Best Band List
AEROSMITH
Formed 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Steven Tyler, lead vocalist
Tom Hamilton, bassist
Joey Kramer, drummer
Joe Perry, lead guitarist, vocalist
Brad Whitford, rhythm guitarist
Resources: Accessed 7-12-2014.
Best Band List
BLACK STONE CHERRY
Formed 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Chris Robertson, lead vocalist, guitarist
Ben Wells, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist
Jon Lawhon, bassist, backing vocalist
John Fred Young, drummer, percussionist, piano, backing vocalist
http://www.blackstonecherry.com/
Black Stone Cherry’s Wikipedia
Resources: Accessed 7-12-2014.
Best Band List
MUSHROOMHEAD
Formed 1993 in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Jeffrey Nothing Hatrix, vocalist
Jason “J. Mann” Popson, vocalist
Tom “Shmotz” Schmitz, keyboardist
Steve “Skinny” Felton, drummer
Rick “ST1TCH” Thomas, turntables, samples, and programming
Waylon Reavis, unclean vocalist, clean vocalist
@waylon_reavis_official Instagram
Tommy Church, guitarist
Ryan “Dr. F” Farrell, bassist
Robbie “Robert Diablo” Godsey, drummer, custom percussionist
http://www.mushroomhead.com/main/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroomhead
Resources: Accessed 7-5-2014.
Halestorm Concert Review
The evening was cool on the Mississippi River at the Port of Burlington in Iowa. The opening band was a female fronted rock band named Kaleido from Detroit, Michigan. The beautiful singer, Christina Chriss, had a great voice, was full of energy and really worked the crowd. Their style definitely reminded me of Halestorm’s earlier work.
Halestorm took the stage just as the sky was getting dark. The band is not on a full road tour at this time so their fans were missing them. Lzzy Hale commented on missing the live show performances as well. Halestorm draws in young girl fans to every show. Many young girls aspire to be a rock star like Lzzy Hale, the singer, guitarist and keyboardist for Halestorm. Their style of hard rock with metal influences draws in all rock fans. The drummer, Arejay Hale, is renowned as a phenomenal drummer. He was the winner of the Revolver Golden Gods best drummer in 2013. Halestorm won a Grammy in 2013 for their song “Love Bites (So Do I)” for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.
Halestorm opened the show with a familiar song, “I Miss The Misery”. The energy for the show kept everyone moving on their feet. It even woke up one of the elder fans who was dozing earlier in the VIP seated section. When Halestorm was playing, he woke up and was even dancing.
There was an abbreviated drum solo by Arejay Hale. He showcased his talent by drumming with his hands. His energy and skills as a drummer are impressive. Joe Hottinger, guitarist and Josh Smith, bassist were both great as well.
Watch “Don’t Know How To Stop” here:
The setlist stayed upbeat and only slowed down once for “Familiar Taste of Poison”. Toward the end of the set, they provided fans with a new song listed as “Mayhem” on the setlist. The fans are highly anticipating their forthcoming album. Watch the performance of the new song on our Facebook page.
The night was cool and comfortable and Lzzy Hale stood out as looking phenomenal. She is a powerful, magnetic and talented front woman. Her voice matures as time passes and it becomes fuller. The strength in her voice grabbed you and did not let go the entire night. The final song of the evening was “Here’s To Us”. Their show was great and cannot wait to see Halestorm again.
Watch “Mayhem” here and like us on Facebook for even more exclusive content.
Best Band List
COURAGE MY LOVE
Formed 2009 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Mercedes Arn-Horn, lead vocalist, guitarist
Phoenix Arn-Horn, drummer
Brandon Lockwood, bassist, backing vocalist
http://ilovecouragemylove.com/wpwarner/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courage_My_Love
Resources: Accessed 6-28-2014.
Best Band List
ARANDA
Formed 2001 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Gabe Aranda, vocalist
Mike Walker, drummer
B. Webb, bassist
@brinewebb Instagram (private)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aranda_(band)
Resources: Accessed 6-28-2014.
Sevendust Acoustic Concert Review
Sevendust is on tour performing an acoustic show in support of their album Time Travelers & Bonfires released April 1, 2014. Time Travelers & Bonfires peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hard Rock Album chart. Sevendust formed in 1994 and renamed themselves three times prior to settling on Sevendust inspired by the insecticide.
After twenty years, the band has transformed and matured. Their latest album speaks to the place in their lives as fathers and family men. The show was on Father’s Day at the historic Castle Theatre in Bloomington, Illinois. They recognized roadlife and being away from their families as difficult. The band started the evening with “Trust”. Lajon Witherspoon told us the story of searching for a local restaurant, Rosie’s Pub, that he visited previously and wanted to visit again. He was disappointed when it was closed on Sunday. He was directed to another local establishment that was open Elroy’s. He met a friend there who was celebrating his 21st birthday and Lajon gave him VIP tickets to the show to celebrate.
The band and the fans were feeling the energy of the music as the evening progressed. The show was a bit more subdued than their electric shows however the energy was very powerful. The lyrics were clear and the storytelling behind them shown through. Fans were singing along to every song with encouragement from the band. One mega-fan, who had seen Sevendust twelve times, was impressed by the acoustic show.
Before the performance of “Angel’s Son”, Lajon recounted the story about writing the song. It was in remembrance of their friend, Lynn Strait, who died in a car accident on December 11, 1998. He said Clint Lowery had written the guitar and Lajon went into the studio and had no words to go along with the song. As he was there, the words came flowing into him from another world. Lajon Witherspoon tells the story with tears in his eyes and many fans tear up too.
An Evening With Sevendust concluded with everyone drained, not from the mosh pit, but the emotions evoked from the intensity of the music. Go see this passionate show if you have the opportunity.
Best Band List
KYNG
Formed 2008 in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Tony Castaneda, bassist, back up vocalist
Pepe Clarke Magaña, drummer
Eddie Veliz, vocalist, guitarist
Resources: Accessed 6-8-2014.
Best Band List
BREATHE CAROLINA
Formed 2006 in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
David Schmitt, lead vocalist, keyboardist, synthesizer, guitarist, drummer
Eric Armenta, drummer
Luis Bonet, DJ, Keyboards, programming
Tommy Cooperman, guitarist, bassist, synth, programming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathe_Carolina
Resources: Accessed 6-6-2014.
Don Jamieson’s Hell Bent For Laughter (Metal Blade Records) Album Review 
Don Jamieson, comedian and co-host of VH1 Classic “That Metal Show” has released a sophomore comedy album called Hell Bent For Laughter (Metal Blade Records). “That Metal Show” is the longest running show on VH1 Classic which Don compares to ‘being the smartest one on Honey Boo Boo or the handsomest one on Duck Dynasty’. Don’s previous album Live and Hilarious debuted in the top ten on the Billboard comedy album chart.
Hell Bent For Laughter melds two things that I love, comedy and metal. The very title and album cover is an emulation of Judas Priest’s album Hell Bent For Leather. Don Jamieson talks about not only metal artists but pop artists as well. Artists he discusses are Guns N Roses, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica, Fall Out Boy, Kiss, Motley Crue, and Lady Gaga. I was taken aback at the daring of the politically incorrect topics. I interviewed Don about the boldness of his quips and he explained his thoughts on it to me. We also discussed the upcoming plans of “That Metal Show”. Find my interview here with Don here: Interview with Don Jamieson
As a nightclub comic, more than simply offending others, Don is also self-deprecating. After hearing the album, I wanted to give him a referral for a good therapist. He talks about the size of his penis, his signature lamb chop sideburns, and how his girlfriend is way too hot for him. This album covers sex, drugs and rock and roll in great detail and how a compass can help your sex life. While his is not the most cerebral comedy, math is a theme that is touched upon throughout the album. He pays homage to the magical vagina and talked about what we all on this site love; hard rock and metal music.
You can download Hell Bent for Leather here: Metal Blade Records
Find out more about Don on his website: www.donjamieson.com
Aerosmith’s Facebook
Aerosmith Vevo
Don’s MySpace
Don’s YouTube