The Black Angel Zine
Welcome to The Black Angel Zine, where Black Angel Promotions brings you the latest and greatest in rock, metal, and punk culture. Our zine is your go-to source for concert reviews, movie and documentary critiques, advice for aspiring musicians, retro music reviews, and the freshest news in the industry. Dive into each section and discover the raw, unfiltered content that makes Black Angel Promotions the voice of the underground.
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I fucking love Ghoul! They're one of those bands that have a great sense of (dark) humor and dish out some of the gnarliest death tinged thrash this side of Creepsylvania. They are also one of the very few bands I would argue that have a flawless discography. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who could say anything bad about any of their albums, but especially 'We Came For the Dead' and 'Maniaxe'. They are bonafide classics. Today we're looking at their latest EP, 'Noxious Concoctions' that was released earlier this year on Tankcrimes Records. This five song effort offers four new tracks in addition to a cover of Funerot's "1-900-DTH-LINE". In typical Ghoul fashion, every track here is a banger and scratches that hard to reach itch I get in between their releases. Hands down, "Shotgun Gulch" is my favorite song here, often reminding me of something that would have been found on 'Splatterthrash', especially with that surf guitar that is reminiscent of "Psychoplasm". The Funerot cover is pretty damn good as well, but I do prefer the original.
‘Second Thoughts’ has essentially been on hold since 2008 when The Old Dead Tree started working on what would have been their fourth album. Shortly after the band started working on it, they split up. They haven’t been stagnant over the years however, as they did briefly reunite in 2013 and released an EP entitled ‘The End’ in 2019. Now, in 2024, the French progressive metal band have made a full and exciting comeback with the release of an album fans were never sure they would get to experience. There’s a lot to take in here. The first is, without any doubt, the impressive song writing ability by the band. I feel there are many bands they pulled inspiration from, most notably Katatonia and Opeth, but also from bands like Dark Tranquility and In Flames, especially on tracks like “The Lightest Straw” and my personal favorite, “Without A Second Thought”. The music ranges anywhere from progressive and melodic death metal to straight rock such as “Story of My Life” , “Don’t Waste Your Time” and “Unpredictable”. And it’s with songs such as “Unpredictable” that you hear how much soul frontman Manuel Munoz has. That’s really one of the many standout elements here - his ability to seamlessly cover multiple genres over the course of an album, sometimes even the same song (I’m looking at you “The Worst Is Yet To Come”). This doesn't sound like an album from a band who hasn't put out a record collectively in about 15 years. This is an album from a band that is firing on all cylinders and knew exactly what they wanted to release. Personally, it seems a little unfocused in the sense there are so many different elements and soundscapes to take in, but everything is so well executed and is overall superlative.
One of the things that has me so invested in Tribulation is that they're a bit of a wild card. With each release they expand their sound and experiment with different influences and tap into different veins of the dark cosmos. Their first two albums are straightforward death metal while their follow up releases became more progressive and leaned into gothic metal and death rock. Regardless of whatever stylistic journey they want to take me on, I'm here for it and Sub Rosa In Æternum might just be their crowning achievement. There's beauty in the absence of light and being surrounded by such a calming yet horrific atmosphere. Johannes' haunting vocal performances on songs like "Hungry Waters", "Murder in Red" and "Reaping Song" almost force you into an out of body experience as your mind is conflicted between the beauty and dark depravity and you can do nothing but standby and see which takes hold. There are also plenty of his trademark raspy, growling vocals which can be found on songs like "Tainted Skies" and "Time & The Vivid Ore". As mentioned previously, you're never quite sure what to expect and there are a variety of moods that vary from track to track. "Saturn Coming Down" and "Hungry Waters" have more of a calm and morose tone (the latter with an excellent piano piece) while "Drink the Love of God" and "Tainted Skies" have faster tempos with mesmerizing choruses and feature some of the album's best guitar work. The closing track "Poison Pages" has a strong Sisters of Mercy feel that the band molds into their sound flawlessly and produces one of my favorite offerings. But if I'm being honest with myself, I could say, on any given day, any song on Sub Rosa In Æternum is a favorite. I prefer this version of the band to their death metal roots and feel this is their true calling
After waiting for FOREVER, I’ve finally decided to go ahead and review/talk about the latest release from Riley’s L.A. Guns – The Dark Horse and of course I’ll talk some L.A.G. and Riley jive too. It wasn’t my intention to wait this long, I wanted to have the physical product in my hands as opposed to the purchased download. Physical releases tell you so much – who produced, wrote and so on, those of you who prefer physical media get it. The physical release of this album has been a debacle from the word go – see Golden Robot Records for that travesty. I’ve seen some of the talk about it, but no matter what, it’s a poor look – this was Steve Riley’s last release EVER, his swansong and this kind of stuff should never have happened. Riley deserved more respect and reverence than that! I’m pissed about it; we should’ve been able to relish in it and celebrate him through it. Supposedly, the physical releases happened back in August, but I didn’t get mine. But I’m not here to cry over spilled milk, if Amazon is worth their salt, I’ll at least get the vinyl release toward the end of the month. I’ll say this and leave it be; I wish the band had been on a label like Perris or Cleopatra, those labels wouldn’t have dropped the ball with something this important. I know L.A. Guns fans have been divided on there being 2 versions of the band and a great deal of them have trash talked this version – I’m not one of those people. Steve Riley is the reason I ever gave the band a chance to begin with – Riley has long been a favorite drummer of mine, the work he did in W.A.S.P. was flawless and he did even better with L.A. Guns. Next to Charlie Watts, Riley has always been one of my favorite drummers, I’ve studied his work ever since I started playing drums. L.A.G. has been a sincere favorite of mine since the release of Cocked and Loaded. The band’s discography is legendary give or take a few missteps. For me, the best albums are the ones that feature the classic line up, the rest are decent, just not on the level of the first few. And let me say this loud and proud, if Steven Riley didn’t play on it, it’s slack in the drum department – I said it. Riley was always the driving force behind the band, his approach was magical and he never waivered nor cheated the band, his tone was always there, and he never tried to overplay and play outside of himself. You can’t say that about the other players that have taken his place. To be fair the last 2 albums from Lewis/Gunns version have been better in the drum department, but it’s still not Riley. I’d been hoping that they would’ve made amends, and Riley would’ve joined back up with the band – that would’ve been great! Even better would’ve been if he could’ve re-joined W.A.S.P. for their latest resurgence, that was a deserved chance too. Alas that wasn’t meant to be, and Mr. Riley left this world in October of 2023, I’m still saddened by the loss, it pains me deep in my soul. At least we have all the brilliant music he left us – Roadmaster, The Lawyers, The Bzzz, Keel, W.A.S.P. L.A. Guns and of course Riley’s L.A. Guns. The Dark Horse… Appropriately titled to say the least. This album sees the band returning with the same members as they had on the previous effort, Renegades. The songs on The Dark Horse do seem a bit more cohesive and rehearsed this time out. While Renegades was good, some of the songs felt rushed, like the band didn’t have time to gel and live with them a little before recording. This isn’t the case at all here. The Dark Horse is a brilliantly recorded and produced album, its jaw dropping! Lead single “Overdrive” gets this album off to a blazing start with catchy riffage and some great melody lines. Vocalist, Kurt Frohlich’s voice stands out here, he’s no slouch. Scott Griffin’s guitar work on this track is fantastic too, kind of makes me wonder why he wasn’t let loose when he was in L.A. Guns – he was underutilized for sure. Title track “The Dark Horse” is the best track on the album to me, its feels urgent/important, as if this is something you should be listening to – it's a confession that you NEED to hear. This is one of those tunes that you turn up when you’re in the car and you press the gas pedal to the floor and just drive until there’s no road left. This track has been my mantra this year, I’ve been burning the roads up just cranking it and getting lost in the words and music. The melody is insatiable, and Riley’s pulsing drums stand out front and center along with Griffin’s guitar work. Frohlic’s vocal work and his approach here is top-notch! The next track “Somebody Save Me” has a vibe like “Over the Edge”, that ‘falling’ feeling is all over this tune – I’ve always appreciated Riley’s Drum work on songs like this. The pocket is deep and he’s playing a little behind the beat, and it feels good. Of course there’s a ballad on the album, “Sweet Summer Girl” (Florida). I like this tune a lot, it has a 70’s vibe to it, much like something you’d hear on a Raspberries album and that’s not a bad thing at all! We’re not looking at a Power Ballad here, Jayne’s nowhere to be found. The lyrics are heartfelt and for lack of a better word, they’re sweet. For those of you looking for some Kelly Nickels bass fury will be happy with the song “The Truth”. Nickels’ bass lines drive the song and they’re upfront in the mix. I’ve always enjoyed his playing, I really liked his work on Renegades too, it’s great to see him back playing again. There are ten tracks on The Dark Horse, I didn’t cover them all here, not because they aren’t worthy, they are. As a die-hard Steve Riley fan, I have to say his drum work and drum tone on this album is some of his finest ever put to tape. Riley deserves all the accolades, the pageantry and the hoopla, he was just that DAMNED good. There’s not an album in his discography that’s slack in the drum department. And while The Dark Horse was his last, he certainly went out on top with some world class players/bandmates that he admired, it showed in his playing and in his some of his later interviews. Riley was a Drum God… While he never got the credit he deserved, I know there are tons of other drummers like me who admired him deeply and we will continue to sing his praises and do our best to keep his memory alive for the next generation of drummers. And if anyone from Golden Robot Records reads this – there’s still time to make this album a bigger deal – CELEBRATE the last work of Steve Riley and his incredible bandmates in Riley’s L.A. Guns! Riley put his faith and trust in you that his work would be released and celebrated. Selling streams on download sites isn’t celebrating, that’s cheap and it’s phoning it in, do the right thing. This album should be talked about incessantly, it’s 2024, albums this good are a rarity for real. Short of a miracle, this will be my number one album of 2024. The vinyl release should be available via Amazon in a few weeks – I pre-ordered it. I can’t speak on the CD; I didn’t get the one I ordered. I’m hoping someone else will release it somewhere somehow, maybe the band? If not, I’ll fight the bidders on eBay if it shows up there. We'd certainly be interested in releasing it here at Black Angel Promotions! Godspeed Steve Riley, thank you for the love and dedication you gave to your craft and to your fans, we’re humbled and grateful for your contributions to music.
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When I started back toying around with the idea of starting my own label again there was one band specifically that I really wanted to work with – The Tremors! I met them eons ago when I was combing the net looking for cool bands to review. I’ll never forget Jimmy Tremor’s reply – sure we’d love to get a review but from the looks of your site I’m not sure you’d like what we’re doing. I quickly replied that I was into Rockabilly, but I just couldn’t drum up any interest from other Rockabilly bands to get anything in for review. A few days later the band’s Sophomore effort “Invasion of the Saucermen” hit my box and nothing has been the same since. I’ve followed the band’s every move and I’ve reviewed every release they’ve put out since this fateful encounter. By the time I met the band their debut release Scourge of The South had already sold out, so I wasn’t able to get it and that never sat well with me, I looked everywhere for it with no luck! Thanks to the genius of eBay and the advent of the search/save/email notifications I was able to land the CD a few years back – for 40$! A small price to pay for a band that I’ve admired for years. And now here we are a few weeks from the 20 th Anniversary Remastered Reissue that I couldn’t be more excited and prouder of! It just goes to show you that sometimes those high prices you pay for things you love can turn into so much more. So, in honor of this reissue, we wanted to catch up with Jimmy and talk some smack about gear, the band and the upcoming reissue! Good to have you here with us Jimmy, let’s start with some of the oldest questions in the book. What made you want to pick up the guitar and learn to play? How old were you? Did you take lessons/study, or did you pick it up and just start twangin’?! I started playing at 13. My older sister had a Yamaha classical guitar and that's what I started on. When I heard the Rolling Stones, I knew I wanted to play electric guitar in a Rock 'n' Roll band. I took enough lessons to get off the ground from a brilliant guitarist named Jim Ryan, but soon learned that playing by ear was the way to really learn the kind of music that I wanted to play. Did you start singing when you started playing guitar or was that something that came with time? I sang in chorus in grade school, mainly to get out of class, so I’d already been singing some. As soon as I could sing and play at the same time, I was doing it. When did you start playing live/doing shows? Any recordings floating around from that era that our readers go out searching for? I played some talent shows and battle of the bands in high school but didn't start playing clubs until 1989 with a band called Rocket 99. Other than some demos that I have somewhere around the house, there's no recordings or videos from that time. Vocally, who are your biggest influences? I hear a lot of Lux Interior influence, but I’m probably looking hard for it since they’re a favorite band of mine. Hard to be a Rockabilly musician in the 21st century and not be influenced by the Cramps. I definitely love Lux's over the top stylized Rockabilly vocals. I guess the biggest influences on vocals would be Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis. Guitar-wise and musically who would you say are your biggest influences? Musically, Jerry Lee Lewis is a huge influence even though he plays a different instrument. My first memories of music is my mom's 45 of "Great Balls of Fire". A few of the guitarists I've really been influenced by are Scotty Moore, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Grady Martin, Keith Richards, Marc Bolan, Johnny Thunders and Johnny Ramone. So many great guitarists, it's hard to narrow it down. Are there any other genres of music outside of Rockabilly that you spent a lot of time chasing and playing in the early days? Any Jimmy Tremor stories that involve big hair, aqua net and lip stick?! Rocket 99 and Ubangi Stomp were pre-Tremors bands that had a touch of sleazy glam. It was my take on what I thought modern Rock 'n Roll should be about.
Today, we’re humbled to announce that our first release will be the 20th Anniversary Edition of “Scourge of The South” from the Rockabilly band, The Tremors. Originally released in 2004, this is the band’s debut release, and it set the tone for what the band would go on to become – a hell raisin’ band of backwoods hillbilly boppers that dish out tons of Rockabilly Boogie that hearken back to the early days of Sun Records when the sounds of the 50’s were thought of as dangerous and profane. The Tremors also rip, romp and snort much like The Cramps did when they first burst onto the scene in the 70’s! One half hillbilly, one half punk, with a heaping helping of the King, Elvis Presley tossed in for good measure. To borrow a line from an old Cramps ad – they’ll ooze, you’ll throb, and nothing will ever be the same again! The Scourge of The South disc has been long out of print and unavailable outside of digital platforms. With this reissue, we’ve not only remastered the album, but we’ve gotten the fellas to unearth a RARE long-lost radio performance, also from 2004. Outside of the band and the lucky radio listeners who tuned in on that fateful evening, this performance has never been heard. If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the band live, you’re in for one hell of a treat. The radio performance has also been remastered for maximum playback enjoyment and let me tell you, the band jumps and shouts like a Baptist preacher who’s got a bad case of the runnin’ fits! With the addition of the Radio Performance, the album comes in at a whoppin’ 31 tracks! The press will be limited to 100 pieces, and they will be individually numbered. Aside from the band’s live shows, the only place you’ll be able to get the album will be from our bigcartel store. The CD will be available for purchase on October 11, 2024 . We will not be offering pre-orders, nor will we be offering holds or selling downloads. We here at Black Angel Promotions have had a long and wonderful relationship with the band that started years ago when we first reviewed their sophomore release “Invasion of The Saucermen”. Since then, we’ve reviewed all their releases and have taken every opportunity we could to lift them up and spread the band’s good name. The band still has four other releases currently available to be purchased from their website and we can’t recommend them enough – life without the music of The Tremors just isn’t living! Please join us in welcoming The Tremors to the B.A.P. family, we are sincerely grateful to offer the reissue of the band’s debut album “Scourge of The South”! https://thetremors1.bandcamp.com/merch https://blackangelpromotions.bandcamp.com/album/the-tremors-scourge-of-the-south-20th-anniversary-remastered-edition https://blackangelpromotions.bigcartel.com/
R.I.P. Jack Russell, the original and one true voice of the band, Great White. Captain Jack was more than just a voice on the radio, he was one of my favorite vocalists, period. I got into the band when I was a kid due to compilations and so forth, so Jack has been a part of my life for well over half of it & I’m not exactly a young buck anymore. I’ve had some tough moments in life with nothing to soothe me aside from a few choice albums – Great White was at the top of that heap. Hard Rock bands are a dime a dozen and often we don’t stop to think or appreciate the talent that it takes to perform this kind of music – we take it for granted. Those with a true penchant for music know after one listen to Great White/Jack Russell that the band WAS heaped with talent, but the most amazing part of the band was Jack Russell’s voice. His ability to perform at a high level was unmatched and even after years of substance abuse, he was able to stand and deliver a jaw dropping performance, be it live or in the studio.
One of the things that I’ve cherished the most in my years of music journalism/PR is that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to be around as new bands creep on to the scene. While a great deal of these bands fall by the way side due to various reasons, there are those who not only flourish but remain a staunch main-stay in the scene and wreak havoc every chance they get. This couldn’t be more true when it comes to The Lurking Corpses. The band burst onto the Indy Horror Punk scene in 2003 with their debut album 23 Tales Of Terror and we certainly felt it in our neck of the woods – it would seem a lot of others felt it too. I won’t talk about that album too much, but it was basically 2 albums on one release – long as hell and there’s not a track to be skipped! We have always been smitten with the band, it also helps that they’ve been so cool to everyone in the scene and through the years they’ve remained humble, working tirelessly to release the best albums they possibly can for their hardcore fan-base. Now here we are in 2024 and the band is quickly approaching the release of their latest album “Lurking After Midnight”, which we’ve already covered – go check it out while you’re here. Naturally, TJ & I wanted to be the first one’s to get an interview with the band on this album release so we can spread the good word of The Lurking Corpses a little further and a little deeper into the minds of all you monster babies! A few days ago we were able to catch up with the band’s front man and driving force, his lordship, Lord Vladimir Von Ghoul!! Without further a do……
"Another day to live through. Better get started." Based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend, 'The Last Man on Earth' is a post-apocalyptic horror film that follows Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) as the lone survivor in a hellish wasteland filled with vampiric creatures caused by a plague. In December of 1965, he inherited the earth and has been living each day ad nauseam for three years. Every day he has the same routine - he checks the fuel for his generator, goes out for supplies, kills vampires and returns home before dark. The bodies of the slain vampires are thrown into a pit and set ablaze to control the contagion. Through a flashback, it is revealed that Dr. Morgan had a wife and daughter, both of whom succumbed to the plague. Upon the death of his wife, he didn't want her burned with the others and decided to bury her on his own. To his surprise, she rises from the grave and makes her way back to their home. This in part explains why we see him lose pieces of his sanity throughout the film and even at times almost resents being alive. While out one day, he stumbles across a woman who he brings back to his home. He starts to have concerns about her and then shoves a wreath of garlic in her face resulting in an adverse reaction. She swears that she's not one of them, but Dr. Morgan finds her trying to inject herself with a vaccine. She explains that there's a large group of infected who are taking the vaccine and that many of those that he killed were actually part of their group and she was sent to secure him so that the others could kill him. This results in a chase through the police station and finally the church where Dr. Morgan is shot and impaled by a spear. This is where he proclaims that he's the last man on earth meaning that he is the last actual man and not an infected or hybrid.
I'll be the first to admit that I get bent out of shape when horror movies are remade. I automatically assume they'll be garbage because generally speaking it's the truth. Fortunately, this remake of George A. Romero's 1978 classic is one of the few that actually get it right. I remember seeing this in theaters and being impressed with how it did its own thing while maintaining the authenticity of the original. Additionally, the cameos made by Tom Savini and Ken Foree help in paying homage to the film they starred in 26 years earlier. I feel it's worth noting that this is Zack Snyder's directorial debut. Regardless of how you feel about his later work (primarily directing superhero films), he does a solid job here and would even go on to direct another zombie film ('Army of the Dead') in 2021. He pays a lot of attention to detail such as different colors of blood used based on the age and state of decomposition of the zombies. Red blood is used for the "fresher" zombies, brownish/red for the medium-aged ones and blackish blood for the oldest. Conversely, there are some continuity issues, as it seems that there is no set time in how long it takes someone to turn once they're bitten. Some people it's instantaneous while others take hours. If you've seen the original, you know the gist. During a zombie outbreak, a group of people make their way to a mall in order to protect themselves in hopes of riding out the storm until help can arrive or they can escape on their own. There are considerable differences between the two films such as there being more plot that involves the group being outside the safety of the mall in the remake. There's also a zombie baby, a dog and some souped up buses that look to be the prototype for those in 'Land of the Dead'. The fates of the survivors are ambiguous as they sail away to an island and look to be attacked, but we are not provided any definitive answers.
In this underappreciated Wes Craven classic, Fool, Leroy and Spencer break into the home of the landlords who are forcing Fool and his family out of their home. It is believed that there are gold coins in the landlord's house and while Leroy and Spencer are out for themselves, Fool is hoping to use his cut to help save his home. After Spencer goes missing, Fool and Leroy search for him resulting in Fool becoming locked in the basement and discovering not only Spencer's body but the true horror of the house - people living in the walls and the cellar. Now, let's get something straight. This isn't Jerry Seinfeld's landlord. No one here is getting upset over a reverse peephole. These landlords are violent, child abusing psychopaths who will stop at nothing to keep their home and secrets under wraps. The brother is a leather wearing, shotgun toting lunatic, while the sister gives off Joan Crawford 'Mommie Dearest' vibes. They wanted the "perfect boy child" and found issues with all of them they ran across, which resulted in the removal of some parts of their bodies and discarding them in the cellar. Now they have a daughter, Alice, who is treated like a prisoner and not allowed to go outside or even really speak. After being caught, Fool is thrown to the people under the stairs in hopes that they'll kill and eat him. He escapes and finds his way back to Alice and they end up in the crawl space behind the walls before making it to the attic where Fool jumps out the window and runs home. Fool calls the authorities and sends them to the house because he made a promise to Alice. When they don't find anything, Fool takes things into his own hands in an attempt to rescue Alice. In their attempt to find a way out, the people under the stairs escape, giving Alice a chance to stab the sister while those under the stairs attack and finish her off. The final standoff between Fool and the brother ends when Fool blows him up with the dynamite that's around the house.
After his treehouse is destroyed by lightning and removed by a yard waste company, Glen (a young Stephen Dorff) finds a geode. Excited about his discovery, his friend Terry helps him search the hole where the treehouse once stood to see if they can find any more, but they end up finding more than they bargained for. They do find a rather large geode but also end up digging so deep that they reach a cavernous area that smells like death. After breaking open the geode the boys immediately know that something is off as there are lights shining through it. After repeating the words that are magically written on his magnetic tracing pad, Glen unknowingly opens...the gate. Upon listening to an album entitled 'The Dark Book' by the mysterious band Sacrifyx, Terry uncovers the parallels between what's happening at Glen's and the summoning of demons as heard on the album. Fortunately for them, listening to the album backwards provides instructions on how to close the gate. After being attacked in the house by the demons, the kids (now with Glen's sister Al), Terry finds himself in the hole/gate and being pulled down by the demons, but is successfully pulled out of it. The group tries reading Bible passages to close the gate, but after that doesn't work, Terry throws the Bible into it causing an explosion resulting in it closing. The demons have not been thwarted however, as they disguise themselves as a corpse in the wall and abduct Terry as a human sacrifice, turning him into some kind of possessed being. They then take Al as well leaving Glen to fight them on his own. Another gate opens up inside the house and a massive demon is summoned, towering over the others. Glen is able to kill it by shooting one of his model rockets into its chest and exploding. Doing so brings back Al and Terry and everything is hunky dory as the skies clear and the birds sing. 'The Gate' is definitely a product of its time with the stop motion animation and practical effects. It was also part of the "Satanic Panic" sensation that was at its peak in the 80's.
movie and documentary reviews
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unfiltered Concert reviews
Get the lowdown on the most electrifying shows around the country. Our concert reviews offer an uncensored look at live performances from your favorite bands and emerging artists. We cover every detail, from the setlist to the crowd's energy, ensuring you feel like you were right there in the pit.
Whether it's a dive bar show or a massive festival, our reviews capture the raw power and intensity of live music. We don't just tell you about the concert—we take you there. Read on for brutally honest assessments and photos that bring the experience to life.
This lineup could rival any other three death or thrash metal bands anyone could put together. Admittedly, I am not the biggest Possessed fan, but respect the hell out of them for their contributions to the genre and was really interested in seeing them perform. I had my earplugs in, but took those mother fuckers out when they took the stage to take in all the blasphemous hymns! Their set was short and sweet (about seven or eight songs) and when they played "Tribulation" I was amped because that's one of my favorite tracks from 'Beyond the Gates' and they killed it! My biggest issue with their performance is that while Jeff gave everything in his vocal performance, it came across as a little subdued. The instruments drowned his efforts a bit which is rather unfortunate. And I know this is super trivial, but their bassist did not move from his position on stage at all. It was almost like his feet were glued to the floor and it was a bit distracting. The fact that your lead singer moves around more and he's in a wheelchair speaks volumes.
This past Friday, (August 9 th) I took my girl to see L.A. Guns & Tom Keifer (Cinderella) in Peachtree City at The Fred Amphitheater. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about the show until a few days before. To be blunt, the PR for the show was trash, otherwise I would’ve had front row seats or a “table” as that was the thing at this venue. Nevertheless, we were able to land great seats and the way the Amphitheater is set up I knew we were going to be able to see the bands well. I was still a bit pissed about the lack of PR though, if I’d missed another chance to see L.A. Guns, I would’ve been MAD AS HELL!! The ride to the venue was highly amusing, we took the backroads and had an adventure, it also helped that my girl was half in the bag and feeling a strong wine buzz – she’s always hilarious, but when she’s on the “drank” and we’re traveling she’s even more fun! We got to see several old farmhouses, ranches and so forth. About 30 minutes outside of Peachtree City we rode through some small town where they had what I believe to be a hunting store with two large statues of Bigfoot standing outside which turned my girl’s tickle box on full tilt and she laughed herself into a stupor. Right then and there she decided we were going to ride back down that way on Vacation to see what's up with the Sasquatches. I’m sure that’s really going to happen, although we have no business in a Hunting Store whatsoever. After an hour or so of my wife loud talking, dranking and giggling we pulled into The Fred and were greeted with FREE PARKING – HELL YES! I’m not sure of the age of the venue but it’s the newer style of Amphitheaters that are starting to sprout up all over the place that tends to cater to the local folks who have plenty of money and are just looking to have a good time and drink themselves blind with their golfing buddies. It’s a bit on the high falutin’ side, if you will. The Amphitheater is nestled deep back in the woods a few miles off a main highway, but you don’t realize it, it feels like you’re a million miles from nowhere. Aside from the normies in khaki shorts and collared Polo shirts, it was a brilliant vibe and there was enough of our tattooed brothers and sisters around to make us feel at home or at least me – my girl was buzzed, she didn't care, she was just happy to be there with me and I with her... L.A. Guns hit the stage at 7:35PM it was still light outside, but that didn’t sway the band or the crowd. Those ole Hollywood Vamps came out guns a'blazing. (If you haven’t seen LAG, this is a standard, they don’t fuck around, they dig in and deliver the goods). We were treated with ten-mile-wide smiles, laughter and cheers from the band too, they were as happy to be there as we were. LAG, stuck to the standards - “Sex Action”, “Electric Gypsy”, “Over the Edge”, “I Wanna Be Your Man” were a few of the notables. The band also sprinkled in some of their newer tunes – the much loved “Speed” from The Missing Peace record. They also opened the show with one of my personal favorites “Cannonball” off the “Checkered Past” album, which I thought was a nice touch. Sadly, they only played one track off their new album, “Black Diamonds” and that was “Like A Drug”. Naturally, the band played their biggest hit “Ballad of Jayne” and while I still adore it, I’m cool if I never hear it or see them play it live again. I’ve been a fan since the debut album in 1988, so it’s a bit old hat to me, but I know all the cool kids in collared shirts had probably never seen the band play it live. Plus, my girl had never seen LAG live, so that was a moment for her too. The band was highly interactive with the crowd, but this is the LAG way, they’re all about the fans and being in the moment. There were a few of the ladies down front who were a bit too excited to see Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns so we were all treated to a little “Breast Wishes”, but it’s all in fun and hey it’s an L.A. Guns show, if you can’t be sleazy there where in the hell can you be sleazy?! If you’ve never seen L.A. Guns live, don’t miss the chance when they come to your town, the band is still as good as they were in 1988!!! I’d go see them again tomorrow if they were playing near me. To be fair, I try not to miss L.A. Guns when they come to town, they’re one of my all-time favorite bands. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I still miss and love Steve Riley (R.I.P.) on drums, but the new guy held it down well enough to get the job done. Now we come to the hard part of the night - Tom Keifer’s set. I haven’t seen or heard Tom live outside of his time in Cinderella and that was years ago when we were both still young and wild. It’s well documented that Tom has fought a long hard battle with vocal cord paralysis. Over the years several surgeries have been performed and he’s basically had to teach himself to sing again over and over. From the first note I knew something was wrong, someone was singing off-key, or something was happening somewhere. Much to my dismay, I soon realized it was Tom. I was hoping it was just the on-stage volume and they’d get it figured out after the first song, however when Keifer spoke I could hear that his voice was gone, it cracked instantly as he welcomed the crowd. I’m not slagging Keifer at all, just calling it down the middle. Honestly, I didn’t think this was an issue anymore, I’ve got a few friends who’ve seen Tom several times, they go out of their way to travel miles and miles to see him and not a word has been said. My mind immediately went to this thought - I could leave, be disappointed and turn my back on one of my childhood heroes. Or either I could stay, scream my ass off and raise my hands in the air and cheer the man on as he sang and played his heart out for us. You all know I stayed and screamed, looking for that sacred “Shot of Gasoline”!!! Tom got me in my feelings several times when I was least expecting it too. The 3 rd track of the set was “Heartbreak Station”, and the intro was so heartfelt I was tearing up before he sang the first line. I stood their awe struck and dumbfounded with tears in my eyes remembering how much the song has meant to me through the years and how much of a pleasure it was to hear it live for what could be my very last time. It also stung me deep that Jeff LaBar (R.I.P.) wasn’t up on-stage playing guitar. These feelings hit me even harder on “Coming Home”. Of all the songs Cinderella released, this track has always been my favorite, it’s a bio of my life, warts and all. All I’ve ever wanted was to be loved and to “come home”, it felt like forever to be able to achieve that feeling. A million thanks to my girl for giving me that home that I yearned for my entire life. “I took a ride in a world I'll be spinnin’ for the rest of my life” … Keifer went on to play all the hits, he hit us with “Hot and Bothered”, “The Last Mile”, “Nobody’s Fool” and I thought the crowd was going to full on riot when they played “Somebody Save Me” and “Nightsongs”. It was a fantastic scene. There were several other classics played throughout the evening. I’m sincerely glad I stayed for Keifer’s set, the young man that still haunts the halls in my memory needed it. Now my cup runneth over with love for all the things that I’ve experienced and all the places I’ve been. It’s not just Tom who’s gotten older, I’ve done fucked around and gotten old too. Thankfully, us old dogs can still get up there and fucking get it when it's time. If either of these bands roll through your town, get off your ass and go! While Tom isn’t the young man he once was, know this, the voice he had in the in the late 80’s was wrecked for us and all in the name of Rock N’ Roll. Keifer deserves to hear the crowds roar and every one reading this “NEEDS A SHOT OF GASOLINE”! And if you can’t get down with Keifer, them Hollywood Vampires, L.A. Guns still got that 100-dollar bill and a bottle of lotion – S.E.X. Who’s next?! ~Black Angel
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