Def Leppard And Poison Announce 39 City North American Tour

In what is sure to be the biggest rock event this summer, Britain's greatest arena rock band Def Leppard will join forces with Poison and special guest Cheap Trick for a 39-city North American Tour. Tickets go on-sale to the general public beginning Friday, March 6th at www.livenation.com.

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Def Leppard North American Summer Tour Dates

Def Leppard North American Tour 2009 - Def Leppard 2009 Summer Tour Dates. Def Leppard has announced the dates for their summer 2009 tour. Def Leppard North American Tour to be the biggest rock event this summer, Britain's greatest arena rock band Def Leppard will join forces with Poison and special

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Whitesnake and Def Leppard to Play at Download Festival

It looks like June 14, will be marked as an important date for music fans in Dublin as on that day they will have the chance to watch a great rock act at the annual Download Festival

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Hello world! from Rock Star Recipes - a music learning blog

I`ve just started some work at Rock Star Recipes and it’s a great gig. Rockstar Recipes are a small, but highly dedicated group of eight or so very talented musicians who love to play music and love to help you play too. This blog gives everyone an insight into the company, how it works, what they do and where they're from.

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A great article about unique indie-rock covers

Hey if your a fan of indie-rock check out this cool article about indie covers.

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Axl Rose says Slash is Cancer

Axl Rose needs to crawl back under the rock he had been hiding under. He is clueless as to what type of music people are interested in these days, by which reason his Chinese Democracy splattered like the mud it is. Slash is and has always been one of the bestquitarists and is very personable. Not the EGO MANIAC that Axl is, and for no reason.

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Battle of the Bands - Myspace Music Profile Trends

You have a band, you’re ready to rock the world and reinvent the music scene. The only thing between you and a multi-platinum album is a killer Myspace band page. Fear not young rocker, for we are going to outline what hot right now, come along won’t you?

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Taking a Peek into Memphis Soul Music

All soul music enthusiasts will know the impact Memphis soul music had on the history of music. Memphis soul music has been one of the most hailed genres of its own among the soul music lovers. You can find the influence of Memphis soul music in a number of other popular genres including rock and roll, modern jazz and rhythm and blues.

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U2 Return To Form With Pretty Nifty Album

U2 bashing is a popular pastime, but their new album ‘No Line On The Horizon’ rocks and even makes a nod to alternative Folk. For a mainstream album there are some cool touches here, courtesy of producer Brian Eno at the console. Easily U2's most 'out-there' album in yonks.

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The Cure for our BBC overdose of U2 hype

Compare the BBC's hyping of U2 with the rock concert organised by the publishers of NME, the New Musical Express, which filled London's O2 arena. The humility of The Cure's Robert Smith in accepting the NME Godlike Genius Award was touching.

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McCartney Hopes Rock Band Game Will Keep Beatles Music Alive

Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney hopes a new Rock Band game based on the Fab Four will help to introduce his music to a new generation of kids.

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Customize Your Wedding Jewelry

One of the issues that drives me crazy as a jewelry designer is when customers like a piece of jewelry I make but ask me to change one or two things about it. It's not that I don't think their...

Customization is at the core of Novell's manufacturing capapbilities, which Tammy from The Jewelry Weblog was happy to point out to her readers.

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Enuff Z'Nuff - Greatest Hits (But Maybe Not The Greatest Legacy)

Hear Enuff Z'Nuff sound samples at Rikraff Music.

If Enigma wasn't already taken by another musical performer, then it would be fitting for the good ol' boys in Enuff Z'Nuff to change their name to that. Enuff Z'Nuff's career has always been puzzling and somewhat difficult to understand. Yes, it's been an Enuff Z'Nuff enigma. Oh, such alliteration!

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now. One listen to the 1-2-3-4 punch of the first four songs ("New Thing," "Fly High Michelle," "Mother's Eyes" & "Baby Loves You") might just leave the average listener slightly bewildered. The question is - why weren't these songs anywhere near a genuine hit single? Now I don't mean just some song lurking in the bottom of Billboard's Top 100 for a few weeks. I mean heavy MTV rotation and Top 40 radio airplay. Did the band's initial appearance convince their potential audience that (at least at first glance) Enuff Z'Nuff was just another Poison/Warrant/Slaughter/Winger-esque group? Sure, the hair was teased high and the lips were more than just slightly glossy. The shine might have blinded an albino. Is there a scarier sight to behold than Chip Z'Nuff's pursued lips? I think not! Okay, well maybe there is. Enuff Z'Nuff first image is not nearly as grotesque as a Sally Struther's hosted infomercial or a live autopsy. And every musical era has a certain look that is relevant to the times. Late 1960's hippies wore tie-dye. Disco revelers twirled in sparkling bellbottoms. The original punks had green hair (but no Green Day). New wavers bopped around in pointy shoes. Grungers wore their flannel proudly. And today's music scene wears its banality on its sleeve. So what if the late 80's rockers adopted what they considered charming androgyny? It certainly got Motley Crue laid!

I'd like to believe that - in a perfect musical world - the songs, and not just the fashion, should be remembered the most. Sadly, sometimes this is just not true. Unless your name is Springsteen.

Casting all image issues aside, Enuff Z'Nuff's main strengths can be found in the songs culled from the band's first three releases (Enuff Z'Nuff, Strength & Animals With Human Intelligence). Lead guitarist Derek Frigo has nimble fingers and tasteful phrasing. The prettiest male drummer in the world, Vikki Foxx, pounds the skins and pounds well (insert tasteless prison gang-bang joke here). Chip holds a solid bottom groove, while Donnie Vie does his best Elvis-Costello-fronting-Van-Halen (with Cheap Trick writing the songs) impression. Enuff Z'Nuff has more than solid tunes, Badfinger-like melodies, and did not shy away from their influences nor sound like a majority of the other groups from the era. The gang-style backing vocals that were popular with so many are not evident in the choruses. By the way, who wrote in all the 80's hard rock production manuals that said all choruses had to sound like 900 people singing backstage? Make a few minor tone/effects changes in Enuff Z'Nuff's guitar sound, and many of the early songs would not be so out of place today. Dammit folks, if friggin' Nelson could have a few big hits, then Enuff Z'Nuff should have had four (from here on out we'll call this the 4:1 Nelson ratio). First (or one of the first) manager Herbie Herbert (Santana, Journey, Mr. Big, Roxette) - a man that knew how to work songs and catalog (by his own admission) - just couldn't or didn't push the right industry buttons. But who says that you can win them all? Even a .300 hitter makes an out 7-out-of-10 times.

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits illustrates that even though genres and fads have come and gone, the essence of the band (good hooks and melody) has basically stayed true. Tell me with a straight face that "There Goes My Heart" is not a real toe-tapper. I just dare you! Enuff Z'Nuff never really sold out their sound to what was "hip" (in this case, the grunge sound), although "Stoned" and "My Heroin" (which really never should be on Greatest Hits in the first place) do have that era's overtones. Okay, maybe they tuned down a little bit - but who didn't? And "Stoned" does have a great chorus.

Besides a slight grunge factor on a few tracks, is there a downside to Greatest Hits? Yes, but it's not fatal. Most of the songs selected can be classified as Enuff Z'Nuff by the numbers. A majority of the chosen tracks are probably what the band considers logical choices for their singles and videos. While most of these tracks are strong, the collection as a whole does not fully illustrate the true depth of the band as a whole. Yes, they are better than just their blatantly obvious commercial tracks. When Enuff Z'Nuff rocks, they RAWK! A few harder numbers ("Superstitious," "Heaven and Hell," "Long Way Home") and/or maybe one or two unreleased numbers would make this a must have compilation. However, if you have always been just a bit curious about Enuff Z'Nuff, or perhaps have just seen them on VH-1 Classic, then Greatest Hits is the place to start. And for most people, this is probably the only CD to own.

Summary: Not quite as deep as the import/indie hits collection Favorites, but not exactly as obvious as any $9.99 Essentials disk or Guns N Roses Greatest Hits. This is a good buy for the casual fan, or anybody that is curious about Enuff Z'Nuff.

Enuff Z'Nuff is getting ready to tour with all woman 80's rockers Vixen, which is probably best known for "Edge of a Broken Heart (co-penned by unusually coifed Richard Marx and The Tubes' Fee Waybill)." Original singer Donnie Vie has not performed with the band in some time - with the exception of a recently filmed VH-1 special. Does it really matter?

No!

Filling ol' Donnie's shoes has been guitar player Johnny Monaco. Monaco has been playing with Enuff Z'Nuff in the lead guitar fashion for some time now. Although it would be nice if most of the original Enuff Z'Nuff could still play together (Derek Frigo has unfortunately passed), with Monaco the band sounds better than ever. Donnie Vie tended to take a few cues from the Axl Rose Tortured Artist School, and his performances began to suffer. Enuff Z'Nuff is tighter, and more powerful live, than ever.

Stay tuned!

Bon Jovi Has A Nice Country Day

Bon Jovi with a hit country song? What's next? "Yo! Bon Jovi Raps?" I doubt it. But it's good to see New Jersey's second favorite rocker (much to the chagrin of every New Jersey musician) still kicking it after most hard rock careers have gone the way of small clubs.



From FMBQ:
After 20 years of writing hit Rock and Pop songs, Bon Jovi returned home from the Japanese leg of their Have A Nice Day tour to find that their duet with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, "Who Says You Can't Go Home," has hit # 1 on the Country chart. This makes them the first Rock band to score a #1 Country hit. The video for the track also earned the band their first CMT Award (Country Music Television) for "Collaborative Video Of The Year" and the collaboration is nominated for an Academy Of Country Music Award, which will be handed out in May.

Furthermore, "Who Says You Can't Go Home" has served as the foundation on which Jon Bon Jovi has built a successful partnership with Habitat For Humanity. Bon Jovi's relationship with the charity began in 2005, and since then, Jon and Habitat along with Jon's AFL team, the Philadelphia Soul, have built six homes in Philadelphia. Jon's work with Habitat, along with his other humanitarian efforts, has inspired HELP USA, which aids and mentors the homeless, to name Jon Bon Jovi one of the recipients of their annual HELP Heroes Award, along with director Martin Scorsese, at an awards banquet on May 4.
Bon Jovi recently announced the addition of nine new stadium shows for July in support of Have A Nice Day, including two sold-out performances on July 18 & 19 at Giants Stadium, and a just-announced third show on July 29.

The tour dates are:
Sat 05/13/06 Dusseldorf, GER LTU Arena
Mon 05/15/06 Linz, AUT Stadion
Wed 05/17/06 Koblenz, GER Schlossplatz
Sat 05/20/06 Dublin, IRE Croke Park
Wed 05/24/06 Heppenheim, GER Hessentag
Thu 05/25/06 Nijmegen, NET Goffert Park
Sat 05/27/06 Stuttgart, GER Canstatter Wasen
Sun 05/28/06 Munich, GER Olympic Stadium
Tue 05/30/06 Innsbruck, AUT Olympiaworld
Wed 05/31/06 Bern, SWI Stade De Suisse
Sat 06/03/06 Glasgow, UK Hampden Park
Sun 06/04/06 Manchester, UK Commonwealth Stadium
Wed 06/07/06 Coventry, UK Ricoh Arena
Fri 06/09/06 Southampton, UK St. Mary's Stadium
Sat 06/10/06 Milton Keynes, UK National Bowl
Sun 06/11/06 Milton Keynes, UK National Bowl
Mon 07/10/06 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Live
Thu 07/13/06 Montreal, QC Parc Jean-Drapeau
Sat 07/15/06 Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park
Tue 07/18/06 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium
Wed 07/19/06 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium
Fri 07/21/06 Chicago, IL Soldier Field Stadium
Sun 07/23/06 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
Thu 07/27/06 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium
Sat 07/29/06 East Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium

Enuff Z'Nuff - New Thing

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now.


"New Thing" originally appeared on the self titled debut CD.



ENUFF Z'NUFF have lined up the following dates during the coming weeks:

May 19 – Empire - Las Vegas, NV
May 20 - Malibu Inn - Malibu, CA (w/ PRETTY BOY FLOYD)
May 21 - TBA
May 22 - Key Club – West Hollywood, CA (w/ METAL SKOOL)
May 24 – Hubba's PUB - Aurora, CO
May 26 - Star Central - Columbia Hts, MN
May 27 - Salida Depot - Becker, MN
May 28 – TBA - Akron, OH
May 30 – Peabody's - Cleveland, OH *
May 31 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT *
Jun. 01 - Crazy Donkey - Long Island, NY *
Jun. 02 – TBA - Clifton, NJ
Jun. 03 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA *
Jun. 04 – TBA - Charlotte, NC
Jun. 06 - Club Infinity - Buffalo, NY *
Jun. 08 - Iroc - Detroit, MI *
Jun. 09 - Rivoli Theater - Monmouth, IL *
Jun. 10 - Chicago City Limits - Schaumberg, IL *
Jun. 11 - Center Stage - Farmington, MO *

w/ VIXEN
As previously reported, ENUFF Z'NUFF's March 30 performance at Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas was reportedly filmed for VH1's new "Bands on the Run" show. The concert was shot for the pilot episode of the new series and brought together Donnie Vie, Chip Z'Nuff and Vik Foxx on stage for the first time in 13 years.

Enuff Z'Nuff - Fly High Michelle

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now.


"Fly High Michelle" originally appeared on the self-titled debut CD.




ENUFF Z'NUFF have lined up the following dates during the coming weeks:

May 19 – Empire - Las Vegas, NV
May 20 - Malibu Inn - Malibu, CA (w/ PRETTY BOY FLOYD)
May 21 - TBA
May 22 - Key Club – West Hollywood, CA (w/ METAL SKOOL)
May 24 – Hubba's PUB - Aurora, CO
May 26 - Star Central - Columbia Hts, MN
May 27 - Salida Depot - Becker, MN
May 28 – TBA - Akron, OH
May 30 – Peabody's - Cleveland, OH *
May 31 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT *
Jun. 01 - Crazy Donkey - Long Island, NY *
Jun. 02 – TBA - Clifton, NJ
Jun. 03 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA *
Jun. 04 – TBA - Charlotte, NC
Jun. 06 - Club Infinity - Buffalo, NY *
Jun. 08 - Iroc - Detroit, MI *
Jun. 09 - Rivoli Theater - Monmouth, IL *
Jun. 10 - Chicago City Limits - Schaumberg, IL *
Jun. 11 - Center Stage - Farmington, MO *

w/ VIXEN
As previously reported, ENUFF Z'NUFF's March 30 performance at Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas was reportedly filmed for VH1's new "Bands on the Run" show. The concert was shot for the pilot episode of the new series and brought together Donnie Vie, Chip Z'Nuff and Vik Foxx on stage for the first time in 13 years.

Enuff Z'Nuff - Mother's Eyes

Enuff Z'Nuff's Greatest Hits is available now.


"Mother's Eyes" is originally from the CD Strength.



ENUFF Z'NUFF have lined up the following dates during the coming weeks:

May 19 – Empire - Las Vegas, NV
May 20 - Malibu Inn - Malibu, CA (w/ PRETTY BOY FLOYD)
May 21 - TBA
May 22 - Key Club – West Hollywood, CA (w/ METAL SKOOL)
May 24 – Hubba's PUB - Aurora, CO
May 26 - Star Central - Columbia Hts, MN
May 27 - Salida Depot - Becker, MN
May 28 – TBA - Akron, OH
May 30 – Peabody's - Cleveland, OH *
May 31 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT *
Jun. 01 - Crazy Donkey - Long Island, NY *
Jun. 02 – TBA - Clifton, NJ
Jun. 03 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA *
Jun. 04 – TBA - Charlotte, NC
Jun. 06 - Club Infinity - Buffalo, NY *
Jun. 08 - Iroc - Detroit, MI *
Jun. 09 - Rivoli Theater - Monmouth, IL *
Jun. 10 - Chicago City Limits - Schaumberg, IL *
Jun. 11 - Center Stage - Farmington, MO *

w/ VIXEN
As previously reported, ENUFF Z'NUFF's March 30 performance at Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas was reportedly filmed for VH1's new "Bands on the Run" show. The concert was shot for the pilot episode of the new series and brought together Donnie Vie, Chip Z'Nuff and Vik Foxx on stage for the first time in 13 years.

The Hard Rock Band With A Porno-riffic Name

Why exactly name your hard rock band “Big C*ck?” Shock value? To make people think “what the heck?” and hope they look further? Did someone in the band say, “sex sells” – although it doesn’t necessarily sell, but it does draw attention. Somebody direct these guys to Seth Godin for some marketing guidance. And hide their Jack Daniels!

It would be easy to call the four men of this band a bunch of idiots if it wasn’t for one thing, and that’s Big C*ck just happens be a very fun hard rock band. Vocalist Robert Mason pops out of the speakers with a voice that is not out of place in either a bar, theater or arena. It simply fills the room – no matter how big or small - and kicks some serious bootie. Mason, a casualty of George Lynch’s Lynch Mob and ex-Cry of Love, certainly deserves more recognition, but the rest of the band ain’t too shabby either. The riffs and lyrical content are not far from the AC/DC School of Barroom Boogie. Nor are they too distant from anything Dokken, Lynch Mob, or King Kobra ever did.

Find the sounds of Big C*ck here and also at the bands myspace page.

If you like a retro 80’s hard rock feel (but minus the Aquanet), then go out and get some Big C*ck. But prepare an answer for when that one wise guy friend shouts out at a party, “Hey! How did you find a band called Big C*ck? What were you really looking for on the Internet?”
The answer is simple – a band with an old school sound, but with a name that might be too difficult for the manly-men to blurt out in public. Unless you are the cop from The Village People.

Review:
"Right from the opening track Big Cock reintroduces us to the excesses and perfection of 80s hard rock. Solos, hooks, rhythm, sex, fisticuffs, Year Of The Cock has ample amounts of each. They can play a song like "Bad Motherf*cker" without sounding contrived and pull off the egotistical "King Of Cool". Really there isn't a bad song on this disc, you can safely throw the CD player on random and whatever three minute tune comes up would be a winner." - Sleazeroxx

Jani Lane - Back Down To One

Back in the day - and we're talking the late 80's - I failed to pay much attention to the band Warrant. I never thought heaven was too far away. Didn't cared where the down boys went, or felt the need to find out what happened down at Uncle Tom's cabin. And I never really liked cherry pie, anyway. However, after the band fell from the charts and totally disappeared from MTV, an odd thing happened. Warrant's Best Of found itself on my desk and I decided to give the band a fair shake. Much to their credit, Warrant has some easy to digest pop metal songs. They aren't so bad after all.

Out now is singer Jani Lane's solo effort - Back Down To One. The songs are not out of place in today's musical landscape. If you didn't know who he was, then visions of Warrant's white leather suits and synchronized hair swings would never come to mind. Jani has come up with some catchy little ditties. Starting off with "Funny," and peaking with "Back Down To One," he doesn't revisit the old Warrant sound. THAT works in his favor. Warrant Part Deaux would just be lame. So would re-recording the old tunes with a modern flair. Back Down To One won't make you forget any of the previous hits, but it doesn't leave you empty, either. A very good start* from a very good songwriter. Now go make another one!

Find sound samples here.

(*This seems to be a re-issue, but I never saw it the first time it came around, so it's new to me.)

"I have come to actually like the bugger a whole lot! And that is simply due to Jani’s unmistakeable talent for writing a fine tune." - Rock Report

"Combining sing along / stick in your head choruses with a progressive production, this CD overwhelms. Track one "Funny" kicks things off and they never slow down." Paris Rocks review on Amazon.com

I'll Never Admit To Liking 20th Century Masters Best of Kiss Volume 2

Kiss is a love ‘em or hate ‘em proposition. I have yet to come across a rabid rock fan that says, “Oh, Kiss is just okay.” There’s no fence sitting with Kiss. You are either on one side spitting blood and breathing fire, or on the other side laughing with disdain. I’d love to put a hidden camera on the CD section at Best Buy or Target. The facial expressions related to music fans catching a glimpse of this release would have to be priceless.

To many fans, Kiss dropped the ball (or jumped the shark) in the late 1970’s (say “hello” to lunch boxes, dolls and kid’s sleeping bags), and have been dribbling and/or losing the same ball ever since. Kiss in the 80’s was a total mixed bag. There were a few good tracks on every release, but the albums as a whole were never as good as they could be. Well, at least as fans had hoped for. Now, along comes 20th Century Masters Best of Kiss Volume 2 (Mercury Chronicles). Holy guacamole!

Despite the reasonable price, I was not sure whether to love it or hate it. I felt like a pop art fan lost in the Guggenheim. What was I looking at? I grew up on Kiss. I owned Creatures of the Night by the second day of release. I never wanted to believe that the magic that was so captured on my Kiss lunchbox had gone away. I worked around the filler by fast forwarded my cassettes and skipped tracks on my CDs. I made one killer mix tape (and later a mix-CD) that got played until it wore out. And what songs were on them?

Nearly the same songs as on 20th Century Masters Best of Kiss Volume 2!

20th Century Masters Best of Kiss Volume 2 proves that even through Kiss was going though an 80’s identity crisis, they still had the ability to pull a gem from between their buttocks. Late 1970’s Disco Kiss had turned into early 80’s Strange Kiss (just listen to The Elder), but the drum into to “Creatures of the Night” erased all those confusing thoughts and urges (talk about hard rock puberty). “I Love It Loud” was the first Kiss anthem for the decade, “Lick It Up” made teenage girls scream but curious at the same time, and by the time you get to “Tears Are Falling,” the faith has been restored.

Then a funny thing happens.

Just as 1970’s Kiss went with a softer and more commercial sound, so does 1980’s Kiss. Yes, my friends. History does repeat itself. However, the saving grace is that (like it or not) the songs “Hide Your Heart” and “Forever” are very well crafted. And “Forever” was ironically the last MTV hit for the band. Gee, nothing lasts forever. Especially when talking about the music business. But if you can keep a secret, then I’ll tell you this – it was also co-written by Michael Bolton. Holy Fools Game, Batman!

Every Kiss fan will have a song or two that they wished was included on 20th Century Masters Best of Kiss Volume 2. Mine are “Turn On The Night” and “Who Wants To Be Lonely.” However, at this price, you can’t be disappointed. This CD may start hard and end tender, but not unlike a Tom Cruise movie from the same era, you just can’t help but like it. Or like it and not tell your friends that you do.

Can I get a HELL YEAH about Butch Walker?

Butch Walker possesses a certain charm and wit that just does not come along every day. He is rock’s answer to Woody Allen. Unfortunately, Woody Allen movies do not earn $100,000,000 at the box office. And also unfortunately, I can’t see old Butch going multi-platinum any time soon.

Witnessing Butch live may help those “on the bubble” fans understand exactly why his fan base is so loyal to an almost freakish degree. Therefore, Butch Walker: Live At Budokan is a perfect exhibition of his talents. The first section of the DVD features seven songs that were filmed while opening for Avril Lavigne in 2005. It illustrates Butch’s ability as an emotional and charismatic front man. There are no obvious musical overdubs, so you really witness a Butch performance that is “warts and all.” The show has some flaws, but nobody ever claimed that rock n’ roll had to be perfect. Observe the look in his eyes during “The Best Thing You Never Had,” and tell me that you can’t actually see his pain. Butch connects with the audience, and the video just doesn’t lie. During “Mixtape,” you can’t help of think of those times in high school when you compiled all of your favorite songs onto one cassette. That maybe one reason why he has yet to connect with a younger audience, but the words “Mix CD” or “iPod on shuffle” just do not roll off the tongue in the same manner. Overall, I have not seen anything this compelling since the OJ Simpson trial. Okay, bad example. But I think you know what I mean.

Now turn the clock back to 2003. The second part of the DVD is an acoustic theater show that was captured in Atlanta. What I imagine are the first public performances of songs from the brilliant Letters, Butch starts of strong, but probably should have laid off the wine until later in the show. The last few songs are endearingly sloppy, yet could have benefited from just a bit more sobriety. No fear – it’s still worth the price of admission.
Okay class, now what did we learn today? We learned that the man they call “Walker” is one heck of an entertaining performer. Butch Walker: Live At Budokan is worth every penny (whether you are a fan or not). And it’s on sale over at Sony for less than fifteen American dollars. While you are at it, Amazon has Letters for less than $10.00. Break the piggy bank and show the Walker family some love. Please help make his momma proud!

Good night and good luck.

All Hail Monaco!

Simply put, the best $8.00 I have spent this year has been on Johnny Monaco. I can’t exactly say that I favor the concept of the EP (less tracks than a normal length CD), and I would have been willing to pay $20.00 for a few more songs. Yes, it is that good.

Johnny has a sound that I would definitely consider modern, definitely call it “poppy,” but I would not be embarrassed if any of my hockey buddies found it in my CD player (unlike Good Charlotte or Bowling for Soup). As a fan of a lot of the pop-rock bands that are on the market today, I do sometimes feel out of touch (at an advanced age of 36) due to some of the lyrical content. Silly me. Monaco has a lot of similar sound qualities as nearly anything on the radio today, but his words are a little more honest and mature. The fact that he’s not 19 (or pretending to be) is a relief to an older music fan like myself. With no tattoos and not a skateboard in sight, I am glad to have come across this gem.

An indie record label with somewhat decent distribution should take a chance and make Johnny Monaco an offer. He would not be out of place opening for a smaller act with a rabid following. Butch Walker in particular comes to mind.
Visit his myspace site and rock out to “The Wrong Crowd.” Dig into the sofa cushions and look under the car seat for $8.00 worth of loose change, and add him to your CD collection today.

No really! I mean it.

And now for something completely different...

Is another world possible?

The music on Another World is Possible exposes a cross-section of alternatives to globalization; musically and philosophically. Many of the artists brought together for this thought-provoking project offer a critique of globalization, both in their lyrics and in their daily practice. They break out of the bar(code)s that threaten our freedom of independent speech to talk the talk. They walk the walk by re-envisioning the role of the musician, either as activists or as community development leaders.

Musicians were chosen for the CD because of their demonstrated commitment to speaking up about the state of the world. But—for the most part—it was the musicians themselves that chose what tracks to include on the disc. Several of the songs have never been released before or are rare tracks.

The disc kicks off with an exclusive track by Manu Chao, one of the world’s best-selling artists (as in millions of CDs), and someone who has been visible performing at major demonstrations.

Other highlights of the album include film-maker turned jazz-rocker Emir Kusurica’s gypsy brass take on The Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket.” Coincidentally another song made famous by The Clash, “Police on My Back,” is sung this time by Asian Dub Foundation, the U.K. collective that challenged stereotypes about what a band of South Asians could sound like, and Zebda, a popular French band known for championing the poor. Lee Scratch Perry is at his best with “Dancing Shoes.”

Another World is Possible has beenreleased in the form of a CD-sized, hard-cover book, featuring fifty pages of essays by some of the greatest thinkers and critics of globalization and photographs that poignantly capture demonstrations against globalization in its current form. Uncivilized World is also deeply committed to the defense of human rights and liberties and has worked closely alongside human rights and anti-racism associations, organizing demonstrations calling for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty and an alternative globalization, and enlisting the support of high profile artists such as Moby, Massive Attack, Manu Chao, Emir Kusturica, Jane Birkin, Souad Massi, Femi Kuti, and many more.

Here comes trouble? No, it's Poison!

Break out the hairspray and silly string - here comes Poison!

If you can't get enough of Metal Mania, then this summer may just be your dream come true. Poison will be celebrating their 20 year anniversary with a tour and a new greatest hits package featuring a cover of Grand Funk's "We're An American Band." Since a previous "Greatest Hits 1986-1996" has quietly earned platinum status, you just have to wonder if there really is a need for another compilation in their somewhat short catalog. Well, nostalgia sells, so probably a few hundred thousand or so true rock fans will feel the need to pick this up to round out their collection.

Can you believe that it's been twenty years? Far removed from MTV and radio success, Poison has previously put together low dough package tours with both very good and very average line-ups. However, it's great to see a band like this get out and fully understand their limitations, and hopefully they will continue with an affordable ticket price for an evening of rockin' out like it's 1988.

Check out Poison's myspace site for a listen. And visit the band's website for tour dates .