Meister in Sweden 2014:The Dismal Skies Don't Dampen the Day

Again it’s cold!!!  I wake up to a decided chill in the air, very glad that I bought the camping mat last night!  The skies are cloudy and threatening rain again, Sweden where is the hot sunny weather that you provided me last year?  This is worse than Canada at the moment!  After some Decibel Geek work while lounging in my tent, it’s time to head out a little before noon to Red Dragon Cartel’s set.  A breakfast beer along the way?  Why not?

Thursday's Schedule

Darren James Smith-photo by Meister

Opening with "Ultimate Sin", I marveled at how well Darren James Smith’s voice still sounded after the fairly heavy touring that Red Dragon Cartel has been doing of late.  It was after that opening song, however, that the issues began!  Jake E. Lee was plagued with amp issues, not being able complete “Deceived”, the second song.  Replacing the amp they wrapped up “Deceived” and went into “War Machine”, which they could not get through either, the amp blowing again.  The Badlands song “High Wire” went through with no issues, but the follow up of “Shine On” was another matter.  Jake was rocking so hard that he blew three amps Darren proclaimed as Jake bowed in apology to the audience!  Finally things seemed good through the rest of the set which included “Shout It Out”, “Rumblin’ Train”, “Sun Red Sun”, “Feeder” and “Bark at the Moon”.  I wonder what are the chances that Jake and Ozzy are sharing a drink backstage and reminiscing about other times?

Ronnie Atkins-photo by Meister

Denmark’s Pretty Maids were on deck next and were awesome in my first time seeing them.  This is a band that will doubtfully ever come to Canada and one that hasn’t really broken over here which is a shame.  They are a great unit of melodic rock and their 2013 release, Motherland, made my list of the top albums of the year.  “The Mother of All Lies” from that same album got the show under way, which was quickly followed by “Nuclear Boomerang”.  With little to no talking, they whipped through a good mix of their back catalog with songs such as “Red, Hot & Heavy”, “My Soul to Take”, “I See Ghosts”, "Yellow Rain” and “Little Drops of Heaven” among others.  They slid a little snippet of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” into the mix as well and they were always calling and motioning for the audience to get their hands in the air.  Before they rolled into one song, singer Ronnie Atkins claimed that HammerFall had stolen this one from them and tonight they were stealing it back, but I was unfamiliar with the song.  “Future World” wrapped things up and the comical Monty Python ditty “Sit On My Face” played as they took their final bows on what was a truly magical performance.

Time to get into the VIP/Press area for some quick camera charging, I’ll need this thing to last me for the "Gruesome Twosome" of Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper later tonight.  I also sent some photos back home of the tee-shirt choices for interested parties wanting me to do their shopping and of course had a couple of beverages.  The area was, again this year, presented by Jagermeister,

VA!?-photo by The Meister

featuring a covered VIP bar/lounge area, food stands and lots of other VIP extras.  They have “The Jagermeister Girls”……do I need to see any more concerts today?  After not enough time, I packed up the charger and it’s cumbersome international power converter and headed out with the intention of hitting Robin Beck and Roxie 77, both of which were well into their set by this time.  On my way by I passed The Rockklassiker Stage as an all female trio began their set.  Their first song, which may have been called “Get Excited” drew me in, that and we all know how I love ladies in bands!  Calling themselves VA!?, which I later learned means “what” in Swedish, the punk infused music was very catchy and I lingered for a good portion of their set.  Songs like “Crush”, “Kiss This Bitch”, “I Wanna Be Your Captain” and a cover of “Helter Skelter” all delighted the crowd around me.  But unfortunately the rain came again and much harder this round, making it time to hit DBHQ to collect my over priced Sweden Rock Festival garbage bag looking rain poncho!

Black Stone Cherry-photo by Meister

Black Stone Cherry was just taking stage as I slipped back into the grounds via the north entrance on the left hand side of the Festival Stage.  Not being overly familiar with their music, but do enjoy what I’ve heard, I lingered for the first four or five songs before the need to drain my bladder and refill my stomach arose.  A little wander took me past the sound check for The Men They Couldn’t Hang on Sweden Stage, the sound check for Tesla on the Rock Stage and a little of the Turisas set, which was not my flavor of music, before finding my self back at Black Stone Cherry during “Rocky Mountain Way”.  "White Trash Millionaire" and “Blame it On the Boom Boom” delighted the crowd and ended their set.

Tesla on stage at Sweden Rock-photo by Meister

The Rockklassiker Stage for Eyes Wide Open was my next stop, which didn’t last too long being a little too screamy for my real liking.  Solstafir over on 4 Sound was next for a song, but again was not really in my realm of listening spectrum, so Tesla it is!  I had thought to check out some bands I'd never heard in hopes of a great discovery such as VA!?, but alas it was not to be for The Meister.  Tesla, however, won out hands down and they began another excellent performance with “I Wanna Live”.  “Hang Tough”, “Heaven’s Trail”, "Mama’s Fool”, “Into the Now”, “MP3” and “The Way it Is” all pleased my eardrums, the latter song I heard as I made my way again to the VIP area. 

Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge-by Meister

After meeting a friendly Swede and enjoying a nice chat about the differences in our countries and hockey (Sundin, Lundquist and Salming) it was time to catch Alter Bridge.  I’m not opposed to what I’ve heard from their catalog, but not overly thrilled by it either.  A little too alternative/modern, whatever you want to call it for my specific tastes although I do like Myles Kennedy, the vocalist.  Kennedy was excellent when I saw him with Slash and he even sounds a little like Axl Rose on those Guns 'n' Roses classics.  After the fourth song I decided to hit up power metalers, Masterplan.  I’m sure Alter Bridge will play in Canada sometime, just as I’m sure that Masterplan will never play Canada!

Roland Grapow and Masterplan-photo by Meister

I got over to the 4 Sound Stage in time for "Spirit Never Die”.  This is power metal at it’s finest I proclaimed inside my head!  There was no English talking as they stalled for a little sound issue with the bass guitar and it sounded Swedish, interesting, I thought they were German.  Maybe that’s only guitarist Roland Grapow, but no matter the vocalists strong and powerful voice carried the lyrics to my ears very successfully.  One thing that was evident throughout the show was the obvious fun that the band was having together with their banter (I think I got the gist of what they were teasing each other about on several occasions) and playful attitudes.  At one point Roland and vocalist Rick Altzi (who I later learned is actually Swedish) mocked each other, having fun as singer explained some Swedish words to the former Helloween axe slinger.  “Lost and Gone”, “Black Night of Magic”, “Crimson Rider”, “Back for My Life”, “Time to Be King”, “Keep Your Dream Alive” and “Crystal Night" (an Anti-Nazism song) all came together collectively for one of the best performances so far even though I left before the end.

Beast-photo by The Meister

After passing back by Alter Bridge in time to catch the last two songs from their roster, “Rise Today” and “Isolation”, I checked out Beast on Rockklassiker Stage.  NEMIS (New Music In Sweden) is an organization to promote new music and presents a lot of the great bands that I've seen on this stage last year and this year.  Beast were a female fronted outfit that I’d not heard of prior to right now.  There were very few audience here for them, but once they started playing their opening song the crowd drew in.  For me, I do certainly have a fascination (and some may say problem) for females in bands, but aside from that the music was quite good having a punk/thrash/Maiden feel to it if that combo makes any sense.  It hurt to have to leave this stage, but Rob Zombie is a big bucket-lister of mine having succeeded in missing him every time in Toronto!  I will definitely be contacting Beast in search of their recorded music once back home in Canada!

Rob Zombie-photo by Meister

“Meet the Creeper” led the Zombie stage show, quickly followed up by “Superbeast”, but I thought that the sound was a little flat overall.  "Scum of the Earth” and “Living Dead Girl” came next but my interest started to wane even though there was lots and lots of stage movement.  My problem was coming from the synthesized sounds, the exact ones from the recordings and it just didn’t sound “all that live” to me.  I stuck around for "Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown” and the following drum solo, which also had accompanying synthesizer sounds making me wonder just what was real and what recorded during this performance.  But the crowd was loving it, so probably it’s just a funny idea that I got in my head!

Off to grab a little of Uriah Heep’s set even though they are certainly not my particular flavor of rock.  The crowd was impressively tighter and more packed over here than it had been for Zombie!!  Two quick songs, the announcement of a

Uriah Heep-photo by The Meister

forthcoming album on Frontiers Records and I was back over to Rob Zombie.

Zombie and his band were ripping through a cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" by the time I returned.  Rob wrapped himself in a Swedish flag for "Thunderkiss '65" during which he sent a shout out to the dressing room over there, playing a snippet of "School's Out" ("playing the whole thing would just be rude", he told us) before closing out the White Zombie track. He shut things down with the smash "Dragula" as I headed over to catch some of Ammotrack.

Ammotrack-photo by The Meister

Ammotrack is a band that I had discovered in some quick research in preparation for Sweden Rock 2014 and really liked them right away.  They did not disappoint in the live setting with a high energy set, every song was filled with pep and the whole band was rocking.  The vocalist possessed a good strong voice and my hands were quickly in the air for this band.  At one point they also tossed some CD's/cassettes into the crowd, I was not lucky enough to snag one, but I will be searching out their full albums!  Their set included songs such as "Raise Your Hands", "Hitman", "Living Like An Angel", "Fastlane" and "S.H.O.U.T." among others, the titles of which I was unable to catch.

Alice Cooper-photo by Meister

Alice Cooper was the headliner for the evening and it had already been a really long day of rock.  The Alice Cooper stage show is something in itself to see even though it has changed over the years.  I'm sure there's not much to be said about Alice Cooper that hasn't already been said, but he was my very first concert.  New Year's Eve 1989 on the Trash tour he stopped in Toronto and I was there for the event, one that started my concert addiction.  For this full length Alice Cooper show he took us on a ride of the highlights throughout his entire career.  Songs like "Billion Dollar Babies" saw Alice wielding a sword around that released cash into the crowd while he carried around a huge coffee mug for "Caffeine".  Necklaces went into the audience during "Dirty Diamonds" and a huge Frankenstein appeared on stage during "Feed My Frankenstein".  While dressed in a straight jacket for "The Ballad of Dwight Fry" a huge guillotine chopped off Alice's head which was paraded around during "I Love the Dead" immediately afterwards.  Other songs appearing in the set that started off with "The Underture" were, "Hello Hooray", "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Under My Wheels", "I'll Bite Your Face Off", "Department of Youth", "Hey Stoopid", "Go to Hell" and "He's 

Alice Cooper-photo by Meister

Back (The Man Behind The Mask)".  The "Coop" also did a little covers section including The Doors' "Break On Through (to the Other Side)", The Beatles' "Revolution", Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" and The Who's "My Generation" before the closers of "I'm Eighteen" and "Poison".  An encore of "School's Out" (including Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In the Wall, Pt.2") featuring guest Rob Zombie had me wondering if Zombie's earlier shout out had just been a little prelude.  The "Gruesome Twosome" both stabbed at the balloons littering the stage with large swords and gave each other a large hug before everyone took the final bow.

Somewhere during the Alice set I departed to investigate Sparzanza on the 4 Sound Stage as I knew they'll not be in Canada anytime soon.  I was able to catch two songs as the singer, dressed in a shirt and tie was shrouded in dry ice smoke.  I enjoyed the music, a little more industrial perhaps, but good none the less and worth checking into further, but "The King", Alice Cooper, won out and I was back at his set before too long.

And thus completes the second day of live music and my adventures at 2014's Sweden Rock Festival........until tomorrow.

Cheers from Sweden,
The Meister

(Sweden Rock Website) (Sweden Rock Facebook) (Sweden Rock Twitter)

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

Links to 2013's "A Canadian Decibel Geek in Sweden" series.

(Prelude to Departure) (Days #1 & 2) (Day #3) (Day #4) (The Final Day)

The Meister in Sweden 2014: Day Two: The Rock Begins!

Day #1 Schedule

I survived the night successfully in my tent, a little chill but overall good.  Today is still a little dismal out and there’s a definite chill in the air again.  Wandering the grounds in the morning, this time I ventured farther than I made it last year and discovered where all the public campgrounds were situated as well as another general store with a better selection than the Supermarket.  Unfortunately, the plan of venturing into Solvesborg was not put into place as by the time that I learned the bus schedule it would have been too late to go in and return in time for the first band. In an effort to keep these daily diary accounts of my adventures at Sweden Rock Festival 2014 fairly short I will try not to ramble on too much, only getting detailed with my "highlight" bands........no promises though!

The layout of Sweden Rock Festival 2014

Vdelli-photo by The Meister

Killing the time with an afternoon nap, still a little rough after the lengthy travel day, I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to rock.  The first band of the 2014 festival was a group called Vdelli on the 4 Sound stage.  Vdelli, a blues rock power trio from Perth, Australia presented a great and spirited set with selections from their back catalog as well as their latest release.  There were several over indulgers (of booze) already present at this early hour of the festival, stumbling about the crowd while as the guitarist and namesake of the band told of the two days of travel it took for them to get to Sweden.  He also said that he was glad they were on first so that

Vdelli-photo by The Meister

they could then drink and watch all the other bands as well and would be available to meet fans at the Band Merchandise booth after the set.  He was genuinely laughing throughout the set, obviously not lying when he said he was happy to be here.  Several songs stuck out for me, “Loose Ends”, “Never Going Back” and “Time for a New Town”.  “Change the View” came with the announcement that it was the first video for the band, just being made recently.  The last song of the set, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, resulted in broken guitar strings and I do mean every string on his guitar, can't say I've seen that before!  Searching out some of Vdelli’s catalog is a must and this guitar driven, boogie, blues rock was a great opener to the festival.

Backstreet Girls-The Meister

I later learned that passing on Freak Kitchen, the next band on a stage, was a mistake, but at the time I was unfamiliar with them.  I took some time to wander around the festival area which seemed a slightly different set-up in places than last year, but overall basically the same layout.  The VIP/Press area finally got me back onto the internet after a day and a half’s absence, which in this day and age seems an eternity  After a beer and some message checking it was back to the rock with The Backstreet Girls on the 4 Sound Stage.  They burst onto the stage with a raucous energy and their glammy, sleaze style of rock was awesome.  By the second song I picked up on a heavy punk influence and every song in the set was loaded with pep and energy.  The singer sported a bad cut on his knee, the bloody mess noticeable through his ripped jeans, while the bassist’s wrist was wrapped in a bandage.  Did these guys just get in a fight before they took the stage?  The building pressure in my bladder drove me away after about the sixth or seventh song, but this is definitely another band to look into when I return home.

A pretty good beer!

Deciding to check out the band merchandise booth, which I learned last year is something that you should do often as there’s new merchandise appearing as bands come and go, I randomly met two Swedes.  They were shocked that I had come from Canada for the event and insisted on purchasing me a beer, well how could I say no?  After also meeting two Danish Bikers and several other folks while I enjoyed my beer (pic of bottle), I took some photos of the band merchandise to send home for those wanting me to do some shopping for them.  Meeting up with some UK cruise friends back in the VIP/Press lounge for another drink before heading over to RockKlassiker Stage for Black Trip.

Black Trip-photo by The Meister

Black Trip are an excellent new band from Sweden whose debut record, Goin’ Under, I just recently discovered back home.  They played some great songs off that record such as “Putting Out the Fire”, “Night of the Living Dead” (which is not the correct song title, but a great song none-the-less) and “Voodoo Queen” among others.  I thought that the band absolutely rocked the stage, sounding great and delivering a high energy rock show.  Their set was no nonsense straight ahead playing with little to no talking between song selections save for a few Swedish words from time to time. This album, containing a collection of 70’s influenced stoner rock is a great pick up for any rock fan.  I left during the last song to head over in hopes of getting a decent spot for Magnum, who was about to take The Sweden Stage.

Magnum-photo by The Meister

Some awful and awfully overpriced fish and chips (well, really what did I expect?) along the way led me to Sweden Stage for Magnum.  The area was totally packed for this band that obviously has a huge following here, but is relatively unheard of in North America.  I had heard the name, but only recently delved into the catalog a little when their name appeared on the Sweden Rock roster.  I was unfamiliar with the first few songs, not surprising given the immense discography of theirs to go through, but I did not dislike what I was hearing.  Unfortunately the whole sound system here appeared to be at a very low volume and it was difficult for me to hear the vocalist and even the music over the people talking around me.  I wormed closer to the stage in an effort to better hear and see, meeting once again my UK friends.  I overall enjoyed the set, recognizing tunes such as “How Far Jerusalem”, “England’s Eyes” and “Sacred Hour” as well as a couple of others whose names elude me.  I was told that this was not their best performance, my UK friends having seen them just six weeks ago, where the vocalist’s voice had been much stronger rather than this, the end of a tour.  I, however, thought they were great and yet another band whose music library I need to investigate further.

Blaze Baley-The Meister

Di'Anno vs. Baley was next on the 4 Sound Stage and something that I was interested in.  Paul Di'Anno and Blaze Baley, both having been the front man for Iron Maiden at different stages of that band’s tenure as one of the premiere metal bands in the world, teamed up for this event.  Blaze Baley was on for the first half and played a selection from his two Iron Maiden album catalog including “Lord of the Flies”, "Futureal”, “Sign of the Cross”, “The Clansman” and “Man on the Edge”.  In all of last year I had never seen the crowd at this stage as thick as it was now and I stayed nearer to the rear for this event.  Paul Di'Anno and his

Paul Di'Anno-The Meister

band came on after what seemed an overly lengthy time in between and worked through his Iron Maiden material.  D'iAnno took a position sitting/leaning on the drum riser, announcing after the second song that he had injured his leg and queried the audience if it was OK for him to sit. "Sanctuary", "Wrathchild", "Killers", "Phantom of the Opera" and "Transylvania" were all included in his set with “Remember Tomorrow” being dedicated to his lost heavy metal brother, Clive Burr. and although I was not impressed with his vocals, he sure has Baley beat on material!  As one may have expected, Baley and Di'Anno performed "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden" together to close the show.

The cold was starting to set deep into my bones again and once the rain started I threw in the proverbial towel and headed back to camp, missing Queensryche’s set.  I had just recently seen Queensryche at the M3 Festival in Baltimore so I didn't feel too bad about missing them although I do apologize to fellow Decibel Geek writer Kate Campbell (a huge Queensryche fan).  I curled into my sleeping bag, listening to the rain patter on my "minimum 20 year old tent", praying that it wouldn't leak!  Hopefully tomorrow will bring better weather!

Cheers from Sweden,

The Meister

(Sweden Rock Website) (Sweden Rock Facebook) (Sweden Rock Twitter)

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

Links to 2013's "A Canadian Decibel Geek in Sweden" series.

(Prelude to Departure) (Days #1 & 2) (Day #3) (Day #4) (The Final Day)

Love Fest - Episode 140

There's a lot of hard-working, stressed-out people in this world. One of those people happens to co-host this show.

This week Aaron Camaro gives Chris a much-needed week off and produces and hosts this week's episode all by himself. The theme this week is Love Fest and Aaron pays tribute to Chris and others that deserve credit for the hard work they put in. In between, he spins some uplifting tracks from artists such as Motorhead, KISS, Warrant, Supersuckers, ELO, and more. C'mon get happy and enjoy the smooth sounds of Aaron Camaro and some inspirational tunes.

Buy Music!

Motorhead
KISS
Warrant
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Supersuckers
E.L.O.

Contact Us!

Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes

Join the Facebook Fan Page

Follow on Twitter

Follow on Instagram

E-mail Us

Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351

Support Us!

Shop on Amazon!---------->>>>>>>>>

(a percentage of sales from that link to the right goes back to supporting Decibel Geek!)

Stream Us!

Stitcher Radio

Spreaker

TuneIn

Comment Below

Direct Download

The Meister in Sweden 2014: A Long Day of Travel!

Well here we are exactly one year after the Meister’s first Sweden Rock Festival and again the intrepid Canadian is back  in Scandinavian Sweden for more.  Here's my account of the lengthy travel day to arrive here:

I rushed out of the house, beginning my public transit trek to Toronto’s Pearson Airport with that nagging feeling that I’d forgotten something.  Sure enough as I was over halfway to the airport I realised that I had omitted my light rain jacket from my gigantic backpacker’s knapsack!  Oh well, it’s not going to rain anyway.

So the first thing that I noticed as the fairly new airplane’s wheels caressed the landing strip were the rain droplets covering the porthole windows of the cabin.  Whatever, it always rains in England and it’s far enough away from Sweden anyway! With a three hour layover to kill, I stopped for a nice classic English breakfast and since they’re serving at that time and my vacation has begun, a beer!  Just before I boarded the aircraft in Toronto I learned that the foretold had come to pass and the trains in Sweden were on strike, no doubt this weekend was chosen to cause as much difficulty as possible.  This would make travel to the festival awkward and difficult for me and many others.  The Sweden Rock Facebook page had many folks including SRF saying to take a bus to Malmo (my keyboard does not possess the ability for the necessary umlauts), Pagatag to Bromolla and then a festival bus to the site.  Let’s see how that works out for me! 

Killing my three hours in Heathrow quite quickly I boarded the second leg of my journey supplied for an astronomical fee by British Airways (all airlines were similar pricing, I should add).  With no TV for the shorter ride and smaller airplane of the second leg of the journey, I promptly shut down into “sleep of the dead mode”.  Upon rising from the coma like sleep once again as we taxied along the runway to our assigned gate, I began to grumble a little about the obvious rain going on outside.  No matter, Solvesborg is a two hour train ride away, it won’t be raining there!

Now to find out where to catch this magical bus from the airport!  Spotting a place selling train/bus/metro tickets I qued up and waited for one of the four operatives to become available to speak to me.  Perfect….I found out that there was indeed a bus to take me to Malmo where I could catch Pagatag, which is just another style of train.  Not only that but my pre-purchased ticket was to be honored, even though it was a different company, different mode of transportation and even different times and destinations.  He directed me to take the first exit on the left out of the terminal and that’s where the buses would be, so I immediately took the first right, somehow getting turned around and confused unbeknownst to myself.  I wandered the terminals….all three of them looking for a bus that basically said anything that I would recognise from the original ticket still in my hands or from what I could remember of the new travel route plan.  There were several bus stops out there, but nothing looked familiar at all.  The two folks that I asked, who were wearing Sweden Rock and Uriah Heep shirts didn’t seem to know either!  Back inside we go to airport terminal three, this time over to the info booth.  Ahhhh, dummy you went out the wrong side!!  The long line of buses out this door signified that I was in the right place this time, along with the paper signs taped up randomly.  The bus goes to Hyllie, the first stop once entering Sweden from Denmark and is very close to Malmo, considered the outskirts.  From Hyllie I was told to take another bus to Malmo, but once I got there I followed my nose, or in this case the crowd to a train station across the road where I was directed to take the Pagatag train to Kristianstad and from Kristianstad another Pagatag to Bromolla.  One thing I did notice once we crossed over into Sweden was how remarkably heavier the rain was getting the closer and closer we got to Solvesborg and the festival!  Idiot…how did you forget your rain jacket?

I easily found the festival bus once at Bromolla, mostly I just followed the crowd of other obvious rockers.  It helped with the big sign in the bus window and the friendly, light humored driver calling to me, presumably on seeing me sporting last year’s SRF shirt.

Fifteen minutes later, now around 6:30 pm, I entered the grounds of Sweden Rock festival.  I wonder what, if anything the grounds are used for the rest of the year or does a lot of this stuff like Sweden rock shop stay year round?  First order of beeswax….into the supermarket for a cheap rain poncho!  Hell no, the supermarket has different ideas this year, not re-stocking the item that I had surely seen in there last year, come to think of it a lot of things were absent.  Sweden Rock Shop netted a logo’ed Sweden Rock rain poncho for a small arm & a leg, which I wasted no time in scrambling into.  (I also purchased a laminated neck lanyard of the band schedule, which would be a great idea for MORC).  No sooner had I completed this mission and crossed the road to line up and check in for accreditation did it stop raining!  Well better that than a downpour for sure and with the looks of the skies more rain is on the way!

After erecting my domicile (DBHQ) I set out to wander the vendors of food and merchandise set up outside of the actual festival area.  I was not even out of the camp area when I had struck up a conversation with a gentleman and before long was passing over a Decibel Geek card!  It was damp, cold and misty out as I walked around.  There were more t-shirt booths set up than I could imagine and other things for sale from jewellery (might pick myself up a nice skull ring or something), to patches, to CD’s, to phone covers and zippo lighters all rock themed of course!

People of all sorts of walks of rock were here, some older, some younger, some dressed quite oddly, but a good number carried a beer in their hands as they walked.  Some had obviously had too much already as they staggered around, but no-one seemed out of control and everyone was partying.  Walking past the public campground it was already raucous with music and laughter as anticipation was building for the festival start tomorrow.  My camping area was on the other side of the grounds, deemed the quiet area, but rather situated in the middle of everything were what look like cottages.  Last year I assumed that these were for the workers but upon further examination think that they that the well-manicured cottage style homes are exactly that.  Must be rock fans to choose to live there!

I found myself back at the supermarket and took a better look this time around.  There was a decidedly lower number and selection of items compared to last year.  There were no camping mats and tents for two.  After near freezing to death last year, it was the purchase of a camping mat that saved my life after the first night (no, I don’t think I’m being overdramatic).  Not being able to fit one into my knapsack, I had planned to purchase one of the foam life savers here and dispose of it upon my departure, even at one point thinking to do the same with the tent, sure glad I didn't do that!

Probably I will have to adjust my plan of going into Solvesborg tomorrow to see the ruined castle as the bus schedule has all been adjusted with no trains stopping there due to the strike, but we’ll see how it goes, not much else to do until the first band at 3:30pm methinks.

Returning to DBHQ to get some sleep, still tired after the lengthy travel day and it occurs to me that I need maybe a bigger statement next year (oh that’s right I’ll be back again!) in the form of a Canadian flag outside my tent, just an idea.  Hope I don’t freeze tonight, the blanket that I nicked from the airplane should help, that and layering my clothes, if not there’ll be a Meistersicle in the morning.

Cheers from Sweden,
The Meister

(Sweden Rock Website) (Sweden Rock Facebook) (Sweden Rock Twitter)

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

Links to 2013's "A Canadian Decibel Geek in Sweden" series.

(Prelude to Departure) (Days #1 & 2) (Day #3) (Day #4) (The Final Day)

Conversation with Chuck Garric - Ep139

Chuck Garric is no stranger to large crowds and big tours. His bass duties for such rock and metal legends as Dio, LA Guns, and Alice Cooper have given him quite a resume. But one thing that stays the same after playing in front of millions of people over the years; Chuck Garric is still the same music fan he was as a kid.

When not on tour, Garric resides in Nashville, TN as part of the long line of rockers that have made their way to the Southeastern hotbed of music. On a random weeknight you can see Chuck, along with members/ex-members of Motley Crue, Thin Lizzy, Accept and many others jamming out to some of the songs that got them hooked on rock and roll in their early years.

Aaron and Chris were fortunate enough to grab a coffee with Chuck just before he left for Europe to hit some big festivals with Alice Cooper as well as gearing up to co-headline with Motley Crue on their final tour.

In this discussion, Chuck goes back to his Lake Tahoe, CA roots to describe his musical upbringing, the awesomeness of Ted Nugent, his thoughts on American vs. European audiences, and the likelihood of Alice breaking the drought of DaDa songs in the setlist among other things.

For all things Beasto Blanco (including how to purchase the album) go to:

www.livefastdieloud.com

Follow Chuck on Twitter @BeastoBlanco

Buy Music!

Alice Cooper

Beasto Blanco

Ted Nugent

Contact Us!

Rate, Review, and Subscribe in iTunes

Join the Facebook Fan Page

Follow on Twitter

Follow on Instagram

E-mail Us

Call us on the Hotline! (540) DBGeek - 1 or (540) 324-3351

Support Us!

Shop on Amazon!---------->>>>>>>>>

(a percentage of sales from that link to the right goes back to supporting Decibel Geek!)

Stream Us!

Stitcher Radio

Spreaker

TuneIn

Comment Below

Geeks of the Week:

Twitter:

viperRBNY, hdc7904, JTB72G, NashvilleMetalBand, sidharth menon, lovegunn21, hdc7904, musicmagsandwax, globalmutation, Paul Korn (horsehead shirt!), beyondRbedroom, deriknovak, kerryogorman, audiojunkies, billyhalehardaway, jeffludban, HardRockDad, MattSyverson, Sarah Pentilla

Facebook:

Matt Ashcraft, Joe Lascon, Chris Karam, Shane Hartley, Todd Cunningham, Robert De Pasqua, Lee Maslin, Brent Walter, Steve Langenbrunner, Matt Syverson, Andrew Jacobs, Derik Novak, Miguel Nunez, Rodney Dickson, JTB’s Groovy Record Room, Sit and Spin with Joe, Scott Yeager, Andy Lafon, KISS Army Omaha, and George Savastano.

Direct Download

Rival Sons: True Rock Revivalists

Remember the first time you heard whatever band it was that made it click? The riff that made you drop whatever you were into and pick up a guitar? Remember the music that had The Wow Factor? For me, being born in 1970, my early childhood was steeped in bands that seemed to have that type of impact. At least on me. As a small boy I would pray daily to the stacks. You see, my father and my stepfather at the time both had those classic 70's component stereos with racks of electronics that did who-knows-what and giant speaker cabinets in all four corners of the living room. And next to racks of equipment were the stacks. The albums. Not really stacked actually because they were poker chipped against the wall on the floor. Three rows. Like a triple lane highway of rock n' roll exploration. It was there a midst those pulsing speaker cabinets that I would sit in rapture and gaze at the album covers while Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Grand Funk Railroad, Heart, ZZ Top, Clapton, Jeff Beck, Van Halen, Ted Nugent and so many others came out of the speakers to meet me and show me the way. Oh yeah, lets not leave out The Hottest Band In The World....!! One thing all those bands did so many years ago was set a standard. They set a bar in place that few bands, in my opinion, seldom reach. Sure, I've gone through different music phases as the decades have come and gone; but I always come back to ground zero. Back to the classic sounds of my childhood. Back to music that still retains that Wow Factor.

Nowadays, when I'm not working, wiping butts, or putting out small fires, you may find me at the computer listening to my musical cornerstones or searching for something to move me. I was completely moved about a month ago when I discovered Rival Sons. Instant Wow Factor. My first thought was How Have I Missed This?? As I dug into their catalog I was transported back to that living room floor in front of the stacks once again. The sounds and textures this band creates while fusing rock and blues styles that are decades old is incredible.

Hailing from Long Beach, California; Rival Sons formed in 2009. Their debut album "Before The Fire" was released that same year. The follow-up "Pressure And Time" in 2011 and "Head Down" was released in 2012. The forthcoming "Great Western Valkyrie" is due in June of this year.

If Steven Tyler, Jim Morrison, and Michael Hutchence could've contributed DNA to collectively father a child with Janis Joplin, you might get Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan. A blues singer by trade, he can also wail like a rock god, break a story down rockabilly style, or wax psychedelic with incredible control of his craft.
Guitarist Scott Holliday is certainly the wheel in the middle of the wheel for this band. His ability to create rhythmic fabric and texture would make The Edge call for backup on his best day, all the while channeling the guitar gods of days gone by. Thunderous rock riffs and lamenting blues leads all wrapped in wah wah, fuzz, and delay.
Drummer Mike Miley and current bassist David Beste bring up the bottom end famously, laying down rock solid bass lines and booming back beats. Original bass player Robin Everhart departed last year.

Getting the heaviest rotation for me at this point is their 2012 release " Head Down". This album masterfully takes the listener on a trip through the 50's, 60's and 70's. It opens with 'Keep On Swingin', which contains a heavy riff and soulful vocal. The video for this song gained some notoriety. It shows the band playing in an old fashioned Pentecostal church service, with the preacher and frontman Jay Buchanan both handling snakes. I found the video entertaining, as I have past experience with churches like this. Snake-free of course. 'Wild Animal' is next with a cool groove and breathy vocals giving a nod to The Zombies and Blue Oyster Cult. 'You Want To' is a tight rocker showcasing Jay Buchanan's vocal chops. 'Until The Sun Comes' has a catchy surf rock guitar lick and infectious chorus. 'Run From Revelation' is raw, powerful blues. One of my favorite songs on the album. The album slows down next with 'Jordan', a moving reflection of a lost loved one. Beautiful song. 'All The Way' picks up the pace in the vain of 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' by Grand Funk Railroad. 'The Heist' tells the story of a desperate man on a mission the style of The Doors. 'Three Fingers' is a sizzling hard rocker followed by a short acoustic piece 'Nava'. Lyrics about the tragedy of Native Americans with a little prog and psychadelia make up the slow tempo rocker 'Manifest Destiny Pt. 1'. Revenge is achieved in 'Manifest Destiny Pt. 2'. The album closes on a quiet note with 'True', a singer songwriter style song with shades of Simon And Garfunkel. From start to finish, an undeniable piece of work.

Critics have asked "will Rival Sons save rock n' roll?" Can any one band do that? Probably not. But they certainly reign supreme as rock revivalists. And for me, they gave me back the Wow Factor.