Tag Archives: hair metal

Saturday: Lydia Loveless, Brujas del Sol, Love Culture, Woosley Band, The Grateful Lovers, L.O.C.K. play birthday bash/fundraiser at KOBO

Life can change in an instant. Last July, I asked an old friend of mine, Brian Hake (Kopaz singer/guitarist), and his Van Halen cover band (Van Haken), to perform at my 40th birthday bash. The band blew the roof off KOBO putting on a show that some might argue was better than the real thing.

Then, in January, life got real – Brian was diagnosed with Leukemia. By enduring multiple chemotherapy treatments at the James Cancer Center at Ohio State Univerisity, Brian’s cancer is now in remission and he’s continuing to be proactive in his fight.

I invite you, Donewaiting readers, to join me for the second annual Chip Midnight 40th birthday bash, at KOBO (2590 N. High St.) which is not only an excuse to get together a bunch of bands I really dig to cover songs I really like, but, more importantly, is an opportunity to help raise money for the Hake-n-Roll Pelotonia team which will be riding 100 miles earlier that day to support the James Cancer Center at the Ohio State University. A portion of each $7 cover will be donated to the Hake-n-Roll team.
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America Rocks tour happening tonight at the Alrosa Villa

As mentioned in the Jack Russell interview posted earlier this week, the America Rocks tour hits Columbus tonight and features a who’s who of early ’90s Metal Edge favorites (Jack Russell’s Great White, Faster Pussycat, Bulletboys, Pretty Boy Floyd, Lillian Axe).

Doors open at 6:30, music starts around 7. Grab your favorite pair of leather pants, tease your hair, and come join me at the Alrosa Villa!

Interview: Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big)

If you’ve over the age of 30, you’ve heard Mr.Big’s 1991 chart-topping, power-ballad “To Be with You”. Some 20 years later, you can still hear the song on a variety of satellite radio stations, from the ’90s channel to the hair metal channel to the lite rock channel. It’s also featured in the Broadway musical Rock of Ages.

The original lineup – Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) – released 4 albums between 1989 and 1996. After Gilbert left in ’97, ex-Poison guitarist Richie Kotzen joined the band and played on two Mr.Big releases before the band broke up in 2002.

A 2009 reunion – to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mr.Big’s self-titled debut – proved successful and in 2010 it was announced that the band would be releasing an album of new material. What If … was released earlier this year and Mr.Big hit the road to promote the first new album in 10 years.

On Saturday night, Mr.Big will play at the Alrosa Villa with Lynch Mob (featuring ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch). This is the only date on Mr.Big’s tour where the two bands are playing together so it’s sure to be a memorable evening.

Paul Gilbert took some time last week to answer some questions I sent via his publicist.

The venue in Columbus where you’ll be playing, the Alrosa Villa, is billing the show as it’s “37th Anniversary Show”. When you see the tour itinerary, are you aware of these types of things? Not that you’d necessarily plan anything special, but there might be a little bit of additional buzz because of the anniversary.

PG: Well, first of all, a hearty congratulations to the Alrosa Villa for keeping it together for 37 years. That’s a long time to survive in the entertainment business, so they must be doing something very right.

My job is to play guitar, and I’ve been practicing and playing my guitar like a madman for over three and half decades, so hopefully that will give people something good to remember about their experience in the venue.
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Friday: Bang Tango @ Slapsy Maxie’s

One of the handful of early ’90s sleaze rock bands still making a meager living by being road warriors, Bang Tango returns to Columbus and Slapsy Maxie’s on Friday night, just a little over a year after their last show here.

Known mostly for their MTV hit “Someone Like You”, these days the band consists of only one original member, singer Joe LeSte. In the meantime, the rest of the guys from the original band have started their own version of Bang Tango (known as Bang Tango Redux). Just what we need, right? At various points in the last few years there have been multiple versions of LA Guns and Bulletboys touring as well.

Here’s a video I shot last March.

Wednesday in Columbus: L.A. Guns @ Slapsy Maxie’s

LA Guns

With very little warning (the date still isn’t showing up on the band’s MySpace page), L.A. Guns – the version featuring founding guitarist Tracii Guns (guitars) and ex-Love/Hate vocalist Jizzy Pearl – will make a pit stop in Columbus on Wednesday.

At 6pm, the band will be doing a meet-and-greet at Best Buy (3840 Morse Rd.) and then will head to Slapsy Maxie’s for a headlining gig. Tickets for the Slapsy Maxie’s show – also featuring local bands Melodyne and Deep 6 – are $10 at the door.
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Saturday night: RATT @ The Alrosa

RATT did it right. Rather than trying to be modern sounding or advancing their sound, they went back to Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy, figured out what they did to sell millions of records in the late ’80s and used that as a template for a brand new record of songs that sound brand old.

I was hoping you’d be reading an interview with one of the guys (3 original members – Stephen Pearcy, Warran DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, 2 newer guys – Carlos Cavazo, Robbie Crane) in this spot but nothing ever worked out even though we tried a few times.

Maybe things aren’t real good in the RATT camp these days. Pearcy recently told a British-based website that he’s looking forward to a break. “I’m ready to go with new solo stuff with the Rat Bastards and my new band Battering Ramm. Will we do another Ratt record? I don’t know. Things didn’t fall into place and I’ve left my options open. We’ll see what happens.”

Saturday night RATT will run through a greatest hits set, with a few tracks from 2010’s Infestation thrown in, to celebrate the Alrosa Villa’s 30th anniversary. This might be the last time you’ll have a chance to check out RATT before they hang it up. Tickets are $25.

Interview: Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Cinderella plays tonight at the LC. Originally they were going to be opening for the Scorpions but word came down yesterday that the Scorpions had to pull out of the date to give singer Klaus Meine a few days to recover for a cold that he’s been battling. Because of this, the show tonight (doors at 6) is FREE – no ticket required.

I had the chance to talk to Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer a few weeks ago for a feature that is running in this month’s MELT Magazine. Here’s that feature:

Tom Keifer’s voice first started showing warning signs of trouble in 1991 and by year’s end the Cinderella singer had been diagnosed with paresis of the vocal chords. Keifer underwent a number of surgeries and returned for 1994’s Still Climbing but by that point, grunge reigned supreme and hair metal bands of the ’80s were quickly cast aside. Cinderella soldiered on, hitting the road every couple of years.

In 2006, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Night Songs, Cinderella hit the road with the band that gave them their first break, Poison. Keifer admits that it was during this tour that his voice started having problems again: “I lost pretty much every part of my register.” A 2008 tour with Warrant and Lynch Mob was scraped before the first date because Keifer knew his voice wouldn’t hold up.
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Rib Cook-Off Wrap-Up: Rokken with Dokken

Rocklahoma went more modern rock this year, the M3 Rock Festival in Baltimore is a 6-hour drive, and Rock N America is a plane flight away in Oklahoma, so the closest we come, in the Buckeye state, to a hair metal festival happened yesterday afternoon on the banks of the mighty Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.

Don Dokken

Dokken, LA Guns, Trixter, and Danger Danger were the featured acts on the second night of Marc’s Great American Rib Cook Off & Music Festival and, as you might imagine, when you do the math (BBQ + beer + bands + $8 festival admission + Cleveland), you’ve got nothing but a good time (yeah, I realize that as this festival was going on, Bret Michaels was performing a show in Columbus).

View all Dokken, LA Guns, Trixter, Danger Danger photos. Continue reading

Get your glam on! Dirty Penny in Columbus (Thurs. night)

Dirty Penny returns to Slapsy Maxie’s (1019 Mediterranean Ave. – in/near The Continent) Thursday night in support of their glamtastic 2009 release, Young & Reckless. If you dug the late ’80s Sunset Strip sleaze metal sound (ala Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, Poison, LA Guns), Dirty Penny is not to be missed.

Back in October after a botched booking left the band without a venue to play in the midst of a tour with Vains of Jenna, Slapsy Maxie’s offered Dirty Penny a last-minute gig. While there wasn’t a line out the door, for a last minute show there was a decent turnout and the show was phenomenal, a true throwback to the days when I frequented long gone clubs like the Akron Agora and the “Real” Flash Gordon’s up in Cleveland.

Dirty Penny should hit the stage around 10pm. It’s 21 and over with a $5 cover charge.

Pics from the October gig after the jump.
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Saturday night: ’80s Power Ballad Night @ The Treehouse

warrant

Local bands doing ’80s power ballads sounds like a helluva good time to me. This theme night has been going on for 10 years but I was always afraid to attend because when I think of ’80s power ballads, I think of hair metal and my biggest fear was that some might do covers of Whitney Houston or New Kids on the Block songs.

I’ve been told by Chuck Oney – one of the night’s organizers – that the setlist for Saturday night’s show includes covers of songs by Poison, LA Guns, Metallica, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, GNR, Faster Pussycat, Motley Crue, Autograph, Steelheart, Billy Squier, Prince, Night Ranger, & John Waite.

Scheduled to perform at The Treehouse (887 Chambers Road) are: Karate Coyote, Keith Jenkins & The Moving Parts, PoopHouse Reilly, The Vague, One Pretty Minute, Tom Boyer, Rick Kinsinger, Erika Carey, Pat Moore, Lydia Loveless & Go Robot Go!!

Here are my top 11 power ballads from the hair metal era (some snuck into the early ’90s so I don’t want to call them “80s power ballads”).

1. “Heaven” – Warrant
2. “I Still Think About You” – Danger Danger
3. “Sister Christian” – Night Ranger
4. “Wasted Time” – Skid Row
5. “Never Let You Go” – Steelheart
6. “Fly High Michelle” – Enuff Z’ Nuff
7. “Don’t Close Your Eyes” – Kix
8. “Thru These Eyes” – Spread Eagles
9. “Love Song” – Tesla
10. “No Stranger to Love” – Black Sabbath

Videos for all of these songs after the jump. Continue reading