It’s truly sad when you hear the news of the passing of a legend in the music world. Especially a household name that helped mold the genre that is heavy metal. On Sunday, Ronnie James Dio, lead singer of Dio, Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath and Rainbow, passed away at the age of 67. Dio had been battling cancer for the last year, even stayed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a time.
Dio’s sharp and powerful vocals gave all his songs an edge that personified metal. When younger, I went through a phase of listening to the stepping stones of classic rock (ie Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd). Among them was Dio. Learning the lyrics to “Rainbow in the Dark” and “Holy Diver” was a must if you were to become a true fan of the genre. But it wasn’t just these songs that made Dio a household name. He supplied much more for metal by becoming a definition for the genre. He represented purity in metal and influenced a countless number of bands that carried on his style and sound.
It’s surprising how musicians who pass away young, in the middle of their prime, are recognized in bronze because of what they could have been, but were cut short. Well deserved in every way, but to be able to live a full life and contribute all that you can to your passion is what turns your bronze plate into gold. Ronnie James Dio will always be known as a father of metal, and his music will live on forever. RIP Dio.
It’s always an exciting time when a new album comes out. There’s more to listen to, discover, and pass on, especially when it’s one of your favorite bands. However, for the first time, as far as my recollection, an artist has released two new albums at the same time!
Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia released Part II and Part III of “The Scarecrow Trilogy” earlier this month. As a small introduction to who Avantasia is, singer song writer Tobias Sammet is a legendary symphonic metal vocalist from Germany. Sammet invites guest artists to help record albums for Avantasia, all well known throughout all styles of metal. He also heads vocals for Edguy, who I saw in 2008 by the way!
It’s amazing to see who he’s able to recruit to sing or play on his albums. It seems like anyone who’s anyone has played with Sammet in the past. His two most recent albums, The Wicked Symphony and Angel of Babylon, feature artists like Klaus Meine (Scorpions), Russell Allen (Symphony X), Michael Kiske (Helloween), Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray), John Oliva (Savatage), and Tim “Ripper” Owens (Currently Beyond Fear, Ex-Judas Priest and Ex-Iced Earth). All of which are other bands in my music library.
Part I of “The Scarecrow Trilogy”, called The Scarecrow, produced some of my current, and will always be, favorite songs. Along with other amazing guest artists, Roy Khan (Kamelot), Amanda Somerville, Alice Cooper, The Scarecrow became the introduction to a storyline, not just highlighted by great music and musicians.
“The Scarecrow is the tragic story of a lonesome creature, emotionally isolated from his environment and suffering from a distorted sensory perception (“Twisted Mind”). His feelings for the love of his life unrequited, and he sets off on a journey exploring his left-hand path, striving for inner peace, ploughing his way to approval and eventually facing temptation at the inner depths of the human soul. Kiske’s character is trying to keep The Scarecrow on the right track (“Shelter from the Rain”). By the end of the first chapter, The Scarecrow decides that because loving has only brought him pain, he simply stops loving (“I Don’t Believe in Your Love”), and sits down, desperate, alone and confused (“Lost in Space”)
In The Wicked Symphony, the Scarecrow has come to understand that he can make beautiful music that everyone loves and that can lead him to fame. Kiske’s character, who constantly tries to keep the main character on the right track, gives up on him (“Wastelands”). Consumed by fury (“Scales of Justice”), the Scarecrow realizes that power and fame is too much for him to handle and tries to run away from all of his problems (“Runaway Train”). While in a state of depression, Jorn’s character attempts to persuade the Scarecrow into following his path (“Crestfallen”, “Forever is a Long Time”) but he overcomes his influence. Finally, the pressure is too much and the Scarecrow loses everything (“The Edge”).
Angel of Babylon deals more with the point where the Scarecrow’s character reaches rock bottom and realizes there’s nothing he can do but to get back on his feet. The first half of the album has the main character struggling with the fact that he has lost everything and has to move on, while the second half (omitting “Symphony of Life”) is more of a self-analyzing experience. There is some kind of revelation that suddenly hits the main character, and he can see that even though he has had everything and lost it, he can still move forward.”
A fan on one of Avantasia’s forums said,
“Songs on Angel of Babylon like “Blowing out the Flame”, “Alone I Remember” and “Journey to Arcadia” really got to me, since I think every one of us can relate to that part of the story somehow. We all have had something that we wanted with all our lives, and maybe got sidetracked on the way to get it. Sometimes, we don’t realize that along the way we lost something more important that that which we were seeking. It takes a lot to make us understand that.
After listening to the albums a couple of times I realized that in some way or another, we all are scarecrows.”
These albums absolutely blow me away when you combine the quality of music, musicians and the fact of a great storyline to go with it. You can’t honestly say that you hear anything like this on the radio these days. And to think, music like this can influence your thoughts and show you revelations that can affect you on all levels of your life. It teaches you the lesson that there are multiple paths that you can take in your life, which ones you decide are up to you. And if you take a wrong path, there’s always a chance to get back on track. Very ambiguous, I know, but when you apply everything in your life to situations like these albums spell out, it is motivating to realize that it’s possible to understand who you are and who you are becoming. There’s no overlying decision or life choice that makes me listen to symphonic metal like Kamelot, Symphony X, Nightwish or Avantasia. It’s the fact that this music makes me feel alive and that it removes me from the everyday working lifestyle, even for 4 minutes at a time, and lets me know that there is more to 8-hour days and people with egos. A life should be so much more than what is advertised. So why not let the an influential source like music fill you with every emotion music can frame on the highest level, which for me is symphonic metal.
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there, but that’s what this music does for me. It’s beautiful.
Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia has yet done it again, released two great albums that will last in my collection for a long time. I’ll leave you with his first single, which features Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine in “Dying For An Angel”.
-BC
Filed under: Artists, Concerts, Reviews | Tags: Blackguard, Epica, Station 4, Threat Signal
Every now and then, there’s a concert that you know you just have to go to. Whether you’re a big fan, or just an on-again, off-again listener. But sometimes you don’t always follow through. For this band, I added their concert to my schedule the day I found out they were coming close. And there it sat, until the night when I traveled to St. Paul to see Epica live in concert.
I was introduced to Epica through Kamelot. Seeing that the band name Epica was influenced by the Kamelot album Epica, it was easy for me to understand that this was a band worth getting to know. A few years ago, Epica actually opened for Kamelot at Station 4 in St. Paul, which unbeknownst to me was probably one of the greatest concert combinations in my music collection. I, unfortunately, wasn’t able to make it to that concert. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
Epica started to grow in my music collection as I began to listen to more symphonic metal bands. Clearly, they sat towards the top of that list. Just before buying tickets, we found out that we also had the chance to buy meet and greet tickets for before the show. I, of course, did not want to pass that up.
My brother and I got to Station 4 at around 5:30 p.m., got a custom Epica poster from Swordlord (shout out to the metal man of the cities) and walked onto the concert floor. There were other band merch tables set up on the floor, but it wasn’t hard to see that the table of interest was the autograph table with Epica. We headed over to the band and decided we would get our posters signed, even though the picture of the band on the poster was not the most recent band picture.
I decided I wasn’t going to start-up conversations with the band, mostly because I didn’t want to look creepy. Arien signed my poster first and instead of being like “you rock \m/” I thought I’d just be polite and thank him for their autograph. Yves and Issac signed my poster next. I again just said thanks and said a couple of “have a good show tonight guys.” Isaac and Arien were probably thinking, this guy probably doesn’t even know who we are, we’re not even on the poster! But really, it was just cool to meet them. Simone signed my poster next. I heard after the concert that she hadn’t been feeling the greatest, so I was happy that she actually acknowledged me after she signed my poster. And of course, I said thanks. Next up, Mr. Oliver Palotai, Kamelot’s keyboardist. He took the place of Epica keyboardist Coen Janssen for the North America tour. I have already seen Oliver before with Kamelot, but there’s nothing wrong seeing that man play again, one of the best keyboardists in my opinion. And sitting at the end of the table, Mark Jansen! I handed him my poster, he signed it and I said thanks. He looked up at me and handed back my poster. I think he thought I was going to say something more, but I didn’t, so he just smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. Haha, awesome!
We thought that was the end of the meet and greet, but we decided to hang out on the floor a little longer, since doors didn’t open for a bit. We watched Epica stand up from their chairs, only to walk in front of the autograph table and say “Who’s first?” Even though I brought my camera, I didn’t expect they were going to allow pictures with fans, but it was totally worth it because people started snapping pictures. I waited a while before we went up to get a picture, and I have to say, some of the people there were not cool with taking pictures. They made the band wait because they didn’t have their flash on, or someone blinked. Really people, this is Epica. My brother went up first and I got a good picture with him and the band. I went up a little later, but the band was starting to get distracted by how long this was taking. Arien was standing to my left, but was focused on someone else. I was so close on tapping on his shoulder to say “pay attention!” but I’m glad I didn’t. Instead, I got a great picture with Simone, Isaac and Mark. I walked away from the picture and said “thanks for the picture guys.” Again, I felt that being proper with them was what they deserved. They sat through how many autographs and pictures, but still had the will to be patient and smile in every picture. Top class guys, I’ll never forget that.
Even after all of that, there was still a concert to come. We decided that after the meet and greet, we would go get something to eat. Personally, I didn’t want to wear myself out before Epica. We got back to Station 4 right before Blackguard went on. We also heard Threat Signal open just before Epica. They were heavy, and pretty good, but again, I didn’t get into them that much because I came for Epica. It was 5 hours from the meet and greet until Epica came on, but all was worth w
aiting for as the lights went dim and “Samadhi” started playing. Station 4 was packed, comparably to all other concerts I’ve gone to at Station 4. And what was cool was all those fans were there for Epica, not half for the opening band, all Epica! They rolled into “Resign to Surrender” and the energy in the concert hall became fervent. Simone came out just before her lyrics started and it finally hit me, this is Epica!
The next song featured, what is, Oliver Palotai in “Sensorium.” Keyboard open, double bass, clear vocals, Mark Jansen growls, crowd chanting, AHHH! Too awesome. After that, they featured some songs off of Design Your Universe. That is their newest album, but I think it may be their best. It’s all around solid. Their first single “Unleashed” was so good live. Simone is amazing to be able to sing like that every day. Then they had to play “Martyr of the Free World.” It flows so nicely and the chorus is always cool to hear. And, of course, everyone sang the lyrics “a martyr of the free world,” or maybe it was just me. And with Mark to follow that with lyrics…rock!
Thanks to a recommendation, I purchased Epica’s The Classical Conspiracy a while before the concert. It’s a live concert album which features a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir. The first half of the tracks feature all orchestral songs from various composers and movie soundtracks. One of which is universally known, the “Imperial March” from Star Wars. Epica broke in to the instrumental version as everyone in the crowd cheered and sang the melody. After that, everyone walked off the stage and Oliver began playing a keyboard solo of the classical touch, an unexpected surprise. As always, it was an awesome solo. And to top that off, they rolled into my favorite Epica ballad. That’s hard to classify, considering my favorite songs from Epica are ballads, but it’s hard to top “Tides of Time.” For the opening, Simone came out and faced the crowd, as a dim spotlight hovered over Oliver. Simone’s voice was dead-on from the album, if not better than I ever heard. My favorite part of the song is when the band kicks back in and Simone hits those two high notes, followed by a guitar solo. I tried to soak in the moment as much as I could, enough to bring tears to my eyes.
The cheers from “Cry For The Moon” turned into a chant and clapping to the rhythm of “Quietus.” One of the singles off of Consign to Oblivion, “Quietus” seems like it was meant to play live. At this point, it felt that I was witnessing one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, especially at Station 4. It was an epic night of a wide range of melodies that is Epica. Everything I was hoping for when I added them to my schedule months before. But the night was not yet over. The lights started dark, the sound started low, and began to grow and grow. Arien and Oliver added their beats and chords. The orchestral background added to the intensity. At that point, a cool breeze began entering the hall from the back, almost cold. And then… \m/ (-_-) \m/ …”Consign to Oblivion!” This was the song that pulled me in when I first started listening to Epica a few years ago. And any day that I need to get away and just turn it up, it most likely will be “Consign to Oblivion.” A highlight during this song was when the lead singer of Threat Signal walked down the stairs in front of us to get to his merch table, but we, and a couple people around us, were into the song so much, he stuck around enjoyed it with us. Kind of cool to say that we rocked out with the opening band during Epica’s encore. Honestly though, it’s hard to explain how good “Consign to Oblivion” is live, but I can remember every moment of it in my head. You can talk about this concert as much as you want, explain it the best you can, but you can only get the best concert experience by going. Consign live would be enough for another ticket, in my opinion.
Filed under: Concerts
If you’re planning on attending a concert soon, you should know that there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for the best concert experience.
Depending on how well you know the band will make a big difference. If you know the band, melodies and lyrics really well, you probably think that you’re the most prepared you can be before you go. Well that may be true, but you could also be setting yourself up for wearing yourself out. But if you don’t know the band at all, you might have some work to do before you plan on buying a ticket.
I have some steps that I go through a few weeks before I go to a concert. They differ for each band and each concert, but they basically follow the same idea….
1. Freshen up on the tunes
I’ll listen to a lot of their music, especially if I don’t know their latest album or haven’t listened to them in a year. Otherwise, if I’m familiar with their latest and greatest, I’ll just turn them up from time to time to keep their melodies and idea fresh in my mind. I’ll start listening to the band about 2 weeks before a concert and keep listening to them up until a few days before the concert, if I need to relearn their songs. And I’ll also start listening to the band 2 weeks before the concert if I’m up to date with their music, but I’ll keep an assortment of other bands by my side so I don’t get sick of the band.
2. Check out setlists from earlier venues, if you dare
Sometimes I don’t like to do this, but if I don’t know the band very well, I want to have an idea of what songs they are going to be playing at the concert. I’ll burn a mix of most of those songs, but I won’t try to learn every note and every lyrics, just enough to consciously understand the melodies so I can recognize the songs at the concert. However, sometimes I want to be surprised. If I know a good amount of songs, it’s fun to be anxious in transitions from song to song. If you would like to find a setlist, I like to use setlist.com.
3. Lay off a day before
Instead of replaying songs over and over to make sure you know what they’re going to play, lay off from their tunes the day before and the day of the concert. You don’t want to wear out their music and then go to the concert and be sick of hearing the same melodies. Instead, listen to something in the same genre and style, but keep up the anticipation of seeing the band. You’ll probably still be singing their songs in your head anyways.
4. Compose yourself
On the day of the concert, you will probably know if you are prepared or not. If you are prepared, you will have butterflies and can’t wait for the show. If you don’t feel that, don’t worry, you can still have a great concert experience. When you go, depending on the venue, take in the venue before the band comes on. Take a look at the crowd and feed off of their energy. Step back and ask yourself, “would you like to be anywhere else right now?” I always say no.
5. Lights on
The concert will start and you may be singing along to every tune. If not, it’s okay not to sing, but just watch and enjoy. If you don’t know the words and try to look like you do, please stop, you’re not fooling anyone. 😛 Also try to breathe in certain moments of the concert, that you know from listening to their songs 2 weeks earlier. The mental pictures are going to be the ones you remember when you go to sleep that night, when you drive to work/school the next day and when you look back a year later, you will always want to remember those moments.
At the moment, I am going through these steps for a concert on February 6th. I will be going to see, for the first time, Epica at Station 4 in St. Paul. I’ve been to many concerts at Station 4, so I know the venue pretty well. Except this time, I get to do something I’ve never done before, meet the band. We have meet and greet tickets, which will be held before the concert. Look for a picture of Simone Simons and me on my Epica concert review next month!
Filed under: Artists, Video | Tags: Delain, Nightwish, Within Temptation
One’s heritage can say a lot about a person; how they communicate, what they like to eat, where they live. But does music follow that same instance? For many, the music that surrounds them happens to be the music they tend to listen to. However, I’m more content with finding the music that is not well known. Why, because it is pure. More or less, my search for gold music, the unknown treasure.
With living in the States, more precisely Wisconsin, there are a lot of music genres to go around. But my treasures follow my European heritage. In the continuous search for new music, my brother came upon a band with connections to some of our other favorite bands. With symphonic melodies and soothing lyrics, my first impression was that this band was worth listening too. However, I wasn’t blown away by them.
But I made a mistake in my thought process of categorizing their music. Although, their lineup is similar to many of my favorite bands. Although, they come from the same area on the map, which creates similar influences to their music. And although, they are one band of many to form under the same genre, they began to stand out to me.
For many bands/groups, there is one particular artist that stands out in a band. Most of the time, the vocalist is that person. There are too many bands in the States that use their star’s name as the band name, ugh. So when you listen to their albums, you can clearly hear that star’s voice or instrument louder than the rest of the group. In some instances, that’s great, i.e. Oscar Peterson. But to be able to put together a band that fits all as one, without a standout artist, that’s hard to come by. That statement might be difficult to believe since everyone has a different view of what music is and should be. But to me, it takes a special touch to not expose an instrument too much, which can ultimately affect the purpose of a song.
To add, this band also brought power and emotion to an equal mix of instruments and lyrics. Which is why I haven’t been able to put them down for weeks. However, I have one more reason why this band stands out to me. All bands have an overall message that they write about. Whether that be fictional stories or political ones, they write for purpose. They just hope their messages come across as intended. But my feeling that came across with this band was a message of hope. Although rough some days, the possibility of tomorrow is infinite.
With those words, I introduce you to Delain.
Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by the ex-keyboardist of Within Temptation, Martijn Westerholt. They are currently touring off their second album, April Rain. Co-writer and vocalist Charlotte Wessels brings a lovely touch to the band. Trained in both classical and jazz singing, she brings a great balance to the melodic keyboard passages and flowing melodies on both albums. Delain also has brought in well-known guest artists that help compare their sound with the best of them. Most notably, Marco Hietala, bassist and vocalist of Nightwish. At the moment, it seems that Delain will keep their tours overseas. But I can only hope that one day they will make it to the States, preferably the Midwest; we have a high concentration of underground fans here. ;P
Rock, BC
Lifehouse has been one of my favorite bands in my collection, even when they only had one album released. Now, they’re about to release their 5th studio album, Smoke and Mirrors, which is scheduled to be released on February 2, 2010.
Lead singer, song-writer Jason Wade is great asset to the current world of pop/alternative music. It’s hard to see all of the bands/singers out there that find themselves singing and recording music that was written by someone else. For the purpose of being “catchy” and a potential hit, mainstream music just isn’t the same any more as it was even a few years ago. However, for the bands that put the time and effort into writing their own songs, and then touring to as many venues possible to make their fans happy, gives hope to mainstream music, even for the few bands.
What I like best about Jason Wade is his approach to how he writes his music. In an interview with him while writing Smoke and Mirrors, Jason said that he strives to write his music is a new way for every album, using different chord progressions and harmony combinations. The best part of that is he’s learning this new kind of music as he writes it. In my opinion, that’s when the best music is written. New techniques are fresh in your head and it’s almost easier to write new lines instead of doing a different version of the same old thing. All 5 of Lifehouse’s albums have a different touch. But you can also see the progression of Jason’s talent in his writing. From “Hanging By A Moment” to “Halfway Gone” the best is still coming out of Lifehouse, and I hope they keep writing for years to come.
The first single from Smoke and Mirrors, “Halfway Gone”, was released in late October, and the video for the single was just made public. As from the looks, I mean sound, of it, I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album. Only have 3 months left to wait….ugh. Check out “Halfway Gone” below!
Every once in a blue moon, Metallica makes its way to the Twin Cities. That’s the closest they, and most large acts, get to the La Crosse area. All worth the 2.5 hour drive for a couple hours of the best show in town. Tuesday night, of all nights for a concert, Metallica made its way to the Target Center in Minneapolis. The first time I saw Metallica was at the Metrodome for the Summer Sanitarium Concert Tour in 2003. However, the concert setting at the Metrodome was the traditional stadium concert set up (one large stage at one end of the stadium). But on this tour, there was a center stage, which allowed for one amazing show.
Me and the rest of the ‘society’ got to the concert just before the 2nd opening band, Lamb of God, came on. I’ve heard some Lamb of God in the past, but nothing that made me a huge fan. They played a pretty good set, and there were some fans there that were really into them, so they must have put on a good show. My seat was on the lower level of the Target Center and on one of the sides. I was 5 rows up from the edge on the side where the bands walked to and from the stage. In other words, I paid pretty good coin to get that seat. I also had decent fans sitting around me, which if you’ve ever been to a concert with a rowdy fan sitting around you, it kind of ruins your concert experience. Lamb of God played for about 45 minutes, or maybe longer, I didn’t check my watch.
Set change was much different for this Metallica concert than the first one I went to. For the first one, each band playing had their own concert backdrop and props, so it would take an hour to tear down and set up. This time, they just had to pull the sheet off the drumset and wait for Metallica to take the stage.
A little after 9:00, the lights when dark and sounds of “Ecstasy Of Gold” were in the air. With all the concerts I’ve been to, nothing gets my blood pumping more than that song. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s from the score of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and Metallica’s been opening with it since they started. James, 
Kirk, Lars and Robert all ran out to the stage and hit that first note. At that point, the 25,000+ in attendance wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with Metallica.
The set list was a mix of new and old, but I’m more of an oldie fan when it comes to Metallica. Check out what they played….
1. “That Was Just Your Life” off Death Magnetic – New
2. “The End of the Line” off Death Magnetic – New
3. “Ride The Lightning” off Ride The Lighting – Old
4. “Holier Than Thou” off the Black Album – Old
5. “One” off …And Justice for All – Old
6. “Broken, Beat And Scarred” off Death Magnetic -New
7. “Cyanide” off Death Magnetic -New
8. “Sad But True” off the Black Album – Old
9. “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” off Master of Puppets – Old
10. “All Nightmare Long” off Death Magnetic – New
11. “The Day That Never Comes” off Death Magnetic – New
12. “Master of Puppets” off Master of Puppets – Old
13. “Fight Fire With Fire” off Ride The Lightning – Old
14. “Nothing Else Matters” off the Black Album – Old
15. “Enter Sandman” off the Black Album – Old
I was surprised they played six songs from their latest album. The first time I saw them, they tried to played a couple songs off each album to spread it around. I guess the reviews and popularity for Death Magnetic were so good that they had to play most of the album on tour. The entire first song of the concert was played mostly in the dark. Not so the crowd couldn’t see the band, but because there was an intense laser show going on. The entire concert had an amazing lights display. With spotlights on James, Kirk and Robert, they all roamed around the center stage making sure that they took in cheers from ever fan in the arena. At times, there was also a spotlight on Lars, their drummer, which then displayed a huge shadow of Lars on sides of the Target Center. Click here to see a picture of it.
I was impressed with the sound system at the Center. When I saw them at the Metrodome, I remember not being able to hear Kirk’s guitar solos very well because the sound all blended together. But on Tuesday night, Kirk’s solos were clear as the albums. I’ve only seen them twice now, so I still get floored when I hear Kirk live. And at that point, nothing gets better than to see Kirk raise his hands and nod to the crowd.
My favorite song from the concert at this point was “Master of Puppets.” They play it at every show and everyone knows the song. But hearing it live, with 25,000+ other fans….oh man! The crowd cheers with adrenaline and sings at the top of their lungs. At that point, I reali
zed I was losing my voice. I always sing at shows, but I had to sing loud at this one. The second half of the show also introduced a new flash to the entertainment, pyrotechnics. They had huge flares of fire on the stage, along with colored flames in the center of the stage. You know you’re close when you can feel heat from the flames.
Metallica finished with “Enter Sandman.” But when does Metallica ever finish with just one set? The crowd cheers with the house lights on until they go dark once more. They came back on stage playing the intro to “The Frayed Ends Of Sanity” off …And Justice For All, which is a simple rhythm. But without saying a word, the entire crowd starts chanting the notes. T’was a moment to remember. James came back on and acknowledged what the crowd was doing. He said, “That tells me you still have energy left.” He goes on to say that they try to play a cover song at each show and that tonight was, “…the Misfits!” They broke into “Die, Die My Darling” and rolled that into “Motorbreath” off Kill ‘Em All. James spoke one more time, encouraging the crowd to sing as load as they could to the final song, “Seek & Destroy.” During the final song of all their concerts, they drop these huge beach balls, that are all black, from the rafters of the stadium or arena. Apparently these are hot commodities, so when they fall, people try to get their hands on them. Of course they’re huge, so it’s hard to catch them with people trying to 
hit them around. In one of the pictures my friend took, you can see a bunch of the balls on stage that James, Kirk and Robert were kicking back into the crowd. It was pretty funny to watch, especially seeing Kirk play the solo to “Seek & Destroy,” all while being trapped in a corner of beach balls.
After the concert, they stayed on stage to acknowledge the crowd and throw out picks and drum sticks. They all gave a final message to the crowd and headed off stage. After that, you spend the next few hours trying to comprehend what you just saw. Of course, it’s tough to head back to work on such short rest, not to mention the ringing in your ears, but that’s truly the fun of these concerts. They give you stories to tell, and memories to reminisce. What could you want more from a concert? Metallica always puts on a great show and Tuesday night in Minneapolis was nothing short of phenomenal. They couldn’t have put it better than the first song they played, “That Was Just Your Life.” So it was, my friend. So it was.
-BC
Filed under: Other
I am pleased to announce that Music-Live-Reviews has been ranked in the top 10 of forums and blogs from the La Crosse area! In fact, it was #4 on the list and the #2 blog!
Why you should follow: The Music-Live-Reviews blog is more than music reviews and upcoming concerts. There are also posts about musicians you have never heard of and thought provoking music theories. It promises to expand your music library, and it delivers.
The list was created by Coulee Creative who is a website and graphic design company in the area. They have created many cool websites, including a good amount from this area.
Also in the top 10 list was WKBT’s Jeff Guin who writes for the Coulee Region Art Blog. He ranked as #5 on the top 10 list and as the #3 blog.
For the complete top 10 list, click here.
Filed under: Concerts, Events | Tags: Brat Pack Radio, Jim Busta Band, Oktoberfest, Pat McCurdy, The Remainders
For the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States, what can be better than a 3-mile parade, over a week long of events, and the best heritage music to hit the area! Not to mention the brats and cheese curds either, which just mentioning has made me hungry. Friday morning marks the start of Oktoberfest in La Crosse, leading up to the opening weekend with the Maple Leaf Parade. And to help start off the celebration, head down to hear some of the best bands from the area.
I have been a lifetime La Crosse resident, so I grew up with Oktoberfest every year. It is definitely a different kind of celebration from when you’re 5-years-old to when you’re 24-years-old, or even 80-years-old. There’s so much to do, but the best part is getting together with friends, family or networking your way around the Oktoberfest Marshal’s who can be found wearing lederhosen. And apparently lederhosen can be quite expensive, who knew?
Oktoberfest music is spread out to many different styles and backgrounds. Of course you’re going to hear the traditional music like polka and German style music. But this is Oktoberfest in Wisconsin, so you’re going to get much more.
Headlining the opening night of entertainment on Friday will be local classic rock band, The Remainders on the South Side Main Stage at 8:00 p.m. They’re always a get live band, especially since they have a fairly large song catalog. But if you feel the need to start off your Oktoberfesting with traditional polka, why not check out the Jim Busta Band on the South Side Garden Stage on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. I had the privilege to sit in with them on a few gigs this past summer, and they are definitely worth watching. Each band member plays a number of instruments, so there’s rarely a time that they can’t play a requested song.
The next day that popped out at me for entertainment was Thursday, October 1st. On the South Side Main Stage at 7:00 p.m., 80’s cover band Brat Pack Radio will take the stage. You can read my review from their concert when they played at Weinerfest this past year at the Oktoberfest Grounds. And following BPR is the one and only Pat McCurdy. Pat’s a long time fan of the La Crosse area, and holds a pretty large fan base here. I’ve also reviewed him the last two times I’ve seen him, which have both been this year too. The rest of the fest consists of more classic rock, country, blues and good old polka.
Don’t forget about music in the Maple Leaf Parade too. There will be plenty of floats that have live bands, dancers, bikers, and lawnmowers. Yes, I did say lawnmowers, we live in Wisconsin. Also, watch out for the many marching bands from area schools. I only say that because I had to put up with four years of marching in the parade, wearing those heavy uniforms and playing an instrument while walking. It’s harder than it looks.
For a complete list of Oktoberfest events, click here.
-BC
Categorized as one of the top 5 indie bands in the nation, it’s no doubt that La Crosse feels like home for Arizona based Caroline’s Spine. With having a strong college base, C’SP has made countless appearances in La Crosse since their existence. Even with chart topping hits and tours with household named bands, Spine still treats their La Crosse fan base with new releases and great live shows.
Caroline’s Spine broke onto the national mainstream with hits like “Sullivan,” “Monsoon,” “Attention Please,” and my favorite “Wallflower.” If first saw Caroline’s Spine in La Crosse in 2003 when they came to, what was, 324. I’ve seen them a few times since then and they never disappoint. C’SP music is also easy and fun to cover, if you play guitar or are in a band.
The full band, outside of just Jimmy Newquist, have been on hiatus and back together a few times in the past few years. Newquist had made many solo appearances in La Crosse while C’SP was off and on, most of times at John’s Bar. But to tell you the truth, it’s good to have Spine as a whole again, even if it’s not the original. Most recent release, Work It Out, features single “The Light Inside” which is said to be the second most downloaded C’SP song since “Sullivan.”
Spine will be making their latest stop in La Crosse this weekend, Saturday, September 12th at the “End of Summer Bash” put on by local rock station 95.7 The Rock. Held at the South Side Oktoberfest Grounds, C’SP will take the stage around 9:00 p.m. or whenever The Rock gives away the bike. I leave you with their latest hit, “The Light Inside.”
Music-Live-Reviews 
