Nice Day for a DWaRf Wedding.

 

   July 25, 2014.  I've been looking forward to this day for months. For me, this beats all the other events of the summer. We're heading down to Buffalo for a rockin' concert and the wedding of Darrell Millar (aka Darrell Dwarf) and his long-time girlfriend, Stracey Burtch.
The venue is one of the coolest I've been to.  Braun's Bar and Grill, in the quaint little town of Akron, NY, is a favourite of the DWaRfs. The owner, Ray, has become a good friend of theirs over the years and he is actually the one hosting the free concert and also the wedding.
The line-up is great. John Corabi will play a set, followed by his band, Cheap Thrill, and then there will be a real live rock n roll wedding, on stage, with the ceremony officiated by the Rev. Luc Carl from Sirius XM Hair Nation. Closing the night will be a concert by the KiLLeR DWaRfS. Awesome right?? Right!
We arrived at our hotel around 6:00pm and it was spectacular!!! Salvatore Garden Place is filled with old world Italian grandeur. It's right there, as you get off the highway, and it's breathtaking. We checked in and headed out right away. We cabbed it to the venue (of course) which is between Buffalo and Rochester, about 15 minutes from the hotel.
Walking out to the patio and down to the 'Concert Cove', the first face I saw was John Corabi.

He's such a friendly fellow. I'd met him briefly on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, so a big hug was needed to greet him. (I think I'm known internationally as the Canadian girl who hugs everyone.)
He had already played his solo set before we got there (darned border crossing delays, get us every time!!) but he was just about to go on with Cheap Thrill.
 The 'Concert Cove' was buzzing with energy. Every time I turned around, I saw another familiar face, here to support a great couple, fantastic musicians, and have a good old rock n roll time. Ray Braun has done an outstanding job of bringing a top notch concert venue to the small town of Akron. It's a great place to eat, drink and party with friends. I can't believe I'm just finding out about Braun's!! It's definitely one of my top places to see live shows. I'm hoping there will be many more opportunities to visit Braun's but it's future is somewhat uncertain, due to a few influential people and some extremely dirty politics. (See the link at the end of the article.)

We took our places in front of the stage along with many familiar faces. It was somewhat of a Monsters of Rock Cruise reunion. People had flown in from far and wide for this event - from Minnesota, Missouri, New York City and, of course, a great showing from north of the border.  Cheap Thrill were so much fun. I hadn't seen them play before but we completely enjoyed both the music and the great energy. There was a young boy (about eight years old) sitting on the stage and he was totally rocking out, following Crabby's riffs on a mean air guitar.  It's always great to see rock appealing to youngsters like that. Next up was a real live Rock 'n Roll Wedding. The guys took the stage.

It was no surprise that Darrell's 'best men' were Russell, Gerry and Johnny Dwarf. Also on stage, ready to officiate, was Luc Carl. Stracey arrived in a wicked cool, yellow Lamborghini,

chauffeured by bar owner, Ray Braun. It was a perfect rock n roll entrance.  It was so cute when the guys saw Stracey arrive - they all pointed, excitedly, to the back of the venue, then pulled out their phones and started snapping photos.
The sound of AC/DC's Hell's Bells rang out and the processional began with beautiful Marlow Millar, (Darrell and Stracey's four year old daughter), accompanied by Stracey's two gorgeous bridesmaids setting the stage for the stunning bride, who was proudly escorted by her uncle. Darrell was certainly glowing with pride as his bride stepped up on to the stage and the ceremony officially began.

The Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla (aka Rev. Luc Carl) laid on the perfect set of vows. Short, sweet and very rock n roll. Four year old Marlow, had Mommy's ring, for safe keeping, and was beyond adorable when called upon for the ring. She ran to her Dad , calling out "Daddy, here's the ring!" With a cymbal crash, each said their 'I do's' and, with their choice of wedding song being 'Long Live Rock n Roll', it was on with the party!! The DWaRfs then played a killer set, ending up with a stage full of musicians and friends and even the bride, to close off the concert with a bunch of great cover songs by BTO, AC/DC, Goddo and Led Zeppelin to name a few.

It was an incredible night - one I'll never forget!! The party continued on into the night, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. Then, it was back to the hotel for a few hours sleep before heading back over the border and back to reality once more.
Until the next time, which won't be long, I promise.
Rock on and Keep the Spirit Alive.

Kate Campbell,
(a proud member of Dwarfnation) signing off.

Here's some great footage of the wedding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4cnIQ7Lfu8&sns=em

The kid shredding on the air guitar with Crabby.
http://youtu.be/yymM1W6jW9I


One last thing:
 Some people with some very dirty politics are trying their hardest to shut down Braun's Bar and Concert Cove. Please check out the following link and share it to spread the word and help a local small business stay alive.

http://www.gofundme.com/cavpnc

Photo credits to Joel Naphin, Darrell Millar and Tracy Milne and April Lee (except my awesome selfies and the one of the guys;))
Also, thanks as usual to my good friend Amanda Schumacher, who always double checks my punctuation and grammar before I go to print.

Oh Crabby!!!!! It's a good thing you're a true Pirate brother of Darrell's!!!!!

 

"Rise Up" With a Band Called Swirl

Ever heard of a band called Swirl?  Yes that's right I said a band and not some style of tasty dessert which is rather what it sounds like.  Well, neither had I until I was recently contacted through The Meister's Facebook Page and sent the seven song EP for review considerations.  Sometimes a gem just falls into your lap and that's exactly what's going on here.

The lead song on this EP is "Fourth of July", an up tempo bluesy kind of rocker, laden with catchy hooks and guitar solos that charges out of the gates running.  Swirl had my attention right off and I certainly didn't miss the irony as July 4th was the very date that I had cued it up for a spin, it was like fate!  By the time the funky bass lines of the lead in to "Spell" were halfway through I was scouring the internet for info about this great new band.  Turns out that they have been around for more than ten years starting out in Seattle, before relocating to Los Angeles. This EP is not the first Swirl output with their initial CD, titled Out of Nowhere, being produced by Carlos Cavazo, guitarist for the classic era of Quiet Riot and Matt Thorr of Rough Cutt/Jailhouse.  In the third song of the current collection we find the beefy riffs of the guitar driven lead single "Rise Up", possibly the best of the compilation with an insanely catchy chorus that could certainly be heard on today's rock radio.  "We Are Alive" has a little more thrashy style overtones to it that had my fist in the air during the chorus.  Swirl has a motivational "Message" for us that rings true in this track loaded with the emotion of this hungry independent band.  The membership of Swirl consists of 50% being held by brothers Duane
 DT Jones (guitarist and founder) and Brian "Bam Bam" Jones (drums) with Alfred Ramirez handling vox and Shane Carlson the bass.  Back in 2008 Duane T. Jones and Alfred Ramirez teamed up with Fred Coury, drummer for multi-platinum selling 80's hard rock act Cinderella.  The result of this pairing was two songs, "Time to Fly (Adrenaline)" and "Mad Disease (Sleepwalker)", on both of which Coury plays drums as well as produces.  Swirl have included these two cuts as the closers to the seven song EP that frankly just ends way too soon.  On the band's website (Swirl) there are listening samples of five other songs, presumably from Out of Nowhere, but the actual CD does not appear to be for sale........the search is on!

Swirl have toured in the US and Japan setting the stage for such heavy hitters as Extreme, Ratt, Slaughter, George Lynch and more.  The band is now located in Pasadena, California and they issued this EP in 2013 to overwhelming reception from their fan base dubbed "The Swirl Society".  I certainly hope the boys of Swirl have more gas in the tank and look forward to their next, hopefully, full length effort.....I guess I'm now part of the Swirl Society, and you should be too!

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

(Swirl Website) (Swirl Facebook) (Swirl Twitter)

My Son the Hurricane

Recently, my good friend Dawn contacted me and asked me if I was free to help her on June 9th. She didn't tell me why, she simply told me that she desperately needed my help all day and night. As luck would have it, I was indeed available, and agreed to help her without any clue as to what she needed. All she would say at first was "You're gonna hate me after it's over! You'll be more exhausted than you've ever been."  I thought, "What have I signed up for?"

Turns out it was about the coolest volunteer job one could ever ask for! Dawn is the Sound Crew Coordinator for the S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival in St. Catharines, Ontario.

S.C.E.N.E. is a HUGE one day music festival, featuring over 150 bands on eight different stages throughout Downtown St. Catharines. Our job was to  walk around in a constant loop, stop by the 8 stages, and check if the audio techs had everything they needed. We brought them equipment, water, lunch, dinner, and basically anything they needed because they couldn't leave their posts. 

This was about the most fun day I could imagine and a dream come true for a hairdresser obsessed with taking photos of cool and funky hair!! The colours, the styles, the awesomely cool dreads. It was also the first time I met Danno, My Son the Hurricane's drummer, although I didn't know who he was at first. 

We were running around so much that we barely had time to stop and watch any of the performances and I didn't think, for a minute, that there would be any opportunity to review any of the 150+ acts, but one band literally stopped us in our tracks.We were so awestruck , in fact,  that we completely neglected our audio techs for the band's entire set!

My Son The Hurricane are an incredible combination of Brass Band, HipHop, Metal, and - as they so aptly put it - a healthy dose of groove. The band features 8 horns (4 sax, 2 trombones, 2 trumpets and a sousaphone) and a rhythm section of drums, guitar, bass and percussion. All of which support the ultimate MC, Mr. Jacob Bergsma. 

They have been featured on CBC Radio One and Canada's Much More Music and have headlined a number of music festivals from coast to coast. 

                                                    http://www.mysonthehurricane.com/

We were on a water run when My Son the Hurricane took the stage. It proved to be a while proved to be a while before any water was distributed! Oops!!

The fourteen member group filled the stage both sonically and visually. Emcee Jacob Bergsma took the crowd by storm with his high energy, hiphop style.  The band were clearly a well oiled machine, creating an impressive cohesion between so many genres of music.  

They played a selection of tracks from each of their three CD's including all three from their brand new EP Cashing a Deadman's Cheque that was released in March.

Special guest Sarah Beatty accompanied Jacob on "Ain't My Style" from  their 2009 release Check the Barometer, and "Pushing Up Daisies" from their 2011 release You Can't Do This. She is a friend of the band and a local singer/songwriter who really knows how to get her funk on. The crowd loved her. 

Then came the piece de resistance, perfect for a metal head like me!!! The drummer counted in song number six and the horns kicked into a very familiar riff. "No way!" I thought. "Not possible! Is it?" And low and behold it was! Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" played by a  totally amazing genre-bending band and featuring killer vocals from the MC himself.

                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvy1YqwMk0o&sns=em

It was AWESOME!! I was hooked! I now needed to find out all I could about this band because I knew I had become a fan for life! They closed the show with "Poison in the Water" from the new EP and Jacob did a little crowd surfing before bidding farewell to excited fans both old and new. 

Moments later the band members were at the merchandise table to meet and greet their fans. I  purchased a CD and chatted with the drummer (the guy with the great dreads) for a minute or two. I learned that they are all local guys from Toronto and surrounding towns and cities. I'll definitely check their tour dates and look forward to seeing them again soon. 

My Son the Hurricane are most definitely worth checking out. A bit of a departure from the bands I normally review but I'm excited to introduce them to the Decibel Geek world. Hope you enjoy:) 

                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5hepv47wnE&sns=em

                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK2_wi-lqAA&sns=em

Feel The Balls Of Steel. A Steel Panther Concert Review.

It was Thursday night and as our work day drew to a close, we began putting the finishing touches on our outfits for the Steel Panther concert. My trusty sidekick Victoria and I had been looking forward to the show for weeks now. Last time I saw Steel Panther it was the first opportunity in two and a half decades I had to wear my much coveted leather lace-up pants, so the wardrobe standard was set pretty high! We decided to double the awesome factor with matching outfits. Fish net stockings, short shorts,  high boots and skull bandanas!! Where else but at a Steel Panther show can you dress up in your best eighties gear,  party like a rock star and no one bats an eyelash?!  Stopping for a bite to eat on the way there, however, was a completely different story!

We drove to Toronto with the top down and our teased up, rocker hair blowing in the wind. It was a great beginning to what was sure to be a fun-filled night!!

We walked into The Sound Academy just in time to catch the opening act Hillbilly Herald. I'd looked them up on YouTube and they were just as I had expected. Loud and raunchy! They had that southern metal sound and were really talented, but not necessarily my kind of music. You only had to take one look at us to know we were only there for the headliners.  

For anyone who doesn't know Steel Panther, they are the Glam Metal equivalent to Spinal Tap. They are incredibly talented, enormously inappropriate, lyrically ridiculous and downright hilarious. Their story reads much like most moderately successful eighties hair bands. They payed their dues for years in the eighties playing night after night on the Sunset Strip and just missed their superstar calling. They are, in fact, a band who formed in 2000 under the name Danger Kitty and then Metal Shop, Metal Skool , and  finally Steel Panther in 2008.  Former members of  a Van Halen tribute band,  LA Guns and various other successful bands, they are each, in their own right, masters of their craft. They have an extremely loyal following and their fans are like no other. 

After Hillbilly Herald had finished their set, we decided to move in for a better audience position. We made it quite close to the front but having been to more than one Steel Panther show I was fairly sure we would be retreating to a safer location once the show started. My co-pilot is just shy of five feet tall and she was being swallowed into the crowd already. For now though, we stood our ground. 

The lights went down and Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast came blaring through the speakers. The crowd went INSANE!!!!! Still we stood our ground. It was time!!!! The recorded  intro "In The Future" blasted out into the darkness and suddenly the band exploded onto the stage in their spandex, leather, glitz, glamour and full on eighties regalia!! 

All hands were in the air with the symbolic Steel Panther three finger "Shocker" salute!! (Look it up if you're not easily offended.)

I looked at my brave little co-pilot and pointed to the left side of the audience, she nodded and I grabbed her hand and dragged her through the sea of flying beer cans and inflatable dildos to safety. 

Steel Panther was flawless as always both in talent and stunning good looks! Sexy Lexxi Foxxx had a full sized makeup mirror positioned at left stage so he could ponder his pure perfection at any given moment. You could say it's a good thing Lexxi's pretty!! What he lacks in intellect he more than makes up for in girlish good looks which he he isn't afraid to credit Botox and Collagen for. 

No Steel Panther show would be complete without a ripping guitar solo by the insanely talented shredder, Satchel. 

He disappeared into a giant blanket of smoke during his killer solo which, along with his own stylings, was a kick ass medley of Maiden, Metallica, Rush, G&R, Black Sabbath, brought to a climax by a lovely little excerpt from The Sound of Music (Doe a Deer)

All the while Lexxi was stage left, destroying the ozone layer, applying lip gloss and practicing his best poses in his mirror. He doesn't get to speak much and when he does, you realize quickly that  he's merely there for his unequivocal beauty and his ability to hold down the killer bass lines like a true glam metal rock star. 

They played all the crowd favorites. Death To All But Metal, Asian Hooker (as per usual a cute little Asian girl from the audience ended up on stage), Just Like Tiger Woods, Fat Girl (Thar She Blows), Supersonic Sex Machine, If You Really, Really, Love Me, and of course the beautiful acoustic ballad, Girl From Oklahoma (Suck My...well I'm sure by now you get the idea!)

The girls started throwing themselves onto the stage for Community Property and by the time the band  hit their encore of Seventeen Girls In A Row, the whole crowd was literally jumping and the stage was a hot mess of Canadian boobies and debauchery! 

And that, my friends, was that!! Another fabulous show in the city of Toronto and back to reality we head once again. Steel Panther is never a disappointment but definitely not for the faint of heart or the easily offended!! I'll go back to see them again and again!!

Until  next time...

Yngwie Who?

The doors of the Phoenix Concert Theatre opened a little later than scheduled leaving an enormous crowd lining the sidewalk of Sherbourne St. in Toronto, buzzing with the anticipation of seeing guitar legend Yngwie J. Malmsteen. I had overheard one of the doormen say it had taken longer than anticipated to load in and set up Yngwie's thirty seven Marshall amps hence the almost hour long delay to get inside. The crowd didn't seem to mind the delay. It was one of the first nights we've had that wasn't bitterly cold in this unusually late spring in southern Ontario, so standing outside wasn't too painful at all.

The crowd, although lacking gender diversity, spanned many decades in age. The teenagers and twenty something's represented the eighties in fine form. Long hair, old school concert shirts and jackets, high tops and skinny jeans were in abundance. The energy was high as the doors opened and the night got underway. 

  

Taking the stage first was a young thrash band out of New York City. Martyrd is a high energy,  retro-thrash band with great stage presence. The singer (although a little screamy for my taste) had a great look with waist length hair that he had clearly honed as his secondary instrument. The hair solos were phenomenal!!! Martyrd is a little on the heavy side for me but definitely talented and tight. 

 The Phoenix is a great spot to see a show. The stage is a decent size, the sound is usually good and there isn't a bad place to stand.  It's a great place to people watch in between bands and tonight was no exception. I was loving the old school eighties style resurgence and amazed that the kids can (and more to the point want to) pull it off today. It was cool to see! My favorite person to watch (and that may be because he walked past us at least twenty seven times) was the guy we dubbed "Trinity". He looked like he stepped right out of the Matrix movie. I'm not quite sure where one would even purchase a coat like that but it was most impressive. I would have asked but he looked a little preoccupied with taking himself far too seriously. 

Anyway...

  

Second on the bill was The Ethan Brosh Band, taking the stage before the legendary Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Ethan Brosh has three bands. A vocal band (Angels of Babylon), an instrumental  band and a Bon Jovi Tribute band (Living On a Bad Name). Performing tonight and for the first half of the tour was the instrumental band. I don't think they had been on stage for more than thirty seconds before I knew they were something great!

Ethan Brosh is an incredibly talented, technically savvy, guitar maestro!  His sound is very retro, and reminiscent of the awesome technical skills of Vinnie Moore which took me back to a great place and time in my music archives. After an incredible set (although far too short), Ethan invited fans to come and chat with the band at the merchandise booth which I was eager to do as I had, in the last thirty minutes, become a huge fan. Ethan and his sister Nili  (rhythm guitarist) were genuinely happy to meet and talk to fans. I overheard Nili say that she had played with Tony MacAlpine, Impressive!!

Ethan was very humble, soft spoken and seemingly without ego. Surprising and somewhat refreshing for someone so young with so much talent. We chatted for a few minutes and before retuning to the concert hall, I purchased their newest CD "Live the Dream" which has been on repeat in my car ever since.

You can check out Ethan on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ethanbrosh. 

The lights went out, the smoke started billowing and that unmistakable shredding guitar sound came pumping through the speakers louder than life!  The show opener was "Rising Force". A great choice I must say!! As I looked to see who was belting out this awesome song I was instantly in shock and awe. None other than Trinity! Straight out of the Matrix and onto stage left behind the keyboard. Cool! I guess he's entitled to take himself a little seriously. His voice was killer!! I'm a huge Jeff Scott Soto fan so I was prepared to be a little critical and instead was thoroughly impressed.

The singing was split between the keyboardist (Nick Marino) and the bass player (Ralph Ciavolino). Both were outstanding.  I was under the impression that Tim "Ripper" Owens was still singing for YJM but while at the merchandise counter had learned he was no longer with the group. The guy in front of me picked up a CD and asked "is this the one with the Ripper on it?" and the kid behind the counter replied "I don't know, I'm not a fan of that guy, my Dad is way better!" Intrigued as I was, I had to ask. "Who's your Dad?". "Ralph Ciavolino" he replied. "He's the bass player and lead singer". (Not entirely accurate but close enough and nice to see a kid so proud of his Dad.)

 About four songs into the set, the bass player donned a Canadian hockey jersey (YAY!!!). He wore it for the remainder of the set which must have been smoking hot as he, the keyboardist and drummer were crammed into slightly more than a quarter of the stage while the other three quarters was owned by the mighty Yngwie surrounded by his temple of Marshall stacks. (Did I mention there were thirty seven?) The band were tight but difficult to hear as the mix was over the top heavy on Yngwie. (About the same ratio as the stage placement)

The set ended with my least favorite YJM song of all time. "Heaven Tonight". Really?!?!

Ugh!!! Now it's stuck in my head.  I can't believe he even wants to do that song.

I'd tried to block out that they even tried to make that terrible foray into the Glam Metal scene! That could be why Odyssey was the last YJM album I bought. I didn't recognize much material past 1988 as by that time I had, shall we say, moved on.

I turned to my friend Kevin and said " Malmteen's great but I really dig that Ethan Brosh Band". "Absolutely" he said, "He's like Malmsteen but without all the attitude!"  Well said Kev, well said!

Malmsteen came back out and did a two song encore. "Black Star" which I found completely underwhelming and then, just as I was about to completely lose interest, they broke into  "I'll See the Light Tonight" for the final number." Marching Out" was probably my favorite album released in 1985 so I was stoked. What a great way to end the show.

The "back up" band were fantastic and deserved much appreciation and respect although they, at no time, received any props, nor even an introduction from YJM. (Thank goodness for Wikipedia!).  Not a surprise, merely an observation.  It is, after all, all about Yngwie right?

The guitar tech was on stage for the entire show. Between the seventy five plus pick strips that needed replacing on what seemed like a minutely basis, the spinning, tossing and general vandalizing of the huge inventory of guitars, the fans trying to touch the "Maestro" and his gear, the tech looked as though he was nearing a complete nervous breakdown by the time the show was done.  

There were a few technical glitches (it was only the third night of the tour). At one point in the show, the bassist tried to fill dead air time by telling REALLY bad jokes. Awkward!!!!! To make it just a little more awkward, more than once, when he reached the punch line, YJM broke into a test riff or a power chord just in time to cut him off (seemingly unintentional although we are talking about YJM so was it...really?!)

All that being said, there is no doubt that Yngwie was outstanding!! Of course he was, he's Yngwie J. Malmsteen!  Would you expect anything less?

Episode 6 - Rik Fox Interview (Part 2)

Direct Download


Rik Fox is a pioneer, artist, and has a unique perspective as an inside source of the rise of the American hard rock and heavy metal era of the 70s, 80s, and beyond. Rik witnessed the ascension of KISS, The New York Dolls, WASP, & Motley Crue, among others.

In Part 2 of this 2 part episode, Rik Fox takes you back to the early days of the L. A. metal scene, beginning with his time with W.A.S.P., the rise of Steeler, and brings us to current-day times, discussing new projects.

"It was a legendary time and Rik Fox is your tour guide. I had a blast talking with Rik and think you will love hearing his recollection of a great time in rock history."
- Chris Czynszak

Music Featured:

Theme Song: Manic Bloom
Opening and Closing: Former
1st Break: Hello Kelly
2nd Break: Fist of the North Star
3rd Break: Affliction Asylum

Episode 6 - Rik Fox (Part 1)

Direct Download


Rik Fox is a pioneer, artist, and has a unique perspective as an inside source of the rise of the American hard rock and heavy metal era of the 70s, 80s, and beyond. Rik witnessed the ascension of KISS, The New York Dolls, WASP, & Motley Crue, among others.

Part 1 of this 2 part Rik Fox special allows you to get an inside glimpse of what it was like to be in KISS' loft at 10 East 23rd Street; long before Gene Simmons was counting his millions. Listen to Rik share his memories of working in the 70's New York rock scene along with the Ramones, Dolls, and others playing gigs at CBGB's and the Fillmore East.

It was a legendary time and Rik Fox is your tour guide. I had a blast talking with Rik and think you will love hearing his recollection of a great time in rock history.


- Chris Czynszak

Music Featured:

Theme Song: Manic Bloom
1st Break: The Carry-Ons
2nd Break: Piranah
3rd Break: Stevie Peavey
Outro Song: Mindset Defect