Outlaws and Moonshine - 1919 EP

As many of you know, I'm not a fan of country music, with the exception, of maybe some older Willie Nelson.  I really stay away from it, at all costs.  I'm not a fan, but have opened up a little to it, due to Ron Keel and his Metal Cowboy project.  Ron showed that the two can exist, and still rock.  Truthfully, bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd paved the way, for bands to merge rock with country, which is better known, as southern-fried rock. 

Over the past few years, we have seen more and more rockers, dipping their toes in to the country waters, and many of them failing quite miserably.  For me, Ron Keel was the only one that captured my ear, until I heard Outlaws and Moonshine.  Outlaws and Moonshine are a new band, that blend 80's style hard rock with some southern fried blues.  The music is down and dirty and catchy as hell.  It is hook-laden southern fried rock with an 80's tinge.  The part where the country influence comes in, is in the lyrics, which comes off a little cheesey.

The songs on 1919, are catchy, and filled with big anthem style choruses, that draw you in.  This band has a nice sound and I'm really digging the vocals of singer Beau Van, who has a killer voice.  The thing about this band, is that they sound so good, that you kind of forget about the cheesey country style lyrics. There is a nice variety on this release.  I really like the Zeppelin-esque Whiskey, which starts with a nice acoustic intro, before kicking into a full on rocker.  The track Hey Y' all, has a Def Leppard vibe to it.  The only thing, that sets these songs apart, from rock n roll, are the country style lyrics, which, at times, take away from the songs.  Don't get me wrong, the songs are strong enough to get you past the lyrical content.  I can see this one playing loud at a party or two.

Bottom Line:  Solid melodic blues based rock, with a classic sound.  Sing a long songs that hook you with their melodies.  The only downside, is that the lyrics get a little distracting, because of the lyrics.

Standout tracks: A Different Kind of Man, Redneck Me and Whiskey

-Ragman is looking for a cowboy hat.  Not!

Whitesnake - The Purple Album

Initially, when i hear that a band is going in and re-recording, their past glories, I instantly take a pass.  I don't understand why artists, feel a need to re-hatch their back catalog, rather than putting out new product.  Is it because they can no longer write music, that fans want to hear, or is it some sort of attempt to make dated songs sound fresh?  No tellin'.  I generally write these re-records off, because the new versions, don't typically hold a candle to the originals.  There are those rare occasions, when it works, but they are few and far between. That said, David Coverdale and his fellow snakes have taken on his era of Deep Purple.  Let's see how they fared.

To be honest, I was ready to pan this one, but I couldn't, because it was good.  The tracks on this CD, aren't simply re-records, of Deep Purple tunes, they are much more than that, because they are infused, with a heavy does of Whitesnake.  Whitesnake has done a nice job of breathing new life, into these classic tracks, especially with the help of guitarists Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra.  Actually Beach and Hoekstra's shreddding make this one a must have, because both of these guys are on fire.  It is nice to finally see Reb get more of the spotlight, in this band, because he is such an amazing player.  Hoestra is no slouch either, who complements, Beach's playing and vice versa.

I have to say, when I first heard that Coverdale was going to do this, I was a bit nervous.  I get bummed out when the great singers, from back in the day, try to re-live their past glories, only to prove that they ain't got it anymore.  Coverdale, proved me wrong, because his voice is strong as ever, on this release.  The list of songs picked for this release, meld very well together.  There is a nice mix of rockers and ballads.  The standout tracks are the tracks, that I wasn't as familiar with.  The hits are fairly karaoke, with the exception of the guitar solos.  It was the deeper tracks, that excelled on this one, for me. 

Bottom Line:  Whitesnake putting a fresh spin, on an era of Deep Purple, that is not as celebrated, as their earlier incarnations.  A solid release that can stand on it's own, without seeming like a total covers record.  There is just enough tweaking of the songs, to set it apart from the original versions.

Standout Tracks: Love Child, Sail Away, Stormbringer and Holy Man.

-Ragman is sprawled out, on top of the hood of wifey's car.  Here we go again.  DOH!

Aerosmith - Rocks Donnington 2014

There are certain veteran bands, that you don't realize how long they've been around, or how many hits they had, over the decades, until you see them live.  It isn't until you go see these bands live, that the light bulb goes off, and you think to yourself, holy shit, I know every song, that they just played.  Aerosmith, definitely falls into this category, because they have such a rich catalog of songs, that they have been consistently putting out, over the past 40+ years.  That said, they have just released a great new live DVD/CD package called Aerosmith - Rocks Donnington 2014.

The DVD starts with an intro, showing the band backstage, before the gig, doing a little schtick.  The thing about this backstage footage, is that you notice how much these guys have aged.   The guys are really showing their age now, but aren't they all in their 60's?  It amazes me, that these guys, that road it hard back in the day, still look as good as they do, and that they are still able to go on stage, and rock every night.  That said, you start to questions, if they can still bring it, but after seeing them, just a year or so ago, I knew they could.

Rocks Donningiton, is shot very well, and gives you a sense of being, right in the middle of a massive festival crowd.  The band sound great and put on one hell of a show.  The thing that blew me away, the most, was Steven Tyler's performance.  Tyler is just 3 years away from pushing 70, and the guy has still got it.  He was moving around the stage, like he was in his prime, as well as sounding amazing.  Joe Perry commanded the stage, as well, and played his axe with precision.  The rest of the band put on a great show as well. 

The set list, for this performance, covers a lot of bases, within the band's long career.  Mostly hits, with a few lesser known tracks thrown in, to keep the diehards happy.   I think the coolest thing about this show, is that it looked like the band were really enjoying themselves.  They've had their problems over the years, but it looks that those are behind them.  This is a great package, and must for any Aerosmith fan.

Bottom Line: Aerosmith proving that they are rock royalty.  The band brings it as hard in 2015, as they did back in the day.  The band are having fun and it shows on this stellar performance.

-Ragman thinks he like this performance, better than the last time he caught em' in the flesh.

Podcast #196: Kickin'

The one and only James Christian is on deck for some music talk, so be there or be...somewhere else.Genghis brings up the topic of artists that make use of Kickstarter and YouTube for creating and publishing original content (i.e. albums), specifically artists like Meytal Cohen. Is this the way of the world now for upcoming artists, or just an example of a fluke success based on internet popularity? You decide.

Next, join the lads as they talk with James Christian of House Of Lords, who discusses the band's latest release, Indestructible, subsequent tour plans, and a nearly life-long (he started singing in clubs at 16!) career in the music biz. HORNS UP!

DVD of the Show: Ozzy - Memoirs Of A Madman

Beer of the Show: Black & Blue (Dogfish Head Brewery)
	Appearance: 3.0 Aroma: 3.5 Palate: 3.5 Taste: 4.0 Overall: 3.5	"Dogfish's offbeat versions of traditional styles is demonstrated nicely with this well-blended (blueberry/blackberry) Belgian."

Featured Tracks: Between The Buried And Me - The Coma Machine; Red Dragon Cartel - Feeder; Ozzy - Diary Of A Madman; Harem Scarem - Stranger Than Love; Meytal - Dark Side Down; Pretty Maids - Over And Out, Riverdogs - Water From The Moon; The Answer - Long Live The Renegades; My Sleeping Karma - Akasha; House Of Lords - Under Blue Skies, Go To Hell, Pillar OF Salt, Call My Bluff, 100 MPH, and Edge Of Your Life

Ragman's Classic of the Show: Pretty Maids - Over And Out

Genghis Classic of the Show: Riverdogs - Water From The Moon

Ragman's Pick of the Show: The Answer - Long Live The Renegades

Genghis' Pick of the Show: My Sleeping Karma - Akasha

- Genghis is ready for some new talk...

Podcast #196: Kickin'

Dreadnought - Building Realms

You'd be tempted to think "this band sounds a mile high", and in Dreadnought's case you'd be right.The race for most unclassifiable - but utterly compelling - band of 2015 continues as the Colorado quartet known as Dreadnought releases its sophomore effort, Building Realms. There are truly some amazing artists out there these days that manage to blend different genres into something that's actually listenable, and this band does that with aplomb. With influences running the gamut from classic prog rock and funk to post rock to black metal to freakin' Latin jazz, its members play multiple instruments beyond traditional rock music including flute, saxophone, and mandolin.

Another curve gets thrown at you as you discover that the two women in the band sing the vocals including some death metal growl. It's predictable, sure, for people to wonder "how the hell does all of this fit together and not sound like a bunch of bands tripping with their gear and crashing down a flight of stairs?" And yet what might seem like a situation ripe for spilling the banks of restraint actually works like most traditional old school progressive bands with long, trippy jams (almost every song on the album is at least 10 minutes) punctuated with folky, plainsong harmonies and pensive shoegazing. It's pretty good stuff.

The Bottom Line: Colorado may seem like the kind of place that would turn out psychedlic bands like pot brownies, but it's a genuinely pleasant surprise to find one so satisfyingly innovative. Looking for something like progressive shoegaze metal? This might be the ticket.

Tracks To Help Hotbox Your Way Through An Epic Roadtrip: Odyssey, Minuet De Lune, and Bridging Realms

- Genghis remembers some pretty righteous road trips back in the day...