GET THE LED OUT Bring Zeppelin To EKU In Richmond, Kentucky [Photo Gallery]

 

Get The Led Out are a Led Zeppelin tribute band. They made their first ever appearance at the EKU Center For The Arts Concert Hall in Richmond, Kentucky. As the crowd eagerly awaited the opening song, a loud Bonham snare roll kicks off as the band opens up to a classic Zeppelin tune “Whole Lot Of Love” The audience immediately gets to their feet and the air is filled with flash backs to the great era when Zeppelin ruled the rock and roll air waves.

Get The Led Out are a six piece group. They are one of many Led Zeppelin cover or tribute bands in today’s music world. Being a musician and drummer myself and a HUGE Zeppelin fan, I can be very critical on anyone covering a Led Zeppelin song. I’ve seen a lot, but from what I hear from this band that separates them from the rest is they don’t try to imitate Zepplin note for note. Now, I’m not saying they couldn’t because the musicians on stage were very talented. But, they had their own sound mixed with Zeppelin that made them very distinguished from all the other Zeppelin cover/tribute bands. The drummer for the group was very talented and played very Bonham’ish. My favorite thing about the drummer was he didn’t try to be a Bonham clone (like anyone could). But his timing was spot on and he knew his way around the kit. He played a traditional Ludwig kit with the iconic Gong that is known to be identified with Bonham back in the day. Playing classics like “Dazed And Confused”, and “Stairway To Heaven” the band instantly had the crowd singing along.

The band as a whole was very entertaining and expressed lots of emotion with each song. The band covered the stage well and used the entirety of it to their advantage by interacting with the crowd and making them feel like they were part of the music magic. Paul Sinclair the man up front filling some very big shoes did a fantastic job entertaining the crowd and keeping them wanting more. Sinclair’s vocals were clean. Polished and showed that he had some range! His vocal control was outstanding and his presence on the stage was in true rock star fashion! If you want to see a very good group of musicians who do justice to the music of Led Zeppelin, I highly recommend this group.

The band has a long list of tour dates all over the East Coast, touching down in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New York Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, head over to their Facebook page to see if they are bringing a little Zepplin to your area.

 

 

DESPISED ICON Come-back Headliner In London, UK! [Review + Photo Gallery]

“It’s been a long f**king time!” shouted front man Alex Erian. In fact, it’s been 11 years since Despised Icon have graced our shores with a headline set – long since 2007’s phenomenal co-headline UK/European tour with Misery Index, Annotations For An Autopsy and Beneath The Massacre. Whilst they have played the UK as recently as 2016, tonight marked a monumental occasion, firmly solidifying the Montreal metallers legacy and dominance over the Deathcore scene. For fans, this headline set may have been a long time coming but ‘The Beast’ is back and fully reawakened!

Following immediately on from their sold-out show in Antwerp, tonight’s performance at The Dome in central London marked the first leg of the UK section of this momentous comeback tour. With only a handful of tickets left on the door of this 500 capacity venue, and subsequent shows at Birmingham and Manchester expected to sell out, it was clear that everyone here was about to witness something very special. With support combining the best tech, hardcore and slam, whoever put this line-up together must be some kind of god-tier genius – for joining alongside Despised Icon were Vulvodynia, Archspire and the UK’s very own Malevolence. Missing this show was not an option!

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Show Review of John 5 and The Creatures In Jacksonville, FL

What can be said about John 5 that has not been said a thousand times by ten thousand different people since his meteoric rise in the music business started way back when he moved to Los Angeles from Michigan at the ripe old age of 17? Hell, his resume reads like a veritable who’s who in a wide variety of genres, playing and writing with the likes of Rudy Sarzo, David Lee Roth, Paul Stanley, Marilyn Manson, Rob Halford, Rob Zombie all the way to John Wetton (Asia), SaltNPepa, Ricky Martin, k.d. lang, Meat Loaf, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many, many others. One hot commodity, to say the least! Now, guitarist friends and I might say that it is his guitar playing that makes him stand apart from the rest of the crowd. Big surprise with influences like Malmsteen, Satch, Vai, Hendrix, Page, Albert Lee, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Paul Gilbert, Bumblefoot, Jim Root, Buckethead and Eric Johnson. Others may think that it is the company that he keeps and the bands that he has played and written for that makes him great. Still others may hold the opinion that he is just plain fun to watch live. Well, I am here to tell you that all three apply to this wizard of six-string sorcery, especially having just recently been initiated into John 5 and The Creatures live show at 1904 Music Hall here in Jacksonville, FL.

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IN THIS MOMENT, NEW YEARS DAY, P.O.D., DED In Asheville [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

The Witching Hour Tour featuring In This Moment with support from P.O.D., New Years Day and Ded was the reason to be in North Carolina on this last day of January. The sold out show at The Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina was my destination. Super venue, if you ever have a chance to catch a show there do not pass it up! You can always count on a crowd in Asheville to be diverse but this crowd was even more so. Each of these bands has their own fans, bring all those fans together and you’ve got a great assembly of metalheads that sang, danced, head banged their way through a tremendous night of music! Continue reading

AVATAR Brings The Freak Show To Atlanta, Georgia! [Photo Gallery]

Avatar

Avatar has long been one of those bands that dominate in their live shows and leave fans jaws on the floor not only by their sound but their amazingly entertaining stage presence. On this particular night Avatar headlined the Buckhead Theatre with opening acts Hellzapoppin Side Show and The Brains from Montreal Canada. You could say that Hellzapoppin easily fit in with Avatar’s whole theme, they aren’t a musical act but it brought something different to the show that you don’t see very often.  Continue reading

Review: Flaw Lands In Jacksonville, FL and Tears Up 1904 Music Hall

This was one of those shows that I could not wait to get to; kind of like Christmas a few weeks late. Not only was I waiting to see a now legendary band, but also to see some friends I have not seen in quite a while, see a couple of bands I have not seen before and able to see a couple of favorite local bands that I have become friends with over time. Great being part of the local Metal scene here in Jacksonville! Some of the best people playing some of the best music available anywhere! Gotta love it! Thanks to GoBig Entertainment for making this show happen!

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JACKYL Rocks And Rolls In Lexington, Kentucky [Photo Gallery]

 

On this December evening I find myself heading north to Lexington, Kentucky to see what Jesse James Dupree and Jackyl have in store for the Manchester Music Hall. Along the way north I picked up a friend who was looking forward to seeing Roman Glick (Jackyl’s Bass player) he’s been a fan since Roman’s days in Brother Cane several years ago. The plan was to listen to some very loud music during the two hour drive to Lexington but this being basketball season in Kentucky it was a basketball game instead. The rocking and rolling had to wait for the trip home. Continue reading

A Not So Silent Night – 2017

Support local music. We keep saying that because bands of the future almost always start with a local fan base; the exceptions being, so called, super-groups or bands that are put together by someone already on a label. There is no shortage of bands busting their collective butts to get a name for themselves so that they can make what they love their career or simply as an outlet to share their musical perspective with a wider audience. The constantly evolving music business is tough, ultra-competitive and many times frustrating for “undiscovered” talent throughout the world. They work so hard and, many times, get so little in return outside of the pride of producing something from their souls that they can call their own. Support local, no matter where local is. Today I would like to share some local talent from all over Florida through our annual, A Not So Silent Night 2017 concert held at Mavericks Live in downtown Jacksonville, FL, showcasing some of our best Rock and Metal bands. Special thanks going out to Brian Woodward of Bleeding In Stereo for not only hosting, but putting us on their guest list. Always a good time brother!

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TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Make Christmas Rock In Baltimore! [Photo Gallery]

Trans Siberian Orchestra

Christmas came to Baltimore a little early this year. The rock extravaganza slash opera Trans Siberian Orchestra played to a nearly full house at the Royal Farms arena and displayed a dazzling performance. I have never concert lighting like Trans Siberian Orchestra’s, this is quite possibly the best display in the rock world. This was the first time I have had an opportunity to see Trans Siberian Orchestra. And we were offered some fabulous seats very close to the front. Trans Siberian Orchestra have had a sorrowful year, with the deaths of founder Paul O’Neill and the bassist David Z., Russell Allen was seriously injured in the accident that took the life of David Z., and it was great to see him back on stage. Many were skeptical if and how they were going to do without their visionary founder. The packed venues on this tour has been a sign that the band will carry on as strong as ever. Russell Allen mentioned during the show that on multiple dates on this tour they are playing two shows, a sign of the popularity of the band.

Trans Siberian Orchestra

 

The music of Trans Siberian Orchestra is loud, I could hear it pounding all around the arena even with my giant ear plugs in. The show lasting over two and a half hours, Trans Siberian Orchestra delivered what they are known for, pounding rock amalgamated with orchestra amidst breathtaking lighting and moving pieces of stages. The first half of the show was dubbed The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, with the second being a potpourri of the best songs by Trans Siberian Orchestra. The intermittent narration of the Ghosts of Christmas Eve added to the overall mood of the show. The musicianship blends seamlessly with the narration and the clips on those massive projection screens. The over the top projection beats that of even Iron Maiden! The exemplary guitar & violin play with over a dozen (honestly I lost count) vocalists is perfect. The well timed keyboard strokes set the tone for everything else. I love bands where the bass is loud and clear without and it was delivered in plenty. Russel Allen’s dance moves were, to be fair, a comedic addition to the show. Trans Siberian Orchestra closed the show with Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24), which they played earlier as well, and left to a wide applause from the crowd. This is a show I would love to cover next year when they will be on tour again. There was some very entertaining pyrotechnics, however they didn’t occur during the first three songs that we were able to capture. If you are a Christmas and rock lover in the Washington D.C. Metro area head out to the Capital One Arena on Dec 16th, Trans Siberian Orchestra will be there putting on yet another spectacle you need to witness. You owe yourself a ticket to this show if you have never seen them before. The show is family friendly as well, a sight to see for all ages. They have about 90 dates left on this current tour, so you will in all likelihood get a chance to see them. Let us know what you think after you see them grace the stage. Signing off now, until my next review.

Set List

1. Time and Distance (The Dash)
2. Winter Palace
3. The Lost Christmas Eve

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
4. O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night
5. Good King Joy
6. Christmas Dreams
7. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) (Savatage cover)
8. Christmas Canon Rock
9. What Child Is This?                                                                                                                                                                        10. Music Box Blues
11. First Snow
12. Promises to Keep
13. This Christmas Day

The Best of TSO
14. Siberian Sleigh Ride
15. An Angel’s Share
16. Christmas Nights in Blue
17. A Mad Russian’s Christmas
18. For the Sake of Our Brother
19. Wizards in Winter
20. Madness of Men
21. Beethoven
22. Carmina Burana
23. The Safest Way Into Tomorrow
24. The Night Conceives
25. The Mountain
26. Find Our Way Home
27. Requiem (The Fifth)
28. Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) (Reprise)

 

 

CD Release Party for Stayne Thee Angel’s “Time and the Hourglass”

I cannot think of a better way to spend Veterans Day than attending a show of rabidly patriotic bands brought together for the release of Stayne Thee Angel’s new CD Time and the Hourglass. At the last minute, I decided to review the show since I have been unable to attend many shows as of late. Held at one of my favorite local haunts here in Jacksonville, FL, Jack Rabbits, I got there a couple of hours early to hang out with my friends in Inner Demons, listen in on their sound check and meet the other bands, both of which I have seen a number of times and highly enjoy listening to; not to mention I was anxious to hear what Stayne Thee Angel had to offer with their new CD. Let’s just say this was one helluva good night!

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