The 2015 reunion concert of the original Alice Cooper band featuring Alice, Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway, Michael Bruce along with Ryan Roxie filling in for the late Glenn Buxton is coming in various formats and most notably the film of the whole event to DVD & Blue-ray! There will be vinyl variants, as well as awesome new packaging for fans and collectors.
Tracklisting:
“Caught In a Dream” “Be My Lover” “I’m Eighteen” “Is It My Body” “No More Mr. Nice Guy” “Under My Wheels” “School’s Out” “Elected” “Desperado” (Intro Bonus Track)
A Peter Goalby solo ‘Anthology’ will be released in September on Cherry Red Records. It pulls tracks from the 2 solo albums of long lost songs released in November of last year and May of this year. As well is adds 3 previously vinyl only released recordings Peter had done in the late ’80s and issued as singles under the names ‘Soho’ and ‘Perfect Stranger’.
“I Don’t Wanna Fight” & “It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)” were produced by Mickie Most and released in released on RAK Records in 1988 under the Perfect Stranger name, while “Mona Lisa Smile” (also backed with “It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)”) was also produced by Most, and released on RAK in ’88. The A-side was also co-written by Robin George, who is credited with arranging them on that single single release.
The past year of putting together his past solo recordings and seeing how great the response was to his CD releases was an eye opener for Peter Goalby, who had retired from the music business 30 years ago, and has been doing interviews and seeing positive reviews to Easy With The Heartaches & I Will Come Runnin’. Me hopes, but not very likely that someone, somewhere – will dig out more recordings from Peter’s past and get them properly released [ie Fable].
Tracklisting:
1 Hold The Dream 2 Waiting For An Angel To Call 3 Easy With The Heartaches 4 It Was There All The Time 5 They’ll Never Find Us (Running For Our Lives) 6 I Will Come Runnin’ 7 The Last Time 8 Dancing on Water 9 Mona Lisa Smile* 10 It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)* 11 I Don’t Wanna Fight*
LA hard rockers Classless Act have released their debut album Welcome To The Show, featuring 12 tracks, and including a couple of big name guests. If you are missing the high energy ’80s hard rock/metal of bands like Motley Crue, Guns ‘n Roses, Faster Pussycat, Slaughter…. Lots of good riffs, hooks, big vocal choruses, and songs geared for a live show. Best picks include “This Is For You” (featuring Justin Hawkins of The Darkness), “Haunting Love”, “Time To Bleed”, and the album’s lone acoustic number “Circles”. The band is currently on The Stadium Tour (w/ Def Leppard, Poison… ) and I’m betting are bringing the most energy to the day. The band does have a solo show booked in Toronto on August 9 at the Horseshoe Tavern. https://www.horseshoetavern.com/event/classless-act
[From press release: ] Today Classless Act, one of the most buzzed-about up-and-coming rock bands, are releasing their much-anticipated debut album, Welcome To The Show via Better Noise Music. Having already earned more than one million streams, the new album gained early traction with three previously released singles, including the self-titled “Classless Act” that features a guest appearance by Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil, the catchy “This Is For You” with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, and the bombastic “Time To Bleed.”
“Just like the song says, we gave you all our blood, our sweat, our tears, our hate, our sex, our deepest, darkest fears. This is for you!” said frontman Derek Day about the album.
Also premiering today is the new single and music video, “All That We Are,” the final installment in the four-part, interlocking video series that loosely follows the band as they set the soundtrack for the misadventures of Farley, an unlucky soul in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“All that we are – is it enough for us to survive?” asks Day. “This is a question, a concept we found ourselves asking after all we have been through over the past two years. Hell, the past seven or so years. We’ve been in a wee bit of a less-than-sunny time in our history. So what are we gonna do? Grow or go! Everyone needs to decide. We’ve got a show tonight, so I know what we’re doing!”
Classless Act is poised to find a whole new legion of fans, first with their single “Classless Act” appearing on the soundtrack for THE RETALIATORS film, out this fall, and as they continue in their opening spot on this summer’s 36-date North American Stadium Tour, performing alongside Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett. The tour kicked off June 16 in Atlanta and runs through September 9 in Las Vegas.
“They’re going to be right at home on this tour,” said Loudwire’s Toni Gonzalez. “They are straight up, fun rock ‘n’ roll, high energy, a little dirty and very reminiscent of when rock reigned supreme.”
Classless Act’s previous tour alongside Dorothy ushered in a slew of positive reviews, with Front Row Perspective writing, “Every now and again you run across a band which you can immediately categorize as ‘I saw them when’ for future conversations. Classless Act is one of those bands!” Or Official Indie who heralded, “Classless Act hit the stage at 100 miles per hour…Watching the high energy act on stage made me think of what it must have been like to have seen Guns N Roses when they first started.”
While the music tells it’s own story, so do the members of the band themselves, hailing from all over the globe, including Hawaii, Los Angeles, Argentina and Dallas. The band, featuring Derek Day (vocals), Dane Pieper (guitar), Griffin Tucker (guitar), Franco Gravante (bass), and Chuck McKissock (drums), first formed in 2018 when the five former strangers met via social media.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW TRACKLISTING: 1. Classless Act (feat. Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe) 2. This Is For You (feat. Justin Hawkins of The Darkness) 3. Time To Bleed 4. On My Phone 5. All That We Are 6. Made In Hell 7. Storm Before The Calm 8. Haunting Love 9. Walking Contradiction 10. Give It To Me 11. Circles 12. Thoughts From A Dying Man
Digital, CDs, cassettes and colored vinyl copies of the album can be ordered HERE.
ABOUT CLASSLESS ACT When they released their debut single “Give It To Me” in the summer of 2021, Classless Act were immediately praised for their ability to sound both fresh and timeless. Loudwire instantly added the song to their “Weekly Wire” Spotify playlist, identifying it as one of the top new releases of the summer. And other iconic outlets, like SPIN Magazine, were early to show support. It was a fitting public introduction to a band who embody what it means to be modern rock stars.
Formed in 2018 and consisting of five former strangers who met via social media, Classless Act — Derek Day/vocals, Dane Pieper/guitar, Griffin Tucker/guitar, Franco Gravante/bass, and Chuck McKissock/drums — quickly formed a brotherhood bonded through a series of double-taps, DM’s, and tagged comments. Their music echoes the hallmarks of previous generations – anthemic rhythms, shreddy guitars, and soaring vocals – but punches its way into the future with clever arrangements, sharp musicianship, and proficient songwriting; and, according to one writer, “…enough energy to power a city.” Already making noise in the industry, the band has worked with world-class producers like Bob Rock, Michael Beinhorn and Joe Chiccarrelli, who have helped craft hits for the likes of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes. The band recently landed a deal with Better Noise Music, Mediabase and Billboard’s #1 rock label for 2021, and their debut album, Welcome to the Show, will be released June 24, 2022. Having been invited to join the line-up on The Stadium Tour, this summer’s 36-date, co-headline trek with Motley Crue and Def Leppard, Classless Act is well on its way to achieving its collective goal – being a next-generation defining act.
Albert Bouchard’s Imaginos II : Bombs Over Germany, which came out last October is now available on vinyl. Check out the link below. Imaginos 2 features guest appearances from former Blue Oyster Cult bandmates Eric Bloom, Joe Bouchard, Buck Dharma, as well as Richie Castellano [of BOC], as well a number of guitar players. The album’s art was [again] created by Richard Zoll. Among the 14 tracks are classy re-workings of such BOC favorites as “OD’d On Life Itself”, “Cities On Flame (With Rock And Roll)”, “Dominance And Submission”, “The Red And The Black”, and “Shadow Of California” (feat Ross ‘The Boss’ Freidman on classical guitar).
Albert will be playing 3 shows with BOC in September, celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary, and performing the band’s first 3 albums in entirety (a separate one each night). He also has summer tour dates with Joe (The Bouchard Brothers in UK) and Blue Coupe (US & Canada)!
American Rocker is the 6th solo album from former Blue Oyster Cult member Joe Bouchard. Over the past 15 years Joe has been a prolific songwriter, delivering albums regularly, each with new themes and cool tracks, including those fine tunes that Blue Oyster Cult fans can imagine as gems that would’ve fit well on classic BOC albums. Songs here are written with Joe’s past in mind with Joe stating in the liner notes – “American Rocker is a musical reflection of my life as a rock star. I feel lucky to live a life in music, and to be fulfilling my wildest dreams.” The stand out single here is “In The Golden Age”, which tells of the great times being in a major band during rock’s golden era, while “Hey There Suzi Dear” is a fun upbeat track (and album closer) that revisits one of the characters from BOC’s classic “Astronomy”!
Over his solo career Joe has definitely created his own sound, and it’s those acoustic based dreamy and sometimes haunting melodies and tunes that stand out like the ballad “Deadly Kisses”, “The Devil’s In The Details”, “Off Season Hotel”, and the catchy pop track “Katherine” – all sound great for a summer’s day. Love the production and various instruments used throughout this album, while Mickey Curry plays drums throughout, there are some awesome productions, such as with “Off Season Hotel” which also features John Jorgenson on flamenco guitar, Albert Bouchard on bongos & rhythm guitar, and Joe adding various keyboards, guitars, bass…. Albert appears on a few tracks, also notably the rockin’ “Love Out Of Thin Air” – adding temple bells, triangle and rhythm guitar, Joan Levy Hepburn adding backing vocals here [as well as a few others], and Joe creatively adding organ, piano, cornet, and finger snaps, all making for a great mix of one of the album’s best here.
There is a lot to dig in to here, 11 tracks, lots of different instrumentation [Joe also using mandolin, slide guitar and trumpet on occasion], some great stories in the lyrics, and a great mix of sound and songs. I probably said this with Strange Legends, but THIS is the best thing Joe’s done since he started making solo albums. Cool packaging with various images from Joe’s past, including the cover.
TALAS are back with the release of their new album 1985, which will see a September 23, 2022 release via Metal Blade Records. Fans can preorder the album and check out the new single “Crystal Clear”.
Formed in the mid 70s and dissolved in 1985, TALAS may have never reached arena-headlining status but they were an integral part of the early 80s hard rock scene, and their long awaited return does not disappoint. “The time was right and we were all into it, no one needed any convincing, we were all instantly excited to do it,” explains bassist Billy Sheehan, who is rejoined by drummer Mark Miller and powerhouse vocalist Phil Naro, as well as new recruit Kire Najdovski on guitar. “It’s like we never stopped – everything fell together so easily. It was quite wonderful.” Now they return with 1985, 11 tracks of classic hard rock, picking up where they left off, and it is a release that will have old school fans salivating and new followers fired up with its big riffs, seductive choruses and killer soloing – basically everything that could be wanted from a TALAS record.
Najdovski may be relatively new to the band, but his playing is pure Talas. “He’s a great player with great ideas and a joy to work with. Phil had worked with him previously, so I trusted his judgement, and it worked out perfectly.” The band also welcomed former guitarist Mitch Perry to appear on the record, playing on the two songs that he wrote, “Crystal Clear” and “On The Take”, adding an extra dimension and bringing back more of that old school vibe.
Asked why people should be excited for this comeback, Sheehan answers enthusiastically. “Because so many of them were there, with us, and a million other great bands that made the 80s such a special musical experience. And also there are so many who might not have been there but have fallen in love with that spirit as well. We feel a very special bond with them all.”
With all but one song – “Black And Blue” – written in 1985, the album would have been their fourth full-length had they not split, and while they have worked hard to get the best out of them they have not tampered with the tracks or given them a modern twist, letting them live in the era in which they were created. “We wanted a snapshot of our musical life from 1985,” explains Sheehan. “It’s the same spirit, mostly the same people, and it’s bringing the 80s into 2022. The 80s were an amazing time for music and bands, and we were all excited to go back to that, and I would say the record is raw, real, honest, and exhilarating.”
The album was recorded in Miller’s living room, in the house he built, utilizing a mobile recording setup, and according to Sheehan the sessions were “an absolute joy.” Coordinating everything remotely during the pandemic – with Russ Mackay handling the engineering/mixing/mastering from Toronto – was the hardest aspect of recording, but they managed to pull it all together, making a record that sounds cohesive from start to finish, giving no suggestion that it was anything but a smooth process. As well as Mitch Perry’s guest appearance the band also invited Naro’s son, James, to appear on the record, who “sang some harmonies – like father, like son, he sounded really great.” There are hopes to tour the record, though sadly, after a years long battle with cancer, Naro passed in 2021, but thankfully he recorded all of his parts prior to his death, and 1985 stands as a great epitaph to a great vocalist.
1985 will be available in the following formats: – Digital – Digipak-CD – 180g Black Vinyl (EU exclusive) – Gold Vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies) – Clear/Pale Green Marbled Vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies) – White/Black Marbled Vinyl (US)
WINGS OF STEEL is a new hard-rock/metal band from Los Angeles featuring guitarist Parker Halub and singer Leo Unnermark. The band’s 5 track EP is (you can check out my review in a previous post), and the band is preparing to make their live debut. The band’s sound captures the classic 70s & 80s eras of hard rock & metal (see UFO, Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Great White…). Here is a new interview with Parker & Leo on the band, their EP, and future plans! …. *Check out the links below for more info and ordering their album.
Can you tell me [briefly] how yourself and Leo met and decided to put together Wings of Steel?
We met in April 2019 while studying music in L.A. It was pretty evident from the start that we would form a band and things basically took off from there.
Can you each give me a short list of favorite musicians, singers, writers… as well as ‘Top 10’ list of your favorite albums growing up?
Some of my (Parker) favorite musicians/guitar players include John Sykes, Michael Schenker, Neal Schon, John Norum, Estas Tonne, and many more. Some of Leo’s favorites include David Coverdale, Paul Rodgers, Steve Lee, Bruce Dickinson, Robin McAuley, and more. Part of what makes Wings of Steel what it is, is the fact that Leo and I take influences from many different sources and it would be a difficult task to give an exact answer with every source that has inspired us. That said, here are 10 of our favorite records; 1. Dio – Lock Up the Wolves (1990) 2. Judas Priest – Painkiller (1990) 3. Whitesnake ‘87 (1987) 4. Blue Murder – Blue Murder (1989) 5. Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations (1980) 6. Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell (1980) 7. Krokus – Heart Attack (1987) 8. Y&T – Ten (1990) 9. Dokken – Tooth and Nail (1984) 10. Gotthard – Gotthard (1992).
Where did the name Wings of Steel come from? And can you tell me a bit about the CD artwork?
The band name actually sprung from the title track “Wings of Steel.” We had spent a great deal of time trying to find a name that does justice to our sound/style, and after writing the song, we had found it. As for the artwork, Leo and I had an idea sketched out on a piece of paper that we took to our good friend and tattoo artist Spencer Caliguiri. We gave a rough description of what we wanted and Spencer delivered the final product on the first try.
What [if] of other recording bands had you each been involved with in the past?
Both of us have been involved in previous bands, more so for the sake of live entertainment rather than recording.
Can you give me a bit of insight in to each of the 5 tracks, as to where the musical and lyrical ideas came from and any antidotes from recording them?
Songs are totally up for interpretation. Most of the songs are written as perspectives on a wide variety of things. Fictive imagination and sometimes real life examples of society, spirituality, and overwhelming emotion are some examples of larger scale topics; things that can be touched on multiple levels. A part of the journey of Wings of Steel is to give the listener the option of owning the song by allowing it to carry multiple meanings. The music and what ultimately becomes the Wings of Steel sound is a combination of both our inputs. As we mentioned earlier, our influences (musically and lyrically) come from many sources/genres and it’s tough to definitively name them all. The bulk of the EP was recorded in our Bomb Shelter turned studio at Parker’s parents’ place out in Thousand Oaks, CA. It’s hard to pick any one particular highlight as the EP was recorded over the span of a few months and when you’re having fun, the process takes care of itself and we’re just along for the ride.
This is a 5 song EP, done independently. Have you guys shopped it around to any labels? And is there plans [or work begun] for a full length album?
We’ve had several labels approach us with offers since the EP went live back in March, however we plan to stay independent for the indefinite future as we don’t want our creative process and image being limited or influenced by a contractual obligation. Owning the rights to our own music is important to us as well. As for our next release, we have already begun the writing process and are looking forward to a release sometime next year.
As the band is based around the 2 of you, are any shows planned and other players chosen?
We have our debut show planned for September 23 at the Whisky-A-GoGo in Hollywood. We will be joined by a second guitarist and bassist, as well as Mike Mayhem who played drums on the EP.
(for Leo) – There is a huge hard rock / metal scene in Sweden. Can you share some insight on it and perhaps a few of your favorite Swedish bands at present?
In the bigger cities, there’s definitely a solid presence/scene of hard rock/heavy metal music. There aren’t too many upcoming bands that have caught my attention, however some of my favorite Swedish rock bands/musicians include Europe, Treat, 220 Volt, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Mickey Dee.
DIRTY HONEY PRESENTS THE “CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’” TOUR Dorothy and Mac Saturn will be Special Guests.
Having recently wrapped up the massively successful Young Guns tour that Bass Magazine called “a co-headline tour of two of the greatest modern-day rock bands,” today DIRTY HONEY announces “The California Dreamin’ Tour. ” The 28-date, North American headline trek will also see the band play a handful of major festivals and radio shows and include their first tour of Canada. “The California Dreamin’ Tour” will launch on Thursday, August 25, at Waterfest in Oshkosh, WI, and wrap at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, CA, on October 9. Fellow Los Angeles rock band Dorothy will join the tour in Portland, OR on September 7 as direct support, and Detroit rockers Mac Saturn will open the shows on all dates. Go HERE for all ticket purchasing information.
“This tour is a statement tour, and the statement is that ‘Rock is alive and well,’ and three bands are heading out to prove that – Dirty Honey, Dorothy, and newcomers Mac Saturn,” said guitarist John Notto. “Get your ticket and get your ass out here.”
“While this will be our first tour of Canada,” vocalist Marc LaBelle added, “we’ve played a handful of shows there and were floored by the reception. Canada definitely has a very strong appetite for rock’n’roll, and we’re coming to feed the fire.”
Although this is their first proper Canadian tour, Dirty Honey is no stranger to the Great White North. Dirty Honey’s debut single, “When I’m Gone,” hit #7 Active Rock in Canada, and their second single, “Rollin’ 7s,” peaked at #5 on the same chart. And this past March, Dirty Honey co-headlined a show with Mammoth WVH in Toronto and has previously played in Canada with Slash and Miles Kennedy/Alter Bridge and at Heavy MTL in 2019.
Just before the “California Dreamin’ Tour” kick-off, Dirty Honey will make it’s UK/European debut with a 29-city run. The itinerary will include a handful of headline club dates, slots on major summer festivals, including the UK’s Download Festival, Switzerland’s Rock The Ring, Hellfest in France, and Belgium’s Graspop, playing stadiums with Guns N’ Roses and KISS, and theaters with Rival Sons.
The dates for Dirty Honey’s “California Dreamin’ Tour” are as follows: August 25 Waterfest, Leach Amphitheater, Oshkosh, WI* 26 Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN* 27 Fargo Brewing Co., Fargo, ND* 29 The Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB* 31 Louis’, Saskatoon, SK*
September 2 Starlite Room Edmonton, AB* 3 Commonwealth, Calgary, AB* 5 Rickshaw, Vancouver, BC* 7 Revolution Hall, Portland, OR^ 8 The Neptune, Seattle, WA^ 9 Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA^ 11 The Pub Station, Billings, MT^ 13 Bourbon Theatre, Lincoln, NE^ 14 Val Air Ballroom, Des Moines, IA^ 16 House of Blues, Cleveland, OH^ 17 Del Lago Casino, Waterloo, NY@ 19 Club Soda, Montreal, QC* 21 HMAC, Harrisburg, PA^ 24 Pine Knob, WRIF Radio Show, Detroit, MI+ 25 Louder Than Life, Louisville, KY+ 27 The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI^ 28 The Forge, Joliet, IL^ 30 Apollo Theatre AC, Belvidere , IL^
October 1 Red Flag, St. Louis, MO^ 2 TempleLive, Fort Smith, AR^ 5 Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ^ 7 The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA^ 9 Aftershock Festival, Sacramento, CA+ * Mac Saturn will support @ Dorothy will support ^ Mac Saturn and Dorothy will support + Festival date
Band bio / press, 2021:
Some musicians take a while to build an audience and connect with fans. For the Los Angeles-based quartet Dirty Honey, success came right out of the gate. Released in March 2019, the band’s debut single, “When I’m Gone,” became the first song by an unsigned artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock chart. Their second single, “Rolling 7s,” went into the Top 5 and was still headed up when COVID changed everything. That same year, Dirty Honey opened for The Who, Guns ’N Roses, Slash, and Alter Bridge and was the “do-not-miss-band” at major rock festivals such as Welcome to Rockville, Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, Heavy MTL, and Epicenter. On its first U.S. headline tour in January and February 2020, the band sold out every date. When it came time to record its self-titled full-length debut album, the band—vocalist Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone—wasn’t about to mess with what was already working. Teaming up with producer Nick DiDia (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam), who also produced the band’s 2019 self-titled EP, Dirty Honey again captured the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of their live sound. “As a guitarist, I’m always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff,” says Notto. “I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we had already made. We weren’t looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, ‘Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'” “Because of the pandemic,” added drummer Coverstone, “we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I think it really made a difference.” Dirty Honey’s album indeed builds on the band’s output to date, with airtight songwriting that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock’n’roll, melodic hard rock, and soulful 70s blues-rock. On “The Wire,” LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock’s best vocalists, while “Another Last Time” is a raunchy, timeless ballad about a toxic relationship that you just can’t stop saying goodbye to. “Tied Up” and the album’s lead single “California Dreamin,’’ both feature smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks. “‘California Dreaming’ was the last song we wrote,” said bassist Justin Smolian. “We finished it about two weeks before we recorded it, so the song was still so new, and we were trying out different things, so every take was a little different. But there was that one where we just captured it, and it was magic.” Although each band member started playing music as kids—at the age of eight, Notto’s parents even bought him a red-and-white Stratocaster—each one brings eclectic influences to Dirty Honey’s sound. For example, drummer Coverstone has studied with jazz and L.A. session drummers but loves heavy metal; Notto grew up listening to ’70s funk and R&B as well as rock ‘n’ roll, and bassist Smolian has a bachelor of music in classical guitar and loves Tom Petty and The Beach Boys. LaBelle meanwhile, takes cues from his songwriting idols (to name a few, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Chris Robinson, and the late Chris Cornell) when coming up with lyrics. As a result, the songs on the Dirty Honey album hint at life’s ebbs and flows—shattering heartbreak, romantic connection, intense soul-searching—while giving listeners space to draw their own conclusions. “Sometimes, if you just let lyrics pass behind your ears, they sound like cool shit is being said,” LaBelle says. “And then once you dive in, you realize, ‘Oh, that’s really thoughtful.’ But it still doesn’t have a meaning that’s easy to pinpoint. There’s an overarching idea that is really cool, but it’s not necessarily on-the-nose.” Although the Dirty Honey album may sound effortless, its genesis had a bumpy start. The day before the band members were due to fly to Australia to track the album, Los Angeles entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and traveling was off the table. However, Dirty Honey was still eager to work with DiDia, so they devised a Plan B: recording the full-length in a Los Angeles studio with one of DiDia’s long-time engineers, and the producer beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology. “He was able to listen to what we were laying down in real-time, through this app,” says LaBelle. It was like he was in the room with us. It was surprisingly seamless the way it all went down.” Having to switch gears delayed the start of recording slightly, although this extra time ended up being a boon. Dirty Honey rented a rehearsal space and demoed the album’s songs in advance, meaning the tracks were in good shape when DiDia came onboard. Notto mixed and recorded these workshopped tracks himself, which helped him rediscover one of Dirty Honey’s biggest strengths: being well-rehearsed while not over polishing their work. “I’ve learned just a little bit more about what people might mean when they say, magic—you know, ‘This one has the magic,'” he says. “We would do two and three different demos of a song, so there would be a few versions. On a few occasions, the version that people kept going back to was the sloppiest, if you look at it from a performance standpoint.” LaBelle agrees. “It’s just about getting the performance right and not thinking about it too much. I never like to be perfect in the studio. None of the stuff that I really liked as a kid was. I don’t really see myself getting away from that too much in the future just because I think you lose the soul if you do it too many times, if it’s too perfect.” Notto also admits that the creative process isn’t necessarily always all fun and games. But for him and the rest of Dirty Honey, pushing through those tough times and coming out stronger on the other side is worth it. “When you finally come through on those moments, that’s where the real magic comes in,” he says. “What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don’t allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them.” Dirty Honey’s self-titled debut album was released on April 23, 2021, debuted at #2 on the Hard Rock Albums Chart, and the album’s first single, “California Dreamin’,” sailed into the Top 15. As a nod to the many people who come to California chasing a dream, the song’s music video, directed by APLUSFILMZ’ Scott Fleishman, took the viewer on several trips through a magical doorway, not to the glitz and glamour, but to the darker sides of the Golden State. That summer, the band went out on a nine-week tour as Main Support for The Black Crowes’ “Shake Your Money Maker” U.S tour, receiving glowing reviews and standing ovations at the majority of the tour’s shows – not bad for a still-breaking opening act. Dirty Honey began 2022 with a special performance of the Prince classic, “Let’s Go Crazy,” shot on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 frozen lakes, that kicked off TNT’s New Year’s Day broadcast of the National Hockey Winter Classic. On February 20, the band headed out on the Young Guns tour, a 34-city, co-headline tour with Mammoth WVH, with both bands firmly intent on proving that rock’n’roll is very much alive and well. Dirty Honey’s new single, “Another Last Time,” was released on February 25, accompanied by a captivating, real-time, “one-take” music video, that plays out as an unbroken ribbon of storytelling.
For GOLDEN EARRING fans, guitarist/writer Goerge Kooymans and American guitarist Frank Carillo released their 2nd album titled Mirage. It includes 10 tracks , notably Kooymans’ “Seasons”, which was originally written in 1968 for Dutch band Earth & Fire.
from press:
Twelve years after their debut album On Location, George Kooymans and Frank Carillo return to the front with their second album entitled Mirage. Recorded over a period of approximately three years in various studios and countries, Mirage offers ten tracks that illustrate the natural chemistry between the two guitarists, showcasing artistic excellence, as well as a wide array of musical influences.
,,Four countries, a fantastic cast of real characters, sometimes an ocean between us and more than a few laughs: That’s how Mirage came to life. We wrote a number of the songs in George’s kitchen while he cooked and I strummed guitar. Then he strummed and I got on the cutting board. We like to cook.” – George Kooymans & Frank Carillo
George and Frank are accompanied by a.o. Paul Orofino (banjo, guitar, Hammond Organ), Rinus Gerritsen (bass), Bobby Langenberg (drums), Ocki Klootwijk (bass), John Sonneveld (keyboards, programming) and George’s daughter Cassy on harmony vocals.
,,It wasn’t a conscious effort to make a CD. We just wanted to write and record because we loved doing what we do. After a while, we realized that we had enough material recorded to put out a new collection so here it is.” – George Kooymans & Frank Carillo
TRACKLISTING
1. Mirage 5.01 2. Where The Devil Won’t Go 2.43 3. Sweet Revenge 3.25 4. If I Go There 3.13 5. Den Of Thieves 4.03 6. Ticket To Heaven 3.21 7. I Wish You Were Still Here 4.50 8. Living Now 4.06 9. Crystal Cracking 4.40 10. Christmas in Gaza 2.27 11. Seasons (bonus track) 4.41
Mirage is released on 17th June 2022 by Red Bullet Productions and will be available through all renowned worldwide music dealers and online shops, plus digital channels (Spotify, Apple Music, a.o.). A vinyl version will follow later this year through Music On Vinyl.
*There is also Another release of Golden Earring’s classic Live album. I have the white vinyl of this, as well there is a red vinyl issue (released in 2019 & ’21 respectively). This edition issued on ‘blade bullet’ vinyl reportedly comes from the master tapes – “To celebrate its 45th anniversary, the album is being remastered for the very first time from the original master tapes.” I am curious how improved it will sound(?) A shame there’s no ‘bonus’ material .
This is an interview I did via email with Don Mancuso, formerly of Black Sheep in August of 2001 to promote his first solo album Now You See It. The CD featured 14 tracks, all written or co-written by Don, except for a cool cover of Badfinger’s “No Matter What”. His next album would be titled DDrive, and would be the basis for the band that became DDrive and more recently Lips Turn Blue, who’ve just released a new album – LTB.
(08/01) Rochester based guitarist Don Mancuso has been around the upstate New York scene for decades! In his early days he was in BLACK SHEEP with singer Lou Gramm [pre FOREIGNER], and after extensive tours of the US in the 70s supporting numerous classic bands and 2 LPs Black Sheep split before Don went on to form such bands as AURORA, CELTIC FIRE, and the legendary CHEATER!
Most recently Don has been playing and recording in RED HEART – which features a few ex members of Cheater. Don’s also got his first solo album out titled “Now You See It”; issued independently. Now You See It is a fine mix of rock, along with influences of fusion, southern, and roots rock n roll. It features a number of strong cuts like “Eyes of God”, “Freedom”, the instrumental “Waazzup”, and a decent cover of the Badfinger classic “No Matter What”.
Here Don discusses his career, tells a few Black Sheep tales, and gives the lowdown on his brand new solo album.
Can you give me a Top 10 list of favorite albums?
DM:
1) Axis Bold As Love (Hendrix) 2)Guitar Shop (Jeff Beck) 3)Free At Last (Free) 4) Dosage (Collective Soul) 5) White Album (The Beatles) 6) Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart (The Beatles) 7) Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles) 8)Couldn’t Stand the Rain (SRV) 9) Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Traffic) I think that’s the title… 10) Goodbye Creame (Creame)
Black Sheep was your first band, with Lou Gramm !? How did you get involved in that band, and what was your early take on Lou? 😉
Actually the bass player Bruce Turgon (who is now with Foreigner) heard me playing outdoors at a dance that I was playing at with a band called Maelstrom. He was at his girlfriend’s house and heard me playing from a half a mile away. (I must’ve been playing pretty LOUD!) He liked what he heard and had me over for an audition, which of course led to being the first american act signed to Chrysalis Records. (see my bio for details) then to 2 albums with Capital Records. That of course led to him getting into Foreigner. As far as my take on Lou, I felt that he was a great person, writer and singer and I loved working with him. We were like brothers from 1973- 1976. Didn’t spend much time apart between touring, recording, writing and hanging out together.
Black Sheep released 2 albums. How did those albums do nationally? And how do you think of them in retrospect? [any favorites?] oh…and how did you get signed on to Capitol ?
The first album “Black Sheep” sold well. I heard somewhere around 80-100,000 copies world wide. The second one “Encouraging Words” didn’t do quite as well. Somewhere around 40-50.000 copies.(from what we heard!) not 100% certain that these numbers are it, but that’s what we were told. I think these albums were GREAT! Some of my finest work and definitely a lot of emotion to it. I didn’t quite have the experience, or chops that I do now, but I have learned a lot from “myself” and what I’m capable of doing both writing and playing wise from these albums.(As you do with every project) I think my favorite one is Encouraging Words though. We had a chance to grow a little before that one and laid out a lot of spontaneous emotion along with some more organized ideas. The way we got signed was through an A&R rep that had heard a demo and quit Columbia Records to pursue his own production company. Stuart Allen Love was his name and between himself, a music lawyer named Barry Platnik and Vincent Romeo a honcho at ICM booking agency in NYC they worked the political magic that gets act signed.
The saying “it’s not what you know, but who!!”. It’s all that and more!
You guys toured with a ton of great 70s bands like Kiss, Argent [Wow! I’m a fan], Manfred Mann, 10 years After…. Any great stories from those tours? Any bands you loved or hated playing with?
I loved playing with all of them! (oh, by the way you forgot Blue Oyster Cult, Ted Nugent, Peter Frampton and Procol Harem) But seriously, they were all my idols, except for Kiss at the time. I never thought much about them until I witnessed them Live! They were WILD!!
As far as stories I’ll give you the worst and the best. When we were touring with Kiss the very first show I was standing on the side of the stage after we had finished our set and all of sudden I’m standing in this huge shadow. I turned around to see Gene Simons towering over me in that unbelievable outfit with an axe guitar! He must’ve known what I was thinking by the look on my face. He told me that he had watched our show and he loved the band! I was shocked and honored. Most headliners shit on the opening acts, basically because they need to make them selves look and sound better. These guys did not worry about that! Alvin Lee from Ten Years after was the same way. We got to be great friends and got into lots of trouble together… The bad story, well we had just finished recording our second album with a new drummer who hadn’t even played out in 5-6 years and was a farmer outside of Rochester N.Y. We had done some work to get the new show together and accepted a last minute gig at the New York Academy of music in NYC warming up for our hero at the time Peter Frampton. Well Peter hadn’t hit the big time with Alive yet and it turned out he was not the draw for the show either! We were plugged in, in place of a group called Montrose (who were the draw on that show). To try and make a long story short, we came out all psyched and had people screaming for Montrose and throwing shit at us to get us off the stage. If that wasn’t bad enough the power went out on the guitar amps and keyboards so Lou, Bruce and the “new” drummer who never played in front of a crowd larger than 200 people were naked in the wind for the rest of the set! That’s Rock-N-Roll!!
Who else was in Black Sheep? Any recordings past Lou Gramm’s time with the band?
The only people that were in Black Sheep during 1973 through 1978 when we broke up were myself, Lou, Ron Rocco (first drummer), Bruce Turgon, Larry Crozier and Mike Bonnafiedie (the second drummer) that was it. Everything we recorded was released on either Chysalis, or Capital.
What can you tell me such band’s as Aurora and Celtic Fire? [who else was in them, any recordings, tours…] ?
Well, Aurora was a fusion band that I was in for 2 years after BS. We didn’t do any national touring, but did a lot of TV shows and club dates. Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire was a Celtic Rock band that did a good amount of touring and had 2 CD’s out on their own label. I was the guitarist on the second one only “Flames of Eviction”. Great Stuff and Linda and her family are some incredibly talented and creative musicians. Our claim to fame was playing at Woodstock 99 on the “Emerging Artist Stage” It just so happened that both the main stages were down when we played, so they broad casted us over the whole network of media equipment over the 5 mile coverage! More people saw me play guitar that day than on 4 dates combined on the Kiss tour. Not bad! You know the story on Cheater, we had an EP out and toured nationally and were like the Beatles of upstate NY when we disbanded.
Cheater was a fairly popular band in the Buffalo area for years. What are your fondest memories of this band, and the scene back then? Buffalo had a big HR scene in the 80s. Did Cheater have much success or following outside of the region?
Yes Cheater was huge in the area of upstate NY, Ohio, Florida and one, or two other places in the country. It was mostly from people that lived in NY had the EP and would turn people onto it where ever they happened to move. We had fans in Texas, Calif, Tennessee and who knows where else. Not millions, but 100’s. My fondest memories are of the people & the music that band created. We were actually supposed to be sign after spending $60,000 on the Cheater Album, which was produced by an assistant of Mutt Langs, Nick Blagona. Just before they signed us and heard the record they decided that our singer Jeff Cosco sounded too much like Steve Perry of Journey and for them to release it, we would need to get a new singer. Well, being the people we were there was no way we were going kick out the singer we loved working with and that helped create these songs, so we allowed ourselves to get dumped and ate the cost of the record. Only recently we finally got the masters back and are going to have them re mastered for release!
What’s the deal with the Cheater CD coming out of previously unreleased recordings? What can you tell us about those? BTW, aside from originals did Cheater play many covers? [if so, anything in particular?]
See above! Cheater did play covers like Zeppelin, Humble Pie , Journey (of course).
You also did some sessions with Ian Lloyd. What project was this for?
The thing with Ian Lloyd was a demo that Bruce Turgon was doing for his solo thing. We did it at the Hit Factory in NYC.
Wish I had a copy of that! Someday I’ll have to nail Bruce down and get one. It was wild working with him he was one of the lesser known staff writers for Foreigner from what I heard. Great voice, it just took him a while to work into it in the studio. (He said it was blowing himself out on the road with Stories after Brother Louie)
In recent years you put together Red Heart [w/ Jeff Cosco, also of Cheater]. What can you tell me about this band? How is the CD you guys recorded? And what are you currently up to with them?
Red Heart is basically a Modern rock band with a classic rock edge to it. We have the original drummer from Black Sheep (Ron Rocco) and between myself Jeff and Ron we wrote all the material on it. It’s got some great songs on it and it was recorded and produced by Jeff Cosco at his 8trk studio. We play a lot of clubs, festivals and so forth in the Northeast part of the country. A couple of our songs from the Bridge CD are being considered for movie soundtracks. We’re doing warm up dates for some national acts like Kim Mitchell. (Who is another one of my idols by the way!) We’re also working on the next CD.
When did you decide to do a solo disc? Is it safe to assume this was done over a long period of time?
I decided to do a solo disk about 2 years ago. Yes, it did take all 2 years and then some to complete. Way more than I had hoped..
Now You See It features a wide range of rock songs, jazz and southern influences, etc… What can you tell me about how the process of putting together such an album? 😉
I took all the ideas out of a library that I keep at home of all the original pieces of music that I’ve recorded over the years. Some are even original demo’s of the Celtic Fire cd that I really thought came out cool and left it just the way it was. Most people don’t recognize it as being Celtic Fire of course because it’s me doing everything and it sounds much heavier. As far as the different types music on it, I did that intentionally. I love everything from R&B to soul, to Punk, to classical, to Celtic, to Reggae. I love anything that has an edge to it. You have to understand that many people have used me as a hired gun guitarist/writer and all they know me for is hard rock, which I love and can do very well, but I needed to show people that there are another couple of sides to Don Mancuso.
You used a number of singers, but don’t do any vocals yourself, why? And aside from Jeff, what can you tell me about a few of the others?
I don’t like the sound of my voice unless it’s used for texture, or harmonies. I’m not a great singer and I didn’t want to settle for doing it myself just because I could. There’s a lot of my voice on there, but it’s disguised. Maybe someday I’ll find a song that I like the way I sound on and do it then! The other singers.. First there Garrett Crumb who co- wrote and sang the first cut Alota Nerve and the tenth cut Black-N-Dizease, which is getting some airplay in Germany on the Lord Litter’s Radio Show. The other main singer writer on is Pat Petrone. We go back to high school together and have done many bands. He has the most incredible Ballad voice. sounds kind of like Steve Winwood. That’s what prompted me to do a lot of the mellower stuff on there. It just complimented his voice very well. He also sings on Eye’s of God, which is definitely the heaviest cut though! I also had a friend that I wanted to do some writing with that is on their, Dawn Sherman. She has a wonderful voice and a real feel for writing in that country/rock type of vein. So that’s why Freedom is in there. (Besides the fact that I LOVE the performance and sound of the guitar solo!!) It’s one of those things that only will happen once!
Decent cover of Badfinger’s ‘No Matter What! Why did you do this track [being a trademark tune of their’s] ? And are you a big BF fan?
Thank you for the compliment on the choice. I loved Badfinger and had this version of No Matter What that I had done with another band that I liked, so I had just got a deal on a used Leslie 122 tone cabinet, which I needed to finish it and whaallaa! By the way the singer on that one’s name is Vince Guarnerie. Forgot to mention him in question 12 He’s a good friend and the only guy I know right now that can hit those high notes!
Can you give me a few words about some of your personal faves [or stronger tracks] from Now You See It? Are there any tracks you’ve been [or will be] pushing to local radio stations?
Every song on the Now You See It CD is my personal fave. I had plenty of ideas to pick from and these were all the A cuts. It depends on what type of music you like or are interested in playing on a radio station. For hard rock I really like Little Tail and
Black-N-Dizease, for more current sounding stuff I like Eye’s Of God.. (Very Heavy) For Pop I recommend Lonely Look! And for soulful rock I’d say Waaazzup. (I even have trouble recreating that one live!) If you like more of a classical edge then I Fly. Well as you can see I’m going to mention every song on there because I love them all, so I’ll stop here and let your readers decided. It’s interpretation anyway.
How has response been thus far to the CD? What promo / marketing plans are you undertaking? & Will the disc be mainly available at your web site, or will it be in [local?] shops? Any plans to promote it live?
The response has been GREAT! It’s the first project that I’ve done to date outside of Black Sheep that’s in the Black after only 4 months. The promo right now is just word of mouth, internet, and talking to anybody and everybody I can about it. I have Phil Naro (who might possibly sing, co-write and help produce the next one!) shopping it overseas in Canada and the US. I very little to nothing about marketing and promo, so can’t imagine how well I would be doing if I had that end together! I have hired a personal manager though to help try and get this done as well as book live performances for the show.
I’ve only played one show so far in my own home town, so I’m looking for opportunities to get into other areas and see if it does as well there as it does here. We’re trying to get airplay in Buff. and go there to play. At this point I’ll do whatever it takes to get this disc into peoples hands that would dig it as much as the hundreds that already have it. It is availible on the web site and also in Rochester at Media Play, The Record Archieve, the Bop Shop and the House of Guitars. I sell a lot of them at live shows, but the shows are with Red Heart and the Park Ave Band (R&B/rock/reggae/fusion) in the tri state area that we play in. I’m pretty sure that Red Heart will be doing a couple of songs off of the Now You See It disk in their show and the Park Ave Band is the main band that is with me for the Now You See It show’s. We just add the violin, chello, sax and all the vocalists (along with an extra guitarist or 2) and it’s the Now You See It show!
What other projects are involved in at this time? any plans?
See above! I think I mentioned everything I’m involved with except I am producing albums for a few friends out of my studio in Rochester NY. It’s great because I get to play on a lot of different stuff and help someone else live their dream!
What’s your association with Phil Naro? Any comments on him?
Yep, Phil’s a great singer and song writer. We’ve been in a few different projects together and we’re even toying with the idea of having him Co-produce the next CD and have him doing some writing and vocals on it.
What sort of music do you listen to these days? any current faves?
I listen to Aerosmith, Collective Soul, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Incubas, Just about anything with any heart & soul in it!
Ever open for or familiar with Uriah Heep?
Nope, but I did love seeing them live and listening to them. Saw them in Rochester at the Dome arena [1972]. Great show, but as far as favorite songs I loved almost every song that they wrote!… Demon’s and Wizards!!
Outsider Rock 