Bruce Springsteen Cancels North Carolina Concert Due to New Law

 

 

Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen has just expressed his massive disdain for a new discriminatory law that North Carolina just passed by canceling an upcoming concert date that he had planned in Greensboro, NC.

This law, which is referred to commonly as HB2 was put into place to reverse an ordinance in Charlotte, NC that extended rights to transgender people - specifically giving them the right to use whatever public bathroom they felt most comfortable using given their gender identity. The new law immediately dissipated similar ordinances in other parts of the state as well.

In an official statement from the Boss, he says:

 

“No other group of North Carolinians faces such a burden. To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to show solidarity for those freedom fighters.

Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry – which is happening as I write – is one of them. It is the strongest means I have for raising my voice in opposition to those who continue to push us backwards instead of forwards.”

 

All of the money spent by fans to see the show has been completely refunded. Springsteen's tour will continue on as scheduled, with the next date being in Ohio. Personally, I think Springsteen did an admirable thing. Why bring revenue to a government that is taking away rights from people who just want to be accepted for who they have no choice in being? PayPal also did a similar thing to combat the law recently by rolling back plans to do a major North Carolina expansion. Hopefully the big financial loss will soon get those politicians' heads out of their asses. When it gets down to it, who really cares where you go to the bathroom? We're all their to do our business and that's that.

Throwback Thursday: Use Your Illusion I & II, by Guns N' Roses

In 1991 Guns N' Roses after 4 years of monumental success from Appetite For Destruction and GN'R Lies needed to find a big way to follow up these two gems. In order to show that they could keep this up, become more than just a passing musical fad that would die out as quickly as it came in, and even go a more creative route than they had before they released two gigantic albums on the same day: Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

Use Your Illusion takes the raw street punk take on classic rock that GN'R had been doing and blew it into the stratosphere with longer songs, more profound lyrics, and more creative riffs. There are still some straight up rockers and some of the band's best known songs like Don't Cry, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, November Rain, Live and Let Die, etc. but there are TONS of others where if you weren't paying close enough attention you would be missing out on something amazing. One of the most notable things about GN'R's change in sound was the replacement of original drummer Steven Adler with Matt Sorum due to Adler's drug abuse problems.

Coma from Use Your Illusion I is GN'R's longest studio song and it is nothing short of a masterpiece. It takes every last bit of talent the band had at the time and channels it into 10 minutes of multiple different parts that all come together quite well. Quite frankly I'm surprised any of them ever remembered how to play it all the way through. It definitely is some of Axl Rose's best self-reflective lyric writing at its finest. It kind of gives you a look into what it is like to be him at the time. By the time the song ends you are left breathless, but in the most epic way.

Estranged from Use Your Illusion II is definitely the saddest song that I have ever heard out of the classic GN'R line-up. It's also another long one that clocks in at about nine and a half minutes. You can feel Axl's pain in the most cutting ways. Anyone suffering from depression to any degree can certainly relate to the lyrics. Add in Slash's mournful yet powerful signature guitar melodies and solos and you've got something that becomes more than just the sum of its parts. If you are not absolutely changed inside to some extent by the end of the song there is something wrong with you.

I could of course go on and on about these two albums as there is so much more to them but then I'd probably be talking your ear off all day long. Ain't nobody got time for that. All that said though, there isn't a single track on either of these albums that isn't a classic in some way or another. It's two and a half hours of pure adrenaline and thought filled rock n' roll. If you can afford to pick up both albums, it's well worth it. There are bound to be quite a few tracks from each of them that you find enjoyable.

Use Your Illusion I & II receive 5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

Use Your Illusion I:

1. Right Next Door to Hell
2. Dust n' Bones
3. Live and Let Die
4. Don't Cry
5. Perfect Crime
6. You Ain't the First
7. Bad Obsession
8. Back Off Bitch
9. Double Talkin' Jive
10. November Rain
11. The Garden
12. Garden of Eden
13. Don't Damn Me
14. Bad Apples
15. Dead Horse
16. Coma

Use Your Illusion II:

1. Civil War
2. 14 Years
3. Yesterdays
4. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
5. Get in the Ring
6. Shotgun Blues
7. Breakdown
8. Pretty Tied Up
9. Locomotive
10. So Fine
11. Estranged
12. You Could Be Mine
13. Don't Cry (Alternate Lyrics)
14. My World

Buy the albums on Amazon:

Use Your Illusion I:

http://www.amazon.com/Use-Your-Illusion-Guns-Roses/dp/B000000OSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460065084&sr=8-1&keywords=Use+Your+Illusion

Use Your Illusion II:

http://www.amazon.com/Use-Your-Illusion-Guns-Roses/dp/B000000OSG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460065084&sr=8-2&keywords=Use+Your+Illusion

Former Deep Purple Bassist/Vocalist Glenn Hughes on Rock Hall Induction

Over multiple decades it's been absolutely no secret to the rock n' roll community that heavy rock pioneers Deep Purple have gotten the shaft for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, now that this week on April 8th the band is FINALLY getting inducted former bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes is speaking up on how he feels about it.

Hughes, who was in the band from 1973-1976 was part of Deep Purple's Mark III and Mark IV line-ups, replacing Roger Glover on the four strings, backing up David Coverdale on vocals. He helped the band get through some rough transitions such as Glover and Ian Gillan being removed from the band in 1973 and Ritchie Blackmore quitting in 1975. 

In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock he talks about how he always knew Purple would get in, saying:

“I had a feeling we’d get in. If there’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and there’s a band that’s sold around 150 million albums, surely they’re going to be nominated. And in some form, they are still together, flying the flag of the brand and the band. That band and brand has been going now for 48 years. Forget that I was in Deep Purple; I would be wanting to see any band with that longevity over that span get in there. It’s incredible.”

To be honest, I'm a little surprised to hear Hughes say something like this. Usually he plays up his role in the band online and talks about how great he is. I'm a bit impressed to see him do something like this and be a bit less self-centered. Don't get me wrong, though. The guy is INCREDIBLY talented. Hell, I'm going to see him play in August. Even in his old age his voice is still powerful and his writing creative. I am definitely glad though that he is being inducted into the RRHoF with Coverdale, Blackmore, Glover, Gillan, Rod Evans, Ian Paice, and Jon Lord.

Keith Emerson Laid to Rest

Pioneer prog rock keybaordist Keith Emerson of the band Emerson Lake & Palmer was finally laid to rest this past Friday at a private ceremony by his family after having passed away at the age of 71 last month on March 11th.

Emerson's death was discovered to be a suicide, as he was discovered by his girlfriend with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. The reasoning was because he had a degenerative nerve condition in his hand, which would render him unable to keep playing the keys.

People close to Emerson had some wonderful things to say about their lost loved one. Emerson's son Aaron Emerson posted a picture of his father’s grave to his Facebook and said:

“I would like to thank all the thousands of people who have sent messages of love and condolences to myself and my family after the passing of my father. We followed his wishes, and he has been laid to rest in Sussex. Rest in peace Dad.”

Guitarist Dave Kilminster also posted a picture of the churchyard and said:

“It was a warm, sunny afternoon when we said our final goodbyes. I was asked to sing a song during the service. I don't think I've ever felt so nervous – but it was such a beautiful ceremony, with so much love. I don't think the day could have gone any better.”

Drummer Carl Palmer reorganized his North American tour with Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy as a tribute to Emerson, saying:

“We have lost a very talented and gifted musician but this great music will continue for a long, long time.”

It's good that Emerson's friends and loved ones have been able to begin to find some peace over this tragic loss. It's kind of like a punch to the gut when such a key piece of your life gets taken away from you. Fortunately however, it seems as though his legacy will be remembered and his music played on for multiple generations to come.

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #67

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Sweet Tea, by California Breed

This Glenn Hughes lead group sadly folded up WAY too quickly. They made some pretty raw, punchy, grooving sunshine tinted rock n' roll. Sweet Tea sounds kind of basic as a single, but it's still a lot of fun. Then again, the simpler the song the more popular it will be usually. Right? One of the minor aspects of the song that I find rather pleasing are the high range backing vocal harmonies. It kind of reminded me of Van Halen in a way. Check it out.

2. Who, Me?, by Buckethead

This is one of my absolute favorite Buckethead songs. It's entirely acoustic and sans-vocals, which is by no means a bad thing. In fact, this tune shows off more of his emotional side. I'll admit that on the right day at the right time it's given me some serious feels. Now if you're not in the head space to get into something like that it might kind of just go over your head. However, if you're willing to open your heart up in the right way you might just get something you didn't know you wanted.

3. In Flames, by The Last in Line

Original members of Ronnie James Dio's solo band Jimmy Bain, Vivian Campbell, and Vinnie Appice teamed up with vocalist Andrew Freeman to pay tribute to Ronnie's legacy by performing his music live while also making new music. This tune in particular has a rather modern sounding riff to it, but at the same time, the lead work ties it back to their 80's origins without it being too stereotypical quite nicely.

4. Bad Moon Rising, by Credence Clearwater Revival

One of the most entertaining parts about this song aside from the fact that it's fun, upbeat, and catchy is that the chorus has one of the most misheard lyrics of all time. Where it's normally supposed to say "there's a bad moon on the rise" many people have instead mistaken it for "there's a bathroom on the right". All that aside, it's still a great tune that gets overplayed on commercial radio fairly often for a damn good reason. What are some of your favorite misheard lyrics?

5. Wrathchild, by Iron Maiden

This song was the reason I got into the early Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden. That bass line and guitar riffs just knock it out of the park for me. Plus, Di'Anno's dark punkish vocal tone kind of does some eargasmic stuff with that song that Bruce Dickinson would never be able to do despite the fact that overall he was clearly a better fit for the band. If you've never heard any of the early stuff from Maiden, this is definitely one of the best places to start.

 

Guns N' Roses Fills in Details for Upcoming Tour

Guns N' Roses have on the same day as they performed a surprise warm-up show at the Troubador (a famous Sunset Strip, Las Angeles, CA night club) have announced some details for the upcoming Not in This Life Time tour.

GN'R will be playing in Las Vegas at the new T-Mobile Arena next week and will be playing the Coachella Festival in Indio, CA later in the month. Tickets for the entire tour go on pre-sale on April 7th and official sale on the 8th.

This tour will be the first tour to feature original band members Slash and Duff McKagan since 1993. At this time there is no confirmation on whether or not original drummer Steven Adler will be participating and Izzy Stradlin does not seem to be involved at all either. In the mean time they have Frank Ferrer and Richard Fortus filling in.

I kind of dig the name they gave the tour, as they come from a statement Axl Rose gave in 2012 about whether or not there would ever be an original GN'R reunion where he said: "Not in this life time". I kind of like how he ate his own words and used them to usher in the new era of old GN'R. I just hope to God I can get enough money to get a ticket in time. Below are the dates and venues of the tour.

Guns N' Roses "Not in This Life Time" Tour Dates:

4/8-9 – Las Vegas, NV: T-Mobile Arena

4/16 – Indio, CA: Coachella Music Festival

4/19-20 – Mexico City: Foro Sol

4/23 – Indio, CA: Coachella Music Festival

6/23 – Detroit, MI: Ford Field

6/26 – Washington, DC: Fedex Field

6/29 – Kansas City, MO: Arrowhead Stadium

7/1 – Chicago, IL: Soldier Field

7/6 – Cincinnati, OH: Paul Brown Stadium

7/9 – Nashville, TN: Nissan Stadium

7/12 – Pittsburgh, PA: Heinz Field

7/14 – Philadelphia, PA: Lincoln Financial Field

7/16 – Toronto, ON: Rogers Centre

7/19 – Foxboro, MA: Gilette Stadium

7/23 – East Rutherford, NJ: MetLife Stadium

7/27 – Atlanta, GA: Georgia Dome

7/29 – Orlando, FL: Orlando Citrus Bowl

7/31 – New Orleans, LA: Mercedes-Benz Superdome

8/3 – Arlington, TX: AT&T Stadium

8/5 – Houston, TX: NRG Stadium

8/9 – San Francisco, CA: AT&T Park

8/12 – Seattle, WA: CenturyLink Field

8/15 – Glendale, AZ: University of Phoenix Stadium

8/22 – San Diego, CA: Qualcomm Stadium

Throwback Thursday: Let There Be Rock, by AC/DC

Another AC/DC review? Come on, Josh! Sod off. It's Angus Young's birthday. Anyway, Let There Be Rock really shows AC/DC hitting their stride in 1977. This is where the band really began to take off and truly be competition with the other big rock acts going around at that time. Plus, the fact that two of its tracks are to this day still considered to be major AC/DC classics also helped them out in a big way as successful singles usually tend to do with any artist.

Many fans consider Let There Be Rock to be the first "true" AC/DC album because this is the album where the band shifted its sound from short overdriven fun sped up blues songs to the longer more brash hard rock they are known for today. As mentioned earlier, it contains two of AC/DC's most well known songs: Let There Be Rock and Whole Lotta Rosie. Fun story: During the recording of the title track Let There Be Rock Angus's amp exploded and caught fire during the final solo, but he just kept playing anyway. By the end, the amplifier was a smoldering melted mess.

Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be is a really crunchy rocker. With its chords that ring out and riffs that punch you square in the teeth, it truly is easy to see the beginning of the band we all know and love. Personally, I love Bon Scott's wailing throughout the tune. I love how raw everything is too. While the song structure and style is similar to what they would become known for, this is before everything was overly polished in the studio like it would be later on with Back in Black. This song rocks drives and rocks so hard that it almost makes you start to believe that maybe Hell really isn't that bad of a place.

Whole Lotta Rosie is always a fun song to rock around to. The moment that DAH-DUH-DAH-DUH-DAH-DUH-DAH! kicks in you just KNOW that something awesome is about to happen. It's enough to get your foot tapping, your head banging, and your fist pumping. When the whole rest of the song kicks in and Scott starts howling away about his love of a certain voluptuous woman it's hard not to get swept up in the fun. Yes, the subject matter is shallow but it really wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't. This song is one fun ride that picks you up and doesn't give you a break from start to finish.

Let There Be Rock admittedly isn't the best AC/DC album by any means, but it's still a great way to see where the band evolved from being a dirty over driven version of a 50's rockabilly band to the hard rock legends they are today. There are definitely quite a few good tunes on the album. Hell, it's worth it just for the epic long title track alone. If you have an appetite for some real ball busting rock n' roll, your hunger will be fed with this killer album.

Let There Be Rock, by AC/DC receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Go Down
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Let There Be Rock
4. Bad Boy Boogie
5. Problem Child
6. Overdose
7. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
8. Whole Lotta Rosie

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Let-There-Be-Rock-AC/dp/B00008WT5C/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1459493598&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=AC%2FDC+Let+There+Be+Rock