DOYLE
~Mojoes in Joliet, Illinois
Heart Concert Review with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
Heart has been in Rock and Roll for over forty years. The staying power and success of a band with siblings is rare in the music industry. Their debut album Dreamboat Annie is indisputably their strongest album. The album was released in 1976. Most of the crowd became a fan of Heart in that great decade we remember as the Eighties. These Dreams and Bad Animals were the soundtracks of so many of the female fans’ lives. Don’t get me wrong, the guys were singing along too (just not as fervently as the women). The lyrics of “Alone” are relatable to every woman who has ever struggled with feminism and independence.
Openers Joan Jett and The Blackhearts are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Punk rock and Joan Jett are synonymous. Joan Jett was a founding member of The Runaways. Joan Jett and The Blackhearts started the show with “Bad Reputation”. Petite Joan Jett was looking especially well in skintight gray bodysuit and laced up leather jacket. She looked great at age fifty-six perhaps due in part to her vegetarianism. “Cherry Bomb” a hit from The Runaways was up next and some new songs were part of the setlist including “Any Weather”, a song co-written by Dave Grohl. The rendition of “I Love Rock and Roll” was solid but felt rote. The hit “Crimson and Clover” was next and the audience loved singing along to every single word of the song. Ending the night on a great note, “I Hate Myself For Loving You” was energetic and an anthem for women who always fall for the bad boys.
Heart started with their standard “Barracuda.” If they started with another song, I think their fans would be surprised. Heartmongers, Heart fan club members, abounded in the floor in front of the stage.
Ann Wilson who is sixty-four and Nancy Wilson who is four years younger looked and performed great with a classy style. Nancy wore a little black dress with a sheer collar and sheer sleeves along with tattoo designed leggings. A brilliant, sparkling bracelet adorned her left hand. Ann was dressed in black tunic and pants with multiple long sparkly necklace. Ann Wilson’s skill as a female rock vocalist is almost unparalleled. She is a soprano with a three octave range. Her voice was amazing still after over forty years.
They performed “What About Love” next and a man took his girlfriend into the aisle, got down on one knee and proposed to her. Kevin and Lisa became engaged during the song. Congratulations were handed out by everyone around them.
“Alone” was sung along to like we were all in the shower. The feeling when a crowd is singing with all they have is like no other. You feel a comararderie with the people around you. Ann talked about who when she was growing up, she wanted to sing like Aretha Franklin. The next song was an Aretha cover “Ain’t No Way”. They ended the night with “Crazy On You” with the introduction played acoustically by Nancy. Their encore was reliable as well with Led Zeppelin covers of “Immigrant Song”, “No Quarter”, and “Misty Mountain Hop”.
Best Rock Band List
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse (Photo from Holy City Sinner)
Formed 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, U.S.A.
Current Members (click on member’s name for Wikipedia):
Isaac Brock, vocalist
Jeremiah Green, drummer
Tom Peloso, guitarist
Russell Higbee, bassist
Jim Fairchild, guitarist, vocalist
Lisa Molinaro, violinist
Davey Brozowski, drummer
Resources: Accessed 2-19-2015
Chevelle at Expo Gardens in Peoria, Illinois
The Best Indie Rock Songs of 2014
Indie Rock is a genre that emerged in England however it has a grip firmly in international culture as well. It has evolved from a band rebelling from the heavy-handed by a major record label to a distinctive sound. For a band to become very large and stay independent can be hard. Artists are smarter nowadays and read record contracts before signing them. A band that has a great sound can get recognized through the internet and all media methods. There has been a resurgence of lo-fi sound and there are also strides being made in electronic indie rock. A lot of the songs deal with love, some are just fun, and all are the best songs looking back at 2014.
12. King And Cross by Ásgeir Ásgeir is an Islandic singer-songerwriter and He toured with Hozier. While the video is like an interpretative dance version of Game of Thrones. The song is an ethereal, fun song.
11. Heart Is a Drum by Beck B
eck won the Grammy for Album of The Year for Morning Phase. This track is a great representation of the entire album. It is a timeless song. Beck proves that Pharrell Williams is not the only who likes cool hats. Just watch the video for Heart is a Drum
10. Wait for Me by Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon are known for their hits “Use Somebody” and “Sex On Fire”. This track is a bit slower and more methodic. Kings of Leon is a band from Tennessee comprised of three Followill brothers and their cousin with the same surname.
9. Step by Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend was formed when the members met while attending Columbia University. The band has incorporated world music sounds into their music. The name Vampire Weekend came from a short film that Ezra Koenig worked on in the summer before sophomore year in college.
8. Mess Is Mine by Vance Joy Born James Keogh and taking the stage name is Vance Joy is an Australian singer-songwriter. Taylor Swift recently covered his song “Riptide”. “Mess Is Mine” is a sweet love song perfect for a weekend of love. The video is an interesting journey of a polar bear.
7. Red Eyes by The War on Drugs T
he War on Drugs has a timeless sound similar to a combination of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen with a synthesizer all mixed in. The War on Drugs is a band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
6. From Eden by Hozier
Andrew Hozier-Byrne is monomously known as Hozier. He has exploded onto the world with his social message video “Take Me To Church”. Hozier is a singer-songwriter with a pure, mellow sound. His album Hozier is perfect for a weekend with a lover. The majority of the songs are sweet about falling in and being in love with a person.
5. Shut Up + Dance by Walk The Moon
Walk The Moon is bringing back the amazing decade of the eighties with this catchy tune. The video is the epitome of bad eighties videos with a group of friends in crazy clothes dancing around.
4. Do You by Spoon
Spoon is a rock band formed in Austin, Texas. “Do You” is a fun song, full of good vibes. The video portrays a man who is beat up driving along in a world in havoc. He has a passenger in the backseat. At the end, we see who the culprit of the destruction is.
3. These Four Words by The Maine
The Maine is a rock band from Las Vegas. These Four Words is a testament to breaking up and following one’s heart. If you hear the melody of the piano from this song on a date, know that what is coming next is not going to be good.
2. Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys
This is the classic song about not moving on from an ex. This describes the feeling that we get when we second guess a break in a relationship. The lyrics, “Ever thought of calling when you’ve had a few? ‘Cause I always do, Maybe I’m too busy being yours to fall for someone”.
1. Lampshades on Fire by Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an indie rock powerhouse band from Washington, United States. They have a decade of hits and this song is off their upcoming album. You cannot sit still when listening to this song. It makes you want to get up and move to the beat. That is why it tops the list of best indie rock songs of 2014.
FEAR Tour Concert Review featuring Papa Roach, Seether, Kyng, and Islander
The Rave Eagles Club, Milwaukee, WI
The Rave Eagles Club is an almost ninety-year-old venue that features an oval ballroom. The view of the stage is great from about every angle here. The fans were of the older crowd and came to see both Seether and Papa Roach. The crowd was treated to two of the best new bands in rock as the openers. The venue was almost full and filled with fans that had been around for a while so the crowd surfing was minimal.
Islander started the evening with great energy. Their sound draws from many different areas. They began the evening with “Counteract” a song that is reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine. They performed their hit “Coconut Dracula” with fervor and spirit. The vocalist, Mikey Carvajal, showed his support of Jacoby Shaddix’s clothing line, Lovers Are Lunatics. Some Islander members also support the group The Whosoevers that is a Christian group to inspire others. Taking a chance, Mikey Carvajal, did some crowd surfing while performing and made it back to the stage safely. Watch for our interview with Mikey from Islander here.
Kyng band took the stage next and gave a hellacious, loud performance. This three-piece from Los Angeles, California have a vintage sound. What makes me a huge fan of Kyng is their poetic lyrics and rocking riffs. They performed some of their best songs such as “In The Land of Pigs” and “Falling Down”. Their lyrical poetry is an offshoot of their influences like Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, and Led Zeppelin. Their drummer, Pepe Clark Magaña, was especially on point that evening and their cover of Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” was impressive.
Seether is a band of genuine rockers whose lyrics are as poignant as they have been over the past twenty-plus years. Their stage set included a deer skull with red lights on Dale Stewart’s microphone stand. Shaun Morgan was over on the right side of the stage in his usual position. Seether’s new songs “Same Damn Life” and “Words As Weapons” are lyrically relevant much as “Broken” or “Fake It” are. Seether’s performance is always heartfelt and solid. When a large crowd sings along to “Broken”, you feel it in your soul.
Papa Roach had a high energy performance. Jacoby Shaddix’s voice was stronger than ever as the band releases a new album, F.E.A.R. (Face Everything and Rise) on January 27th. Papa Roach has been around for over twenty years as well. The onstage energy is finely honed to get the crowd into every song. The crowd at The Rave Eagles Club knew their Papa Roach. They stayed until the end. There was a lot of Infest album in the set list “Broken Home”, “Between Angels and Insects” and of course “Last Resort”. Much like Seether, Papa Roach’s new songs are as relevant today as they have been all these years. They performed the new tracks “Face Everything and Rise” and “Broken As Me”. I love to see these bands lasting the test of time and inspiring fans today.
Seether at The Rave Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F.E.A.R. Tour
Papa Roach at The Rave Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F.E.A.R. Tour
Islander at The Rave Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
F.E.A.R. Tour