Neon's Metal Madness - Live Reviews

There are no words that can describe Friday night other than FABULOUS! First off, Johnny Dee, Doro's drummer, was the sweetest to make it possible for me to get tickets to the event, photo pass, and that in turn allowed me on the tour bus to meet the woman herself, Doro! I'm here to tell you that she is sweeter than sweet. She is genuine and she loves her fans with all her heart! Nick Douglas, her bass player, is so awesome and such a sweet heart I enjoyed getting to meet him also. Joe and Luca were awesome as well. It was the best experience I've ever had. I've only waited for ten years to meet her. I told her that before we had our picture and she looked at me and said, "well let's make it a great photo then!" Just gracious and classy to a fault! She is real and true and she loves her music and her fans; we are her 'family' and she acknowledged that Friday night. She started the night off with Warlock favs like I Rule The Ruins, All We Are, East Meets West, Burning The Witches, and lots more. Then from her solo works as Doro they played Love Me In Black (one of my all time favs), Always Live To Win, and a lot more. I hope that if you did not get to see this show and if she comes back you will definitely make it your mission to get tickets and go! You won't be disappointed! Her back up band, Fatal Smile, from Sweden, totally came to rock and they did! They had the look, they really fed off the crowd and got them nice and pumped up for Doro. Great great band and they were very much the sweethearts also. Go look for their albums and give them a spin. You'll be an instant fan! Local bands, Splinter, Diesel, and Addnerim were the opening bands that got the night started. All in all it was the best night and so worth it! Long Live Heavy Metal!

I am so excited about this show I don't know where to begin! I have wanted to see and hear this band for so long now I almost couldn't believe it when I had the tickets in my hand! I know that if you are a true, life long Nightwish fan and have been with them since the beginning the break with Tarja was probably hard for you to take or not a surprise. I had only become familiar with them on the album ONCE. I totally dug her voice and I loved the music and lyrics. And when I read the open letter and did some reading I came to understand what happened. I know for Tuomas especially this was difficult, they went to school together. And as for the other members you could tell by reading the letter that Marco's heart was broken as well. This was not something that any of them took lightly or looked upon with great joy but it had to be done. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The new singer, Anette Olzon, what can I say! She's got great personality and great chemistry with the band. And I saw her do something that I'm pretty sure that Tarja would not have done...she jumped down off the stage and shook everyone's hand and then crawled back up on stage! She loves her fans and went out of her way to show them so. The other members came down as well to greet the fans. They started the night off with BYE BYE BEAUTIFUL which was written to Tarja and the lyrics are very powerful. You can hear the pain and hurt and disappointment for the situation in them. And while they did play a lot of songs off the new cd THE DARK PASSION PLAY like Sahara, Bye Bye Beautiful, Amaranth, Whoever Brings the night, and Master Passion Greed, they also played a few off of ONCE like I Wish I had An Angel, Dark Chest of Wonders, Nemo, and they had John Two-Hawks come out and do Creek Mary's Blood. Definitely get all their albums, old and new, and get their DVD End of an Era their final show with Tarja at Hartwell Arena in Finland. You will not be disappointed. I am only hoping that they will see how much their music is loved by the people of the US and they will keep touring here! Thanks Anette, Emppu, Marco, Tuomas, and Jukka! What a fantastic show!

THC was a very fun band to watch! They definitely loved being up there on stage and the crowd was definitely into their sound and songs. It also proves that you can not judge a book by it's cover. Their singer had an awesome voice and I enjoyed their set very much. I would love to see these guys again!

Sometimes when a band goes through personnel changes it can either make or break the band and in the case of KOE it definitely made the band! With their new bass player KOE is back better than ever! I enjoy their energy and their musicianship! I also love being able to not tell you which band they sound like because they have their own, distinct sound and I found that very refreshing. So go check out KOE you won't be disappointed!

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ASKA has been rockin the metroplex since the 90's and I've been a huge fan for six years! I have seen the band go through personnel changes, personal crisis, and road blocks concerning the release of their fifth cd entitled Anzareth. I truly believe that everyone is going to be pleasantly impressed with this new cd because it shows that the guys are not afraid to think outside of the box! There is real quality to their sound, their musicianship, and their energy when they play a show. If you're a fan of ASKA then you know what I'm talking about, if you're not you need to catch a show and you will be an instant fan!

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July 8, 2006

Maiden Texxas at The Yucatan Beach Club

Webster's dictionary defines 'Tribute' as "a declaration, or other acknowledgment of gratitude, respect, or admiration" and this is what and who Maiden Texxas are. I saw them for the first time last night and all I can say is WOW! When I think of Iron Maiden I first think of major talent, precision, technicality, passion, and entertainment. This tribute band possesses all of these qualities. Anthony/vocals gives a performance second to none. I mean come on you've heard Bruce Dickinson, his voice is not easily copied but Anthony sure does a helluva job! Mike and Todd/guitars trade off technical lick after lick, melodic riffs, and just in-your-face shredding. Pat/bass is a great bass player. The thing I've always been impressed with Steve Harris is the way he plays the bass like a guitar and Pat is just as at home with his insturment and it shows through. Then last but not least by any means is Ron/drums. Great musicianship from this entire band. Unless you go to an Iron Maiden show it is very hard to hear all the songs they played in their 22 song set. They gave tribute to Power Slave, Wickerman, Flight of Icarus, Trooper, Die With Your Boots On, Children Of The Damned, Killers, Wrathchild, 2 Minutes To Midnight, Number Of The Beast, and many more. Please go and check out this exceptional band!

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July 7, 2006

Back In Black at Firewater Bar & Grill

I don't know any other way to say this but AWESOME! If you haven't seen this band yet you need to the next time they're in town. It was standing room only at this outside venune. The singer, Darren Caperna, does an awesome Bon Scott the first half of the show and then he switches gears and with a quick wardrobe change he's Brian Johnson! The boy's got rhythm ya'll! Then there's Mike Mroz (Angus) and here he comes out in the school boy uniform sporting a devil horned head band and complete with trotting across the stage he's Angus to the hilt! Oh did I mention that he showed the crowd his good side?! Yep, he mooned us! lol Then there's Jay Benzi on drums, Mike Wagner on guitar, and Taylor Smith on bass. I was so impressed by these guys you definitely need to go and see a Back In Black show.

July 7, 2006

Live Wire at Firewater Bar & Grill

I just love these guys! They take the whole Motley Crue gig seriously! The look, the sound, the attitude. Live Wire has what it takes to make you a MC fan all the way! They played Shout At The Devil, Home Sweet Home, Wild Side, Girls Girls Girls, Dr. Feelgood, Take It To The Top, Kick Start My Heart, Live Wire, and many more. Folks, their bass player is 16 years old and does a helluva Nikki Sixx! Go check out Live Wire and I promise you will have a great time.

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"Don't mean nothin' but a good time..." is the term that comes to mind when I go and see Poison Cherry! If you were a child of the 80's or just happen to dig music from that time then this is the band for you! They pull off the look, the songs, the attitude and it takes you back to yesteryear when the hardest decision you had to make was what to wear to school that day or was your hair big enough! Memebers of the band are Nikki Lixx on vocals and acoustic guitar, D.D. Semans on guitar/vocals, Thrash on guitar/vocals, Rikki Slamboara on bass guitar/vocals, and Jakk Wylde on drums. They played everything from Poison, Bon Jovi, KISS, White Snake, Winger, and more. Seriously if you just wanna go out and have a good time and sing a long with the songs this is the band to go see! They're fun, energetic, personable, and very friendly guys. They love to meet their fans and the public!
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"You wanted the best! You got the best!" That saying always comes to mind when I think of KISS and Destroyer fits the bill! The show was magnificent! The weather was perfect for an outside show and boy did the guys put one on! Gene was spittin' fire and blood, the fog machine was runnin, and the lights were spinnin! These guys have come so far from the first time I saw them at City Streets in Fort Worth for Battle of the Bands. Bob (Ace) is the consummate god player, Christopher (Paul) nails Paul Stanley to a 'T', Steve (Gene) well what's to say about him?! Gene's my favorite!, and then of course last but certainly not least was Scott (Peter) on drums who has only had five performances with the band and did an awesome "Beth". Congrats you guys on successfully pulling off one of the best Tribute bands I've ever seen!

I love the new line up for TYR! I am looking forward to seeing more shows with these guys! I was so excited to get to see Judas Rising again! I guess my favorite part of the night was when they did Turbo Lover and Judas Rising. Great job guys!

Well it had been too long since I'd been to see Fame 15! They sounded even better than I remembered. I love their funky, upbeat sound and it makes you wanna leave your seat and get up in front of the stage. The best part of their set was when they did cover tune Bathroom Wall by Faster Pussycat! Talk about being back in the day! Well what can I say about Live Wire?! Plenty! With the addition of Taylor Dennis as Nikki Sixx this is definitely a tribute band that you are gonna wanna see every chance you get! When I first got there I rounded the corner to see this figure in black, standing about 6'5" and I'm like "OMG! It's Nikki freakin Sixx!" He was exactly what this band was looking for. They played Home Sweet Home (awesome the whole crowd got up and sang along), Live Wire, To Young To Fall In Love, and lots more. My favorite part was when Vince had all the girls get up in front of the stage and sing along to Girls, Girls, Girls! What a treat! ASKA took the stage after that and rocked the rest of the night away and into the morning. It was so great getting to see everyone that I hadn't seen in forever! Love ya'll!

I'm so excited to see young musicians who enjoy doing what they do! This group is also starting to write their own material and it's awesome! "Alone" has a definite Iced Earth sound and is a very good song and then "Dark Winter" with it's Hammerfall inspired sound will have you bangin as well. They played lots of cover tunes that the crowd really enjoyed. These guys just excel with every show.

It had been about two years or so since I'd seen the guys from RivetHead. Lots of changes musically and personnel wise. With a new drummer and an added guitarist this is a show you will enjoy watching and jammin too! They played lots of new favorites as well as the old rockers. I've really missed hanging with these guys! Thanks for a fun night!

Got the opportunity to hear some really kick ass bands! It was the first show for Twenty3Fifty9 (which I was told is Naval time for one minute to midnight) and I gotta tell you I'm a big fan of this band! If you take a little Dream Theater, Savatage, Rush, and Nightwish you pretty much get this band. They had the crowd eating out of their hand by the second song! I'm definitely gonna catch these guys again! Second up was Love vs Hate. Fronted by female vocalist Jen X I was really into their sound and energy. I really enjoyed "Liar" and "Excuse Me". I would like to see these guys again also. Then Habitual, which needs no introduction, if you like in-your-face metal and rock n roll you will dig Habitual. Not only do they have some really good originals but they do awesome covers as well. Then last but certainly not least was Space Time Band. I hadn't seen these guys since the days of The Underworld. With new members, new songs, and just a renewed confidence they will punch you in the face with their raw sound. You can tell that Dream Theater is a big influence and they make that sound their own. All in all it was a fabulous night and I had a blast! Thanks you guys!

He's Back!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right...George Call on vocals Saturday night. I think every jaw in the place was hanging open! No one expected it and I gotta tell you throat surgery or not he delivered a hell of a performance. I know it felt good to him to be behind the microphone and although he did pass some of the vocal duties off to Keith Knight and his brother Damon Call he still tackled some very vocally challenging songs like Neon Knights and Green Manalishi. I'm so thrilled I was there to see this come back of sorts and happy for the band and the fans. There are great things coming and for all the obstacles this group has faced they are stronger, tighter, and closer than ever.

I'm still trying to recover from being beat about the head from these three bands! It was
brutal! First off Rex Mundi's Paul Jr. just belted out vocals the likes of which I haven't heard in a long time! Sources close to the band said that sometimes you gotta swim through all the crap to find what was there all along! I have to agree! I am very excited to see RM back and better than ever! And since we're on the subject of bands changing my next comment is about WAJA...These guys went from a four piece and okay to a three piece and 'come and get this!'. They are so much tighter and more together than I've ever heard and they have fun but they get down to business kicking your butt with their tunes. I'm so excited for these guys and know that they are gonna do well with future endeavors! And last but not least A Jury of Robots. I've just been seeing these guys improve and get better with time. They're like a fine wine, the longer you let it sit and leave it alone and you take that first swallow it's gonna kick your ass! They have been hard at work in the studio and will have some excellent material, which they have been performing live, on a cd soon. Congrats to these three bands for swimming up stream and making it to the other side!

KISS Tribute Band, Destroyer! At City Streets in Fort Worth for 93.3 The Bone Battle of The Bands!

These guys really blew me away! Not only did they have the all very important look, full KISS make up and costume, but they had the sound! They Played Detroit Rock City, Dr. Love, Love Gun, Black Diamonds, and Cold Gin. I am looking forward to seeing these guys again because let's face it...you wanted the best you got the best! Keep Rockin Guys!

Red Leather played all the old school favs and I gotta tell you I love it! Bon Jovi, Billy Idol, Quiet Riot, Motely Crue, Van Halen, Winger, and more! If you get the chance to catch these guys...do it and be transported back in time when it didn't mean nothin but a good time!

Judas Rising blasted their way onto the stage next and I was very impressed and can not wait to see these guys again! They played Diamonds and Rust, Another Thing Comin, and all your Priest favs! Definitely go see these guys...you'll be glad you did!

If you take three awesome musicians throw in the love of music, thrilling the crowd, and a 'rock star' attitude you definitely get Revengence! Three friends from high school got together and decided that they wanted to form a band. This was their first show and if you were not there it is hard to describe how these guys had the crowd eating out of their hands! Taylor Dennis, front man and vocalist, just exuded 'Rock Star'! Kenny and Michael added that something extra special that just makes the band work. They played songs from Hammerfall-Blood Bound, Iced Earth-Dark Saga, AC/DC-TNT, Judas Priest-Breakin the Law, and the winner of the night was AC/DC- Big Balls! I really expect to see and hear more from these guys as they get more shows under their belt. Keep an ear out for Revengence! They're coming to a town near you!

First of all I would like to say thank you to my editor, Grady Smith and to Joann Holt, publicist for the Dallas Guitar Show for allowing me the opportunity to cover the performance at the Ernie Ball Stage. If you are familiar with local bands and local talent then you've undoubtedly heard of Spittin Jonah. One of the areas premiere heavy metal bands. The guitarist, and one of the founders of Spittin Jonah, Matt Eaton had an opportunity to put together some material for a solo cd which has been a dream of his for quite some time now and was able to present it to the masses for the first time at the 28th Dallas Guitar Show. Matt puts his heart and soul into his music and it comes across in his work with Spittin Jonah and in his solo works. Backing Matt up on stage were friends and fellow Spittin Jonah musicians Billy "The Ripper" Blax on acoustic guitar, James Young on bass, and Mike Rich on drums. I've seen these guys perform together many times and I've always been impressed with the musicianship and talent of this band. Now I know what you're thinking...an instrumental show? Don't knock it until you've tried it! The songs were excellent! Just the right blending of acoustic with electric guitar, the bass riffs with the drums and before you knew what was happening you were nodding your head to the beat, snapping your fingers, or tapping your feet. When the music started people were literally coming out of the building to come and see. People that were standing in front of other stages were actually turning to see where this amazing sound was eminating from. The crowd in front of the Ernie Ball stage was impressive but due to the heat most of the people stayed under the trees for shade. There were a few brave souls who stood in the direct sunlight for the entire set. The first three songs make you look around for the Trojan horse! Pillars of Hercules, Isle of the Witch, and Troy is Burning whisked you away with the melodic sounds of the acoustic combined with Matt's shredding guitar solos. It was very mezmerizing to watch his fingering technique. It just left you thinking "wow! look at that guy go!". The rest of the songs Great Dane Head, The Ocean Between Us, The Jonas Tucker Song (which I thoroughly enjoyed!), and Blues-i-fi-cation. They definitely left the crowd wanting more and I believe that they made some new fans that day. So, thank you Matt, Billy, Mike, and James for the wonderful music that you bring us to enjoy!
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Once again Muthalode and ASKA take the stage for a night of Heavy Metal, friends, and good times. Muthalode delivered once again a wonderful array of KISS songs and everyone enjoyed jammin along. Then ASKA took the stage and rocked the night. Happy Birthday again to George Call, Keith Knight, Jason Sweatt, and George Davey.

I just can't tell you how impressed I am with Edge of Chaos! Even though they are in search of a vocalist, Steele Lane is doing double duty as bass player and vocalist at the moment. In my opinion they could definitely stay a three piece because what they have works. The talent in this group is amazing. Richard Tull- guitar player virtuoso just absolutely shredded his axe to pieces! The talent this man possess is breath-taking! Then there's Crit Fowler on drums. He's so tight, so sharp, and it sounds so clean in conjunction with bass player Steele Lane. They've definitely made a fan out of me and I'm so excited to see what comes next for these guys!
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This was a very exciting evening! It was two of my very good friends' birthdays, Becca and Tanya, and I got to see some really awesome groups do what they do best! It had been a couple of years since I'd seen Steve Blaze and the guys from NLE but they did not disappoint! They've had some personnel changes since the last time I saw them and the line up is perfect! Blaze as always shredding his guitar and giving great performance, Eric Morris wild man on the bass! Just loved watching him play. Richard Kendrick was rhythm guitar, backing vocals, and keyboards. He and Blaze worked really well together. and then last but not least on skins Rob Hovey. They played Day of Silver Sun and Cradle by the Sea (my fav off Day Of Silver Sun album) to name a few. Again really love this line up. It works and it works well!

What else can I say about TYR that hasn't already been said? I just love watching these guys perform! And with new front man, Landon Uys, at the helm they can only get better and better. They played cover tunes such Flight of Icarus by Iron Maiden and Man In The Box by Alice In Chains and then originals like Play The Game, Scary Man, and Illusion. Awesome performance.

Jay Shannon Project! Wow what a super group! Jay Shannon (guitar) from Ground, Sean Hall (vocals) from A Jury of Robots, Brad Maroney (bass) from Scatterbranch, Jason Allen on drums, and Robby Welch on guitar. I've told these guys that they really do need to do this again! They played Blind in Texas (W.A.S.P.), Bad Girls (Jay instrumental), Fascination St. (The Cure), My Generator (Sean and Jay original), Pressure (Billy Joel), Corndoggin' (Jay instrumental), and Tush (ZZ Top). Each one of the guys said the same thing after their set...they had FUN! Do it again, guys! Do it again!

Hot damn what a night for heavy metal! First up...TYR is back ya'll!!! I'm telling you it was so awesome to see and hear the guys from TYR! With new front man Landon Uys, formerly of Gashly Crumb, TYR was rockin' the crowd and had the people screaming for more. They played originals like Illusion, Play the Game, and Scary Man and then they played cover tunes such as Flight Of Icarus-Iron Maiden, Highway Star-Deep Purple, Another Thing Comin'-Judas Priest, and many others. This was Landon's first gig with only three practices under his belt and the more experience and practices he gets they are going to be an unstoppable force in local music. I'm so excited about this group being back! Keep rockin it!

I was so glad that I got to stay for an entire set of Phantom X! These guys are finishing up their cd and it's going to be available real soon. They played Black Sabbath songs, neon knights, Children of the sea
Heaven and Hell then Dio holy diver, last in line, and
rainbow in the dark, then Rainbow songs Long live rock n roll, kill the king, and
Man on the silver mountain and lots of originals (Metal Warrior and Enchanted), and they even through in an OMEN song (Thousand Year Reign) for good measure! I enjoyed watching these guys perform. I'm looking forward to more wonderful things from this group.

To start the night off was a band called Sixth Wind. This was my first time to see these guys but I really enjoyed their performance. They have a definite AC/DC influence and I detected a little Disturbed thrown in there. I would definitely like to see these guys again. Then my buds from Temper! It's been an insanely amount of time since I've seen these guys. They've added a new rhythm guitar player and along with new singer, AZ, Temper sounds as solid as I've ever heard them! What can you say about the guys in Habitual? They rock!!! I never get tired of hearing Brian's vocals and of course Johnny Fyg, guitar player extraordinaire! Adding bass player, Mark, and drummer, Jeff, Habitual will rock your socks off! A JURY OF ROBOTS!!! Never get tired of going and seeing these guys perform. With the addition of Mikkee on drums the sound is SIK!!! Thomas and Mikkee together bring that something extra special that really solidifies the Robots! And last but certainly not least Phantom X...with Kevin Goocher (Omen) on vocals, Russell Contreras (TYR) on guitar, Glenn Malicki (Strangers and TYR), and Danny White (ASKA) on drums this is the areas super group! Check em out!

If you took a glass and mixed in Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and BB King...Jake Crawford is who you'd get! I tell you, I feel like I was apart of history! This is a young Stevie Ray Vaughn! Keep your eyes and ears out for this guy!

I gotta tell you it had been a while since I'd seen these three bands and it was a great show! I want to give my friend, Sean Hall, a big 'you go boy!' for puttin down his guitar and being the kick ass front man I knew he was! It was like seeing Jim Morrison back on stage! If you haven't had a chance to see this yet make their next show. The boys from RivetHead and WAJA did not disappoint either. I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to get to know people like these guys!

I first heard this band, The Saints, Friday night at The Thunderhorse Saloon and liked them so much I went back Saturday night for some more, to take pixs, and do a review. These guys were awesome! If you love cover bands and you like to hear your favorite tunes and hear them done well, this is the band for you. Everyone in the band sings, except the guitar player, John, or Smiley as they call him sometimes. And well if you play as well as he does you really don't need to sing! I was so impressed with the diversity of their set list. Every thing from Jimi Hendrix-Led Zepplin era all the way to Candlebox-Wallflowers-Creed era. And they make it sound good ya'll. I guess I would have to say that my favorites are Mama-Ozzy Ozbourne, Little Wing-Jimi Hendrix-Love Me Two Times-The Doors, and Rock Candy-Montrose. Just a partial set list is: Leave Your Hat On-Joe Cocker, Crossfire-Stevie Ray Vaughn, Snortin' Whiskey-Pat Travers, Sweet Emotion-Aerosmith, Last In Line-Ronnie James Dio, My Sacrifice-Cree, and Shine-Candlebox. The band members are: Tom Hoover-Bass and lead vocalist, Nick Nichols-lead vocalist, John 'Smiley' Swanner-lead guitar, Jim Spurlock-Keyboard and backing vocalist, and Brian Capener-Drums and backing vocalist. Their web site is www.saintsband.net. They are very local so you need to check out their calendar and make it to the next show. They will be playing for a Toy Drive sponsored by The Thunderhorse Saloon in December. Check out the saloon's web site at www.thunderhorsesaloon.com.

Last night I was invited to a 'Meet N Greet' and Division One in Arlington, Texas for the Rock 4 Xmas show to raise money for children at Christmas time. I gotta tell ya it was exciting! I got to meet Randy Jackson-Zebra, Chris Slade-AC/DC, Ira Black-Vicious Rumors, Joey Molland-Bad Finger, and Terry llous-XYZ. Not only did we get to meet these guys we got to have pictures with them, talk to them, and get their autographs. Nicer, sweeter guys you will not find! When it came time for these awesome musicians to take the stage it was worth the wait. Randy Jackson did some great acoustic Zebra songs "Tell Me What You Want" and "Take Your Fingers From My Hair". Joey Molland and Chris Slade didn't loose a beat or a shred and I was so impressed with Terry Llous when he opened his mouth! The guy has a set of pipes! He played a very stirring emotional song in memory of his recently deceased father and told the crowd that the Rock 4 Xmas was near and dear to his heart mainly because he remembers being very poor growing up as a child and not having a lot especially at Christmas so he wanted to make sure that as many kids got the help they needed for this time of year. I would in conclusion like to thank my best friend, Andrea, for inviting me and to Tina with 93.3 The Bone who was a gracious hostess and worked her butt off the entire night making sure everyone and everything was taken care of. It's a great thing you guys are doing so thank you from the fans!

Long time no see! It had been at least two months since I'd seen AJOR and Rex Mundi but I got to hang out with these guys and it was a great night. I also got to check out a couple of new bands: one called Fubahr. They are awesome ya'll. They have a cd out called Ghosts from my past. Check them out at www.fubahr.com. And the other band is Minor Joe check them out at www.minorjoe.com It was great to see Sean Hall of AJOR get up there with Rex Mundi to sing a Sabbath song and he and Manny raised it to the roof! *note* both of these bands plus several others were involved in a North Texas Food Bank function (8th) at The Lone Star Country Club and although I didn't get to attend I did drop by and received word that the place was standing room only and that they raised some good money and food for a good cause.

The Yellow and Black attack is back!!! That's right after twelve years Stryper has regrouped and started touring again. This is also to promote their new cd simply called 7. When I first got to The Ridglea Theater, Fort Worth, Texas, the line of people went all the way around the building and into the parking lot. The place was packed and filled to capacity and all in anticipation of seeing one of the premier Christian rock bands of the eighties. Stryper brought along a very young Christian group from Phoenix, AZ called Sky Harbor. The band consists of Garth Bostic (19)-vocals, songwriter, and guitarist, Willie Bostic (18)-Bassist, Steve Houser (18)-backing vocals and guitar, and Jonathan Russo (18)-Drums. I have to admit these guys were good. They got the crowd good and ready for Stryper by performing some awesome stage antics. Bass player Willie enjoyed swinging his bass around his neck and along with Steve they would get up on the huge speakers and jump off. I was very impressed by this young group and wish them much success on their tour. About 45 minutes after SH left the stage Stryper went on and the crowd went wild. I could not believe how larger than life these guys looked! Michael still hit those high notes with ease, Robert pulled out his collection of hats, Oz wowed the crowd with awesome guitar, Tim banged out on bass, and Brent added that something extra on keyboards. They started out the evening with a pre-recording of Michael singing The Battle Hymn of The Republic and then played favs like Soldiers Under Command, In God We Trust, Rock The People (by request from the fans), Honestly, Free, Always There For You, Loud 'N' Clear, The Way, The Sing a Long Song, You Won't Be Lonely, Reach Out (they hadn't played this song since 1985), Caught In The Middle, and the first of three encores Abyss/To Hell With The Devil, and a couple of new ones off the new cd, and many more. I have to say that this was my first time to see Stryper and I regret not seeing them before. If you are one of the many that fall into the category of 'not seen' don't deny yourself the experience and opportunity. Go see them and be blessed!

If you like the sounds of Guns n Roses, Faster Pussycat, and just rockin' eighties tunes you will dig Fame 15. This band is made up of two former musicians from Tyr and they rocked out! I will definitely be going to see this band again.

Next up Muthalode! A great KISS cover band. This three-piece band can kick out a KISS tune with ease and they played one of my favorite Saxon tunes Wheels Of Steel and it was awesome!

ASKA played to a pretty wild bunch but they did not disappoint. Hopefully they will be getting the new cd out soon!

The night started off with great company and a great dinner at Nuevo-Leon, on Lower Greenville next to the Arcadia Theatre. After great conversation, beer, and margaritas we headed over to Poor David's Pub for the much anticiapted network show of Rik Emmett. The place had about 200 people in it. We were fairly close to the front and after introductions to some of Rik's staff and people that set up the network show, Pam and Bob, the show was about to begin. Out walked Rik Emmett, dressed to the nines and very excited about being there. Rik played some Triumph songs like Lay It On The Line, Magic Power (these being done with acoustic guitar), he played some off of his Good Faith album, and then talked about the musical he is going to be in called Frankenstein. In between songs we got an indepth look into who Rik Emmett really is; a father, a husband, a musician, and an artist. We heard stories about his children, his days on the road, what it's like to be doing what he wants to do and that's to play intimate gatherings like this one. His sense of humor kept us all laughing and when we weren't laughing at his jokes we were silenced by the sheer awesomeness of his talent. I have seen musicians play acoustic pieces and sets but to play them with the passion and energy and to have them sound the way they did is pure genius. How do you know if it's a good song or not? When you can play an acoustic version and it sounds just as good if not better than the original rock version. In closing this man that has had a musical career that has spanned over 20 years I think it's safe to say that Rik Emmett will always have a place here in Texas to play.

It had been since June that I had seen the guys in Ground and I gotta tell you it was great to be jammin' with them again! We laughed and talked about old times and then it was time to rock! They played favs like Swallow and Long Way Home. After the show we hung out with the guys for some more fun until we got kicked out at 2:15 am!!! It was good to see old friends there and to meet new ones. Brad (Scatterbranch) great to see ya again! Thanks again to the guys of Ground for a fun filled night!

This was my first time to see LOR and I would love to see them again. I loved their vocalist! Great melody and the whole band rocked. If anyone knows how I can get a hold of them please send me an email so I can contact them. Thanks!

It had been a while since I'd seen TYR but it was good to see and hang out with them again. It was also a birthday celebration for a long time fan by the name of Lori...Happy B-day again Lori! Standing in at vocalist was long time band friend and musician Eric M. Dailey (Deja Vu and 51%) and it had been a while since I had seen Eric perform. Despite the fact that he was battling a cold that night I thought the band's performance was up to par and I enjoyed it very much.

What a fantastic show! When DV8 took the stage I knew that I was gonna be impressed! The bass player David is 14, The guitar player and vocalist Cash is 13, and their drummer John is 12!! I really enjoyed the energy, style, and excitement of this band. It didn't matter the age of the crowd everyone was rockin' with DV8! I was glad once again to see my friends from AJOR and RivetHead. Both bands put on great shows with lots of energy and heavy hitting riffs! And as always the fans enjoyed what they got!

What is the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the words �Road Trip�? Good music, good times, good friends, and lots of time to talk on the road! I had the best time traveling with A Jury of Robots this past weekend to Tulsa. They played at a place called The Cave (owned by LGM�s Lance Lutz brother Ty). The owner of the club and his wife were very friendly and accommodating. They really took care of us and I would like to say �thanks� to them for that. There were a couple of local bands that started off the night and then it was time for The Robots to hit the stage. Armed with some awesome stage graphics the band was ready to rock. They played Godzillas, These Are My Brothers, and Your Number Your Name. The band just put the finishing touches on a four-song demo cd that they were able to make available to people in Tulsa. By the time it�s all said and done the group will have about a ten-song cd that will be available for purchase. I was very excited to see that the people were into AJOR and definitely dug the message and the songs. I was very fortunate to have been able to do an interview with their vocalist and guitarist Sean Hall back in April of this year. Sean is a fantastic musician and a great friend and I�m very proud that he calls me friend as well. The other members of the band are JD-lead guitarist, Kevin-drummer, and Thomas-bassist. These guys and their families are also my friends and they are a lot of fun to hang out with. The members of the band have quite a few years of musical experience under their belts and through this thing that we call life it brought these four guys together and we have one of the areas best bands. They have a raw edginess to their music and lots of attitude, which comes across in their live performances. I have often said that if you took a blender and threw in some AC/DC, Metallica, and attitude you will get A Jury of Robots!

J. Gilligan's was once again packed as the crowd awaited ASKA to take the stage. Starting the show off with Leather, then Judas Priest cover tune Green Manalishi, Lethal Injection, Black Sabbath cover tune Neon Nights (hell yeah), and Grim Reaper cover tune See You In Hell. I had a good time and it was great to see all my friends that I hadn't seen in a while. Wanna say 'hey' to Bob of Muthalode!

The guys in WAJA came ready to rock! I am pleased to say that they had a full house this night at Graffiti's and everyone was up and in front of the stage supporting their band! I would like to say 'hey' to some guys from A Jury of Robots and Rex Mundi. They came out and supported their friends and local musicians. WAJA sounded very tight and awesome as they played fan favs like Thank You and Rush cover tune Tom Sawyer. Eric, Greg, Scott, and Aaron I wish you guys the best and much continued success and thanks for being such awesome friends!

Who are Spittin� Jonah? They are Louder Than Hell!!! The Christian, Bible-based metal band from Lewisville, Texas has no qualms about their beliefs and what they are about and when they play they will certainly rock the Hell out of you! When you attend a Spittin� Jonah show you will be pleasantly surprised at what you hear and the quality of the workmanship and what they bring to the masses. You will find no preaching, no judgment, and no arrogance on the part of this band. They simply live their lives according to what they believe, walk the walk and talk the talk. You will find melody, good strong lyrical content that will provoke you to think, ear busting guitar by Matt Eaton, raw powerful vocals by Billy �The Ripper�, and bringing this band together James Young on bass, and Mike Rich on drums. You will also find something in this band that is missing these days in a lot of bands: friendship! They hang around and talk with people before their shows and after and they stay and support the bands before and after they play. These guys are the real deal folks! Nicer guys you will not find! Make sure you check out their web site and get your hands on a copy of Louder Than Hell.

Formed in 1996 this Dallas-FW based band hit the scene like a bat out of hell! They bring you ass-kicking original songs with melodic rhythms, and great song lyrics. Their guitarist Russell Contreras has many great musical influences such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken, and Dio, which can be heard in their lyrics, rhythms, melodies, and music. The band has had several local musical accomplishments and has opened for national acts such as Firehouse, Skid Row, Lillian Axe, Samantha 7, Union, Omen, and Faster Pussy Cat. And they were also voted Best Unmodern Rock Band of 2000. The members of TYR are: Russell Contreras-guitar, Johnny South-vocalist, Glenn Malicki-bass, Rick Fulton-keyboards, and Wayne Stokley-drums. I have had the honor to see this band perform a number of times and can honestly say that I�ve never been disappointed in one of their performances. They even played, at my begging and insistence, my birthday three years ago at The Lone Star Country Club in Coppell, Texas. Be sure to check out their web site for their cd Illusion. It will definitely rock you!

Menace To Sobriety 3 at The Red Blood Club in Deep Ellum

Starting off the nights festivities was A Jury of Robots. I always enjoy coming and seeing these guys play, Make sure you keep checking their web site www.ajuryofrobots.com for their new cd Subsonic Godlike Devils. It's gonna be awesome ya'll!

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Next up was Mineral Wells based band Levity. They had the look and the sound that I love. Hair flyin, crunchy guitars, great vocals, and pounding drums and bass. I would definitely recommend catching these guys the next time that they're in town. Check out their web site for more info at www.levityweb.com

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Bringing this night together was the boys from WAJA! Just a great bunch of guys. I have really dug getting to know these guys and hang with them on several occasions. Check out their site at www.wajamusic.com

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This was a cool night to hang out, listen to great music, throw down some brewskies, and have a great time. Like to say 'thank you' to The Red Blood Club for their hospitality!

After two long months off it was great to see and hear ASKA. They played one of the new songs off their much anticipated and up coming cd's called Legion. If this one song is any indication of the quality of the new cd the fans will be in for a treat. I would also like to say 'thanks' to the guys for playing my absolute favorite song Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights.

This was my second time to see Muthalode and I must say I was disappointed in the turn out and support of these guys. The boys from ASKA and a few patrons are the only ones that went up to the stage to encourage these musicians. They played some awesome KISS tunes which is always #1 in my book.

I was so very glad to see my good friends in Gashlycrumb again after such a long time! It was great to see them in action again and doing what they do so well and what I always enjoy when I see them live, a great performance! Knowing that I'm such a fan of Jim Morrison they played Five To One and Landon (Vocalist) really does the song justice! They also played the great Iron Maiden tune Hallowed Be Thy Name, among other songs. Great to see ya'll again! Don't make us wait so long next time!

It was also good to see my new friends from Earful again. They gave an energetic performance and they exude raw, young energy that the people seem to dig. Keep up the good work guys!

This was my first time to see the band LaME and even though it's not really the kind of music I'm into they brought a crowd full of people that were. Their stage presence and motivation they put into their show was addicting. The people really seemed to enjoy their performance. Much continued success to the guys in LaME!

This was a very cool night for me! Okay I know this is going to sound corny but I was star-struck! This was the first time I�d seen a �big star� like David Lee Roth up close and that personal. It was to say the least a great opportunity for me and I had a blast. David Lee Roth is the consummate front man! He still had the moves and the voice. And let me tell ya he didn�t let his age stop him from hitting on the hot babes in the front row! Since this is a family program I�ll refrain from the Kellogg�s Corn Flakes lines he was handing out but the lady enjoyed it quite a bit. He then proceeded to ask her if she�d like a drink with him. Of course she said yes. Well Mr. Roth shakes up his bottle of Jack Daniels like an impudent rapscallion and drenches her and me! I smelled like I�d taken a bath in a whiskey bottle! But I got some great pictures! I was not disappointed in the music they chose to play either. It truly was like being at a Van Halen show without Van Halen! He wasn�t above making digs towards the other guys from VH that they had died in a fiery bus crash and he was all that was left. I can�t really say that I blame him for being the least bit bitter but the coin does have two sides. They played favorites like Eruption, Runnin With The Devil, Hot For Teacher, Mean Street, And The Cradle Will Rock, Unchained, Just A Gigolo, You Really Got Me, and California Girls (Beach Boys). I guess no matter what happens people will always be fans of David Lee Roth. The place was almost completely full. I would also like to mention how wonderful the staff was and Mr. Roth�s PR person Lane was a big help to me also.

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If you missed last night's show you really missed a treat! The premier KISS tribute band Destroyer was at The Underworld promoting the sale of the new KISS Alive IV cd called Symphony. Besides being in full make up and costumes I was really impressed with the way these guys had the moves and the sound down to a 'T'! It was the next best thing to being at a KISS show. This is what I remember of the set list: Beth, Love Gun, Rock N Roll All Nite, Lick It Up, Calling Dr. Love, Do You Love Me, Cold Gin, Detroit Rock City, Black Diamond, God of Thunder, and Strutter as the encore. Awesome show guys! Also had some of the areas great local bands at the show! Kevin White (Temper), Sean Hall (A Jury of Robots), Steve (RivetHead), and Daryl Norton, Keith Knight, and Danny White (ASKA). Great to see you guys!

Skid Row came ready to kick ass! With new vocalist Johnny Solinger (Solinger), Dave �Snake� Sabo and Scotti Hill on guitars, Phil Varone on drums, and Rachel Bolan on bass they played most of my favorite songs and played them well. Although I must admit I missed the sexy grinding voice of Sebastian Bach new vocalist Solinger did a great job on the songs. The fact that he�s a Texas boy didn�t hurt either! Despite the heat the place was packed and everyone was having a good time. The new Skid Row cd, ThickSkin, is slated to be released on August 5^th of 2003. They gave the audience a taste of the new cd by playing a new song off it called New Generation. The fact that Solinger mentioned the new cd several times tells me that they are wanting as much support as they can get so go buy it! They played Monkey Business, Youth Gone Wild, 18 & Life, I Remember You, Slave To The Grind, and Psycho Therapy.

Up next was Vince Neil. After seeing Motley Crue, the original line-up it was hard for me. It was like being at a Motley concert and that�s not a bad thing considering I�m a big fan of The Crue! And after reading their biography called The Dirt the fact that these guys are still being able to get up and rock and roll says a lot. Vince still sounded like Vince. They played one song from his Exposed cd, which I don�t think very many people, knew the song but it was okay. Here�s the MC song list that they played: Shout At The Devil, Girls Girls Girls, Wild Side, Live Wire, Dr. Feelgood, and Looks That Kill. I guess I should just keep holding my breath for a reunion tour?

The real show of the night was Poison. And as always they don�t disappoint on their show, their songs, the type of commitment that they give to the fans, and presentation. They had an awesome pyro show. It was all timed perfectly and the show went off without a hitch. The most moving part of the show was when Brett Michaels sang I Won�t Forget You to his friend Dave Williams of Drowning Pool. Later on in the show they brought up Vinnie Paul (Pantera) and CJ from Drowning Pool and did a KISS cover tune Rock N Roll All Nite. Lots of confetti rained down on the crowd and of course everyone broke out their lighters on great songs like Every Rose Has It�s Thorn. They rocked the entire night with songs like Talk Dirty To Me, Nothin� But A Good Time, Fallen Angel, and Ride The Wind. CC DeVille also played I Hate Every Bone In Your Body But Mine off of their Power To The People album. I definitely will be going back to see Poison anytime they come to Dallas again.

Well I had a double treat last night when I got to see WAJA and Rex Mundi again. I would like to thank the guys in each band for their kind words and their support of what I�m trying to do for the local scene. Would also like to say thank you to Phil in Rex Mundi for the shirt that I was able to wear last night to the show. The shows were awesome, great crowd was there, and everyone was looking forward to a great time, great music, and hanging out with friends. A Jury of Robots was in the house and there were lots of body shots going on and everyone was having a good time. I was really looking forward to the headlining act of the night Near Life Experience. I had seen this band the first time back in early May of this year and just recently had the opportunity to interview their front man/vocalist/lead guitarist Steve Blaze. Blaze is also in the band Lillian Axe and several other projects as well. This is a very busy man and he had no problems taking the time to sit down and do an interview with me.The NLE new cd is called Day Of Silver Sun and it rocks. Blaze put heart and soul and all the effort someone could put into what they love and together with the rest of the band they make the cd something that reaches you, touches you, makes you rock out, and makes you think. (click on the band name below for the pixs)

Wow what a night out at T&A Rockz! First of all to those that were familiar with The Sawmill this is now T&A Rockz. I had the privilege of meeting the owner last night and besides being very nice he was very interested in what I thought about the club, honestly. Okay here goes�despite the fact its way out in bfe I like the club. It�s got a great atmosphere, friendly staff, and a GREAT soundman!!! Even though it was loud it was not so loud that you couldn�t talk to the person next to you. I thought the line up of bands was just the right element for a great night of partying. And I must say I enjoyed the coaster fight towards the end of Rex Mundi�s set! Okay on to the night�s festivities!

First up was WAJA! I had been emailing their vocalist Eric and we were discussing how important it is that when you go out there and play that you are having fun and that your fans are having fun. Because let�s face it folks if you�re not having fun they�re not gonna have fun and what�s the point after that? I really enjoyed this band. The guys were sweethearts! Oh I know I said they were sweet but it�s the truth! They played an awesome version of Tom Sawyer (Rush) and a really cool song by the name of Thank You. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them again tonight at The Underworld!

Second my favorite band, A Jury of Robots. I have had the opportunity to see these guys multiple times, interview their singer/guitar player Sean Hall, and hang out with them before and after shows. These guys are a lot of fun and they know how to bring it home. Last night was the best set I have seen these guys perform. The played well over an hour and I just couldn�t get over the power and passion of the set. My fav song this time around was These Are My Brothers. They rocked it to the top! And they played another AJOR original Burning Up Both Sides. They are also currently working on their new cd entitled Subsonic Godlike Devils. It's gonna be awesome ya'll! These guys can expect me at their shows anytime with all the support, friendship, and whatever else they need from me! Right On Cats!

Headlining the show was Rex Mundi. This was the first time I had seen these guys play but not the first time to hang with them. Before I go any further I would like to say thanks to Seven for the shirt and I will definitely be wearing it to The Underworld tonight. They played a couple of awesome cover tunes Motorhead Ace Of Spade and Black Sabbath NIB in which they had help on the vocals from Sean Hall of A Jury of Robots. They also played Will To Kill and Warsaw. I look forward to seeing these guys again tonight at The Underworld. Rock on!

This was my first time to see this band, Intoxicated. They had already started playing when I got there but what I did catch of the set I liked. In my opinion they had a Metallica/Pantera influence in their music. I would definitely like to see these guys again and would like to see them play for a larger crowd. Thanks for the cd guys!!!

This was a lot of first times for me this night! Another new band to me is called Earful. They are a new band, formed in Feb. of 2003. They've already put out one demo and they are going to be working on another one so that can record an album that should be available in the winter of 2003. Make sure you keep an 'ear' out for this band! I really enjoyed the set!

I have seen these guys hanging out at The Underworld but this was the first time I got to see a show. They really brought the crowd up front and put on a heck of a show. This was also a first for me in that they have two vocalist. I have never seen this done before but they make it work. Although I'm not into the Nu-Metal they do work hard at what they do and seemed to enjoy it and so did the crowd. I wish them much continued success in everything that they do.

Last but not least on any account...OMEN!!! Hell yeah! What a show! They will be leaving earlier this coming week to go to Germany for a six day tour and then they will be returning in October for a month long tour. Their latest album "Eternal Black Dawn" is slated for release in America in September sometime. Would like to say thanks to all the guys in OMEN for signing my poster for me, it means a lot to me! Keep 'em bangin'!

After a couple of months not seeing these guys cuz off out of town gigs it was great to see my friends from RivetHead. They played some old songs as well as some new ones and the one thing they never let me down on is playing Portal Wombat for the crowd. Great to see you guys again!

Driving in from Houston was Lights Over Roswell. This was my first time to see these guys but not the first time I had ever heard of them. I really enjoyed the set but I must say this is not really my type of music but they seemed to really have fun doing the show last night.

It was great to see TYR back on stage again. They were joined by their former bass player, Rick G. Even though the set was very short they didn't disappoint me! I had been waiting about a month to see these guys. They played my personal fav, Play The Game, Burn, a new song Nightmare, and a cover tune by Ratt, Lay It Down. It was good to see you guys again!

This was my second time to see Number 1 Son and I very much enjoyed the set. I had an opportunity to talk with their bass player, Don Vowell, and he's a really nice guy. I wish these guys much continued success and I'm sure that I will be seeing them around!

The night started off with seeing some old friends that I haven't seen in a while. I had a really good time and it was a great night for head bangin' with some awesome bands! Tyr was in the house and so were A Jury of Robots. Would like to say a special, heart-felt thank you to my friends in A Jury of Robots. They made a special trip to The Underworld to bring me a birthday present. There were three items: A t-shirt, a drum head that they all had signed and wrote a personal message on, and the best thing of all...a drawing by Sean Hall (guitarist and vocalist). This was his first ever drawing and he gave it to me. I have met some of the coolest people along the way and that's why I'm such a fan! Thanks also to Melanie Goocher for the birthday shot of Jager!!! And to all the birthday wishes from everyone. Also like to say thanks to my hubby, St. Hood and my best friend in the whole world, Andie for helping me celebrate!!! Shannon, Kevin, Lori, Susan, Crystal, DJ man, and Door Dude...'Thanks'!!! MMUUAAHH!

Temper started the night off to a roaring start. It had been a while since I've seen my guys and they didn't disappoint. they put on an awesome performance and it was hot as hell on that stage but that didn't stop them! Kevin, Doug, Kris, and Kevin B. thanks for making it a great night and belated birthday celebration for me!

Up next was the crew from Ground. It was great to see Christopher, Jay, Billy, and Cameron. Cameron, kick ass drum kit, dude! It's beautiful and sounded great! Would like to also thank the Ground crew for making it an awesome night for me as well. They played my favorite song "Swallow". Thanks guys!

If you are any kind of Iron Maiden fan then you really missed out on a treat if you weren't there for Drifter! Just a few differences but if you closed your eyes it was a Maiden show! These guys rocked! Also if you know anything about Maiden songs Steve Harris writes very technical solid songs and they are difficult to play to the justice they deserve and I'm happy to say that this Lone Star State band did just that (they are from Austin way). This is the song list they played: Trooper, Wrathchild, 22 Accacia Ave., Flight of Icarus, Prowler, Powerslave, Murders in The Rue Morgue, Children of the Damned, Phantom of the Opera, Aces High, Killers, Purgatory, Run To The Hills, Iron Maiden, Number of the Beast, and Hallowed be thy Name. Hope to see you guys back this way again soon! Thanks for a kick ass show!

My friends in ASKA had an opportunity to open up for national act Anthrax. The house was so crowded I couldn't even get to the front of the stage! Even though they only got a 30 minute set I believe that they made some new fans! They played Crown of Thorns, Immortal, Leather, Angels of War, and Metallica's Seek and Destroy. It was a great night for metal heads. George, Daryl, Keith, and Danny much continued success!

It was a great night for my friend Daryl Norton to celebrate his birthday! The place was packed and everyone had a good time! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARYL!!!

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I had the opportunity to see one of the best cover bands ever! Tom Calandra nails Geoff Tate to a "T"! I was so impressed by this band and very glad that I got to see them since Tom made the announcement that he was leaving the band. They played awesome Queensryche songs like Queen of the Reich, Operation Mindcrime, Silent Lucidity, I Don't Believe In Love, and Eyes of a Stranger just to name a few. The band consists of Tom, Gregg, Eric, Shane, Adam, and Van. The members of this band are also the same guys that are in the group Z Lot Z. I really enjoyed seeing you guys!

Well it had been a while since I had seen Temper in action. Got to hang out with the 'bad boyz' and had a blast! Coming off a road trip to San Antonio the guys were ready to kick some serious axe! They played Sick Condition and my fav Psychotic Bitch to name a few. You could tell the guys were having fun as well as the fans. Kevin, Doug, Kris, and Kevin B. it was great seeing you guys, hanging out with you, and just having a good time! Can't wait to see you guys again!

N'dangered Species wasn't too bad. They had that 'old school metal' sound that I love and with this being the first time to see them I didn't know any of the words. The band consists of CJ on guitars and backing vocals, Chris-vocalist and guitarist, Jim on bass and backing vocals, and Leonard on drums.

FYG...it'd been too long, dude! It was great to see Habitual again and I gotta tell you this did not sound like the same band that I'd heard a year ago at The Rock. They were tighter, cleaner, clearer, and just all together. You could tell that they have perfected their sound and it was definitely flowing for them. I'm very excited to see these guys doing so well! (I'll get the song list and post it later!) The band consists of Brian Dixon on vocals and guitar, Johnny FYG on guitar, Oscar Hinojosa on bass, and Paul Chestnut on drums. You guys were awesome!

I remember walking into the ladies room at The Underworld and seeing the poster for Near Life Experience hanging on the wall. I really dug the look and made a mental note that when I got home I'd look these guys up. I really liked their look. That's what drew me in. I really dug the site so I went and signed up for their message board. I was really excited when the night finally got here. I had been approached by someone who knew the band well and she gave me a cd and I couldn't wait to put it in the cd player. I had a number of favorites right off. The band members are Steve Blaze (Lillian Axe)-guitar/vocals, Sam Poitevent-r.guitar/backing vocals, Paul Starnes-bass, and Dennis Papaleo-drums. They played Mother, Cradle By The Sea, and the title track Day Of Silver Sun to name a few. I really enjoyed these guys and I hope they are back in this area again soon.

This was my second time to see Pure Octane and if you like 80's and 90's cover tunes you will like this band. They played My Sacrifice-Creed, Talk Dirty To Me-Poison, and You Give Love A Bad Name-Bon Jovi to name a few. This five piece band consists of Shane-vocals, Dwain-bass, Tim-drums, John-guitar, and Gary-rg/bv.

It was good to see TYR again. I had missed their last three or four shows and I was ready to hear what the boys had been up to. They are currently working on a new cd and they played some of their new songs. Play The Game, Wake Me Up (new), Illusion, Push, and Dokken cover tune Paris Is Burning. John, Russell, Glenn, Rick, and Wayne it was good to see you guys again! Good luck on the new cd!

My buds in Omen were back and ready to split your ears open! Kevin, Rick, Kenny, and Andy were in rare form this night. They played Thousand Year Reign, Eternal Black Dawn, and Ruby Eyes (of the serpent). Keep your eyes and ears out for these guys cuz great things are happening for them and they are gonna be coming to a town near you!

This was my first time to see Seven Witches and I had been waiting for about two months for this night to get here! Ever since spinning Xiled to Infinity I have been a SW fan. With their new cd Passage To The Other Side giving metal fans hope that our music is not a dying breed they rocked us all night long! They played twelve songs in all and these are just some them: Dance With The Dead, Incubus, Fever, Camelot, Passage To The Other Side, and my fav Mental Messiah. James Rivera had an awesome vocal range and stage presence and I was very impressed. Jack Frost was a wild man and a lot of fun to watch. He definitely loves what he does for a living! Joey Vera and Brian Craig added that something extra that makes them a kick ass band that they are. I really enjoyed myself even though I didn't get to bed until 2:45 a.m. and had to get up at 6 a.m. and go to work it was well worth it!

This was my first time to see one of the greatest rock bands ever. After twenty years of rockin' the guys of Zebra still looked and sounded awesome! The crowd was primed and ready for all the old favs and the new songs comin on their new cd on June 17th. Randy Jackson, Felix Hanemann, and Guy Gelso make up this awesome three piece band from the Bayou. They played The Bears, Wait Until The Summer Is Gone, No Tellin Lies, and many more.Then they played two off their new cd; Arabian Nights and Why. They also played a song that's gonna be on the new cd that was written before any of the Zebra albums were recorded. It's a song by the name of Free. These guys were great to see and I wish them much continued success with the rest of the tour and the new cd.

Once again I went to my fav hangout, The Underworld to see two awesome bands that I have grown to know and love.

My great friends in A Jury of Robots rocked the house with awesome songs like The Go Flag, These Are My Brothers, and Devils. Vocalist, Sean Hall, has an intense quality to his voice and you can't help but go right up to the stage and get the full flavor of AJOR! His brother, JD, adds that extra awesome two-guitar sound to the band, and Thomas and Kevin complete the sound! You guys keep doing what you're doing and remember, do what your heart tells you! Sean, you know what I'm talkin about! Sean, JD, Thomas, and Kevin you guys will always rock my world! I look forward to the next AJOR show!

It had been two months since I have seen my buds in Rivethead and it was so awesome to see the guys again! Mikkee (drummer) gave me a spankin'! lol Just kidding! I just got scolded! Steve, Lodi, and Mikkee it was great to see you guys again! They played Rivethead, Silenced, Pulling Me Down, and my fav Regret. If you ever get the chance to see these guys DO IT! They also play a great instrumental of Mortal Kombat that will blow you away. Steve and Lodi come down into the audience and play for you up close and personal. Love you guys!

It was another awesome birthday show at The Underworld and the place was as packed as I have ever seen it. There were four awesome bands that took the stage that night so here's how it went:

Balance took the stage first and if you like classic rock (i.e. a little Led with BOC) you'll like this group. They will be having a cd coming out soon so be sure to look for it. Some of the songs they played were Sunrise, The Voice, and Take Me Home. The line up is: Scott Hancock on vocals, John Walsh on bass, Lewis "Lovie" Johnson on guitar, and Jim Fallis on Drums. Really enjoyed you guys!

Next up A Jury of Robots. This is my second time to see these guys and I really enjoy it more each time. There is a punky freshness to their sound and the people enjoyed them as well. They played songs The Go Flag, Burning Up Both Sides, These Are My Brothers, and my personal fav Devils. The line up for AJOR is: Sean on vocals and guitar, his bro JD on guitar and backing vocals, Thomas on bass and backing vocals, and last but not least Kevin on drums. Can't wait for the next time guys!

Next to take the stage my friends from TYR. It's been a while since I've seen these guys and I'm happy and excited to say that they played a couple of new songs off their new upcoming cd. Just good, old fashioned, fist-in-the-air, head-bangin metal is what you will get from these guys. They played TYR favs like Illusion, Burn, and my fav Play The Game. The new song Nightmare has me excited to see what the cd is going to bring. And of course in true TYR fashion they played some awesome covers like Dokken. John on vocals, Russell on guitar and backing vocals, Glenn on bass and backing vocals, Rick on keyboard, and my bud Wayne on drums. Thanks for throwing me a shirt last night Wayne! I'm wearing it right now!

Last buy certainly not least my friend Kevin and Omen hit the stage and had the place ready to bust at the seams! Along with it being a while since these guys have taken the stage but it was also Kevin Goocher's birthday. I'm proud to say that these guys are Mausoleum recording artists! Congrats guys! They played Eternal Black Dawn, my fav Thousand Year Reign, and an oldie but goody Ruby Eyes (of the serpent). It was an awesome night for Kevin-vocals, Kenny-guitar, Andy-bass, and Rick on drums.

Like to say 'hey' to a bunch of people that were there last night. Billy (ASKA) and Erica, Landon of Gashlycrumb, Kevin White, Doug Vines, and Kris Rogers from Temper, Lance Lutz from LGM, Channing from 93.3 The Bone (Thanks for playing my song!), Robert Miguel from The Eagle, Lori, Melanie Goocher, Susan, and many others. Had a blast!

I had a chance to catch a really cool guy by the name of Brad (Scatterbranch) perform before my buds in Ground. Brad is a one-man talent. He played guitar and sang. Really awesome voice and even though it's different from the 'traditional' rock n roll/heavy metal that I listen to it was refreshing and I really liked his voice. He's been a long time friend of Jay Shannon (guitarist for Ground) and as a matter of fact Brad and Jay were in their very first band together (circa 1988!) Brad, it was great to meet you and your lovely family! Hope to see ya again soon!

I had the opportunity to see One Hit After again and they really impressed me much! The guys in the band are Vince Needam-Drummer, Mitch Dickerson-Bass/Vocals, and Gary Bedford-Guitar. If you like Rush you will definitely dig this three-piece band. Here are some of the songs on their set list: Climb The Wall, One Truth, Harmony, YYZ (Rush), and Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix). It was really nice meeting you guys and much continued success!

It's been a while since I've seen my buds in Ground but it was definitely worth the wait! It was great to see Christopher, Jay, Billy (The birthday boy!), and Cameron again. Would like to say 'thanks' to the guys for playing my song 'Swallow'. The set list went something like this: Bi-Polar/Human Kind/Candy Hearts, Long Way, Corndoggin'/Head First, Hands On/Day I Follow, I'll Fall Again/The Stain, Hate Kill/Bleed, and Swallow. Would also like to say 'hey' to Billy's brother, Sgt. Kovacsy who is heading over to Iraq. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Sgt. and all of the Coalition Troops as well!

Would like to say 'hey' to some people that were at Graffiti's: Kevin White of Temper, members of Sic, my best bud Andrea, and my hubby St. Hood

Got to see my buds from Temper and once again they put the "head" in head-bangin'! Not only are these guys great musicians but they have become very good friends and I love going and watching them play and hangin out with them afterwards! They played Shallow, Sick Condition, and my fav Psychotic Bitch. Once again Kevin, Doug, Kris, and Kevin I had a blast hangin with you guys and good luck at River City Bike Fest!

What a show! If you weren't able to make it out for the birthday celebration you really missed a night of fun and partying and surprise guests. Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul from Pantera were in the house and they got up on stage and sang with the boys and Dimebag even played Daryl Norton's guitar! The biggest surprise of the night had to be when Dimebag presented George Davey with a Zakk Wylde signature 'Bull's Eye' guitar for his birthday! It was standing-room-only in the venue and everyone was in rare form and ready to rock the night away with ASKA. Since the boys are working hard on releasing their new CD they have only been playing about one gig a month since the start of the new year. It's definitely been worth the wait. They got help on some Judas Priest songs from Dimebag's singer in his side project band and let me tell you this guy can wail!!! They played See You In Hell-Grim Reaper, Highway To Hell-AC/DC, Another Thing Comin-Judas Priest, Diamonds in Rust-Judas Priest, Breakin The Law-Judas Priest, Valkyries, Crown of Thorns, Leprosy, Stalker, Leather, Angels of War, Highway Song, and many others.

Like to give a 'shout' out to a lot of people that were there. If I leave any one out, it was not my intention. Brandi and Tami, Pat and Lisa Murphy, Becca Vaughn (Soundmag) and Paul, a member of Broken Toyz, Dana Eddy, Kelly, St. Hood, Andie and Angie, Rick G. and his wife, ASKA Dan and his wife Robin, Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Ruben, Damon Call, Barb and her daughter, Alan and his wife, Billy , Erica, and Julie. It was great to see everyone and I'll see you at the next event!

I'm amazed each time I go out to see a band, especially if it's a new band, how blown away that I am! This was my first opportunity to see Chizzel and A Jury of Robots and I was very impressed.

Chizzel started off the night and as soon as the first chord was strummed on the guitar I knew we had a winner here! The band comprised of two guitarist, vocalist, bassist, and drummer this five piece band really made me glad that I braved 5 weeks of not feeling well to come out and hear them. Their music was very melodic on some songs and flat out rockers on others. I loved the chemistry on stage between the guys and they were definitely in to letting me take their pictures. I caught a Queensryche feel on some of the songs which is excellent but all their stuff was original. The members of the band are: Paul-vocals, Jamey-lead guitar/backing vocals, Rawb-lead guitar/backing vocals, Harlan-bass/backing vocals, and Dale-drums, percussion, and keyboards. This was their set list: Take It All, Without You, Right Back, Suffering, Freedom, Falling, Some Things Change, Still Here, Don't Follow Me, and Truth. Go and check out these guys believe me you will not be disappointed!!

A Jury of Robots came on next and I was equally excited about these guys as well. I had the chance to meet Sean at The Underworld one night when he came up and introduced himself to me and I had already been told by Melanie Goocher that these guys were good and come see them play. I detected a hint of groups like Disturbed and they had some punk influence as well as good old rock n roll. The band members are: Sean-guitar/vocals, JD-guitar/vocals, Thomas-bass/vocals, and Kevin-Drums. I must say that I was impressed with their drummer Kevin as well. He was very strong and tight and really gave the group that raw edge that brought everything together. This was their set list: Burning, Godzillas, Brothers, Devils, Quicksand, Switch, Flag, and Your Number.

And last but not least my buds from TYR. This was my first show of the new year and they were ready to rock. John, the vocalist, came out looking the part with his shades on. I was sorry I didn't get to stay the whole show but my body was shutting down on me and I needed to go home and rest. The members of TYR are: John-vocals, Russell-guitar/vocals, Glenn-bass/vocals, Rick-keyboards, and Wayne-drums. They played some originals like Play The Game and Illusion and they also played some excellent cover songs too. Wished I could have stayed the whole time guys!!

Like to say once again Happy Birthday to Melanie Goocher, to Lori(my fav bartender at The Underworld), Connie, my hubby St. Hood, the guys from Rivethead and Endangered Species. Like to say 'hey' to Fire (dj), Kevin, and The Door Dude!

The Underworld was the place to be last night and despite the fact that there was a major concert going on in the area the place had quite a few people. Jury of Robots was in the house as well as Wayne from TYR. Met a lot of cool people there as well. This is how the night went:

Temper took the stage and was ready to pull out all the stops for a head bangin' evening. Kris, the guitarist, was wearing his 'Ground' jeans. Check out the pics to see what I'm referring to. They played H-Man, Rage, Sick Condition, Jumping Jack Toast, Part of You, Shallow, and Back to the Grind. It was great to party with the "Bad boyz of Temper". To Kevin White, Doug Vines, Kris Rogers, and Kevin Barrett...Thanks guys for a fun evening!!!

Rivethead came next and they got the crowd wound up with INDUSTRIAL SPANK(instrumental) then went on with R.I.V.E.T.H.E.A.D., One Second, Fade, Breathe, Portal Wombat, The End?, Pulling Me Down, Silenced, Let's Roll, and my personal fav Regret. Steve, Lodi, and Mikkee it was a privilege and treat to see and hear you guys again!!! Keep rockin, bros!!

The evening ended with the 'buzz' of the Ground crew taking the stage and finishing up what the other two bands had started. I always have a blast hangin with the guys from Ground. They are awesome guys and great musicians. This was their song list: Bi-Polar (with help from Kevin from Temper)/Human Kind/Eating Candy Hearts, Long Way Home, Hands On/Swallow/Day I Follow, I'll Fall Again, Hate Kill, The Stain, and Bleed.

Like to say 'hey' and thanks to the Door Dude, Fire the dj, my girl that tends bar and wasn't working and came and hung out with us, Kevin and Melanie Goocher, some of Ground's friends, and other people I got to meet.

Last night was definitely worth waiting for! The show started off with a band called Pure Octane. I don't know much about them but they sure could play the cover tunes. I got to hear Bon Jovi, Creed, Gin Blossoms, Poison, and more. It was good-time rock n roll with this band.

The second band definitely proved that the "Truth is out there!" Little Green Men was worth the wait. I've been seeing Lance (vocalist) at different events but had not had the opportunity to see them until tonight. If you are a Dream Theater fan you will find yourself a fan of LGM. Band line up is as follows: Lance-vocals, Andrew-guitar/backing vocals, Alex-Keyboards, Mowtown-Bass/backing vocals, and Ryan-Drums. This is their set list: A Million Miles Away (one of my favs), Sleep, Alive, Big Chrome Engine, Black Cat, New World, Monsters In The Closet, No Intelligent Life, Devil Went Down To Texas, Un Named, and Witch's Brew. Lance, thank you for the T-shirt and the CD! You guys rock!!

ASKA wrapped up the night with the style in which I'm accustomed to! Even after taking a much needed break for the holidays I thought the guys rocked. They started the night off with Diamonds N Rust, Valkyries, Eternal Night, Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights, Killashandra, Leprosy, Stalker, Leather, Trooper, Green Manalishi, Paranoid, and Blood of the Wolf. It was great to see you guys back on stage. I know that the band has been working very diligently on getting the new CD out to the fans and believe me it's gonna be worth the wait.

Like to say 'hey' to a bunch of people that were out last night supporting our local musicians. Fire (my personal nickname and he knows why!) (dj at The Underworld), The Door Dude, My girl behind the bar, Jury of Robots, Endangered Species, My buds from Temper, Rick (Three Mile Limit) and his wife, Pat and Lisa Murphy, Andie, Erica, Barb, Allen, Billy, Ben, and Linda Hollar from Harder Beat. I would like to thank Fire (dj) for playing WASP for me! Even if it did cost me a shot of Crown! lol I would also like to say hi to Kevin and Melanie Goocher who have been nothing but kind to me since I've met them. Click on the name of the band below to see pics from last nights shows.

I got to hang out and party with my buds from Gashlycrumb and I had a blast! I love seeing these guys perform live. With front man Landon Uys this band has it goin' on. Chris and Warren on guitars, Timm on bass, and Dave on drums brings it all home for those who truly love to rock! And before I do anything else I want to thank these guys from the bottom of my heart for playing The Doors-Five To One! They know I'm a big Doors fan and so is Chris' wife, Missy! Hey girl, loved talkin' to you last night! And Landon, yes baby you do sound like Jim Morrison!!! This was their set list: Deuce, Public's Wrath, Darkest Hour, No Cover, Society's Child, Five To One, Revelations, and Gashlycrumb. People really if you've never experienced the "Second Crumbing" you are really missing out. This band is packed with a lot of talent, energy, and they like to see you, the fans, having fun! One of the many things that I love about this band is the fact that when they do a cover they know how important it is to the fans to keep it as 'original' sounding as possible and they pull it off everytime!! Also thanks guys for hangin around for the photo shoot. Now that was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed KISS-Deuce and Megadeth's-Darkest Hour. Make sure that you check out their website for the next show you don't want to miss it!

Want to say 'hey' to a couple of my buds that were at The Underworld last night also. Danny White, drummer for ASKA, and Billy, roadie for ASKA were in the house. See ya'll tonight!

Ground-It was a birthday celebration for Jay Shannon, guitarist, and the Jager shots were flowing. The guys came ready to rock and kick ass and that's what they did. This was just icing on the cake after their success at The Underworld for their CD release party. Getting help on a couple of songs on vocals was Doug Vines from Temper and Alapeno from BIG IRON. The line up for Ground is: Christopher Ryle on vocals, Jay Shannon on Guitar and backing vocals, Billy Kovacsy on Bass and backing vocals, and last but not least Cameron White on Drums. This was their set list: Bi Polar/Human Kind/Eating Candy Hearts, Long Way Home, Hands On/Swallow/Day I follow, I'll Fall Again, Hate Kill, The Stain, and Bleed. This may not be your traditional metal but it has something for everyone and the talent in this band is awesome. I love these guys and they have become very close and good friends. I enjoy each and every show that I can spend with them. Be sure to come and check out their shows and support our local musicians because if not for the fans these guys wouldn't be out there playing their hearts out.

Rivethead-I really enjoy coming out and watching this three piece band. They really got the crowd fired up with their instrumental version of Mortal Kombat. They will come out into the audience to play this song and it's very cool! The band consist of Steve on guitars and vocals, Lodi on bass and backing vocals, and Mikkee on drums. It was very nice when Steve was recognizing and thanking various people for being there and he mentioned my name! Thanks Steve! They currently have a 7-song CD that you can purchase at the shows for only $5 and believe me it's well worth it! They were also gracious enough to sign it for me. This was their set list: Rivethead, Silenced, Mortal Kombat, The End, Pulling Me Down, Fade, The End, Regret (my personal fav!), and Breathe.

Temper-I have gotten really close to these guys and I look forward every time I get to go hear them play. They have an original sound but they know how to rock the house to the foundation. I promised Kevin (the vocalist) that I would wear the shirt he gave me and the guys were pretty excited when I showed up in my Temper attire! They would appreciate you coming to their shows. The line up for Temper is: Kevin White-vocals, Kris Rogers- Guitar/backing vocals, Doug Vines- Bass/backing vocals, and Kevin Barrett-Drums. Here are the songs that they played from last night's show: Toast, Sick, H-Man, Rage, Part of You, Shallow, Psychotic Bitch, Back to the Grind, Life of Hate, and To Understand.

Like to say 'hey' to some people that were there partaking in the festivities: Kevin and Melanie Goocher from The Underworld and Omen, Doug Vines' sister, Andie my best bud, and my hubby St. Hood. The Jello shots, Buttery Nipples, and the Jager flowed like wine!!! It was an awesome time!

This in my opinion was a fantastic night for Heavy Metal in the Dallas area! If you were there then you know what I mean. There were four great metal bands that performed for us. This is my review and I'm stickin' to it!

Gashlycrumb--I had an opportunity to see these guys last year and I thought they were awesome. If you like AC/DC, Bruce Dickinson, and Metallica (James Hetfield) thrown in for good measure and cover tunes done just as well as the originals you'll like this band. I was not disappointed. They started the evening off with No Cover then Genetic Disaster, Pink Floyd 'The Wall', Black Sabbath, Public's Wrath, Only Difference, Iron Maiden 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', and Gashlycrumb. Would like to say 'thank you' to Landon, Timm, Warren, Chris, and David for bringing us kick ass music and great live performances. Be sure to check their web site for their next show.

Temper--This is the second time that I've seen this band live. The bigger the venue the better! These guys are awesome live. Front man, Kevin White, is a wild man on stage. He's got the look, the sound. Bassist, Doug Vines, was having a good time jumping up on the big floor speakers and givin' it to the fans. Guitarist, Kris Rogers, was swingin' his hair in Jason Newsted fashion. Got some great pics of him doing this. And last but not least, Kevin Barrett bringin it all together on drums. This is the set list: Life of Hate, H-Man, Sick Condition, Rage, Part of You, Shallow, Psychotic Bitch, and Back to the Grind. I would like to first thank Kevin White for literally giving me the shirt off his back! That was so cool! Got to take some great group pics also. Definitely be seeing these guys again and so should you!

Octane7--This band came all the way to Dallas from Austin, Texas. They definitely have a new fan from this area! If you like good old fashioned rock n roll you will dig this band. The 3-piece group was vocalist and bassist, Brett McCormick. Backing vocals and guitarist, David Beeson. Drums and backing vocals, Jai Markgraf. Brett, ironically whose first name is Michael, is the front man that dreams are made of! If you take Brett Michaels (Poison) and Janie Lane (Warrant) and put them together you get Octane7's guy Brett! Not only did he have the look but the vocals were awesome! This is their set list: Raisin' Hell/Got It All, Devil's Eye, Belly Up, Sauce/Cigs, Snake, Tell Me, Superstar, and Dancin. Please guys...come back to Dallas soon!

Ground--I'm so excited to see what these guys are gonna do in 2003! They get better and better every time. Despite the technical difficulties they kicked my ass! This was their CD release party and the place was rockin! Got great pics also. Make sure you check their web site for their next show. This is their set list with some new songs added. I'll Fall Again/Human Kind/The Stain, Candy Hearts, Long Way, Corndoggin'/Head 1st, Hands On/Swallow/Day I Follow, Hate Kill, Bi Polar/Bleed. Thanks to Christopher, Jay, Billy, and Cameron for being such great guys! I look forward to the next show!!!

Like to say thank you once again to Kevin and Melanie Goocher, owners of The Underworld, for giving our local bands a great establishment to bring their music to us, the fans! Like to say 'hi' to Wayne of TYR who was also in the house last night.

I saw RIVETHEAD at The Galaxy Club and they were freaking awesome! I think it was a crying shame that they weren't playing to a packed house. They definitely have the talent and potential for making it all the way. The following songs are off their CD Demo. They started off the night with the self-titled song RIVETHEAD. Sounds great on the CD but it kicks butt live! Silenced, Breathe (I love this song, great live!), The End, Pulling Me Down, Fade, and last but certainly not least and my fav song, Regret. Thank you Steve, Lodi, and Mikkee for an awesome evening and I look forward to seeing you guys a lot more in the new year! Much success!!

Damn where do I start?! The Underworld was rockin' to the sky! This is what we had:

Space Time Band was pretty good. I'd never heard of them before and didn't even know that they were gonna be there. They started off the night with Iron Maiden's Wasted Years. They have a four or Five song demo that they played songs from. I will be doing a review of this CD a little later.

TYR just gets better and better every time I see them. The line up that they have works and you get that vibe every time they perform for you. They played Ozzy's Shot In The Dark, Highway Song, Holy Diver, and TYR originals like Play The Game (my personal fav!), Illusion, Yesterday, and Naked World. I have had an opportunity to get to know these guys and They will always have a special place in my heart and I will go and see them as much as I possibly can! TYR...you guys rule!

ASKA always rulz my world!! They had Kenny from Omen help out on Judas Priest's Diamonds N Rust and they played one new song off the new CD called Freedom. Then they played the kick ass songs they are so popular for: Stalker, Valkyries, Blood of the Wolf, Crown of Thorns, Leather, Leprosy, Angels of War, and my favorite all time song Killashandra! The guys were gracious enough to take pics with me and I got to hang out with before they played and after they played. You guys will always be my band, my friends, and kick ass musicians!

OMEN was rockin the house! This is the second time that I've gotten to see them live and I like them more and more! I love their new album Eternal Black Dawn. I really like Thousand Year Reign. I really liked some of the old songs that they played off of past CD's. Kevin, vocalist, also owns the venue where the show was held and I would like to thank him for providing a place where our area musicians have a place to bring their music to the fans and we can rock all night long!

I would also like to take a minute and say 'hey' to some kick ass people that I saw there. Brandi and Tami! My bud, Erica! Jeff Dennis that owns Music Mania. Lance Lutz from Little Green Men. Linda Hollar from Harder Beat. Kevin, Kris, and Doug from Temper. Billy! Rhonda, who I also seem to run into at all the local shows! You go girl! And last but certainly not least, Pat and Lisa Murphy!!! If there was any doubt about their friendship with ASKA let it be gone with you now! They were there supporting ASKA! It was so great to see you guys there! Luv ya! I hope I didn't leave anyone out! Erica, thanks for the Buttery Nipples!! ;)

These guys are so great to see live! It's like getting your own personal 'LIVE' CD played for you! They played for one whole awesome hour! They played Son of Dust, Enemy, Real Deal, Lying, In Disguise, Proclamation, Tormented, Envy & Hate, Blood Stains, and two new songs off their new CD that they're working on. They also played Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper' and had some help from the sound guy at Links for the Bruce Dickinson part! Really, if you have the opportunity and you're looking for something to do, go see these guys, you won't be sorry and it is definitely worth it! There is something in their music for everyone! The lyrics are great, the music is heavy, the guitar is crunchy, vocals outstanding, drums and bass put it all together for one awesome treat that is SPITTIN' JONAH!!!

Symphony X started out the show and from the get go they kicked ass!! This was my first time to see them live and it was a great show. I wished that they had been given more time to play. They played songs off of their new CD The Odyssey and they played some off of Devine Wings of Tragedy, etc. They played a little over a hour. It was a treat when my bud Keith Knight (bass player for ASKA) came over and told me that he just met Russell Allen (vocalist)! So I grabbed my camera and the guy was so nice and sweet he let me blind him three times to get a good shot!! lol

Blind Guardian took forever to come on. To give you an idea about how long, the whole entire ASKA- AVENGER CD played all the way through once and was starting on Crown of Thorns again when they finally dimmed the lights and the band came out. They played a total of about ninety minutes, including the encore. They were a lot better than I thought. Here's what they played as I remeber: Welcome to Dying, The Lord of the Rings (encore), Goodbye My Friend, By The Gates of Moria, Precious Jerusalem, Nightfall, Mirror Mirror, Noldor (Dead Winter Reigns), The Bard's Song: In The Forest, Mordred's Song, Imaginations from the Other Side, etc.

Danny (drummer for ASKA) went and got his Avenger CD and the sound guy at The Canyon Club played it while they roadies were switching gear on the stage. Also it was so cool hangin' with Danny, Keith and his wife Julie, Daryl, Billy, Pat and Lisa Murphy, and some guys that were at Prog Fest last month. Linda Hollar from Harder Beat was also there. It was a really fun evening.

Once again I got a treat when I saw GROUND. My buds Christopher, Billy, Jay, and Cameron rocked the house. They played my favorite song SWALLOW along with other rockers like LONG WAY HOME, I'LL FALL AGAIN, BI POLAR, and THE STAIN. I also got their CD GROUND and all the guys signed it for me. I also got to meet Billy's brother, Sgt. Kovacsy. Also in the audience was Tony and Mark from 2Fast4Ethel. Great show guys and thanks for the awesome compliments regarding the pixs I took at the last GROUND show. Rock on you guys!

This was my first time to see TEMPER but I had met the vocalist, Kevin White, on several occasions. The band was very energetic which got the crowd going. I got some awesome pixs of the band too. And even though I was not familiar with any of their music I enjoyed myself. Despite technical difficulties which required the bassist and drummer to play some riffage while some of the guys from other bands helped out Kevin and the guitarist try to figure out what was going on. Thanks for a good time all around!!!

I got to see my buds from Ground play again and it was a really good show. They sounded awesome and played their hearts out. I really enjoy seeing these guys live when possible. Christopher was all over the place and Jay had some kickin' solos and Billy was wailin' on bass. Cameron had it goin' on too. Got to talk to him a little bit after the show and hang out with Billy and Jay for a while. These are great guys so go and support them! They played my favorite song Swallow. They also played I'll Fall Again, Bi Polar, Head First, and Day I Follow. Kick ass show you guys! Also like to say 'hey' to Kevin White (Temper) and Rhonda!

This was my first time to see Strangers. I had seen the vocalist, Kevin Greer, at a couple of TYR shows and the TYR/ASKA/OMEN show. I know the guy can wail but I was not prepared for what I heard or saw. They were great. I got a CD and have listened to already and I'm really excited about doing a review of the CD Strangers. They played quite a few originals and then they played some kick-ass covers. They played Holy Diver, Green Manlishi, and The Trooper. Kevin you guys rule!!!

First to come on was HAMMERFALL. This was the bands' (they are from Sweden) first American tour. They started off the night with the self-titled song, Crimson Thunder, from their CD Crimson Thunder. It freakin' rocked the house! The fans in Dallas were very receptive to HAMMERFALL! I definitely see them picking up new fans here in the states. They also played Let The Hammer Fall, Hammerfall, Renegade, Unchained, and lots more heavy-hittin', metal-slammin' songs! I was very excited when I had the chance to get three out of the five members autographs and pixs! That made my night. I got to take a pic with the bass player, Magnus Rosen! Thanks Magnus!!!

KINGS X came out next. I'm not really a KINGS X fan but they were really good live. I was extremely disappointed that they did not play Black Flag though. I mean there's probably not a person out there that was exposed to MTV and the radio that didn't know who KINGS X were and not heard Black Flag. But oh well. They did play some Jimi Hendrix-type songs that the guitarist played just made you wanna cry it was so good.

RONNIE JAMES DIO was the headlining act and I have to tell you that I was not disappointed. I've been hearing Dio stuff for about 13 years now and it sounded awesome live! I was extremely pleased when they played Man on the Silver Mountain. They also played Heaven and Hell, Holy Diver, Long Live Rock N Roll, Egypt, Dream Evil, Killing The Dragon, Push, Stand Up And Shot, Rainbow In The Dark, and lots more.

I have to tell you that this was a really good show. Dio shows that he still has what it takes to pack the place out. It was well worth it and fun as all get out!

It was good to see Jeff Dennis from Music Mania and a friend Carl!! Also Linda Hollar from The Harder Beat was there also!

I also met this really cool guy from Woodway (south of Waco) named Kenneth. He gave up his front row position for a little girl that came with her Dad because she couldn't see. He also made this awesome banner that he waved that night. Hats off to you Kenneth!! Stay cool, Bro!

This was my first time to hear Ground. Got there around 9:30-9:45. About 30 minutes later these two guys walked in. No doubt in my mind that they were musicians and rockers. I went over and introduced myself to them. I recognized them from Ground's website as the bass player and guitar player. Around 11 pm their vocalist arrived and they started setting up their equipment. I had been waiting for about three weeks to meet him. I was lucky enough to get an interview with him (which by the way was awesome!) I walked over and told him who I was and we hugged and he got back to work. After getting the sound tweaked and just right they began their set. I recognized 3 of the songs from listening to their web site. I'll Fall Again, Swallow, and Day I Follow. I now have two favorite Ground songs: Swallow and Day I Follow. Their vocalist was feeling much under the weather but you could never tell by the way he performed. The guys were great! Their guitarist, Jay, was all over the stage. Played the sh*#t out of the guitar and swingin that gorgeous hair around! Their bass player, Billy, was a real sweetheart and very good bass player. By the way Billy, nice nips!!! Didn't really get to talk to the drummer, Cameron, but they sounded tight and he was right on. And last but not least by any means, their vocalist Christopher. It was great to finally get to meet you, Christopher! Be sure to see them whenever possible. You definitely won't be disappointed. And it's our jobs as fans to support our local talent!!!

I'd like to say 'hey' to some people. Andie, my best friend in the world! Rhonda whom I seem to be running into on a regular basis now! Good to see ya, girl! and last but not least Kevin White from the band TEMPER.

When I got there another band by the name of Deep Under Dirt was playing. Didn't hear too much of their set. But what I did hear sounded a lot like Drowning Pool, etc. They were okay.

Spittin' Jonah: These guys are really awesome live. If you ever have the opportunity to see them live, DO IT!!! This was their play list:

Enemy, Real Deal, Lying, Son of Dust, In Disguise, Envy & Hate, Blood Stains, and Tormented. I will be doing a review of their CD "Louder Than Hell". The band members are: Billy-vocals, Matt-guitar, James-Bass, and Mike-Drums

Velvet Poker Dogs: I had heard of this band from my two best buds: Angie and Andrea. I had never heard their music before tonight. I had met their drummer at Fast Freddie's one night and found out that he's also the drummer for Lillian Axe. Very nice guy. Saw and talked to him for a little bit last night. I did not stay for the entire set but what I did hear they were awesome. They were all over the stage. The band consists of a vocalist, two guitarist, bassist, and drummer. I definitely would like to see these guys again. check 'em out whenever possible. They remind me of 'old school' mixed with crunchy, heavy-hittin' vocals!

TYR, ASKA, and OMEN had an awesome show at The Underworld!! The club used to be called The Inferno Lounge. It has a big open floor area and a nice sized stage that's about 3 to 4 feet off the ground. The bar area is in the back. Anyway on to the show that night:

TYR---Took the stage and was ready to rock. Their vocalist, John Grady, has gotten quite a few shows under his belt and is feeling more comfortable and has a lot of self confidence and is bringing awesome shows to the fans. Russell, Wayne, Rick, and Glenn always put 110% into their shows and they are great to see live. They started off the night with Play The Game, Illusion, Naked World, and Yesterday. They also played one or two off their new CD. Then they did some awesome covers like Ozzy, Holy Diver, Highway Song, and some other most excellent songs! Thanks again TYR for an awesome performance!

ASKA---The guys were stoked and ready to bang some heads, some drums, and some bass! They played Killashandra, Stalker, Leprosy, Blood of the Wolf, to name a few. Then they played covers like Seek and Destroy, and some other jammin' songs! They were kick ASKA as always!! Great show guys!!

OMEN---I have to say first of all that I have heard of OMEN before but this was the first time that I had seen them live or heard any of their music. I have to tell you that they kicked total ASS!! In my opinion, they are a mix of Dio, Iron Maiden, and Blind Guardian. They were freakin' all over the place on the stage! Their vocalist, Kevin Goocher, was unbelievable. He had an awesome vocal range. Kenny, guitars, was a madman! He was all over the stage. Andy, bassist, was really into the whole thing! And Rick, drums, really pounded out the beat! Check out their web site ( www.omenlegion.com) for more interesting info about this band, their old music, their new CD, where the bands' been, and where they're going! It's awesome to have these guys in this area!

Wanted to say 'hey' to some awesome people that were at this show: Jeff Dennis-Music Mania, "ASKA" Dan McNew-dallasentertainment.com, Matt Eaton-Spittin' Jonah, and Kevin Greer-Strangers.

Also wanted to say 'whaz up' to some of my buds that were having a blast: Andie, Erica, Barb, Julie, and Tammy.

First up: Maxfield Parish-These guys were excellent! They played original tunes and then some awesome covers like Sammy Hagar's 'There's Only One Way To Rock' and Ozzy's 'I Don't Know'. Great gig you guys!!

Second up: Paradigm-Okay first these guys are 16 to 18 years old! They've only been together 7 weeks and they kicked total ass!!! Watch out for these guys! You will be seeing some great things from them.

Third up: Spittin' Jonah-These guys rock! Saw them with ASKA at Fast Freddie's!! Keep up the good work guys!!

Lance: Great to meet you!! (Little Green Men) and your daughter, very sweet girl!

It was an awesome night at J. Gilligan's where, once again, ASKA rocked the house! If you love Leather, Heavy Metal, Long Hair, and havin' a good time that was the place to be. On the set list was favs like: Blood of the Wolf, Leprosy, Stalker, Valkyries, Killashandra, Green Manalishi, The Cowboy Song, Highway To Hell, and others.

Like to say "Hey" to Barb, Erica, St. Hood, and our friend that we met at Lizzy Borden and Saxon shows, Kelly!!!

Well it was definitely a very awesome night at Fast Freddie's. First Spittin' Jonah came out and rocked 'Louder Than Hell'!! They were killer. Thanks Billy, Matt, James, and Mike for an awesome show! On a personal note: I had people coming up to me after they played and just couldn't believe how great these guys are. And I live within walking distance of Matt and Billy and was at one of their rehearsals.

Now, to address the rumors that have been running rampant concerning 'bad blood' between ASKA and Jason Sweatt...THERE AIN'T NONE!!! If you were there last night you would have seen that. Jason got up there and sang with the boys. Unfortunately my blonde brain wasn't working or I would have taken pixs of it but thank God for ASKADan McNew, he did get some pixs and I will post a link.

ASKA played a hell of a show! Danny, you are the glue that the band needed. You guys were so tight last night, it was great to see! They played Blood of the Wolf, Leather, Leprosy, Lethal Injection, Killashandra, and covers like Another Thing Comin', The Cowboy Song, Seek and Destroy, Green Manilishi, Metal Godz, Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights, and Highway to Hell.

Like to send a shout out to some peeps that were at the show also: The drummer for Lillian Axe and Velvet Poker Dogs, ASKA Dan McNew and his wife, Robin, Joey Panic from PANIC, Andie, Erica, St. Hood, Tammy, and Johnny.

Erica: At J. Gilligan's it will be my turn to buy you a "shout" of Jager and a shot of Apple "pickle"!! luv ya, woman!!!

TYR at Links...awesome show! It was my bud, Russell's, birthday last night, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUSSELL!! This was also the debut of their new frontman, John Grady. I only have two words: Freakin' Awesome!!! He had a total of one week and a half to learn all of Tyr's original material PLUS the covers that they do. He could hit and hold the notes just as well as...well let's just leave the rest to your imagination! The song list went something like this:

Tyr originals: Illusion, Yesterday, Play The Game, and Naked World to name a few.

Tyr Covers: Breakin' The Chains, Green Manalishi, and Holy Diver among many others.

Just want to make a personal note that I think each time I go and see Tyr they get better and better! They rock, ya'll!

First I would like to start off by saying that I had never met Jessica until tonight. She said all she knew was to look for a short blonde with a camera but the minute we saw each other we knew! She came up and gave me a hug and it was like we'd known each other for years! Very truly a sweet person. Now if you've never been to a Death Metal show it's an experience. But before you start forming those stereotypical responses give them the benefit. Just because you dress all in black and wear black and white make-up doesn't mean that you worship Satan. Just like because you have long hair and play heavy metal doesn't mean that you're a druggie. Despite being habitually heckled by some nameless fans towards the end of the show they just kept right on rockin'! The crowd was very definitely into what NeverDead was all about plus they had the support of the two bands that had played previously that night. They had an awesome stage show and I really dug the candles and smoke. Oh and one other thing: Immortal look out!!!!

The show at Zig Zag was awesome ya'll! It's a really cool club, lots of room, and great stage area. First up we had Gashley Crumb: They played a varied list of great favs like: Roadhouse Blues (The Doors), Public's Wrath, Genetic Disaster, Revelations, Society's Child, Five To One (The Doors), No Thanks, Tyler, New York/Wasteland, Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden), Gashley Crumb, Still Lovin' You (The Scorpions), and How Many More Times. They have an awesome front man as well as two awesome guitar players, great bass player, and kick ass drummer! GC-I'm a big fan of The Doors; you got yourself one more fan with this Heavy Metal chick!

ASKA took the stage around midnight and we got two full hours of heart-pumpin', fist-poundin', head-bangin' metal!!! They played Leather, Angels of War, Leprosy, Blood of the Wolf, Crown of Thorns, Stalker, Lethal Injection, Valkyries, Killashandra, and Little Sister. Then they played awesome covers like: Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights, Seek and Destroy, Another Thing Comin', Highway to Hell, Metal Godz, and the Cowboy Song. Thanks guys for another incredible evening of Heavy Metal!!!

This review is brought to you by Dallas' own Johnny Fyg from Habitual! Thanks Johnny!!!

Well, Just woke up from last nights LGM, Broken Toyz & Quiet Riot Concert. Personally, I thought LGM & Broken Toyz smoked Quiet Riot, QR's sound was eeeeuuuu!! Kill the soundguy? hmmm!! Carlos C's guitar sounded way too processed for me to believe that he would even allow a guitar sound like that to represent him. It was awful. I couldn't even hear Rudy Sarzo's bass that well. Where was Kevin? Shoot. BT had a better sound overall & a louder audience response. The crowd for QR just stood there & not many people cheered for them. LGM was tight and entertaining (as usual!!)...what a band...f*****g awesome!! Broken Toys...what can I say...PRO's to the very end. Killer Rock & Roll. EVERYBODY LOVED them. I could see heads-a-moving all the way to the back of the club. BT & LGM Rocked the night!! People started leaving after about 5 QR songs....sad. Here's one for the locals. :)

At The Rock was an awesome show, ya'll!!! First up we had for the very first time Habitual and they blew the place away! They played : Befallen, Armageddon, The Rooster, Painful Pleasure, Dance Now, Fuel, Let Me Go, Staind, Habitual. Johnny FYG and the singer played some awesome solos too! Great show guys!!!

Then next up we had Panic! This was my first time to hear these guys (Joey, sorry I didn't get over to ya to get a song list!) but they rocked the house! Awesome guitars, too!

Then last but definitely not least TYR! Thanks again to James, Russell, Rick, Glenn, and Wayne for an awesome show! They played originals Illusion, Play the Game, Yesterday, and Naked World. Then they played Break the Chains-Dokken, I Stand Alone-Jackyl, and many more. Thanks to all you guys for an awesome night of rockin'!!!

Johnny Fyg, Joey Panic, Andie and Becca, Matt-Spittin' Jonah, and all the guys from TYR it was great seein' you guys!!

Well we had ASKA and TYR at Fast Freddie's. It was an awesome show!! TYR came out ready to rock (after Wayne went and got his shoes!! lol) They played Illusion, Play the Game, Yesterday, Youth Gone Wild, and some Dokken songs. Thanks to James, Russell, Glen, Rick, and Wayne...you guys are awesome!

ASKA took the stage around 11: 45...they played Leather, Angels of War, Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights, Shook Me, Leprosy, See U in Hell, Trooper, Green Manalishi, and Looks that Kill. Had a good time with all my buds!

Like to say 'hey' to: Lisa and Pat Murphy, Jennifer, Erica, St. Hood, Anthony (from the Fort Worth Weekly--Cool guy!!!) Stephanie, and everyone else that came out there ready to party!!!

Along with Ft. Worth Weekly being there Harder Beat was also in the house. I took some awesome pixs so stay tuned for those on the 'photos' page. See ya guys at the next event!!! Party Hard and Stay Metal!!!!

ASKA was unfortunately only able to play like six songs but the songs that they played were head-bangin', guitar shreddin', hair-flyin', ass-shakin' heavy metal!!! They played Angels of War, Leather, Crown of Thorns, Blood of the Wolf, Leprosy, and Stalker. Gotta tell ya it was so awesome seeing 'my' boys up there with the Priest!

Judas Priest---I'm not sure how many times is the 'norm' for being able to see a band like Judas Priest twice in one year but I got to!!! To me this show was the most awesome by far! Here are some of the 'most excellent' songs that they played:

Blood Suckers, Breakin' The Law, Electric Eye, Another Thing Comin', One on One, Hell is Home, Devil's Child, Exciter, TurboLover, and Stained Glass.

Also this is to Scott Travis: Pat and Lisa Murphy and Jennifer told me that you guys talked about me when you went out to dinner and they gave you one of my business cards! Thank you! Hope you like the review. I hung around for a while hoping to meet you but after getting shooed away and pushed back and other people taking forever to get you guys to sign things I finally had to wave the white flag and go home! lol Anyway, sign my guestbook or shoot me an email when you get a moment! Enjoyed seeing the Priest again. It was a hell of a show!

To Pat, Lisa, Jennifer, Andrea, Erica, and St. Hood: Love you guys!!! Had fun sweating, throwing back some brewskies, and head bangin with you guys!

I would also like to send a shout out to three awesome people at The Canyon Club:

The guy that checks your tickets at the door, you know who you are, and the two most excellent security guards that were up on the front row on the other side of the barricade!! Ya'll are awesome dudes!!

The ASKA gig at J. Gilligan's tonight was an awesome bash! Guest drummer, Damon Call, really pounded the hell out of those skins! Like to say 'hey' to my buds, Pat and Lisa Murphy who were there last night. The song line-up went something like this: Leather, Crown of Thorns, Stalker, Angels of War, Blood of the Wolf, Looks that Kill, See you in Hell, Rock and Roll all Night, Trooper, Cowboy Song, Highway to Hell, Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights, Metal Godz, Seek and Destroy, and Green Manalishi. Got lots of great pixs and they will be up on the site soon! Take care and see ya'll at The Canyon Club on August the 3rd to party with ASKA and Judas Priest!

I got invited to a really cool club called BellBottoms and had the opportunity to hear this awesome cover band called HearSay. The band consisted of a keyboard/vocalist, female lead vocalist, female back-up vocalist, drummer, bassist, and a kick-axe guitar player. They played Rick Springfield, Ted Nugent, Donna Summer, Georgia Sattelites, Journey, and a lot of other great, great songs! Sorry I can't remember any more, but as I do I will add them. The club is in North Richland Hills, Texas. Off of Harwood Road and Grapevine Highway. They are there just about every Thursday night so go check them out!!!

There was a severe weather storm watch at Wing's last night by the name of TORNADO ALLEY and they literally blew the place off the foundation! These guys rock! This was the first time that I heard them play live and if you ever get an opportunity to go see them...DO IT!!! You won't regret it. They played the following: Heavy Metal/Highway Star, Spirit of Radio, Wanton Song, Amnesia, The Cowboy Song, Lay It On The Line, Trees, Closer to the Heart, Cat and Mouse, Outshined, Hot For Teacher, Tribute to the 9/11 victims with a song called USA (the tune is to Skid Row-Youth Gone Wild). Then for an encore they did Rock Bottom. These guys are awesome, nice guys and they would really welcome you're support, so go see them whenever and wherever they play!

The crowd was pumped and primed for ASKA. They had George Call's brother, Damon, as guest drummer and the guys were ready to bang some heads. They played the tried and true ASKA favs like: Stalker, Leprosy, Eternal Night, Crown of Thorns, Leather, Angels of War, U Suck, and Blood of the Wolf. Then they played awesome covers like: Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin), Shook Me (AC/DC), Wickerman (Iron Maiden), a Slayer song, Cold Gin (KISS), Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights(Black Sabbath), Green Manalishi (Judas Priest), Looks that Kill (Motley Crue), and Rainbow in the Dark (Dio).

It was a totally awesome evening, ya'll!! Don't miss them at J. Gilligan's on the 27th, Then ASKA opens up for Judas Priest at the Canyon Club on August 3rd, and I have heard of a couple of more gigs with Omen and Tyr...so keep checkin' the ASKA web site for more details and come and support your heavy metal bands because let's face it, if it weren't for the fans...

I got the chance to go and see the NIGHT RANGER/BAD COMPANY/FOREIGNER show at Smirnoff. It rained cats and dogs but it was worth it! We didn't stay for Foreigner because the weather was getting worse but the two shows that we did stay for was definitely worth it. It went as follows:

NIGHT RANGER---They totally rocked! It was like being back in High School. They played ROCK IN AMERICA, WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES, SING ME AWAY, SISTER CHRISTIAN, DON'T TELL ME YOU LOVE ME, COMING OF AGE (DAMN YANKEES), EDDIE'S COMIN' OUT TONIGHT, AND SENTIMENTAL STREET. Great, great show!!!

BAD COMPANY---JOE FABULOUS, SHOOTING STAR, FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE, BAD COMPANY, RUN WITH THE PACK, SIMPLE MAN, CAN'T GET ENOUGH, MOVIN' ON, ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY, READY FOR LOVE, ROCK STEADY, AND YOUNGBLOOD. They also played a medley of several Beatles tunes. It was so worth sitting in the rain for these two shows!!!

Well ASKA played at Wing's. Muthalode (KISS tribute band) opened up for them. ASKA played an awesome show! Everyone seemed to have a really good time. Andrea, Lisa, Jennifer, and Erica were there and we had a good time. Now down to business. There were awesome solos by George, Daryl, and Pat. And Keith had awesome JP solos. They played Crown of Thorns, Leather, Valkyries, Stalker, Leprosy, Blood of the Wolf, Angels of War, Vigilante, and You Suck. Then they did awesome covers such as Kiss-Cold Gin, Grim Reaper-See you in Hell, AC/DC-Highway to Hell, Judas Priest-Breakin' the Law and You've got another thing comin' and Green Manilishi, Iron Maiden-Trooper, and George and the boys played around with Jimi Hendrix-Watchtower (which was pretty damn awesome!!!). George was a maniac when it came time for his guitar solo and Pat beat the drums all to hell for his solo and then Daryl shredded his way into your eardrums with his guitar solo and Keith wowed us once again with his awesome Halford renditions. Keep checking back to their website ( www.askaband.com) for the next gig, which George said would be sometime in July at Wings. Then August 3rd they are going to be playing with Judas Priest at the Canyon Club. See ya there!!!

It was great to see all my buds at J. Gilligan's last night. Everyone was in rare form and had a good time! Unfortunately I had to leave after the break so I didn't get to stay for the whole show. It was my bud's, Angie, last ASKA gig last night because she is moving to Louisiana to be a school teacher. Anyway back to the show. They played Grim Reaper---See you in hell, Leprosy, Iron Maiden---Trooper, and Kiss---Cold Gin. It was a good show and I had fun as usual. It was good to see my buddies, Jayme and Wendy also. Congratulations, Wendy!!! See ya at Wings!

Oh my God! Where do I start?! TYR (James, Russell, Wayne, Rick, & Glenn) were so totally awesome! They played several songs off their ILLUSION CD: Play The Game, Illusion, and Naked World and some excellent cover tunes like SKID ROW-YOUTH GONE WILD, JUDAS PRIEST-GREEN MANALISHI, AND DIO-HOLY DIVER, JACKYL-I STAND ALONE, etc. Then ASKA came out and rocked my world! George (St. George) Call, Keith (Conan) Knight, Daryl (The Shredder) Norton, and Pat (The Viking) Murphy, you guys were great! Thank you so much for helping me celebrate my birthday and for playing Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights! Thanks also to Andrea, Angie, and Lisa for being there last night and helping me celebrate and just being my buds! Thanks to my hubby, St. Hood for being there also! I had a blast!!!

Also, just to let you know there were some special guests that were at the club also. Linda Hollar-Harder Beat, George's guitar tech(for overseas gigs) the rep from Bose, A member of Spittin' Jonah, "Aska" Dan McNew and his wife, Robin. Rick, bass player for Three Mile Limit, and his wife were there. And if I left anyone out that was not my intention...I'm having a hard time recalling last night's events..hhmm! Anywho...

And last but not least, I would like to thank the following people for giving me an endless supply of libations:

Andie (Skyy Blue all the way, babe), Angie (for the champagne, you go girl!), Daryl (for the shot of Jager!), and the No-Name guy who shared his two pitchers of Shiner Bock Beer!

ASKA played at J. Gilligan's in Arlington. It was an awesome show! They had a couple of guest drummers. You guys remember Ruben? 13 years old and plays the drums like a pro! They also had a great guy from BoneHammer play a song and last but not least, George's brother, Damon beat the skins for us! George Call, Keith Knight, Daryl Norton, and Pat (The Viking!!! lol) Murphy put on an awesome jam for ASKA fans that night!!! Be sure to come to their next show on June the 8th at Lone Star Country Club...your sure to get an awesome show cuz it's this heavy metal chick's birthday!!! C-ya there!!

ASKA played at Fast Freddie's. There was a big crowd and MuthaLode started the night off rockin the house!!! Then it was ASKA's turn! They played Blood of the Wolf, Leather, Angels of War, See you in hell, Shook me, Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights (my personal fav!!!) and to top the night off it was Daryl Norton's birthday so we helped him celebrate a little bit! Thanks again guys for a great night of heavy metal-head bangin'!! You guys rock!!!!

ASKA played at Fast Freddie's. There wasn't the usual crowd but ASKA didn't let that stop them! They played their hearts out for the loyal that came to see them! You can rest assured that you will get that kind of quality from these guys; five or five thousand you'll get a great show!!!

ASKA played at The Lone Star Country Club. I tell you, these guys did an awesome job! They were still ridin' the high of the last two shows (Lizzy Borden and SAXON). There was a great little band that started off the night called NECTAR. Then the Zeppelin tribute band 51% (used to be Achilles Last Stand but they did some reorganization). I really enjoyed them a lot. Then ASKA took the stage and performed Blood of the Wolf, Crown of Thorns, Leather, Leprosy, Valkyries, and covers like Kiss-Cold Gin, AC/DC-Shook Me, Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell/Neon Nights (my personal fav!) Guys I know ya'll had to be wiped but you went out, like every show I've been to, and gave 100%! Thank you and I love you!

Dudes! Where do I start?! First Broken Toyz came out and played an awesome set! They did a Deep Purple cover tune-Highway Star, they did a Montrose cover-Rock the Nation. They did She's a Dancer, Evil Hearted Woman, and High and Dry. It was an awesome set, guys! Chuck, thank you for the pick and the harmonica! Then ASKA came out and played Stalker, Leprosy, Crown of Thorns, Leather, Blood of the Wolf, Angels of War, and Black Sabbath cover-Heaven-n-Hell/Neon Nights! George, Daryl, Keith, and Pat did an awesome job as ever! I'm proud to be a part of ASKA! Thanks for two cool nights, guys! (Of course there's still Saturday night, Too!) Then last but not least, SAXON!! They were so awesome! I was front and center for the show! They started the night off with Killing Ground, then they played the following songs: Dragon's Lair, Court of the Crimson King, 747(Strangers in the night), Dallas 1 pm, Crusader, Strong Arm of the Law, Backs to the Wall, Heavy Metal Thunder, Power and the Glory, This Town Rocks, Broken Heroes, and Conquistador. Then for encores they played: Wheels of Steel, Princess of the Night, and Denim and Leather! Thank you Broken Toyz, ASKA, and SAXON for the most awesome show!!!

I would also like to say that I got to the venue about an hour before they opened the doors. I got to meet the band (SAXON) and they were so nice and very congenial and did not mind people asking them for autographs or pictures. I got to meet Paul first and talked to him for a little bit. Then I got Nibb's autograph. Then I got Doug's auto and then Biff's. After the show I got to meet Fritz and get his autograph and go on the Tour Bus! Thanks again SAXON for twenty years of great music and what you have brought to the fans!!!

WOW!! If you guys did not go to the canyon club for lizzy borden, aska, and lifesize...well you missed a hell of a show!! lifesize came ready to party! After lifesize, ASKA!! My boys!! They played crown of thorns, stalker, leprosy, leather, heaven n hell/neon nights, immortal, angels o war, valkyries! they set the tone for the rest of the night! pat on drums was poundin' em out! keith wailin' on bass!, george on guitar was shreddin'!, and last but certainly not least, daryl on guitar was an axe-grindin' machine! awesome show, guys!! then, the man, lizzy borden! what a dude! he put on a stage show that was like alice cooper and ozzy rolled into one! they played deal with the devil, bloody mary, american metal, and lots of others. It was a great show and afterwards we hung around the tour bus for a while and got pictures and autographs! Lizzy...you rock!

(3-16-02)ASKA was at Fast Freddie's ready to rock!! Guest Band Broken Toyz was awesome yet once again! Daryl Norton showed his talents during some technical difficulties with an axe-grinding Ratt "Lay It Down"!! You go, Daryl! The band played favs like Judas Priest, KISS, Iron Maiden, Against The Gods, Immortal, Leather, too many metal/guitar shreddin'/axe-grindin'/screamin' Heavy favs!

We had George-vocals/guitars, Keith-bass/vocals, Daryl-guitar/vocals, & Pat-drums/vocals

(3-09-02)J. Gilligan's was ready to rock Saturday night!! It was an awesome show! Pat Murphy was beatin' the skins again and doing an excellent job! They played covers like Kiss, Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden. And ASKA orginals always get great reaction from the audience. Killashandra, Leather, Crown of Thorns, Against The Gods, and other greats!! Awesome show, Guys!!

(2-23-02)If you didn't make it out to the lone star country club last night to see ASKA , your loss! it was a kick ass show, ya'll!!! They had two opening bands. The first one is a led zeppelin tribute band called Achilles Last Stand. They really nailed those tunes! The second band, Tyr, had some personnel conflicts with their lead singer, but they rose to the challenge and had several different people take the helm and do an awesome job. Eric, from Deja Vu and Achilles Last Stand, Keith Knight, from ASKA, George Call, from ASKA, and the singer from Achilles Last Stand. When ASKA took the stage it was the beginning of an awesome show. Allen Fairl did the honors with Metallica's "Seek and Destroy", Pat Murphy wowed us with his awesome drumming, Buddy Kirkland beat those skins, and two surprise guest drummers, Buddy's daughter, Sarah, did a really great job, considering she didn't know that she was gonna be asked to do it! Then a 14 year old boy by the name of Rueben, played a killer Black Sab, Paranoid! Great evening you guys! Don't miss the next show.

(2-15-02)FIREHOUSE played at the canyon club last night...AWESOME!!! The only thing I was disappointed in was the fact that they wacked off all their hair! They came out dressed like they were going off to work. But as soon as CJ started singing it all came back! They played "reach for the sky", "when I look into your eyes", "hold your fire", "all she wrote", "shake and tumble", "don't treat me bad", and "love of a lifetime". They played one song off their O2 CD which was "take it off". It was a fun night!!! BROKEN TOYZ started off the night and they were as good as I remembered them being. the second band that played was from oklahoma and they were called DES3. they rocked!!!

(2-09-02)Last night ASKA played at Fast Freddie's. The opening band, Deja Vu, played some awesome originals, then they started playing Led Zep, "Whole Lotta Love" and other great songs. Thanks Deja Vu! Okay, ASKA had a guest drummer, Terri Sims (formerly with HAMMERWITCH) but if you weren't there you don't know how awesome this guy is!!! He's got the talent, the look, and most importantly of all, he worked well with ASKA! A really nice guy! If you ever get an opportunity to see him play, don't pass it up!! Way to go, Terri!! Keep rockin'! The guys in ASKA were awesome as always! I had a really good time. They played Crown of Thorns, Blood of the Wolf, Angels of War, Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, and many other great songs! If you've never heard ASKA live, please try to come to their shows. They're awesome!! I would like to add a special thanks to Allen Fairl for the kick ASKA job he did on the vocals of Metallica "Seek and Destroy"! You were awesome, Allen! Thanks guys for all that you put into each and every show! Love ya!

(1-26-02)Then, as if Priest wasn't enough, ASKA played Saturday night at Fast Freddie's. Unfortunately I didn't get to stay for the whole show (too much partying not enough sleep!! hehehe). But what I did stay for was not disappointing. They opened up with a Priest song, played Crown of Thorns, a song off IMMORTAL, and other ASKA fan favs. Their next gig will be on Feb. 9th back at Fast Freddie's. Check out their website for all the gig info, interviews, etc. and find out what the band is up to. See ya next time, and until then, PARTY HARD, KEEP THE MUSIC LOUD, AND DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT TO LISTEN TO!

(1-25-02)If you didn't get out to DEEP ELLUM LIVE to see the JUDAS PRIEST show, well you just missed out! They were awesome! Ripper Owens has some killer vocals and he proved it in every song that he sung. KK Downing, Glenn Tipton, and the gang played their hearts out! The fans should not have gone away disappointed. They played old favs like 'Breakin' the Law', 'Electric Eye', 'Another Thing Comin', then they played some new kick axe ones off their DEMOLITION album. 'One on One' and 'Hell is Home'. They're were lots of other songs, too. This was my first time to see Priest and I don't want it to be the last. I was supposed to have seen them back in September of 2001, but Osama Bin Laden tried to f**k that up, but he didn't succeed. He just delayed it. So up yours, Bin Laden!!!

(1-19-02)If you weren't at the Sawmill on Saturday the 19th to see ASKA, you missed a good show! A local band by the name of TYR opened up for ASKA. Whenever you have a chance to see these guys, do it! TYR rocks, ya'll! They've got the look and the sound. ASKA had some pretty awesome bassist take the stage. Keith Knight of ASKA, Rick from THREE MILE LIMIT, Rick from TYR, and last but not least, George Call showed ASKA fans how multi-talented he is by playing the bass! You go, Boy! It was a good show! See ya next time!

(1-12-02)ASKA played at WINGS last night. THREE MILE LIMIT opened up the show. The guys were ready to rock! When it came time for Judas Priest, Rick the bassist from THREE MILE LIMIT played bass while Keith Knight belted out an awesome Halford with "Breakin' The Law". Then on the last song of the night, AC/DC "Shook Me", George put his guitar down, picked up the mic, and wailed on the vocals. Daryl Norton added to the song with his awesome guitar! Damon Call, George's bro, played drums. Some members of two local bands came out to the show (TYR and Contagious) as well as Dallas Chick and ASKA Dan. It was a great night!

(1-05-02)ASKA played at J. Gilligan's last night, which is a cool little bar to see a band. They played songs like Valkyries, Against the Gods, Leather, Crown of Thorns, Stalker, Leprosy, etc. They added covers like Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath, KISS, etc. These guys really 'rock' it up! Take the time to come out and see the band. It's worth it!

(12-15-01)If you weren't at Fast Freddie's last night to see ASKA you missed a great show! The opening band was "Lifesize" . They were really awesome. You can check them out at http://www.lifesizeonline.com and http://www.mp3.com/lifesize

ASKA played a really awesome show ya'll! They played covers from AC/DC to KISS, then kick axe originals like Killashandra, Crown of Thorns, Leather, etc. George and Daryl were rockin' with the axes, while Keith wailed on the bass. Rodney was an awesome addition, on loan from B.F.E., on the drums. These guys are great to party with. Be sure to check out their website, www.askaband.com to find out when their next gig will be and where. Until then, party hard, turn the music up loud, and raise a fist to all the doubters of HEAVY METAL MUSIC!! Keep rockin'!!!

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