TALKIN' TRASH WITH....RON KEEL (KEEL/Steeler/Iron Horse)

A couple of weeks ago, Ron Keel (KEEL/Steeler/Iron Horse) took the time to chat with me about all things KEEL related...not telling me he was actually at a soundcheck for a KEEL show that night! Talk about a cool guy looking to connect with his fans! In our lengthy conversation, Ron touched on everything from KEEL and Steeler to his side projects, his country music releases, and his scheduled appearance at Skull Fest in October! If you have a few minutes, enjoy your chance to catch up with Ron Keel here on Glitter2Gutter!

G2G:  Ron, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us.  I have to tell you, I am so very excited that you are going to be one of the acts that comes here to Central Nebraska to our new event, Skull Fest.  You are one of the acts from the 80’s that I always wanted to see but never got the chance, so I’m really happy you will be joining us…

Ron:  Man, that goes both ways.  I’m really excited to do it, so thanks for the opportunity.

G2G:  Ron, let’s go back and start from as close to the beginning as possible, at least as far as your musical past goes.  A lot of people know you from KEEL, obviously, but a lot of people don’t necessarily realize you were with Steeler first.  What was that experience like?

Ron:  Well, um, Steeler was originally formed in Nashville in 1981.  We were like the Motley Crue of Nashville.  I mean, we got a lot of attention because we were really loud and we dressed really crazy, um…you know, I screamed really loud and high…and, so, we ended up relocating the band to Hollywood in 1981 because that was the place to be.  It was, obviously, a very exciting scene in LA and Hollywood, and Southern California in general, at the time, you know, when you bands like Quiet Riot and Ratt and Motley Crue, all really making some serious noise in a lot of ways.  We were just really glad to be a part of that.  You know, it was really a cultural revolution at the time, yet the people in the business really didn’t take things very seriously.  It was interesting that they were all digging our own graves, that we would never get played on the radio, that no one wanted to hear what we were doing, and this kind of stuff…you know, you guys are just pissin’ into the wind…and, um, nobody stopped to take a look around and see just how popular and how powerful the scene was becoming.  Then, all of a sudden, in just a matter of a couple of short years, bands like Steeler and Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, and such had created a cultural revolution that not only changed the musical scene but that also generated, literally, trillions of dollars of revenue.  But, getting back specifically to Steeler, that album was released in 1983 and was the first album to feature myself and a certain guitar player from Sweden named Yngwie Malmsteen.  So, with our first album, you know his first album and my first album, and the only real Steeler album to ever see the light of day, it was an amazing experience.  In fact, it went on to be the biggest selling independent record of all time and really got my career, and Yngwie’s career, started.  And, just to be a part of that, to have been included in that revolution, was a great accomplishment and something that I am very proud of. 

G2G:  Did the breakup of Steeler lead you directly into forming what would become KEEL, or did you go through some down time, or some sort of hiatus?

Early KEEL promo ad

Ron:  No, no…um…I’ve never had a hiatus.  I wouldn’t even know the meaning of the word.  I can’t sit still for too long.  Steeler’s last gig was…it was March 4 of 1984 and KEEL’s first gig was the following month on April 7, so there was just about four weeks between the last Steeler gig and the first KEEL gig.  I had come to realize that I wanted to…well, it was really a business decision.  Steeler was my baby, you know.  I had moved to LA with that band, and had a fierce determination to succeed, but after a number of personnel changes, with Yngwie leaving to join Alcatrazz being among those changes, even though the band continued to progress not only musically but also in terms of our draw, I mean we were still packing the clubs and the venues in Southern California, but there came a point where people wouldn’t take us seriously because of the revolving lineup changes.  Record labels wouldn’t take us seriously or didn’t want to take a chance on a band that seemingly never had the same lineup toward the end.  So, I wanted to build something around myself so that I wouldn’t be dependent upon any one particular musician.  It was actually a solo project with these four young, hungry guys behind me, but it became a band by default.  The guys that I got in the band, Marc Ferrari, Brian Jay, and so forth, we became not only friends, but we shared the same work ethic, we shared the same goals, we were all hungry and were willing to do whatever it took to succeed, and we became a true band in every sense of the word.  And it still is that way today, 29 years later. 

G2G:  Now, when you recruited a guy like a Marc Ferrari, were you looking for another Yngwie?  I mean, Marc has the skills, there’s no doubt about it, so was that a conscious thing on your part?

Ron:  Well, I was not looking for another Yngwie, no.  I wanted a combination…I wanted a twin-guitar team that could emulate some of the bands I was really excited about at the time, you know, like Judas Priest or Thin Lizzy, where they would have these amazing guitar solos bouncing back and forth between guitar players, and I wanted KEEL to be able to be like that.  So, KEEL was pretty much built around that twin-axe attack, although we were actually a three-guitar band, because I played guitar as well, and still do.  Even today, if you come to a full KEEL show you will still see all three of us up there, wielding our axes together.  Now, in terms of chops, like Yngwie had, yeah, you’re right, they have the skills.  In fact, they are even better now than they were then.  But, uh, what I liked about Marc was the fact that he played real, American, hard rock and metal-styled guitar with very melodic and memorable solos that you could sing along with.  That’s why he ended up doing most of the solos in the more commercial stuff that KEEL did, you know, the songs that ended up being hits like “The Right To Rock” or “Because The Night”, stuff like that.  But, actually, Brian’s the real shredder.  He’s not necessarily like Yngwie, but he has these fast, fluid, sweeping, um, lightning speed type of players, where Ferrari is more the grinding, melodic solo kind of guy, and a great songwriter as well.  So, I ended up with the best of both worlds and, in my opinion, one of the most underrated twin-guitar teams of the 80’s.

G2G:  That’s interesting.  I think most people think that Marc did most of the soloing, but Brian’s every bit “the man” too, huh?

Ron:  Absolutely.  You know, people think that because…that perception about Marc was because he was the one doing the solos in most of the videos.  But, if you watch “Somebody’s Waiting” or “Rock N Roll Outlaw”, you will see Brian Jay taking his share of duties on the solos.  It was really split pretty much down the middle.  It was pretty much whatever guy’s style fit the song.  We were writing songs for both of them together where they could go back and forth, too, so there would be a lot of that interplay bouncing back and forth between the two of them, both on the records and on stage.

G2G:  One thing that I always stood out about KEEL in the 80’s was that you guys, especially early on, were definitely more on the metal side of the scene as opposed to the poppier, glam side of the scene.  Was that by design?  Were you trying to stand out in some way?

Ron:  You know, each album has its own identity, really.  The Right To Rock, for example, really is a metal album.  That was a very focused, energy-driven album that was all headed in one direction.  Big, fast, hard, and crunchy, and a lot of that had to do with Gene Simmons’ production.  Once we had some success with The Right To Rock, we had established a strong enough relationship with Simmons that he allowed us to stretch out a bit on the follow-up album, The Final Frontier.  This allowed us to do a bit more commercial-type music, more radio-friendly, I guess,  you know like “Because The Night” or “Tears Of Fire”.  You know, there are no ballads on The Right To Rock, but we were able to stretch out on The Final Frontier.  Diversity has become one of my trademarks, and I’m proud of that, not only in my KEEL projects but in my other projects as well.  I like to take on the challenges of writing, creating, and recording different types of music, as many people know.  You know, on The Final Frontier, we even had a classical piece that Marc Ferrari composed, we had some poppier stuff like “Just Another Girl” and the remake of “Because The Night”, and then we had some more bone-crushing, metal-like stuff like “No Pain, No Gain”, “Rock N Roll Animal”, and so forth.  So, The Final Frontier was a really diverse record, but there wasn’t really a whole lot of intentional design to it then…or now, really.  We play what we feel, write what’s in our hearts and hopefully the audience will relate to it.  We just enjoy the good, you know, fist pumping, guitar driven rock n roll, the anthems that really get people going and pumping their fists in the air and screaming along.

G2G:  You brought him up so I have to take the opportunity to ask the question:  is Gene Simmons the megalomaniac that everyone makes him out to be, or how was he to work with?

Ron: (chuckles)  Gene, you know…Gene was amazing to work with.  Obviously, he’s huge in the industry, there’s no doubt about that.  He was a huge help to our career and, uh, in terms of a human being, Gene is not what he appears to be.  I’m sure there’s that side to him, but to us he was one of the guys.  Really.  He would do anything for us, he was like a sixth member of the band, and was an incredible help.  And, you know, still to this day, when I see him or we hang out, he’s just Gene.  He’s a nice, super nice guy, we talk about our moms and our kids and our lives and…it’s…he’s just Gene to us, just a super-sweet, down-to-earth, nice guy.  Now, the guy on the television show, I’m sure there’s that side to him as well, but he’s been very driven and very successful, and I think he’s still learning and growing, like we are.  It was really nice to see him and Shannon get married, and I know that Shannon is just absolutely over the moon about him, and Gene and Shannon and my wife, Virginia, and I got to hang out together at an event a while back, and it was a really nice time.  It feels like family, it really does.  And, you know, I get star-struck, even with a guy like Gene.  You know, I have this radio show now, and I get to interview stars…not big stars, you know I haven’t had anyone like Gene on my show yet…but I’m doing the radio show and I’m interviewing people like Jack Blades from Night Ranger, or Lita Ford, and these guys have a lot of platinum and gold on the wall, and I get a little star-struck, a little nervous, when I’m meeting people like this.  Like tomorrow I’m meeting Roger Daltry from The Who, and I’m like shaking in my boots, you know?  But whenever it’s Gene, it’s like, “it’s Gene!” you know, like just any other old friend even though he’s this mega-popular member of one of the biggest rock bands ever.  So, it really is a strange relationship in that way, but I’m really proud and happy that we’ve been able to make it last for so long, and to know that Ron Keel and KEEL are a very small thread in the tapestry that is the history of KISS…that’s pretty cool, to me anyway.

G2G:  Well, now you know how I feel when I get to do these interviews with guys like you or Jack Russell or CJ Snare from Firehouse..you know, guys I grew up listening to all the time.  I get nervous when I make the phone call, trust me, so I know what you’re saying, at least to a degree.

Ron:  I know, dude…right before you make that call and you get them on the air or the recorder is going and…for me, it’s like walking on stage.  Even now, I’m getting ready for a show at Planet Hollywood tonight, and I know that I’m going to get those nerves when I walk out there, those jitters when I first walk on, but then you hit the first verse of that first song and you’re home.  It’s a great feeling.

G2G:  Was there a point after the self-titled KEEL album that you knew it wasn’t going to probably happen on the big scale that you hoped things would break open for the band?

Ron:  Well, you always hold out that hope, you know.  If you’ve given up hope then you might as well pack it up.  But, we did realize after the self-titled album that it was going to be an uphill climb.  With our record company, MCA, we had not achieved the level of success that we were hoping for, and a lot of that was just due to some decisions that were made that were really out of our hands.  The choice of singles, for example, or the fact that we never had a follow-up single.  Back in the day, it used to take a band two or three songs to establish an album, with your radio hit and your power ballad and then maybe another follow-up or two, and by that time you likely had a gold or platinum album on the wall.  We never got that, we never had that shot.  After “Somebody’s Waiting” was released in 87, they decided not to release a follow-up single even though the album was climbing the charts and we were on tour with Bon Jovi.  So those are things we didn’t have any control over; we had to roll with the punches and just do what we do.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason those decisions are critical and when you’re in a big situation like we were, where you’ve got producers and mangers and labels and record company exec’s calling the shots, and they’re holding the purse strings that fund those critical decisions, sometimes they’re going to make the wrong call.  They’re only human, you know.  They’re wrong but obviously they don’t want to be wrong, but still a band like KEEL is on the bad end of the deal.  But like I said, all we could do was roll with the punches.

G2G:  I was surprised, personally, that “United Nations” didn’t get released as a single.  I thought that song had “hit” written all over it and that it’s just a monster of a song.

Ron:  Yeah, it should have been, and thank you.  That was my intention in writing the song and putting it first on the record.  It was a song that I think really could have crossed over worldwide and brought the fans together under that powerful, anthem-styled song.  I agree with you wholeheartedly that that was the money song.  For whatever reason, the people at MCA chose “Somebody’s Waiting”, and, you know, looking back, it’s happened to some other bands as well, where people released the wrong single.  Black N Blue was a prime example.  These guys were one of my favorite bands of that era and we are still really good friends to this day.  But, their first single was “Hold On To 18”, but most of their fan base at the time was 15, 16 years old.  They couldn’t relate to a song called “Hold On To 18” because that’s years away for them.  It’s just simple logic that someone who is 13, 14, 15 years old isn’t going to grasp the urgency of “Hold On To 18”.  Same thing with “Somebody’s Waiting”.  That’s a song about cheating on your wife, or your wife cheating on you…and the kids, they can’t relate to that.  Not that there’s anything wrong with either song, but they didn’t hit with the core audience at that time.  The kids, from us at least, they wanted “United Nations”, they wanted “Rock N Roll Animal”, “The Right To Rock”…they didn’t relate to the subject matter of “Somebody’s Waiting” or “Hold On To 18”, and as a result the songs did not succeed.  “Rock N Roll Outlaw” and “United Nations”, though, even though they weren’t singles, we still play them at the show and get great results every time.  People still yell for them, still put their fists in the air, and those are songs that will live on.  But like I said, those choices of singles are not up to the artist at that point.  You have a lot of other people making those decisions and the artist has to hope that things work out.

G2G:  How did you get pulled into the Dudes movie soundtrack?  I always thought KEEL was an interesting band to be selected for that album.

Ron:  We were chosen by the producer of the film.  It was one of those deals where we were in the right place at the right time, and we just happened to have a great relationship with the people who were making the film.  For instance, our song “Speed Demon” appeared in Men In Black II and it’s because one of the people on the film was a KEEL fan and wanted that song in that scene.  So sometimes you get lucky, man, and you never know what the next phone call will bring.

G2G:  You actually kinda stole my thunder a bit there because I was going to ask you about Men In Black II.  I remember seeing that movie in the theater and I broke out laughing and I was like, “That’s KEEL!” when I was watching the movie, and I knew that nobody sitting around me knew what I was talking about but I thought it was very cool to hear that song on there.

Ron:  Yeah, me too.  Those things are always a thrill and we will take ‘em when we can get ‘em.

G2G:  One thing that surprised me was when the Larger Than Live album came out after you had seemingly disappeared from the scene.  I really liked a lot of the songs on that album, including a couple of them that you only recorded live for that disc.  Is there any chance we will ever get to hear studio versions of those?  (For reference, “Private Lies” and “Hard As Hell” are the songs being spoken of.)

Ron:  There is a studio album of “Private Lies” that I released on my acoustic album in 2004, which I’m very proud of, but that’s a good observation and a good call.  We had always intended on perhaps doing full band studio versions of those songs at some point, but as of yet they haven’t made it out.  It’s something we’ve talked about also for our upcoming 30^th anniversary album which will be released in 2014.  You never know, man, those are good songs and like I said, that’s a good call and I’m glad you like that record.

G2G:  Streets Of Rock N Roll kind of brought you full circle as a band when it came out a couple years ago.  Marc was back in the band and…you didn’t have all original members, but all but one, right?

Ron:  Yeah, our new bass player…well, he’s not really new because he’s been with me since 1998…Geno Arce replaced Kenny Chaisson, joined myself, Marc Ferrari and Brian Jay on guitars, and Dwain Miller on drums.  But without these guys, there is no band.  Despite the fact that it’s my last name…and I had many opportunities through the years to go out and perform as KEEL without the rest of the guys…I wouldn’t go out any other way than with Marc, Brian, and Dwain, that’s for sure.  Like I said earlier, it’s a family situation as much as a band situation for me.

G2G:  Ron, can you tell me a bit about some of your side projects?  You were in Saber Tiger for the one album, you’ve had a couple of Iron Horse albums, you sang with Liberty N Justice, you did the Fair Game project.  Was there a method to your madness, if you will, with those projects or was it, again, more right place, right time?

Beauties and the Beast, Ron Keel,in Fair Game

Ron:  There’s always…obviously, it’s a business…and these are calculated moves to either generate some revenue or a helluva good time! (chuckles)  So, those were all…there were business reasons for all of those projects, and I’m very proud of all of those records you just mentioned.  The Saber Tiger record that I did in Japan was the heaviest record of my entire career.  It was a session that I was literally hired for.  They wanted an American singer that had a good reputation in Japan, and so...literally, I had just gotten done with a country gig that night, I think I made like $50 for that gig busting my ass in some honky tonk bar, and so there’s this fax for me at home…we did things by fax back then…and it says we are working for this label in Japan and we want you to sing on this album with Akihito Kinoshita, a famous Japanese guitarist, how much do you charge to make contract with us?  So, you know, I’m half drunk, so I called this guy in Japan, and I said, “I’ll do it for $75,000”.  They said, “we call you back!”  And so I put the phone down, I was laughing, and I had another drink, and they call back not five minutes later and they say, “we give you $30,000”, and I was like “that’s it, I’m there!”  (laughing)  It was a cool negotiation!  (laughing)  But, no, it was a cool experience to get to go to Japan and work with these really great musicians.  And they really pushed me, vocally, to the limit because that was some really heavy, screaming type of music that the producer was pushing me for, and he was very demanding and knew what he wanted, and luckily I was able to deliver the goods.  I’m still very proud of that record.  The Iron Horse stuff was a labor of love really…there was no $30,000 for those.  I SPENT more than that on those records, but that was my attempt at combining my love of country music with my love of arena rock.  I tried to combine the loud, aggressive rock style with the big drums and big guitars with the melody and songwriting sense that country tends to bring.  People ended up calling it southern rock, which is fine, but…  Anyway, all of those records had their special place in my life and my career and my timeline, and there’s going to be more where that came from.  I’m working now on my first full-blown, full band solo album called Metal Cowboy, which is a heavy metal cowboy record and I hope to play you guys a couple of those new songs when I come out to Skull Fest in October.

G2G:  Very cool!  I wanted to tell you when you mentioned your love of country music, I was actually working as the music director for a country music station about a hundred miles from here and all of a sudden, across my desk comes this CD by Ronnie Lee Keel, and I’m like “wait a second, there’s no way…”  I remember it was a promo album, so it just had a black and white cover of you standing there in the desert or something…

Ron:  Yep, yep, that was it…

G2G:  So I picked that thing up and started reading through the credits and thank yous and, sure enough, it was you!  I was like, “What the heck?!”  So, I held onto it and since then, I’ve seen a couple of other country releases come out from you and I’ve got to say that you while it’s not overly commercial country music by today’s standards, you pull it off and I dig what you’re doing.  You sound like you enjoy it.

Ron:  Thanks, man.  Whatever I do it’s coming from the heart.  It’s real.  And it has to be for people to buy it.  Whether it’s a heavy metal record or a country record, the fans of those styles are in tune with what they like and they’re not going to buy what you’re doing if it’s not real to them and it doesn’t come from the heart.  The two styles are a lot alike in that way.  You can’t get up in an arena full of metalheads and scream and shout with your fist in the air and be fake; they will throw shit at you! (laughs) 

G2G:  (laughter)

Ron:  Same thing…you can’t get up in a rodeo arena full of cowboys and cowgirls and sing country music and be fake about it.  You don’t just put on a hat and do it, they will kill you, they will eat you alive.  So, both of these styles of music that I love and I love to play, they both come from the heart.  I’m also very proud of my accomplishments from my younger days with jazz music and classical music and playing in the orchestra.  To me, music is one huge landscape and I want to explore it.  Now, there’s some stuff I’m not interested in; I don’t like hip-hop or rap, it’s not my cup of tea.  I don’t get it, I don’t relate to it, but after being broke, homeless, divorced a few times, and thrown in jail, you start realizing country music’s got something to it, man! (laughs)  There’s really a lot of common ground between country and rock and it’s all party music built to have a good time, it’s all entertainment and escapism.  Songs about drinking beer and chasing girls, it doesn’t matter if there’s a fiddle or a screaming electric guitar, if it’s good it’s good and it’s all party music.

G2G: I’ve been telling people for several years now that I think modern country music stole the power ballad from the 80’s hair bands, added some steel guitar to it and then marketed to it basically the same crowd that had just gotten older and had some kids.

Ron:  Yeah, you’re exactly right, man.  You hit the nail right on the head.  They are very similar.

G2G:  Now, when people come to Nebraska to see you at Skull Fest, what are we going to hear from Ron Keel?

Ron:  Well, for these solo shows like this, I like to mix it up with stuff from throughout my career.  You’re going to hear all the KEEL hits, you know, “Because The Night”, “Right To Rock”, “Tears Of Fire”, all that stuff, man.  You’re going to hear some of my favorites from some of the other records that you mentioned, and hopefully a couple of new songs from the Metal Cowboy album as well.

G2G:  Do you ever break out “Cold Day In Hell” from Steeler?

Ron:  We still do that song, yes.  We do it at the KEEL shows, also, and this is the 30^th anniversary of the release of that Steeler album, so we’re hoping to celebrate that in a number of ways, one of which is including it in our shows, including on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise coming up in March.

G2G:  That Monsters Of Rock Cruise has exploded into a pretty big deal…

Ron:  It is, it’s a very big deal and we’re glad to be a part of it for the second year in a row.  It’s, to me, one of the signature hard rock events of the year in terms of getting people together from all over the…excuse the noise, man, sound check just started…umm, getting people together from all over the world together on that ship.  It’s just a brotherhood of hard rock and metal and the relationship that we have with all the other bands on the ship, or with the fans that you run into at the bar or the meet-and-greets, that’s something that’s so special to us as a band.  The camaraderie is an amazing experience and I think it brings out the best in the performers, because when I’m up there on stage, I know that, you know, Night Ranger and Tesla and Kix and all these other bands are also out there in the crowd, watching us do what we do, and we’re watching them during their gigs, so everyone brings their “A games” to events like this.  The Cruise is sold out already, which I expected it to be, no surprise there.

G2G:  Is there anybody from today’s scene that you listen to that you would consider yourself a fan of?  You mentioned watching each other play at these festivals and on this cruise, so who else do you listen to or watch besides your peers?  I listened to the podcast of your show and you feature several of what I like to call the New Wave of European Glam and Sleaze bands like Crashdiet and that, so I’m curious who Ron Keel is a fan of now.

Lizzy Hale

Ron:  If their on my show, I’m a big fan of theirs, and one band that I really like is this band called Halestorm.  They just…their songs, their production, and that girl’s voice…it’s all money.  They’re amazing.  There’s a band from Columbus, Ohio called Full Tilt that I’m really high on.  And, truth is, many of these kids grew up on me and bands like KEEL, and when I was in central Ohio about ten years ago doing some rock shows, these kids who were about 13 years old came out, the lead singer was especially young.  His parents are actually friends of mine and they would play my music and come to my shows and when he got older they would bring him to my shows, and now that he’s 23 years old, he is bringing it man.  To me, he’s like Paul Rodgers for a new generation, man.   Some others that I really enjoy listening to…Daughtry is number one.  I think Daughtry has a great package overall and…(phone cuts out)…Did I lose you?  Marc Ferrari’s calling on the other line.  He can wait…  (laughs). 

G2G:  Ron, you are obviously busy with the show coming up tonight, so how can fans stay in touch with you?  I know there’s the iTunes app people can get, of course they can come out to Skull Fest and some of these festivals and meet you, but how do people stay in tune with Ron Keel now?

Ron:  The best way is www.RonKeel.com .  I’m a big fan of the old-fashioned, conventional website.  I’m not a big Facebook guy.  Twitter’s cool, but Facebook is the devil.  So, RonKeel.com is my home online.  You can listen to the radio show, check out our tour schedule, there’s a forum there where we talk and I post things that you don’t normally hear on Facebook or Twitter.  We’ll talk about sports, food, politics…whatever.  All the show dates are there on RonKeel.com , including Skull Fest, so I encourage fans to stop there, hang out with me, and check out what I’m doing.

G2G:  Awesome, Ron.  Thanks for taking the time to talk with me and I’ll let you go ahead and call Marc back, he’s probably a little more important than me right now (laughing)…

Ron:  Yeah, he knows what he’s doing, but we are getting tuned up and ready to rock…

G2G:  Well, I will let you go and I look forward to meeting up with you at Skull Fest in October in North Platte!

Ron:  Thank you, Arttie.  I appreciate what you are doing and you’ve got my number, so if there’s anything you need, anytime, just give me a holler.  Count on me, my friend, I’m all yours…

That was a great conversation with a guy who will tell you pretty much anything you want to know!  Can't wait to meet one of my favorite singers after all these years when he finally gets to North Platte, NE and Skull  Fest 2013!  If you want to meet him as well, tickets are on sale NOW at THIS location!  Get 'em while they are cheap, folks!!!

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TALKIN' TRASH WITH... JEFF PILSON (T&N, Dokken, Foreigner)

Jeff Pilson, long-time bass player for Dokken, former member of Lynch/Pilson, current member of T&N...and Foreigner...and producer of Adler's debut album, now adds TRASH TALKER to his list of accomplishments, as he took a few minutes to check in with Glitter2Gutter! (Actually, he was pretty nice and didn't have a lot of trash to talk...but he has some interesting things to say, so READ ON!!!)

G2G:  Jeff, first I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Years…

Jeff:  Yes, I spent the time with my family...awesome!

G2G: Slave To The Empire is your new album which has been released under the name T&N, and features the reunion of ¾ of the original Dokken. What was it like having George and Mick

working with you on the same project again?

Jeff:  Very second nature. We really do have great chemistry and if anything it’s only gotten stronger over time.

G2G:  Did you ever catch yourself looking around the room and saying, “You know…someone’s missing”?

Jeff:  Well, we did call Don, but, understandably, he didn’t think it was right to do it.  The minute he’s there it becomes Dokken and that’s a whole other kettle of fish.  But, we often back in the day did rehearsals or 

pre-production with just the 3 of us, so it basically felt like that.

G2G: I’m not going to turn this into a Dokken vs. T&N interview, but I do want to ask, would you ever see a scenario in which you and Don could work together again?  I’ve heard that George has shut that door completely, but I know Mick still works with him, so would you ever open that door again?

Jeff:  I’ll never say never, and I don’t think I’d ever shut any door completely.  I mean, here we are 30 years later still talking about it, so never’s a bit extreme.  But it doesn’t seem like this is the time to do a reunion. It would require too much time and I think all of us have too much going at this point to commit to that.  But I still can see it happening in some way at some point.

G2G:  Let's get back to the new record.  What was the process involved in picking which classic Dokken tunes to include on the T&N record? Was there a vote made, did you each get to pick a couple of favorites…?

Jeff:  We recorded 12 tracks with Wild Mick and basically it was down to the singers, their choices and how we worked it out that made the final determination of what would make it on this record. The rest will likely be on the record we do next year.

G2G:  Do those songs just jump out of your bass when you go to play them again, meaning are they so familiar you could almost play them in your sleep?

Jeff:  Some of them yes!!!!

G2G:  I like the new arrangements that were made on a couple of the classic tunes. Can you tell me how that came about?  Did it have a lot to do with who was going to be singing the song?  I ask because Ripper’s take on “Kiss Of Death” really pushes the track into a more metal direction than the original, while Sebastian Bach’s work on “Alone Again” is pretty similar in style and delivery.

Jeff:  The musical arrangements were made before they sang, so it was the combination of the singers’ interpretation and the musical input that created the final versions.

G2G:  You are a great singer in your own right; why didn’t you just handle all of the remakes, like you did on “Into The Fire” and the new material?

Jeff:  For one I don’t think I’d be the best singer for all the songs. Plus in a situation like this why not make it as interesting as possible? I love these guys’ voices and it was so nice being able to record with them. I also thought it was a way to diffuse some of the “us vs Don” mentality that I knew would come out of this. This isn’t meant as a competition, it’s a creative outlet meant to tie in with our past- and I knew it would be hard enough to get that point across, especially if it looked like I was trying to “replace” Don- which I’d never want to appear to do.

G2G:  Now, I hope you don’t take this personally, because it is not intended to be an attack of any sort, but I would have rather just heard new material rather than a mix. I say this because I already know who you are, and I already know what you have done, so why go back and re-do it? Does that make sense?

Jeff:  No attack taken. But the truth is we felt it was important to tie our legacy in with the new material. When we do finally play live we’ll be playing a lot of Dokken material, so why not embrace it and bring our friends along to give it a kick in the ass!!!  I also think it’s fair to say we wouldn’t have gotten near the attention we’ve gotten as a result of the rerecords, so it appears to have been an effective strategy!

G2G:  I can see where a new fan just coming to the band might be interested in your past. Was there ever any consideration of a full album of remakes and then a full album of new material, rather than the mix?

Jeff:  We originally wanted to do a double album, one new, one old. But the record labels preferred it be spread out over two records.

G2G: Getting to the new songs, what was the writing process like on those tracks?  I’ve heard they were supposed to be Dokken songs, I’ve heard they were supposed to be Lynch Mob songs, maybe Lynch/Pilson songs…

Jeff:  They originally were intended for a Lynch Mob album George had asked me to write with him. Then when Oni (Logan...vocalist for Lynch Mob) didn’t feel right about it being for Lynch Mob, Brian (Tichy... drummer on all the new songs) suggested we get Mick and do the re-records. It looked like a no-brainer to us! That’s when I went off and started writing lyrics and melodies then came and finished them up with George (and Brian on one song).

G2G: Do you have a favorite of the new songs? If so, what about that song really jumps out at you?

Jeff: Probably “When Eagles Die” because it has all the elements I really like about when George and I collaborate.  Plus, his solo is genius!

G2G: You have said that there are more new songs, as well as more re-recordings, that will be released on another T&N album. Any time frame for that?

Jeff:  Hopefully next year some time.

G2G:  I’m assuming there will be some guest vocalists again, correct?

Jeff:  Yes, that’s the plan.

G2G:  Tell me about plans to tour for this record. Will both drummers, Mick Brown and Brian Tichy, both play out, or will it just be one or the other?

Jeff:  Likely it would be one or the other...depending on who’s doing what at the time.

Jeff and George

G2G:  Do you think we will ever see another Lynch/Pilson album, or does T&N pretty much fill that niche? I personally loved that first album…

Jeff:  Thank you, but T&N probably is as close as we’d get. But having said that, you never know…

G2G:  Are you still involved in Foreigner?

Jeff:  Oh yes- that’s why touring for T&N is so tricky. Foreigner tours all the time!

G2G: Were you surprised with how well Can’t Slow Down (Foreigner's last record) did, both in charting a couple of songs on the Adult Contemporary charts, and in cracking the Top 30 on the Billboard Top 200?

Jeff:  Pleasantly so. I thought it was a great album with some great songs so I guess I wasn’t too surprised. But any time a record gets attention these days you have to really appreciate it.

G2G:  Before I let you go, I wanted to talk a bit about your involvement with Adler. I think that Back From The Dead is an amazing record, it was our number 2 album of the year, and you not only produced it, you actually played all the bass on it, correct?

Jeff: Yes. What a great experience that was. An amazing band with an amazing singer, amazing musicians and writers and Steven playing better than he has in an awful long time. What magic those sessions were.

G2G: Were you friends with Steven Adler, or how did your involvement come about?

Jeff:  Yes we hung out several years ago and have stayed friends, but this experience definitely brought us closer. He’s one of my dearest friends now. But I was originally asked to play bass, then one thing led to another and next thing you know I was producing. It was all very organic.

G2:  Was there ever any thought of joining the band on a permanent basis?

Jeff with the guys in Adler

Jeff:  That just wouldn’t be possible with my Foreigner commitment. Besides Johnny (Martin) fits so well- and they have a great chemistry as a band now.

G2G:  How involved in social media are you, Jeff? Is there a way for fans to keep up to date with everything you have going on?

Jeff:  Very involved. I tweet and have a Facebook fan page... all great ways to keep in the loop.  Plus, T&N has a Facebook page.

G2G:  Jeff, I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with us and I hope things work out well for everything you have going on in 2013. Best of luck and God bless…

Jeff:  Thanks for all the support and let’s talk again soon...

Short, sweet, and to the point...sometimes the best way to Talk some Trash!  Actually, Jeff was pretty gracious and didn't bash anyone, but that seems to be the consensus about the kind of guy he is, which is cool.  Could we see another Dokken album with the originals????  Hmmmm.....guess we'll have to see what shakes out, but obviously, Jeff isn't one to close doors...

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PETER CRISS "Makeup To Break Up: My Life In and Out of KISS" (Book Review)

(c) 2012 Scribner Books

Original KISS drummer, Peter Criss, is the latest member of the iconic band to release his autobiography.  "Make Up To Breakup" is an extremely interesting read, especially if you have previously read any of Gene or Paul's accounts as to why the original band broke up, why the reunions didn't last, etc.  The latter part is of special interest to me because, as anyone who read Ace Frehley's book will know, the Spaceman ignored the reunions completely in his book, so Criss's is the first to take a "non-corporate" look at the situation.

In the 360+ pages of this tome, Criss discusses the usual stuff: his early life, his pre-KISS bands, the early, struggling years with the band, their rise to super-stardom, their eventual crash, etc.  Mixed in, however, are stories of his two failed marriages, his family, his time spent in rehab, and his near suicide attempt following the California earthquakes that left him reeling.  Peter spends time dishing about what it was like going back on the road with his band, CRISS, criss-crossing the country in a Winnebgo to play in tiny dives such as the Sandbox, his disappointment with the failure of his solo albums, and what finally drove him to accept the reunion of the original members of KISS.

Criss also discusses his spirituality, his relationship with God, his estrangement from his daughter, and his marriage to the woman who in many ways saved his life.  No stone is left unturned, or so it seems, as the man even discusses what it was like, and what he went through, when he was diagnosed with the "woman's disease" of breast cancer...at the same time his wife was battling another form of the vile disease! 

Is the book a tell-all?  I would say so, yes.  In fact, sometimes Criss tells a bit too much, especially in regards to the sex with groupies, the measurements of his and his bandmates' genitals, and other such things, and at times the book really pushes the boundaries of crudeness.  However, as Criss mentions a couple of times, he poured out all of his memories to complete this book, and the reader really has a sense that he/she is listening to a confession of past sins as much as they are reading a book about the mighty KISS machine.  Surprisingly, and to his credit, Criss lays bare the facts about which albums he didn't actually play on, the fact that he completely forgot how to play some of the band's early classics, his falling out with Ace, his hatred for Tommy Thayer, and the bitterness he feels toward both Gene and Paul.  Will we ever see another full KISS reunion?  Peter doesn't really hide his feelings about that fact, either.

Fascinating, yet often not exactly fun, to read, I would strongly recommend "Makeup To Break Up" to any KISS fan that is looking for not only the other side of the story, but the side that, when taken with several facts from Ace's own autobiography, really feels like it is the likely truth of the matter in a lot of cases.  A compelling read, but not for the faint of heart or the easily offended. 

(368 pages; hardcover)

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HINDER "Welcome To The Freakshow"

(c) 2012 Republic Records

1. Save Me
2. Ladies Come First
3. Should Have Known Better
4. Freakshow
5. Get Me Away From You
6. Is It Just Me
7. I Don't Wanna Believe
8. See You In Hell
9. Anyone But You
10. Wanna Be Rich

Austin Winkler--Lead Vocals
Joe "Blower" Garvey--Lead Guitars, Vocals
Mark King--Guitars, Piano, Vocals
Mike Rodden--Bass, Vocals
Cody Hanson--Drums, Programming

Additional Musicians
Marshal Dutton--Additional Guitars, Keys, Vocals, and Programming

Towards the end of 2012, Hinder returned to the scene with a new album, Welcome To The Freakshow.  I have to say I was VERY excited, as anyone who reads this site with any regularity knows I am a Hinder fan and list them as one of the best of the current crop of American hard rockers.  Sadly, I came away from this new album seriously disappointed, as evidenced by this album ending up on our "Worst/Most Disappointing Albums of 2012" list here at Glitter2Gutter.

Let me say that I don't think that this is a terrible album by any stretch.  In fact, musically, it is executed very well.  It's just very disappointing to see the follow-up to the excellent All American Nightmare be so...weak...for lack of a better term.  For about 60 percent of this album, the music has lost its balls.  The album, as a whole, is far more Snoozefest than Freakshow, which is a total bummer.

Now, when this album rocks, it does so very well.  The album opener and lead single, "Save Me" is a strong, uptempo snarler, with Austin Winkler's voice in top-notch form and some serious guitar work from Blower and King. The song is semi-autobiographical in nature, as Winkler wrote the track after getting out of drug and alcohol rehab, and it delivers a powerful message in a raucous way.  What's even better is that this is by no means the strongest rocker on this album, as the title track, with it's infectious chorus, sounds like it could have easily fit on the ...Nightmare album with no problem.  Same goes for the pounding, biting, "See You In Hell".  "Ladies Come First", while still heavy, is easily the most melodic of the rockers...and also the sleaziest, bringing forth shades of the best of Hinder's often innuendo-laden songs.

But that's all the band has to offer us in the form of out-and-out rock on this album.

Ballads are the name of the game here, especially in the middle of the album, likely due to the fact that All American Nightmare did virtually nothing at radio and not much better at the cash registers, easily distinguishing itself as the worst selling Hinder album to date.  Of course, that's a pretty easy thing to have happen when your debut album (not counting the independent Far From Close EP) goes triple platinum, and the follow-up goes gold.  Still, when a label sees a band's sales dropping, they tend to do the formula thing and make grabs at radio airplay, which I am inclined to believe Universal Records did when they shuffled Hinder off to their subsidiary label, Republic Records.  Anyone who has witnessed the rock and roll circus of Hinder live can't believe that it was their decision to go so ballad heavy on this record.  Yet this is what we are left with...

"Talk To Me" is insanely generic and boring, sounding more like an adult contemporary radio track than a Hinder song.  "Lips Of An Angel" is more powerful in its depth and delivery than "Talk To Me", if that means anything.  The very next track, "Get Me Away From You" keeps the plodding pace going, albeit with a somewhat better song.  Two tracks later, we are treated to easily the best of the slow jams, with "I Don't Wanna Believe", a pain-infested, modern take on the power ballad that I actually hope ends up on concert set-lists.  "Anyone But You" is yet another ballad but one that sounds like Hinder-gone-Nashville.  If this showed up in video form on CMT or GAC, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.  (By the way, CMT and GAC are country video channels...imagine that!  Music videos!!!)

As to the remaining tracks, they are an odd assortment that don't really fit anything Hinder has done before.   I'm not sure how to describe "Is It Just Me".  It's very poppy in its delivery and, while somewhat catchy, I don't really know what the point is.  Album closer, "Wanna Be Rich" is a lyrically-biting song that sounds like it could be the follow-up to "Striptease" from the last album, but this track has all sorts of electronic sounds and effects...heck, it's practically a dance song, reminding me of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" at one point!...and is not the best way to bring things to a close, although it is better than any of the ballads here. 

The packaging is solid, with a big 14-page insert with lyrics, pictures, credits, and thank-yous, which is a good touch.  Plus, Hinder has managed to avoid the dreaded digi-pack for at least one more album, so kudos for that!

All in all, not horrible, just disappointing overall, and downright boring in spots.  I only bothered to rip half of the album onto my mp3 player and my iPod because that is all I will likely ever listen to.  Hinder can, and has, done much better, so I am hopeful that the band will recover on its next effort and find a happy medium between the balls-out rocking of All American Nightmare and the more radio friendly, yet not sell-out, material of Take It To The Limit or Extreme Behavior.

Rating:  Rock this at a disappointing 5.5, and that may be a bit generous.  The rockers save the album...but just barely.



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The BEST ALBUMS of 2012!!!

Okay, so we've given you the better part of a week to digest, gripe about, argue with, and rip apart our "Worst/Most Disappointing Albums of 2012" list, so we thought now was the time to ease your suffering and bring you what you probably really wanted...our BEST of 2012 list!  Okay, sure, you probably weren't holding your breath for this list, and no one went on a hunger strike that we are aware of, but still...we did get more than a few emails asking where the "real list" was.  So...without further hesitation, we give you (in reverse order), the TOP 12 of 2012!

The Top 12 of 2012

One thing that I cannot stress enough is that these rankings DO NOT necessarily reflect the individual album rating each received.  Obviously, if you go back and look at the reviews of each of these albums, they are all 8's or higher, which means we think pretty highly of them here at G2G.  However, as anyone who listens to music will attest to, sometimes an album grows on you and becomes a favorite even if there are a couple of songs that get on your nerves at times.  Such is the case with some of these albums.  Other times, an album can score very well and be performed to near flawless levels, but not necessarily hold a listener's interest for long periods of time.  As an example, Journey's last album, ECL1P53 (reviewed here) was one of the best pieces of music released in 2011, in my opinion, performed nearly perfectly, but little of it is as memorable as the classic Journey songs that everyone has to sing along to when they hear them.  So, in short, an album's ranking plays into its placement in the Top 12, but not necessarily it's eventual actual placement.  Make sense?

12.  KISS "Monster"  There ain't no school like the old school, or so the saying goes.  And there ain't many more old school than the masked masters, KISS.  Surpassing the solid Sonic Boom from a few years ago (at least in my opinion...others disagree), Monster is a very good piece of work that shows the band still remembers where it came from and what it's core audience is wanting from the band.  Granted, the band has never really changed all that much aside from Carnival Of Souls and maybe The Elder, but Monster should silence any doubters that wondered if Paul and Gene still had it in them to record a solid, top-notch KISS record.

11.  Donnie Vie "Wrapped Around My Middle Finger" Smart and sassy, this is the album is like the darker side of Enuff Z'Nuff, and it is a solid listen all the way through.  There is enough of the "band" in the sound to satisfy the older fans, but newcomers will find a lot to like about Mr. Vie's work, as well.  A guest spot from Kip Winger adds to the fun here, making this one of the best of 2012, despite being an album I'm betting a lot of people overlooked or missed.  If you fall into this group, rectify the situation and snap this disc up as soon as you are done reading our list!



10.  Jackyl "Best In Show"  Another old-guard band that made a GREAT return, Jackyl may have released the best album of their career, and certainly the best in at least 15 or 20 years.  With only one track that I would leave off, and the rest being solid, top of the heap southern-fried sleaze, Jackyl has shown that they are in no way ready to hang things up.  Always a killer live band, Jackyl sounds especially tight and cohesive here, showing that there is much more to the band than Jesse and his chainsaw!   



9.  Royal Bliss "Waiting Out The Storm"  A surprise to many, perhaps, but this is one excellent record from start to finish.  Neal Middleton has a powerful, soulful voice that is packed with emotion, and the band is a formidable one, whether on this record or in a live setting.  Don't let the fact that this is a "modern" rock band trick you out of giving this album a chance...that's just the devil on your shoulder whispering in your ear to keep you from enjoying an excellent album filled with great performances and some awesome songs.  "Crazy" and "Bleed My Soul" should snag  melodic rock fan's ears immediately, and the rockers will love "I Got This" and other tracks. Following this up could be tough for Royal Bliss.


8.  Van Halen "A Different Kind Of Truth"  Go ahead...try to deny that it was GREAT getting to hear David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen team up one more time.  And, haters, feel free to try to dismiss the obvious talent of one Mr. Wolfgang Van Halen on bass.  Sure, it would have been nice to have the entire band back together, but 3/4 is pretty darn good as long as 1/4 is DLR and 1/4 is EVH.  Hopefully this is NOT the end of this legendary band, but if it is, what a way to go out!





7.  Joshua "Resurrection" One of the true surprises of 2012, at least for me, was the out-of-nowhere return of Joshua!  I mean, this band had been off the face of the map for more than a decade, only to come roaring back with a blistering combination of guitar skills, powerhouse vocals, and a message that packs a wallop.  I have no idea what Joshua's plans are to follow this album up, but I am hoping it doesn't take another 10 years or more before we hear from him again.



6.  LA Guns "Hollywood Forever"  Since Phil Lewis rejoined the band, LA Guns seemingly has grown stronger and stronger with each subsequent release.  2012's Hollywood Forever is no exception, and this is an album that just gets stronger and stronger with each spin, at least for me.  Sure, the last track is a bit odd (Lewis sings in Spanish), and I'm not overly fond of the ballad on the disc, but with with 14 tracks, a single miss (I like the Spanish track, personally) is not capable of derailing a killer album.  This might be the best Lewis has ever sounded vocally, and since this is likely the last time we will hear Blades as the guitar player, I would encourage anyone who missed the boat here to pick up Hollywood Forever at once. 

5.  Zeroking "Kings Of Self Destruction"  Out of nowhere comes a band most of you have probably never heard of...but should.  Zeroking may be just about the perfect blend of the raunchy, gritty-yet-melodic sound of the late 80's/early 90's and the more modern sounds of today's hard rock world.  The opening track, "Dead Rockstar" is worth the price of the album all by itself, and things don't let up much from there.West Virginia has been hiding a huge secret from the rock world...hopefully this album will get them out of the sticks and out on the road so more fans can find out what Zeroking is all about! 

4.  Rick Springfield "Songs For The End Of The World" Yeah.  I know.  Weird, huh?  If you would have told me at the beginning of 2012...heck, at ANY time in the 2000's...that a Rick Springfield album would find it's way onto a "best of" list that I would be a part of, I would have called you crazy.  Yet, somehow, the seemingly ageless Springfield has managed to pull off the absolute surprise of the year with this slab of melodic rock that maintains some of his 80's-era pop sensibilities, intertwined with a bit of the darker music he became known for in the early parts of the 2000's.  Guitar driven and much more lyrically insightful than you might think possible from the "Jessie's Girl" writer, Songs For The End Of The World was a truly pleasant surprise for me.  Well played, Rick...well played!



3.  The Last Vegas "Bad Decisions" Speaking of acts that just get better and better, The Last Vegas fits this bill perfectly.  While their past albums were very good, Bad Decisions has to jump the band into the great category, at least for this one album (and hopefully the future).  Having had the chance to catch these guys live earlier this summer, I can state with confidence that musically and vocally, the band brings it live every bit as much as they deliver on this album.  "Evil Eyes" is a monster of a song, and "Beat To Hell", "She's My Confusion", and "Bad Decisions" only add to the fun!  As with a couple of other albums on this list, a single weaker track, once again a ballad, is not enough to kill the momentum of this excellent offering.  A must own album of 2012.

2.  Adler "Back From The Dead"  Oh so close to being the top of the heap for 2012, this album is simply an excellent piece of art that really bridges the gap between the glory days of Guns N Roses and the modern hard rock sound of today.  No, you won't hear any "Paradise City" or ""Welcome To The Jungle" sounding material here, but there is a combined sense of urgency, a solid melodic base, and a healthy dose of real attitude, not false bravado, that a lot of today's music is missing.  That combination makes this a must-hear record for 2012.  Thank goodness that Adler is back from the dead, because the band may help resurrect a sometimes lifeless, uninspired music scene in the hard rock world. 



1.  Liberty N Justice "The Cigar Chronicles" Without a doubt, the best release of 2012 is the massive project by Liberty N Justice.  While I am partial to the second disc, the original material, the first disc, which is a great collection of uncommon cover songs, is also a solid listen.  Liberty N Justice have put out any number of great albums over the years, but there is none better than The Cigar Chronicles, and that is saying a lot.  While the physical CDs have not yet shipped, anyone who pre-ordered already has the digital files in hand, so for that reason, I am considering this to be a 2012 release...and the best one of the bunch!  If you haven't got your copy yet, head over to www.libertynjustice.net and be sure to order it and get those digi-files for yourself so you can say you, too, own the best of 2012!





 So there you have it, folks!  The Top 12 of 2012 according to Glitter2Gutter!  Is it scientific?  Nope...but it was a lot of fun to put together.  You can't imagine the hours of music I had to struggle through to come up with the best of the best.  Yeah, it's a tough job, but I'm just the guy to do it!

Here's to an equally solid 2013!

The WORST/MOST DISAPPOINTING Albums of 2012!

So, as we turn the calendar to 2013, Glitter2Gutter decided to take a look back at the best and worst of 2012.  It was an interesting year, to be sure, with several bands coming out of at least partial retirement, a few riding off into the sunset, and several new bands jumping into the musical mix.  The lists will, of course, probably be controversial, as I am sure that some people will completely disagree with the entirety of the lists, while others will wonder how one or two of their favorites either missed the "best of" list, or stumbled onto our "worst of" list.  As always, keep in mind that these are merely the opinions of Glitter2Gutter and no harm or disrespect is meant to any of the bands on the "worst list" nor to that band's fans...it's not our fault your taste in music is lacking!  (Kidding, of course...)  So, to kick of 2013, we will start with...

THE WORST/MOST DISAPPOINTING OF 2012

This was a difficult list to compile for me, as it really frustrated me to include some of the bands and albums that have found their way onto this list.  However, no matter how much a band may be loved by the multitudes, it always remains possible that a stinker will pop up from time to time.  Such was the case for a few classic bands in 2012.  Also, keep in mind that an album that ends up on this list is not necessarily a horrible album; it may be an instance where the hype was just too great to be lived up to, or the album was just disappointing, if not terribly executed.  Other times, I have no idea how the album found its way to my review desk and CD player as they have NOTHING of interest to most G2G readers, and so they find their way here simply because they have nothing to offer the typical visitor to this site.  And, of course, there are also the instances where the album just flat stinks in practically every way!  So, with these things in mind, in reverse order, I give you the Glitter2Gutter WORST and MOST DISAPPOINTING albums of 2012....

10.  Aerosmith "Music From Another Dimension" (Review to come)  After several years without releasing new material, Aerosmith managed to put aside their differences long enough to release Music From Another Dimension.  Disappointment is the main reason for the inclusion here, as this album is just a huge letdown for me.  There are a few really good songs, but nothing great, and far too many ballads for my tastes.  Also, it was a bit of a letdown to have Aerosmith tell everyone they were going to return to their 70's roots as far as sound goes, only to have it miss the mark almost completely.  Not the worst album of 2012 musically, but a definite disappointment nonetheless.

     

9.  Hinder "Welcome To The Freakshow"

Much the same as the fate that befell Aerosmith here.  Hinder released a new album at the end of 2012 and inexplicably forgot to bring enough rock to the party.  Incredibly ballad-heavy, Welcome To The Freakshow is almost a lie as a a title, as there is very little of the "freak" that made All American Nightmare one of my favorite albums a couple years ago.  There are a couple of great tunes here, and the band is more diverse on this album than on previous efforts, but sometimes diversity means a band has altered course, which appears to be the case with much of this record.  Freakshow sounds like the relative lack of commercial success with Nightmare caused them to try to swerve back into the radio lane, rather than push forward in the rock aisle. 

8 and 7.  Dokken "Broken Bones" and T&N "Slave To The Empire".  I wanted SO MUCH to love one, or preferably both, of these albums.  Sadly, I merely like both of them, and even then, I don't like them enough to give either of them huge amounts of playtime despite the fact that both came out this year.  Dokken's album is the better of the two, in my opinion, as he remains true to what he has been doing for the past several years, and has more good NEW songs on his album.  T&N has tons of potential and a few good new songs as well, but the inclusion of the covers of Dokken songs left me wanting.  Here's hoping that both acts get a chance to improve upon these efforts, although, as most people probably have heard or read, Don Dokken has stated that this is to be the last Dokken album.  Too bad that he didn't go out closer to the top, but at least Broken Bones is nowhere near as bad as the awful Shadowlife or Dysfunctional.

6.  Jeff Keith "Country Music Friends EP"  Just...wow...  To hear the frontman of Tesla not only tackle country music, but OLD SCHOOL country music, is a bit tough to handle even for someone who grew up with the genre.  Not horribly done but completely lacking in rock, this is simply not going to appeal to more than 2-3% of the readers of G2G.  I hope Tesla comes up with some new material for 2013 so that Keith can just leave this effort in the dust (although there are strong indications that he intends to release a full length album of country material in the near future).

5.Dr. Freak and Mr. 4 "Rock N Roll Brotherhood"  This album is a perfect example of the over-hype machine building something up to nearly impossible to match levels.  I had heard SO MUCH about how great these guys were, and I had heard enough of their main project, Superhorrorfuck, to be more than a bit curious.  Sadly, I was also more than a bit let down as this album not only didn't live up to the hype, it was barely what I would consider to be an average album with far more miss than hit to it.  I have been sent the new EP by Superhorrorfuck, so I am a bit guarded in my optimism, but I sincerely hope that it is better than this effort.


4.  Travis F. Warren "Beneath These Borrowed Skies" (Review to come)  I was never...I mean NEVER...a fan of Blind Melon in the 90's.  To this day, if I stumble across that video with the girl dressed up like a dancing bee for the song "No Rain", I instantly change channels, turn off the television, or leave the room.  I'm not sure what I expected from the new solo record from Blind Melon's lead singer, Travis F. Warren, but what I got is not something I will ever listen to again, I'm afraid.  Leaning heavily on acoustic music and some jangly rhythms, this effort twists together bits of Blind Melon, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan, into a dark, moody, brooding disc that, while haunting and very well played, leaves me more likely to swallow a hammer than ever play the disc again!  Rarely upbeat and never rocking, this is just not my thing and is not likely to do much for G2G readers, either.  Pass....   

3. Hyro Da Hero "Birth, School, Work, Death"  Now, THIS is a great example of an album that I am unsure how I ever got it.  Seriously, this is pretty much straight up modern hard rap, a la Hollywood Undead or Deuce, and completely not my style.  However, since it was sent to me for review, I did my due diligence and spun the disc a few times...then wandered off to a corner, curled up into a ball, and shuddered for a while before coming back to my senses enough to put on the newest efforts by Lynch Mob, The Last Vegas, Evans Blue, Liberty N Justice...anything that was real rock and not disguised rap.  In all fairness, the guy has talent and this is NOT the worst rap I have ever heard...some of it was even remotely catchy, especially when the hard-edged guitars were at full volume and working well.  But in the end, even if Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, and Xander Demos were on guitar on this album, it is still rap and not my thing at all, no matter how much hype I was dished about how great this disc was.


2.  Mongrel "Reclamation" Brutal...just brutal.  Nothing more to say than was already said in the review.  I can honestly say that I have not spun this more than twice since I finished the original review and I can state with equal honesty that I will not be spinning it again.  I still don't understand what all the buzz about this band is because I hear virtually nothing redemptive on this effort.  On a side note, I have read there have already been some line-up changes, so perhaps there will be some musical changes as well...but I'm not holding my breath.



1.  Great White "Elation"  This album being number one should come as a surprise to no one who knows me, as Great White has long been my favorite band.  However, the album is bland and boring for the most part and the loss of Jack Russell has forever altered the band's sound and, apparently, their musical approach.  The teaming of Kendall and Russell was what made this band's musical magic, and it seems that without Jack the soul of the band is gone, as is it's signature smokey, bluesy sound.  Terry Ilous of XYZ does his best, no doubt, but he is in the horrible position of having to replace a legend, and it simply can't be done.  Again, nowhere near as bad as Mongrel musically, and not rap like Hyro Da Hero, but the disappointment with this album and this band firmly entrenches it as, if not the worst, definitely the most disappointing release of 2012 for me.