Rival Sons: Great Western Valkyrie: An Invasion's New Edge

 Cover of Great Western Valkyrie, by Rival Sons

The British Invasion made a rather large impact on the entire world back in the 1960's, especially America. Bands like The Beatles, The Yardbirds, The Animals, and The Rolling Stones inspired a vast number of people to pick up guitars and make their own music and way. 50 years later, that impact still seems to exist. In Los Angeles based hard rock band Rival Sons' most recent release Great Western Valkyrie (which came out June 6th), the tones and vibes of this time period seem to have been brought back into a new light for this new generation of rockers.

Great Western Valkyrie was recorded at LCS Studios in Nashville, TN and produced by Dave Cobb, who has produced Rival Sons' previous releases. Between this album and the band's previous release Head Down, there are many differences and deviations. Much of these changes are due to David Beste taking over bass duties for Robin Everhart, who left the band due to being tired of being on the road so much. Where Everhart's bass playing was more laid back and groove oriented, Beste's playing is a bit more aggressive and present in the mix. Besides the mix sounding different than normal however, Great Western Valkyrie differs stylistically in terms of music in general. Where the Rival Sons' previous albums had more of a 70's hard rock feel to them, this album focuses more on 60's style pop, rock, and occasionally psychedelic elements such as the implementation of an organ to many of the tracks, the types of vocal melodies used, and the tone of the guitar.

The British Invasion influence on Great Western Valkyrie becomes very prevalent in the second track Good Luck. The layer of keys provided by guest musician Ikey Owens, along with the vocal and guitar melodies make the song sound extremely reminiscent of The Animals' song We Gotta Get Outta This Place due to it's upper mid-tempo rhythm, upbeat melodies, and catchy chorus. That is not to say that the song sounds like a direct ripoff. Far from it. Like in many of Rival Sons' works, while the influences are very noticeable they are still doing their own unique thing and making their own personal sound.

The album's first single and opening track Electric Man seems to follow more of the hard rock style Rival Sons are known for, but at the same time having the same kind of slightly edgy feel of the rest of the album. It starts of with a bluesy distorted riff form guitarist Scott Holiday, who is then quickly joined by drummer Michael Miley the rest of the band in a mid-tempo rhythm. This song is a good showcase for vocalist Jay Buchanan by presenting just how well he can wail to just how softly he can sing in short transitions. This song is definitely one you could dance around and head bang to.

Great Western Valkyrie while deviating from Rival Sons' notorious style to a degree would still be very enjoyable to those who have been following the band for some time. All the right elements of pure rock n' roll are in there, even if they are being differently applied. It is probably a wise move on the Sons' part because they are evolving as musicians and keeping things fresh rather than rehashing the Pressure and Time album again and again. Only time will tell what kind of a direction Rival Sons will take from here.

Great Western Valkyrie, by Rival Sons receives 4 out of 5 stars.

Purchase the album from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Western-Valkyrie-Rival-Sons/dp/B00KF7IN7U/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_mus?ie=UTF8&qid=1402374384&sr=8-1&keywords=great+western+valkyrie 

Slash Releases Sample of Title Track of His New Album "World On Fire"

Recently, Slash offered listeners to Dutch radio station 3FM a 30 second sample of the title track of his upcoming solo album World on Fire which was officially announced two weeks ago. While the sample is short, it is still enough to excite the fans of the guitarist worldwide. Fortunately, the station was courteous enough to post the snippet to their website for all the web to hear what kind of direction Slash is going musically.

In a recent interview with Music Radar Slash says, “The one thing about this record is that it was almost like it wrote itself, it was very effortless and that happens very rarely, when there’s a certain energy that carries the creative process and it’s almost like you’re not in control of it and you just ride that wave. That’s how this record was. I can’t think of any outside influence other than just going with this creative flow…I think basically everyone’s a great rock ‘n’ roll player. They’re real rock musicians at heart — deep down. So when we get together, we’ve built up a certain chemistry. We started out with a certain kind of chemistry and we’re just evolving from there.”

World on Fire is reported to drop September 17 of this year. It will feature 17 diverse all new tracks with his band Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators and will be the band's first release of new material since 2012's Apocalyptic Love.

Listen to the World on Fire snippet

Guns N' Roses Punctuality Problems a Thing of the Past?

 Photo courtesy of powerfm.com.au

During Guns N' Roses' nearly 3 decade career many things have changed quite frequently: musical style, band line-up, relationships, etc. One thing that has remained entirely consistent however is their infamous punctuality problems when it comes to taking the stage on time. At least that is, until recently. In a recent interview with 93.9 KWSS current lead guitarist DJ Ashba says that front man Axl Rose (who is notorious for many of the band's punctuality issues) has completely changed his tune on the issue.

Ashba says, “The last year we’ve been going on pretty much dead-on. Axl has made a very big point to be on stage on time. It’s funny, ’cause it’s nothing that media races out and reports. They tend to get the bigger hits when they have something negative to report. So you don’t really hear about that so much. But yeah, I’ve been really happy. Everybody has been really on it, and the fans are happy, and it’s really cool.”

While Rose has spread out the blame to other band members, management, technical issues, etc. over the years, in an interview on That Metal Show back in 2011 he did own up to his own part in the punctuality problem saying it's been an issue all his life. He states: “I lived right behind my school, and I couldn’t make it to the class in grade school. I had a job at the grocery store down the street, and I’m running down the street with wet hair, trying to tie my tie, with a sandwich in one hand… it’s a comic strip.”

Rose has also made mention that once the band finishes its second residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas they may finally be beginning work on a follow up to their 2008 release Chinese Democracy which was at the time their first release of new material in 15 years. In the mean time however, Guns N' Roses will be releasing a concert film of their current tour called Appetite For Democracy, which will be dropping July 1.

Throwback Thursday: Led Zeppelin's Debut

 

Album cover of Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin.

Picture this:

The year is 1969. You're in your room with your AM radio on listening to all the newest music but trying to keep it down and not get caught by your parents because they called lights out nearly an hour ago. Tonight you have heard new stuff from bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Animals. Everything sounds pretty groovy and catchy, but all of a sudden something new comes on. BAH-DAH! Tss... tss... tss... BAH-DAH! This intro filled with crashing drums and blasting guitar and bass continues a little further till a steady groove kicks in and a powerful high ranged singer the likes of which you have never heard before starts singing of being wronged by an ex-lover. No band you have heard has EVER sounded so loud, heavy, and bold like this before. Little do you realize it now, but the course of music history is being changed forever right before your very eyes and ears...

Who was this audacious raucous causing band? Britain's very own Led Zeppelin. The band started out as a new project that then famous session and Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page was looking to put together. For this venture, Page recruited drummer John Bonham, singer Robert Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones. Originally they were billed as The New Yardbirds. They toured playing old Yardbirds material and also coming up with some new songs as well. When they returned to England however, Page changed the band name to Led Zeppelin after a comment The Who drummer Keith Moon had made about the band "going down like a lead zeppelin". The album cover of the album is a picture of the Hindenburg disaster, which was used due to inspiration from the comment.

In September of 1968, Page brought the band into Olympic Studios in London to record its first album. Page produced the album himself, though it was engineered by Glyn Johns. The recording process took the band only 36 hours over the space of only a few weeks. During these sessions Led Zeppelin recorded seven original songs and two blues covers by Willie Dixon (You Shook Me and I Can't Quit You Baby), although some sections of certain songs were taken from other works that Page had been a part of and other famous blue artists. After presenting the tapes to and being signed by Atlantic Records, the self-titled debut album Led Zeppelin was released January 26, 1969.

Good Times Bad Times was one of the main singles for the album along side Communication Breakdown. The song starts the album and does so quite literally with a bang. With its thundering mid-tempo rhythms, heavy guitar riff, blistering solos, and wailing vocals it is a very bold statement of what Led Zeppelin was about. The lyrics are very blues based; talking about a lover who has left only after having just met not that long ago.

To show just how creative they could be, the band took an old blues tune by Willie Dixon called You Shook Me and put their own spin on it. That unique spin blasted the song into outer space. Page's unique guitar playing and recording techniques take a classic blues song and make it sound thick and reverberated in an utterly fascinating way. Jones also gets to show off his versatility by playing a Hammond organ solo part way through the song that still keeps with the out of this world kind of feeling the rest of the band is giving during the performance. Both Plant and Bonham also get to showcase their blues based backgrounds quite well also.

Though at first Led Zeppelin faced some harsh criticism from the press, the sales of the album were very high. Initially investing only £1,782, Led Zeppelin went on to gross £3.5 million from their debut record. This album launched a musical revolution that would inspire so many people to pick up a guitar and many rock n' rollers to make their sound heavier and louder for years to come; thus being a key part in the birth of the heavy metal genre. No other band before or since has made the blues or rock n' roll this high flying or exciting.

Led Zeppelin, by Led Zeppelin receives 5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Good Times, Bad Times

2. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

3. You Shook Me

4. Dazed and Confused

5. Your Time is Gonna Come

6. Black Mountain Side

7. Communication Breakdown

8. I Can't Quit You Baby

9. How Many More Times

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Led-Zeppelin-Remastered/dp/B00KGBCL64/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_mus?ie=UTF8&qid=1402030488&sr=8-1&keywords=Led+Zeppelin

The Black Keys' Turn Blue: A Journey in Psychedelic Experimentation

Album Cover of Turn Blue, by The Black Keys. Designed by Michael Carney

When most people think of The Black Keys they think of two guys (Dan Auerbach on guitar and vocals and Patrick Carney on drums) making straight up gritty bluesy guitar rock. In more recent years however, the band has departed from that original lo-fi blues sound for a more mainstream friendly pop rock vibe. The band's 2011 release El Camino had more emphasis on synth and catchy hooks than previous works of theirs, but they still maintained a very guitar rock oriented sound. However, with the assistance of producer and song writer Danger Mouse their new album Turn Blue has The Black Keys going in a more psychedelic direction by bringing the synth more to the forefront and having less emphasis on guitar.

The majority of Turn Blue was recorded between July and August of 2013 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, CA. Additional recording was done at Key Club in Benton Harbor, MI and Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, TN. The album itself was released May 12, 2014. According to Auerbach, the reason for the long waiting period between albums was because the band was "this is your brain on drugs" fried.

The title track Turn Blue was the second single released for the album after Fever. This tune along with many others on the album is very laid back and psychedelic while also having a minor funky vibe. At times the tone of the guitar makes the main riff seem as though it is paying minor homage to Eric Clapton's song Cocaine. This song is an excellent addition to anyone's night time driving mix.

It's Up to You Now has almost a jungle drum feel to the start and keeps it up for most of the song. However, this song is closer to The Black Keys' old stuff than almost everything else on the album. The electric guitar is very much present and punching in this song. This tune is also a bit more upbeat than most of the rest of the album. While still having their current production vibe to it, the band at least for one shining moment went back to being the gritty blues band from Ohio that people came to know and love 13 years ago.

Turn Blue definitely gives the impression that The Black Keys decided to go a more experimental route this time around. Where El Camino had catchy upbeat rockers, this album is more laid back, melancholic, and psychedelic. The songs are very rhythmic and occasionally dance-worthy, but seeing as The Black Keys are primarily known as a rock band a bit more rhythm guitar in the mix would have made it more accessible to long time fans. However, the guitar solos were very melodic and made some of the songs a little more digestible when the synth got to be a little too much. Even for those who have been listening to the band a long time however, there are a couple pleasant surprises to be heard when playing this record.

Turn Blue, by The Black Keys gets 3 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Weight of Love

2. In Time

3. Turn Blue

4. Fever

5. Year in Review

6. Bullet in the Brain

7. It's Up to You Now

8. Waiting on Words

9. 10 Lovers

10. In Our Prime

11. Gotta Get Away

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Blue-Black-Keys/dp/B00J80VVLA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401932408&sr=8-2&keywords=Turn+Blue 

Top Ten Rock Songs For Summer

Everyone knows how awesome it is to have the windows in their car rolled down while just cruising down the street on a warm summer day. What makes this experience even better is when the right song is cranking through the stereo to match the vibe. Below are ten songs that are guaranteed to rock your summer.

1. Summer Nights, by Van Halen

This song from Van Halen's first album with Sammy Hagar captures the idea of a summer night perfectly by glorifying how great it is to get out of the house, hop into your car, and going out to find some fun. With a catchy chorus and fantastic guitar chops from Eddie Van Halen, this song is a must have in your summer playlist.

2.  Dancing in the Moonlight, by Thin Lizzy

If you like dancing, this song is right up your alley. It's all about going out with your friends and then finding a special girl and just dancing the night away with her, regardless of what your parents might say about you being up so late. You can almost feel the summer warmth radiating from the vibe of this song.

3. D'yer Maker, by Led Zeppelin

While the lyrical content in this song is sad, the reggae feel of the music itself is enough to bring you right back up and groove right along. It is a weird combination, but nonetheless no summer is complete without this song.

4. The Way, by California Breed

For those of you that like something a bit more bass-heavy, funky, and modern this song should do it for you. The groove laid down by this power trio completes any summer night scene if you're driving in a convertible through down town. While it isn't a dance tune, its loud steady groove is enough to energize get you going.

5. Beautiful Girls, by Van Halen

Another Van Halen song? Yes, that's right. This one is from the band's second album with original singer David Lee Roth. With the upbeat nature of the music combined with Roth singing about sitting with your toes in the sand on a beach and life seeming to be just right on a nice warm day, it's impossible not to get the image of an ideal summer day when jamming this.

6. Sunny Days, by David Coverdale

While a bit more obscure, this song does no less of a good job bringing vibes of warm sunny days than any other song on the list, as its title depicts. When you just can't take any more of the rat race of daily life in your town or city, it's good to just go back to thinking about those sunny summer days that you spent with all of your friends.

7. Summertime Blues, by Eddie Cochran

How could this classic NOT be included? When you're stuck working all summer for a boss who makes you stay late all the time when you want to go have fun, you just have to raise a fuss and a holler.

8.  All Over the Road, by Rival Sons

While not directly related to summer in any way, this is still a good song about getting out with your girl knowing that even though you're driving to some place, you two are so into each other that you probably won't be getting where you're going anywhere near the time you said you would, if you get what I mean....

9. Summer Song, by Joe Satriani

This song has no lyrics, but Mr. Satriani still brings the summer time energy with his strong zippy melodic guitar playing. It makes the listener just want to get into their car and just floor it in the hot summer sun.

10. Paradise City, by Guns N' Roses

I don't know about you, but when I think of a paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty, I've got summer time in mind. What other time of year do you get to see such wonderful things? Even if the song has been played to death on the radio, sporting events, festivals, etc. it still wouldn't be summer without hearing this down home rocker.

Allman Brothers Have Made Final Plans

 
After 45 years (with a few minor hiatuses in between), the Allman Brothers Band are calling it a day. A recent news release from the band confirmed that their final performances will happen between October 21-28 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, New York, a place they have come to consider a home away from home. The unexpected departures of Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes were more than likely a catalyst for this.

The final two dates (10/27-28) are preceded by a set of four shows that were rescheduled from March due to Gregg Allman being ill at the time. Butch Trucks had alluded to the possibility of two more performances at the Beacon after the rescheduled one, but the latest reports confirm it. Tickets for the postponed March shows will be honored at the October shows. Anyone unable to attend the rescheduled performances will have until August 1 to have their money refunded.

It has now also been confirmed that during the June performance, the band does intend to play its first two albums The Allman Brothers Band and Idlewild South in their entirety. By the end of the final performance, The Allman Brothers Band will have played at the Beacon a total of 232 times since starting annual residences back in 1989. After these performances, the band WILL be retiring.

Final Allman Brothers Tour Dates:

6/8 — Hunter Mountain, NY, Mountain Jam
8/14-17 — Scranton, PA, Peach Fest
9/7 — Arrington, VA, Lockn’ Music Fest
10/21 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre (tickets for March 25 honored)
10/22 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre (tickets for March 26 honored)
10/24 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre (tickets for March 28 honored)
10/25 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre (tickets for March 29 honored)
10/27 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre
10/28 — New York, NY, Beacon Theatre