the original “Kiss of Death” version to this one.
George Lynch takes a more bluesy approach to his playing on “Jesus Train”, and it really works on this song. I am not used to hearing George play like this, and I love his sound on this song.
“Access Denied” is a heavy tune that sounds as if it could have been left over from the George Lynch Kill All Control sessions.
This is not a filler tune by any means. George Lynch plays his ass off.
Overall, Slave to the Empire is a very enjoyable album. Half of it does play like a Dokken cover album, but quite frankly some of the versions on this album are superior to the original songs. They give the album a nice flow.
The new songs show off the crazy talent of George Lynch, Jeff Pilson Mick Brown and Brian Tichy (who handles the drumming on the new T&N tracks). If you are a fan of Dokken, you NEED to pick this up!
You can pick up Slave to the Empire here!
Rating: 
Out of 10
TRACK LISTING:
- Slave to the Empire
- Sweet Unknown
- Tooth and Nail (featuring Doug Pinnick of Kings X)
- It’s Not Love (featuring Robert Mason of Warrant)
- Rhythm of the Soul
- When Eagles Die
- Into The Fire
- Alone Again (featuring Sebastian Bach)
- Mind Control
- Kiss of Death (featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens)
- Jesus Train
- Access Denied
T&N is:
George Lynch – Vocals
Jeff Pilson – Vocals and Bass
Mick Brown – Drums
Brian Tichy – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Doug Pinnick – Vocals (Tooth & Nail)
Sebastian Bach – Vocals (Alone Again)
Tim “Ripper” Owens – Vocals (Kiss of Death
Robert Mason – Vocals (It’s Not Love)
1 Are You Ready for T&N?! Three Songs Streaming Now!
T&N is a combination of intense organic rock, both melodic and hard hitting, thought provoking music with a purpose. In a time where corporate America, cultural imperialism, social inequality, and government oppression dominate society, their message is simple, you don’t have to be a slave to the empire.
T&N reunites George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and “Wild” Mick Brown – aka “The Big Three” from Dokken for a brand new 12 song album entitled Slave to the Empire. Their Rat Pak Records debut, produced by the band and recorded at Pilson’s Pilsongs Studio, offers seven new original songs with Pilson on vocals, and five re-recorded classic Dokken songs that feature sensational vocal performances by Tim “Ripper” Owens, Doug Pinnick (Kings X), Sebastian Bach, and Robert Mason (Warrant).
The band came together when Lynch asked Pilson to collaborate on new material. “George asked me about working with him on the next Lynch Mob record — and I jumped at the chance” states Pilson. “He and I started writing, got into a groove and wrote an album’s worth of stuff, all with the intention of Oni [Logan, Lynch Mob singer] writing lyrics and it being their next record. Brian Tichy laid down some incredible drums at his studio (and co-wrote some music on one track) and we had an incredibly strong start. Then Oni just wasn’t feeling the music as being Lynch Mob, so it was shelved. We figured it’d be the start of another Lynch/Pilson record some day. Then, actually, it was Brian who had the idea that Mick, George and I should do a band, similar to what Heaven & Hell was to Black Sabbath, and call it Tooth & Nail (now T&N due to a legal dispute with Tooth & Nail Records). Because of everything else we have going, it’ll be just a recording project at first, but sure sounds fun. We’d record the classics keeping true to the originals but make them fresh and organic. Then the idea of doing new songs came up, and it grew from there. ”Mick, Jeff, and I have been playing together for many years” states Lynch. “When we go way back in time, we always had the most fun when we were just sitting in a room together or up on stage with the three of us playing.”
“Don’t think of this as Dokken without Don -that’s misleading” adds Pilson. “Think of it as a band with great chemistry coming up with new music that excites them, and also paying tribute to Dokken music which the members all are heavily invested in emotionally. Don is, and will always be, the singer of Dokken and an invaluable part of the Dokken chemistry. No one ever wants to take that away or dispute it one iota. However, the three of us do have time tested amazing chemistry, and because we were writers on these songs, I feel we have a lot to express. If anything, I think this will be a show of respect for Don, not some kind of competition. I only hope people enjoy it in the spirit for which it’s intended.”
The new material on Slave To The Empire is passionate music with a message. On the opening title track, Pilson challenges the listener to rise up against the system and think for themselves. “What did it take to forge your every thought into an empty state of mind / Always looking for what isn’t lost and the first to follow blind / Can’t you see what’s going on / You’re a slave to the empire.”
“This record is not meant to be preachy or overly political” states Pilson. “We just want to encourage people that no matter where you come from, don’t be asleep at the wheel.”
Check out songs “Slave To The Empire”, “Tooth and Nail” and “Access Denied” below! “Slave to the Empire” will be released on October 31st, 2012, via Rat Pak Records. You can pre-order it here!
[
Track Listing:
Slave to the Empire
Sweet Unknown
Tooth and Nail (featuring Doug Pinnick of Kings X)
It’s Not Love (featuring Robert Mason of Warrant)
Rhythm of the Soul
When Eagles Die
Into The Fire
Alone Again (featuring Sebastian Bach)
Mind Control
Kiss of Death (featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens)
Jesus Train
Access Denied
Sweet Unknown
Tooth and Nail (featuring Doug Pinnick of Kings X)
It’s Not Love (featuring Robert Mason of Warrant)
Rhythm of the Soul
When Eagles Die
Into The Fire
Alone Again (featuring Sebastian Bach)
Mind Control
Kiss of Death (featuring Tim “Ripper” Owens)
Jesus Train
Access Denied
1 M3 Day 1 Review – Warrant
The Robert Mason fronted Warrant has never disappointed me live, and Warrant’s performance at M3 was no exception. I thought Warrant’s sound was exceptional on the chilly Friday evening. I don’t know if it was the bigger stage, the better sound quality, or what the factor was, but seeing Warrant on the big stage was awesome. I thought this was the best Robert Mason has ever sounded with the band. Much like Jetboy’s & L.A. Guns set, Warrant’s set was far too short. While they had a little more time than the other bands that preceded them, there were far too many songs they didn’t get to do that I would have liked to hear.
Warrant’s set list went something like this: “Sure Feels Good to Me”, “Big Talk”, “Sex Ain’t Love”, “Down Boys”, “Sometimes She Cries”, “Dirty Rotten Stinking Filthy Rich”, “Heaven”, “Life’s A Song”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, and “Cherry Pie”. Needless to say, they covered all of their hits, and played a couple of the new songs off of Rockaholic. Their albums Dog Eat Dog, Ultraphobic and Born Again were ignored, and that was mildly disappointing. In a short set like this one, I completely understand why they chose the songs they did. The fans want to hear the hits, and that is exactly what Warrant did. The played ’em, and never sounded better in my opinion.
After seeing Warrant’s short set at M3, I would love to see these guys headline somewhere on their own. Wouldn’t it be cool if Warrant would add a couple of Lynch Mob tunes to the set?! It would be cool to hear them do, “Jungle of Love” or “Tangled in the Web” live. One can dream right?! Anyway, I loved Warrant’s M3 performance, and I can’t wait to see Warrant live again.
Check out Hard Rock Hideout’s M3 Warrant Photo Gallery here!
0 Warrant – M3 2011 Photo Gallery
Check out our Photo Gallery of Warrant performing during the Friday Night Kix Off Party at the M3 Rock Festival on 5/13/2011.
2 Warrant – Rockaholic (2011)
I have been anxious to hear new Warrant music, with Robert Mason on vocals ever since I first saw them play live with Mason singing back in 2009.
When the band debuted a couple of their new songs at the M3 Rock Festival in 2010, I knew we were going to have another cool Warrant album on our hands before long.
With no surprise, Rockaholic has exceeded my expectations by far.
There are several great tunes on Rockaholic, and way too many to talk about individually. The songs that are amongst my favorites are “Sex Ain’t Love”, “Dusty’s Revenge”, Life’s A Song”,”Show Must Go On” and “The Last Straw”.
This is easily Warrant’s strongest album since Dog Eat Dog, and surpasses the previous effort Born Again with Jamie St. James by a mile!
Robert Mason is a fantastic vocalist, and some may argue, “Yeah, but he ain’t Jani Lane”, but quite honestly, I think he is a better hard rock singer overall. That isn’t a dig against Jani, I like him a lot too. I believe Robert Mason has the voice that is going to keep Warrant around for many more years. Rockaholic is great beginning to the Robert Mason era of Warrant, and is a CD you should be checking out!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Sex Ain’t Love 3:57
2. Innocence Gone 3:40
3. Snake 3:44
4. Dusty’s Revenge 4:26
5. Home 3:27
6. What Love Can Do 4:19
7. Life’s A Song 4:09
8. Show Must Go On 2:48
9. Cocaine Freight Train 2:57
10. Found Forever 4:14
11. Candy Man 4:04
12. Sunshine 3:53
13. Tears In The City 3:34
14. The Last Straw 4:12
Warrant is:
Robert Mason – Vocals
Joey Allen – Guitars
Eric Turner – Guitars
Jerry Dixon – Bass
Steven Sweet – Drums
0 An Update From Phil Lewis
L.A. Guns Front man Phil Lewis posted the following update on the L.A. Guns blog:
First night we played Springfield Mo with our friends Warrant who we haven seen in ages, It was so good to see them all Jerry Joey Eric and Robert who sounds amazing and fits the band perfectly. They watched most of our set we watched all of there’s, They look happy and sounded tight. We saw the Doken guys too but they were tired and were going to be on the next two shows so we ended up partying with our pals from Warrant and what drunken food fighting fun we had. Robert had me in stitches of laughter with his Ozzy stories, Turns out he was the singer behind the curtain backstage doing all the parts that Ozzy couldn’t reach basically the whole thing, The only “Live” parts Ozzy does are the ‘Lets go crazy” and bits in between songs. His Sharon impersonation was superb. It was a fun night and I’m looking forward to seeing them all later this Summer.
Next day was St Louis with Dokken and Bret Michele’s outside in the park we went on at 4pm and the sun was beating down on us hard, Maybe the hottest show we’ve ever played, We were soaked in sweat after the first song and it just kept getting hotter, the stage was so hot that out boots were sticky and walking was like moving through molasses, We played an hour without passing out and got a great response from the huge crown looked like about eight thousand but got much bigger as the day went along. We did an amazing meet and greet after the show that lasted for hours we signed everything put in front of us and took hundreds of pictures.
Our old friend Tiny was working security for Bret, Tiny is an ex Hells angel that used to look after Stepnwolf back when Steve Riley played drums for them in the late 70s, He’s Huge with flaming red hair and a booming voice but is a total gentle giant if he likes you, He’s been a friend of the band ever since we first started touring the mid west in the 80s. Tiny told me a great story, Turns out Tiny was working security at the Rocklahoma show last year and popped into Traci and the dreadfuls dressing room to say ‘hi’ only to be rudely told to get out because he was a friend of Phil and Steves so a little hurt Tiny leaves and goes about his business, later that same afternoon he said he ran into Tracii again at the media tent where upon TG starts yelling all kinds of abuse at our old friend. Big mistake. Tiny said he got him pretty good with a backhand that sent TG flying like a rag doll across the tent, Tracii did not come back for more in fact he ran like a schoolgirl to the event security and came back two mins later with half a dozen and pointed to Tiny and sniveled thats him he’s the one that assaulted me, Second mistake. Security dude say’s hi to Tiny and informs TG that he’s part of the team! and to stop acting like a little bitch. Priceless. Unfortunately there were tons of witnesses and TG is going through with an assault legal claim that is going to cause tiny some problems due to his less that perfect record. Great Story and I would defiantly play a benefit to raise money to help with his legal cost.
Dokken went onstage after us and it was still unbearably hot but to there credit Don and the boys put on a great show and even played in there leathers, John Levin is on fire! Without doubt the flashiest guitar player out there so fast and yet soulful and interesting and Sean Mc Nab is also a world class heavyweight musician in my book , As Stacey said later those guys send us to rock school there so good. Didn’t stick around for Brets set I was exhausted and we had to be up at 4am! the next morning to fly to Cleveland
Hello Cleveland how I love to say that,even when I’m not in Cleveland! We’ve been going back there for decades now and have lots of friends there and about four of five thousand showed up to greet us at the outdoor theatre on the Flats downtown. We went on at eight, It was much cooler than the day before and coz Dokken are so cool they let us use full production and lights and let us play a 90 min set. Amazing.
The next day I’m walking thru the airport when a captain in uniform comes over and say’s Hi and goes on to tell me that he loved the show and him and his kids had a great time watching us. Amazing! The Pilot of our jet came over to ME! WOW Anyone who know me knows what respect I have for those guys so it really made my already amazing weekend even better. Next Stop Texas and then the main stage at M3. Bring it on!
Massive.
3 Warrant Update: In the Studio
I realize we haven’t been around much lately (that’s subject to physical location by the way, because if you were near any one of us… we would in fact, actually be around each other). We’ve been holed up in the studio working out the finer points of a brand spankin’ new Warrant album… HOW EXCITING!!! We are all really amped up (pun intended) to get the new tracks etched in stone, or on tape, or on hard drive as it is these days and out to all of your ears! No concrete release date at the moment, but word on the street is (actually, word between the five of us… mostly in our homes, not so much on the streets) we’re looking forward to an early to mid-summer release… I guess it’s safe to say.
I am using a little bit of extra discretion by NOT leaking too much info just yet… some nasty people still like to steal, even though they know it’s just not right, and I’d hate to have to rewrite this whole thing in the off chance that some of the song titles, concepts, even the album title be stolen right out from under our very eyes should the evil-doers take a stab at breaking the eighth commandment. I will tell you that the band name is Warrant and what we are hoping is that this album will further solidify the sound of this band as being one that is consistently awesome! Okay that may sound a bit trite and grandiose but I’d like to believe it’s also true. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, (although infinite tread, titanium lined tubeless tires would be nice) our hopes are that we will satisfy the cravings of every rock fan that has ever heard a Warrant album and wished they were longer. Consider the new Warrant sound as merely an extension of what we’ve done to date with a little more seasoning behind it. Stylistically the new tracks are perhaps a bit more diverse than on previous releases. Of course there’s the killer ballad (do those two words really belong together?) or two, the up-tempo slam it out until you pass out rockers, and some stuff that harkens back to our 70’s roots, you’ll know it when you hear it and it will definitely satisfy! With Pat Regan skillfully helming the board (You should see him, he actually does “helm” when he mixes) as he did on “Born Again” the sound is pure Warrant and then some – thanks to the boy with the golden pipes, Robert Mason.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated as things progress, and keep checking in for new dates as they come in – we look forward to seeing you all this summer, wherever you are – and hopefully we’ll be there too, or else you can come to us depending on how far a drive it is. Scratch that just show up and we’ll have a great summer together!
14 Warrant With Robert Mason – Down Boys
A new live fan video was posted on youtube yesterday featuring Warrant with Robert Mason performing Down Boys at the Myth night club in Minnesota. The video starts off dark for the first two minutes, before Warrant starts.
What do you think? Robert seems to be a good fit for Warrant from what I can see in the video.
Check it out below.
6 Jani Lane Has Been Fired From Warrant – Confirmed
Warrant posted the following bulletin this evening: It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that Jani Lane will no longer be performing with Warrant. From the beginning of our reunion talks to the last note of our last show together in Houston this past weekend we have had nothing but good intentions of bringing a quality original Warrant show to our fans and friends. We wish Jani nothing but the best and remain friends.
We are very excited that we have found an unbelievable voice in Robert Mason, an old friend of the band. We have three dates confirmed, come out and judge for yourself…we don’t think you will be disappointed!
September 9th Tucson, AZ – Casino Del Sol w/ Alice Cooper
September 19th Maplewood, MN – The Myth w/Trixter
October 17th Tyler, TX – The Oil Palace w/Queensryche/Kip Winger
Thanks for reading,
The Down Boys
0 Big Cock to Perform at Rocklahoma!
Prior, OK, June 27th, 2008 – BIG COCK, The Hardest Band in the Land, has been invited to perform at the second annual Rocklahoma Festival, Saturday July 12th, 2008 – on the Retrospect Stage at 10:30 AM.
BIG COCK has proclaimed themselves the heir-apparent to the rock & roll throne, reverently treading in the footsteps of classic rock bands such as AC/DC, Van Halen and Guns N’ Roses. Delivering a gospel of fast cars, hard-partying, and the trail of a thousand soiled hotel room sheets; Big Cock is coming to put the ROCK in Rocklahoma.
BIG COCK is vocalist Robert “BMF” Mason (Lynch Mob, Cry of Love), guitarist Dave Henzerling (a.k.a. David Michael-Philips – King Kobra, Keel, Lizzy Borden), John “Drum Pulverizer” Covington (Invasion, Rhino Bucket) and bassist Colby.
BIG COCK is supporting their third release MotherLoad, available at Amazon, iTunes, Best Buy and any music store with balls big enough to put BIG COCK in their bins. With over a million combined video views on YouTube along with endless rave reviews worldwide, BIG COCK predicts Saturday July 12 will go down in history as “BIG COCK-lahoma”.
Check out the band’s video, Built For Speed below!
5 Silent Witness – S/T (Release Year – 1997)
In 2007, Robert Mason is still not a house hold name. He has sung for quite a few bands over the years including Magnum, Lynch Mob, Cry of Love, Silent Witness and currently Big Cock.
Regardless of the band he is singing for, one thing is always constant, his awesome vocals. The great fall out of 80’s hard rock probably prevented any chance of Robert Mason being a household name among music fans, and it is a true shame, because this is one talented hard rock singer.
Silent Witness is one of the lesser known bands that Robert has sung for, and this self titled CD was a great find for me on Ebay recently. Silent Witness features Robert Mason on vocals, John Bushnell on guitar, Hal B. Selzer on bass and Lance Hyland Stark on drums. This is a damn good melodic hard rock CD that very few people ever got to know.
John Bushnell has a guitar sound that reminds me more of Neal Schon than George Lynch. This disc is a little lighter than Lynch Mob, and kind of reminds me of Neal Schon’s former band, Hardline, and another band that I like, Cry Wolf.
I would give a track by track break down, but all of the tracks are worth listening to. This is an all killer, no filler disc that will appeal to the majority of the 80’s hard rock fans out there.
I could gripe over the fact that the music lacks originality, and yes, the song writing could be a little better. Quite frankly, I love to find CD’s like this one that still have that great 80’s hard rock sound. This is still a solid effort from Silent Witness, and is a disc that fits in well with a lot of those classic hard rock CD’s from the late 80’s and early 90’s.
You can still find this disc for reasonable prices on Ebay from time to time. I would recommend grabbing this lost classic, if you see it.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Can’t Keep From Falling
- Living In A Lie
- Pouring Rain
- I’ll Wait
- Tell Me
- Take Me Back
- Don’t Let A Good Thing Slip Away
- Get Right Back Up
- Wrapped Around Your Finger
- Make This Night Last Forever
Silent Witness is:
Robert Mason – vocals
John Bushnell – guitar
Hal B. Selzer – bass
Lance Hyland Stark – drums
Hard Rock Hideout 