 by Brian LeTendre Surprising no one, Queensryche was amazing when they they played the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den on Friday night. I've been seeing this band live for almost thirty years now, and I have never seen a bad show. It's been over five years since singer Todd La Torre replaced Geoff Tate in Queensryche, and the second time I've seen him with the band. The fact that he has the ability to perfectly capture the Tate-era stuff is great, but the new music he's making with the band is some of the best they've ever created. And he's a monster live. The lineup was a bit different than usual, as joining La Torre, Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson was Casey Grillo of Kamelot. Drummer Scott Rockenfield recently had a child, so Grillo has been filling in, and he was fantastic. The whole band sounded great, which is no surprise, as they are one of the most consistent live performers around. As far as the setlist, it was pretty much perfect, in my opinion: Guardian Operation: Mindcrime Best I Can Damaged The Killing Words The Mission Surgical Strike Silent Lucidity I Don't Believe in Love Empire Queen of the Reich Jet City Woman Take Hold of the Flame Encore: Anarchy-X Revolution Calling Screaming in Digital Eyes of a Stranger Both "The Mission" and "Surgical Strike" are top-five Queensryche songs for me, and getting "Best I Can," and "The Killing Words" were just bonuses. Queensryche has such a great catalog they could fill four hours and never play a bad song. The crowd at the Wolf Den was great, and filled with longtime fans who knew every note and every word. One of my favorite things about going to see live shows is experiencing them with people who love the music as much as I do. Matt, myself and our friend Brian were also lucky enough to hang out with Jimi Bell (House of Lords, Maxx Explosion), who is not only an amazing guitar player, but a heck of a nice guy. All in all, it was a fantastic show and a great night. I will see Queensryche every time they come through the area, as they never disappoint. If you get the chance to see them, take it. 
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 by Matman In 1990 George Lynch and Don Dokken realised they couldn't function within the same band, Dokken. In the inevitable picking of sides I chose Don... because I followed singers and it was his voice that was my favorite element of the band. Following the release of both their solo albums I found myself drawn to Lynch Mob's WICKED SENSATION, a perfect album that I still enjoy to this day. Unjustly I have been judging George Lynch's entire career on that album; solo, KXM, Sweet & Lynch, Dokken and anything under the Lynch Mob banner. Nothing has given me the same musical thrill... until now!! THE BROTHERHOOD is the latest from Lynch Mob and features Lynch, vocalist Oni Logan, bassist Sean McNabb and drummer Jimmy D'Anda putting on a performing, songwriting and production clinic. From the fury of the first release 'Main Offender' to the sentimental final track, 'Miles Away', THE BROTHERHOOD feels like a true band project where the songs come first. There is the classic 'Lynch' sound sprinkled throughout , but here everyone gets their moment to shine. Logan's voice still has that rich quality; smooth as glass but when needed... tough and full of attitude. The vibe that plays throughout the recording is of spontaneity and fun especially on 'Last Call Lady', 'Until The Sky Comes Down' and my favorite on the album, 'I'll Take Miami'. The unsung heroes here are McNabb and D'Anda who give everyone a place to shine, but keeps the whole thing on point. What would you expect from two guys that played with some of our favorite bands like House Of Lords and Bullet Boys. My first few listens gave me the thought that this is the true follow-up to WICKED SENSATION in its presentation and delivery. THE BROTHERHOOD sounds and feels like it was recorded back in the late 1980's with flash and swagger. If i strip my thoughts to their most basic it sounds like early Van Halen with that 'us against the world' mentality and the party atmosphere. Well done boys... another contender for Album Of The Year!!! Main Offender Mr. Jekyll and Hyde I'll Take Miami Last Call Lady Where We Started The Forgotten Maiden's Pearl Until the Sky Comes Down Black Heart Days Black Mountain Dog Town Mystics Miles Away Until I Get My Gold (bonus track) THE BROTHERHOOD will be released on Rat Pak Records September 8th, 2017 in several formats. If you go to www.ratpakrecords.com you can preorder the album as well as get some awesome bundles! Thank you to Kevin Chiaramonte for his faith!!! 
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Big thanks to Don Cardenas (doncardenasart.com) for our logo and album art! Join the Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/PowerChordsPodcast Dio Returns Tour RIP Chester Bennington (1976-2017) Ear Candy: Twisted Sister--You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll (1983) Tokyo Motor Fist (2017) Comin’ Atcha Live: Iron Maiden and Ghost in Mansfield (7/19) Winger at Mohegan Sun (7/22) Five to One: Five Favorite Drummers Thanks for listening! If you're subscribing on iTunes or Google Play, please leave us a review, as it will help spread the word about the show.  by Matman
There are a million stories that have gone into the making of ROAD RAGE! The first and most important to think about is the lead singer carousel Quiet Riot found themselves in a few months back. ROAD RAGE was on the schedule for release when all of a sudden lead singer Seann Nicols up and left, forcing QR to find a new voice and re-record the entire album. With the pressure on, the band announced that American Idol contestant James Durbin was the new guy and then... into the studio to put his voice and touches on the record. This is not an easy thing to do and the results are a pretty good album that has a lot of promise, but also has times that may have been smoother out with a little more time. Time the band didn't have. Quiet Riot is Frankie Banali (drums), Chuck Wright (bass) and Alex Grossi (guitar) who really are amazing on this album. The music on all the tracks is top notch and on most of the songs James Durbin really puts on a show. Where I struggle at times is the high range vocals that just stay high and don't go anywhere else. If the band had time I think this could have been corrected and worked on. But songs like 'Freak Flag', 'Wasted' and my favorite on the album, 'The Road' show a lot of promise... and a lot of heart. Don't hate... just enjoy! Yes this isn't METAL HEALTH or even QR III, this is now. It has been so disheartening to see the negative attacks on the new line-up and this album. A lot happened to the band in the last few years, so let the boys catch their breath and see for yourself what they have done. Can't Get Enough Getaway Roll This Joint Freak Flag Wasted Still Wild Make a Way Renegades The Road Shame Knock Em Down http://www.frontiers.it/ by Matman On August 10th, YESTIVAL rolled into the Foxwoods Resorts in Mashantucket, CT. This was a brilliant night of music featuring the Carl Palmer ELP Legacy, Todd Rundgren and the headliners, YES!!! I will have reviews of the bands this week on the site but today... this post... is just for fun! Last week I was asked by Martin Darvill of QEDG Management to write the liner notes for an upcoming John Wetton release. Of course I was honored and quite humbled by this request as I put notes together of what I wanted to say. Martin was John's manager and he also manages YES and ASIA so my wife and I were given tickets and backstage passes so we could say hello to the bands, do some interviews and reminisce about John Wetton and share our favorite stories. Following our time backstage Amy and I said our goodbyes and made our way back to our seats. Neither of us paid attention to how we got backstage and following a couple elevator rides, some long hallways and some carpeted stairs that looked like every other set of stairs we found some doors. As we got ready to push open the door we began to panic thinking it would put us on stage since Todd Rundgren's set was very loud by this particular door. We walked down a few more stairs and opened the right door.. just as Mr. Rundgren finished his set.
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Overview and origins of PCP Upcoming Saxon boxset and tour Dokken to begin work on new album Music Outlet closing on August 23rd Ear Candy: Mr. Big: Defying Gravity (2017) Making of Defying Gravity: https://youtu.be/JsZXXmwkP4o Kansas: The Prelude Implicit (2016) Comin’ Atcha Live: Mr. Big at Mohegan Sun on 6/9 Rockversation: Ronnie Platt Matt spoke with the lead singer of Kansas about joining the group, their new album The Prelude Implicit (released September 2016) and more. NOTE: We want to give a HUGE thanks to Don Cardenas (doncardenasart.com) for the amazing job he did on our album art and banner for the podcast and website. When we recorded this first episode, we had nothing, and he worked his tail off so we could have the artwork for our launch. Thanks, Don! Thanks for listening! If you're subscribing on iTunes or Google Play, please leave us a review, as it will help spread the word about the show.  by Matman By the time I took the trip to Rhode Island to see Kansas... I was a bit burned out by concerts. With this being my 4th concert in a week (Iron Maiden/Ghost, 1964 and Winger) I was really just wanting to sit on the couch at home and watch TV, but ten seconds into the show... I was so glad I did. I have never seen Kansas live, I didn't know what to expect and about 30 seconds into their set... I was so impressed. If you only know Kansas for their singles like 'Carry On', 'Dust In The Wind and 'Point Of Know Return' than you are missing out on a band that has epic songs, amazing musicianship and a flair to entertain. As a fan of Progressive Rock like YES, ELP and RUSH I never realised how close Kansas was to those bands and tonight... they were as good live, if not better live than those amazing bands. Opening with the amazing 'Belexes' and ending with 'Carry On Wayward Son' the 16 song set was an amazing journey from the band's 1974 debut, KANSAS to their latest and possibly greatest album, THE PRELUDE IMPLICIT. Instrumentally, Kansas was perfect, presenting all the classics the way you would want to hear them but having room to breathe and grow. Many bands get caught in the 'paint by numbers' live, but these guys really keep it fresh and look like they are having an amazing time live. Vocally... wow... just wow! Kansas features original members Phil Ehart (drums) and Rich Williams (guitar), bassist Billy Greer (joining in 1985) and violinist/guitarist David Ragsdale who has been with the band since 1991. Joining last year is David Manion (keyboards), Zak Rizvi (guitar) and new vocalist / keyboardist Ronnie Platt. To say all ears were on how Ronnie would do the classics was an understatement. To say he surpassed mine and everyone's expectations is selling it short, he was amazing! As you heard in the interview I did with Ronnie, he is an incredibly humble guy... hanging out with him afterwards... even cooler. I must also comment on two other things; the light show and the omission of 'Fight Fire With Fire', 'Play The Game Tonight and 'All I Wanted.' The lights were simple, but spectacular... not overdoing it and using a lot of spotlights. Not doing the three songs? Sad emoji! Helping to make it an even better show was the venue, the Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Center in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. This place is a beautiful older building full of charm, class and elegance. The perfect place to see the perfect band! (set list) Belexes Point of Know Return Paradox What's on My Mind The Wall Hold On Reason to Be Dust in the Wind Miracles Out of Nowhere Icarus II Icarus - Borne on Wings of Steel Rhythm in the Spirit Opus Insert Down the Road Portrait (He Knew) Carry On Wayward Son  by Brian LeTendre
If you heard the news on Secret Identity today and came over to see what's next for Matt and I--welcome! As you can see, we're still getting the furniture moved around a bit, but things are almost ready for Monday's debut of the Power Chords Podcast. Feel free to look around and read some of the concert reviews we've been putting up lately, as they are a good example of some of what you'll see around here in the future. Thank you so much for stopping by, and we hope that after you check out the show, you'll be sticking around for a long time! In the meantime, you can join our Facebook group here, and follow us on Twitter here. |
