News From The Pit - October 2019 -

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Issue:October 2019 Year: 2019

this one

News From the Pit

By Eddy Metal

S’up freaks! I just got done with a literal three-day marathon of covering Louder that Life and I’m exsted beyond belief. Aye, aye, ayeee! Attending an annual festival that drew a record breaking 120+ thousand people was a great way to wrap up summer (Be sure to read my in-depth review below!).

I’m getting geared up to head out on another of my epic out west vacations. This time I was gonna take my dad’s advice and head out to Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas. I have never been to Wyoming or Montana, so I was looking forward to it bigtime, but Montana and that area just got five feet of snow, so t's off. I'm pissed. Now I think I'll just head out to Colorado again, and maybe head south from there. I really love the Hot Springs loop out there, and the soothing healing effect they have on an old worn-out body (like mine at the moment). Peeps out there like to get naked after dark in those hot springs, so it's pretty interesting! I can't wait. I have the money and time, so I'm going to go for it. My motto is, you only live once, so try to enjoy yourself as much as you can while you are able to.

When I return it will be almost time for Slayer and King Diamond! I was able to get you folks some FREE tickets to Win, so for a cce to win, see instructions below!

It's been a laid back month for me, otherwise. gin' out, mostly at home. I did go to check out Tesla at the Palace (see review and my pics Below) and it was badass, just like I thought it would be, just like the last time they were here. I'm going to see Skid Row and Louisville legends Fire Dept. at the Iroquois Amphitheater, so that should be some good fun with old friends! that review will be in November Issue of LMN.

I'm sorry for the delay in getting this month’s column to you, but I to recover from LTL and some serious pain in my shoulder and back. This getting-old shit is for the birds! I have always thought I aged well, and avoided aches, pains and injuries very well for a 49-year-old guy, but it seems my age is catching up to me, finally.

But I sl not give up, I sl soldier on, doing what I love. Speaking of which, I have a sweet show that I'd like you to attend on November 30 at Louisville Billiards! My band Krosjoint is opening for Crazy Train, the legendary Louisville Ozzy Tribute. It's only our second show back, so please attend. I go way back with those guys in Crazy Train, and this will be a fat-ass show! They have guitarist Scot Gravil coming up from Nashville to shred for us. that guy is the best Randy Rhoads replicator I've ever heard. Scott nails that shit! Accordingly, I have made him Musician Of The Month this month, and I don't think there is one soul who can argue that fact. Dawg kills! I can't wait to see Scott shred once again. So be sure to check out his feature this month in Louisville Music News! Luther and Sick Little Things (The Alice Cooper Tribute) is playing as well, so it should be a barnburner of a show! Just be early to see Krosjoint; we go on first, as we were the last band added to the bill.

T's it for me this month! I hope you enjoy the Louder Then life and Tesla reviews and pics I've compiled for you! I'm off to Colorado and beyond! There is a hiking trail I am dying to hike in Utah. It's like hiking up a sk’s fin 1200 feet up with the trail only two and a f feet wide at points. It's crazy. It's called Angel's Landing. Look it up! This is going to be soooo cool.

Peace out!

The Metal Grapevine

Win Slayer Tickets!!

Yup, I made this pen. I told you I was trying to get you some tickets to win! I don't play. Ok, so here is the deal how to win one of two pairs of tickets, generously given to me by the Yum Center staff (who been much better to me as of late, I should mention. Thank you!) TO WIN: email me one number between 1 and 10,000. Closest one to the number I chose in advance wins! In subject line put; SOUTH OF HEAVEN. Include your full name and phone number. My email address is EDDYMETAL1@aol. com. Only one submission per person! If you do more, you are disqualified. I am only accepting Submissions from Monday October 14 – Thursday October 31. Winner announced/contacted on Sunday November 3 at 3 P. M. Good Luck!

Win King Diamond at The Palace Tickets!!

Score! My good friends at Livenation have hooked you people up again! Thanks for doing these giveaways through LMN. I love to be able to hook my readers up with 2 pairs of FREE tickets.

TO WIN: email me one number between 1 and 10,000. Closest one to the number I chose in Advance Wins! In subject line put; LONG LIVE THE KING. Include your full name and phone number. My email address is EDDYMETAL1@aol. com. Only one submission per person! If you do more, you are disqualified. I am only accepting Submissions from Monday October 14 – Thursday, October 31. Winner announced/Ccntacted on Sunday, November 10 at 3 P. M. Good Luck!

Louder Than Life 2019 REVIEW w/ Pics by you lovely people:

Day One - well, it was to be an adventure for sure as we headed out to the new location for Louder Than Life. I a feeling it wouldn't be for the weak of heart and I was right. I was not approved for a stage photo pass this year, so it instantly vexed me, having shot the bands from the very first LTL on. Why would I not be approved now after all the excellent pics I've gotten in the past? After all my loyalty and support? Made no sense whatsoever. I come to find out a few photographers I know were not approved, and to make matters worse I was told there were people who were approved who were not even with a publication! I even heard one idiot was in the photo pit using a cell phone camera to take pics! Is it allowed? No. So I just figured I would let you Louisville folk supply some cool pics for this year’s LTL coverage. Good job BTW!

I thought, now I can actually enjoy the show and get to spend time with the person I went with. But yeah, I was not happy about it at all. I did get in and had access to shoot photos of the crowd and festival grounds. Yay.

We got there on Friday in time to see All Them Witches from Nashville. Good band! Very stoner groove-ish in nature, but smooth and easy on the ears. They have soul. You could almost tell they were from Nashville. Nice guitar playing. Good vocals. It was a bit slow for LTL in my opinion, but I liked it. My friends didn't think it matched well with LTL bands. Next up was New Years Day from Los Angeles. I’ve seen them before and they are okay I guess, but for a big stage at LTL? No. Not worthy enough in my eyes. Not a bad band mind you, but there was a cheesiness to this band that got on my nerves, too poppy, maybe.

Vocalist Ashley Costello was all over the place doing her thing, mixing heavy and poppy vocals over some decent music. But at times, you could just tell she was going for the commercial route. There were minutes where I liked it, but it fell away fast when the cheesiness reared its ugly, commercial head. It seems Ashley is on the In This Moment “adopt the cheese, abandon the heavy” trailhead to success. Good luck with that.

Next up was Sweden's Graveyard. This is a stoner groove, psychedelic, bluesy, trippy hippie band that may have done better on Bourbon and Beyond, as opposed to a metal show like this. I liked them! A very talented band indeed, but maybe not for LTL. The crowd of younguns didn't really take to them very much, which sucks because they were rockin'. But I heard a few people say that they didn't quite fit in with what was going on musically that day. I was watching guitarist/vocalist Joakim Nilsson playing and it was awesome. Such feeling and soul! I'm not usually into stuff like this, but there was no denying the level of talent from these Swedes. The bassist and drummer were getting down pretty good, too. Good stuff from these guys! They have some long ass songs! And at times it seemed like one big jam band jamout! old-school Woodstock style.

Finally we got some ballbusting metal. Thank god! It's true, I kinda bad feelings for Phil Anselmo from long ago before Dime's death, but I guess it's time to move on and forgive and forget. This show helped that along rather nicely. Phil is back with a new band called Phillip Anselmo And The Illegals. Basically they did a Pantera set. It was fun and brought back a bunch of memories from the good ole days! Phil sounded pretty good, too! He didn't even seem too awfully buzzed either! Well, maybe a little bit. He did a good job, though, as he and his crew tore through old-school Pantera classics like “Mouth For War,” “Strength Beyond Strength,” “Becoming,” “”I'm Broken,” “Walk,” “Fucking Hostile,” and “Domination. ” The band was very good, but the guitarist was no Dimebag. But who is? Those shoes are just impossible to replace, so why even try? Guitarist Mike DeLeon did really well, though, tackling those monster rhythms of Dime's. The tone and crunch was pretty much accurate. The incredible Dime leads were the only thing missing from this show! Otherwise it could have almost been Pantera and you would have almost never known! The crowd was loving it, and seemed to really come alive, once Phil hit the stage. The moshpit amped up bigtime when this shit came on! Phil seemed to be doing a pretty good job of recreating those famous vocals of yesteryear. I bet he loved that shit! He seemed to be having a lot of fun. The fans sang along, moshed, yelled, and recreated Phil's gutteral growlings to the best of their abilities. It was fun. And the best part of this hot-ass day so far!

What wasn't fun was the sun this day. It was hot as fuck! Totally abnormal for a weekend in late September! The sun reflecting off the white gravel which we were standing on did not help the situation, either. In fact I felt like a piece of bacon in a frying pan. Sweat was blinding me, and I was fucking dying! My girl suddenly felt ill and I to get her out of that sun to recover. Truthfully I was far behind her. Twice that day, she had issues with the heat and brutal sun. There was no shade wsoever in that compound, and what little there was, was taken up by people trying to escape the sun! If there was shade from a telephone pole, someone was standing sideways using up that shade! Every piece of shade was used up! So if you were not feeling well, you were fucked!

Motionless In White from Pennsylvania was okay, but not really my cup of tea. This whole metalcore movement just does nothing for me. To me, it's all one big blob of bands that sound the same. Screeching screaming vocals with emo-ish, whiney, semi-singing vocals for the choruses. How was this band on a main stage? There was just no originality there, in my eyes. Next!

About this time, we were starved and decided to go rest in the dirt somewhere and try to eat something. I had a cajun muffaletta sandwich and my girl got a pulled pork sandwich. Her's was good, but mine kinda sucked. Later, I some badass pizza and Ehrlers Ice cream to make up for the lame Cajun sandwich.

We got back in time to see Chevelle hit the stage. I don't know much about Chevelle, but they are a good band, for sure. I love the way they use effects and stuff in their set. It sounds amazing. They use very good gear! This is one very polished, professional band! The guitar tones were sweet, both heavy and melodic, and the vocals of Pete Loeffler were pretty darn good, especially after hearing that screeching Motionless In White nonsense. It sounded just like the radio music to me! Dude plays guitar and sings at the same time, and still managed to kick ass, anyways. The ladies really seem to love this band, and you could noticeably tell that fact. Chicks were dancing, and I saw much more skin that before, not that I'm complaining! The crowd was starting to cool down, maybe? All I know is that it was a furnace in that M-fer. Anyway, the crowd was a little more active, crowd surfing was in full effect and it was time to move on to the main entrees of the evening! They played “The Red,” “Vitamin R,” “The Clincher,” “Send the Pain,” “Still Running” and “I Get It. ”

A Day To Remember from Florida, played a decent set, I guess. Very tight and energetic for sure. This is another band that I just cannot get into that much, for some reason. I'm just not into the modern pop punk metalcore thing that is happening now. I do like one song that I actually knew: “All Signs Point To Lauderdale. ” Vocalist Jeremy McKinnon is like New Kids On The Block does metal. He that pretty boy youngster look, but can also scream pretty darn good, too, when needed. He has a decent singing voice. The songs are written fairly well, too. This band did rather well for themselves. I don't know about deserving a top spot like this at LTL, but it is what it is. The crowd certainly didn't seem to mind, as young-uns went nuts. The energy and heavy riffs were there, but the poppy punk aspect of it threw me off a bit. Hell, maybe I'm just an old grumpy man who loves music of yesteryear. This newer stuff just doesn’t have the feeling or strength to me. The band hopped through their long set of songs like “Right Back At It Again,” “Paranoia,” “The Faith In Me,” “Degenerates,” “All I Want,” “If It Means A Lot To You” and the song I like, “All Signs Point To Lauderdale. ” It was a good tight set of younger generation big-boys, but just not a fit for an old-school metalhead like me!

Staind was next, and let me tell you, me and my gal pal were totally impressed with Aaron and the boys. I'll be honest, I wasn't into all that new metalcore whiney pop doodoo, and with the few slow stoner bands that I liked (although they didn't quite fit the bill), so I was a bit unimpressed with the lineup so far, but after Staind, I was psyched. Aaron Lewis gave these bands a Vocal Lesson 101, for sure, as sure as I'm sitting here writing this. He went through a wide array of vocal styles from beautiful to ultra-heavy. I liked Staind before, but dude was really in his element this night as he showed his skills big-time. The crowd sang along most of the time, but Aarons voice carried for miles, I'm sure. People in Saint Matthews probably heard him sing. The band was tight and I have no complaints whatsoever with this performance. They played “Eyes Wide Open,” “Not Again,” “”Fade,” “Crawl,” “Right Here,” “Outside,” “So Far Away,” “It's Been Awhile” and “Mudshovel. ” People talked about Staind the rest of the night. Nothing but good stuff.

Headliners Slipknot came on and ripped shit up pretty good. I've never been a fan of this Iowa band for some odd reason, even though I love the heavy shit. It was typical Slipknot. Costumes, lots of drums, Corey Taylor running around screaming/singing. They definitely put on one heck of a theatrical show, and I like that. The fans loved every minute of it. Crowd Surfing was at its peak as the kids hopped and navigated the mass of people closer to the stage. I myself couldn't get near the stage because it was so hot and uncomfortable. It was crazy! The kids were having a ball, though! The band tore through a nice set of songs like “5:15,” “People=Shit,” “Get This,” Before I Forget,” “Solway Firth,” “The Heretic Anthem,” “Psychosocial,’’ “The Devil In I” and “Prosthetics. ” The band sounded okay, but I still think those guitars are tuned too low or something. Too much is going on in Slipknots music to fully appreciate the overall outcome! The drumset, the extra super low drums, the two guitarists, the bassist and Corey Taylor singing. I wasn't too impressed with the vocals during this set. Maybe it's just that I'm not a fan, but I thought they needed work and maybe a bit more passion and power in the singing. Maybe he just an off night. I've heard him sing better. The vocals weren't horrible, mind you, but it wasn't awesome either. It was so-so. So the first night was in the books, and Staind, Phil Anselmo, All Them Witches and Graveyard were my faves. I was completely dirty from head to toe. The parking situation in the back of the Expo Center was atrocious. No one was manning our area so it was impossible to leave because no one would let our lane of parking out whatsoever! If I did nothing I would have been there three hours! I was pissed after waiting an hour, so I used my small Jeep Wranglers size to my advantage and bullied my way out of there mad as a M-Fer! Getting in that shower when I got home was amazing! A tip to you for next year. Do NOT park in the Expo Parking Lot! Park outside of the grounds!

Day Two

Sore sore sore. I woke up to a handful of Ibuprofin and energy pills. Trust me, I needed that shit! Being a 49-year-old guy isn't easy when attending these festivals anymore. But I'm not the only one it seems, because everyone was kinda fucked up from all that walking, standing, headbanging, and brutal heat we suffered the day before. Even young folk!

We got there right before Suicidal Tendencies. It was great seeing them again for the first time since I opened for them at LRSfest in 2004. it was old-school suicidal all the way. Mike Muir doesn't change, ever. that guy is something else. You gotta hadd it to him, though; he never, ever followed trends or succumbed to bullshit like most do. He did it HIS way! The band ripped through “You Can't Bring Me Down,” “”I Shot The Devil,” “Freedumb,” “Possessed To Skate,” “Subliminal” and “Pledge Your Allegiance. ” Mike talked an awful lot, so the set was kinda short. “Pledge Your Allegiance” was pretty badass. The band was tight, but to have guitarist Rocky Dennis would have been better. And from what I heard, former Slayer Drummer Dave Lombardo was on drums. But I was so far in the back I could not confirm that.

Mike's vocals could have been a little louder than what it was. As you probably know, Mike gets pretty low with his vocals sometimes. It's just him and his little talking/preaching thing he's does since the beginning of time. This is one strange band. I was never a big fan, but I liked a few of their songs. It's just a little too punkish for me I reckon. But I'm glad they were included on the bill. Something different is always good! I wish they would have played “These Freaks Are Here To Party,” though! that would have been perfect.

The Stone Temple Pilots have a new singer that I didn't even know about. I saw them last when Chester Bennington sang for them. The new singer is Jeff Gutt, a pretty much unknown in the music world’s big stage. He did pretty well, but is no Weiland. Yes he hit the notes and sang the songs well enough, but its so ‘hard to replace someone like Scott Weiland on vocals. It's like drinking Big K cola after being used to Coca Cola for years. I wasn't much of a fan of STP until I saw them live with Weiland about 10 years ago or so at Horseshoe Casino. Only then did the true magic of STP come to me. Live, they are a different entity altogether. On CD it just didn't interest me too much. The new guy did okay, though. The band however, was awesome! Guitarist Dean DeLeo is a monster of feeling and soul, and seeing him perform is good enough for me in itself! Such emotion and skill in his playing. Very creative and his tone is to die for! His slide guitar technique is flawless. I almost nut when I hear his tone every time. Bassist Robert DeLeo is also very proficient on bass, and a confidence about him that is commanding. Drummer Eric Kretz is as solid a drummer as I've seen. And he been with them a long long time, so he knows his job well. Together these grunge rockers are special. And I don't even like grunge that much, except Alice In Chains and a few STP songs. They started with “Down” and ended up having difficulties during “Wicked Garden,” in which the sound cut out almost completely. It came back on soon, but then cut out again a few times! Aye, aye, ayeee. The sound guys were probably trippin. ' The crowd was not psyched and griped loudly. The sound came back on and they played “Vasoline,” “Big Bang Baby,” “Plush,” “Interstate Love Song,” “Dead and Bloated,” “Trippin On A Hole In a Paper Heart,” and, finally, “Sex Type Thing. ” It was a nice set of good music by a band that refuses to die. Props to those cats for not letting Scott's death stop them from performing. They should keep going strong! They have the musical goods, and a decent singer who can do the songs well enough!

Knocked Loose was at the small stage in the back of the compound. I wasn't even gonna go, I was going to see In This Moment, but I'm glad I changed my mind and went to see our hometown boys tear shit up. I've seen In This Moment three times and I'm kinda burnt on all that crap. Anyways, those old county boys tore shit up bigtime as they plowed through a blistering set of originals that ooomph and power. I felt like I was seeing Sepultura or Soulfly, it was so heavy. The guitars of Cole Crutchfield and Issac have were thick and crushing, and the singer Brian Garris was highly enthusiastic as he belted out screams ‘n' growls that defied his age. But the drummer, Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine, was a beast. Excellent chops and he knew exactly what beats were needed exactly where. The crowd of a few hundred at most instantly grew to thousands pretty fast once they started playing. They handled the crowd very well, like pros, as they waded through a nice-sized set of their best songs. Knocked Loose may be heavy, but I noticed they are heavily into groove, whereas most bands of that genre are more interested in how fast a M-fer can go and how technical they can be. Knocked Loose was fast, too, but they a certain catchy foot stomping/head nodding groove to their music that me and my peeps found more entertaining and likeable. My bassist loved them, too. My gal, who loves more radio friendly stuff, even liked them. I'm proud of these guys for doing so well, coming from fucking old county! I grew up very near there, in the Whipps Mill/Lyndon, and spent a lot of time out that way as a lad, so I can relate to those kids. They have a bright future and I wish them the best.

Halestorm was on next. Yes, Lzzy have is a very talented chick. But again, why the fuck did she cut her hair? Big mistake. Short hair or not, she and her brood put on a decent show for the masses as they stormed their way through a long-ass set of songs that I don't really know. Talented songs. Good vocals. Nice solos. It wasn't bad. But not knowing any of this stuff made it lesser for me. She a great voice and can play guitar pretty well, as well as piano, acoustic guitar. It's nothing special, but just good d rock. The band was pretty tight, but some of Lzzy's guitar solos could have been better I think. Lead guitarist Joe Hottinger stepped up for the better solos, though. He did well. While I think this band is good, very good, I still don't see any landmark songwriting that will go down in the history books as classics. But they do jam pretty darn well, and put on a decent show. It seemed like they played forever. Lzzy toyed with the crowd a lot and showed off her powerful voice a few times with some soulful vocalizing. She can scream and growl pretty well, too, when called upon! The band played “Do Not Disturb. , “Chemicals,” “Black Vulture,” “”Freak Like Me,” “Amen,” “I Get Off,” “Uncomfortable” and ending their set with the one song I do know, “I Miss The Misery. ” The bass and drum solo was nice. I wish more bands did that stuff nowadays, too.

Ice Cube rocked the house. At first I didn't know what to think, but ole Ice Cube made me a fan in the end. I always liked that guy in the movies, his attitude, his toughness, his sense of humor, and now I got a chance to hear his music in person. I'm not going to sit here and say I know his music because I don't. At all! I am not a lover of rap. But the bass was cranked up to the max, maybe the most of any band the whole weekend, so it was bumping! No instruments. Just a crowd and Ice cube and his partner in crime WC (from his former group Westside Connection) rapping to some old-school favorites. They a ball rapping to the huge crowd that was totally into them! They rapped to “Natural Born Killas,” “T New Funkadelic,” “The Nigga You Love To Have,” “ Check Yo Self,” “Why We Thugs,” “U Scared,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “No Vaseline” and “You Know How We Do It. ” Ice Cube was funny and charismatic as a M-fer as he touched the crowds hearts by merely being himself. He is one cool M-fer. He went off verbally after “Straight Outta Çompton,” proclaiming that he “loves that fucking NWA shit” and how psyched he was being in Louisville and how much he loved the vibe and feel of the event. That dude is just real. I'm glad I got to experience something new to me, and something I normally would not see! It was a good thing this time around!

Godsmack time! I've seen them many times. I've even met Sully before. Really nice guys, back when I met them 15 years ago. Anyways, they always put on a good show live and that never changes. Sully has one helluva voice. I was never a fan of their recorded music, but live in concert it's another story altogether. They, too, come alive in a way that does not do them justice on recordings. There's only a few bands that I can really say that about. STP and Godsmack.

As always, Sully and the boys ripped it up as best they could and put on one good set. It wasn't their best performance but it was up in their top two I'm thinking. The drum solos were sweet, but they always do that, so its not new. They do switch things up and change the beats around and experiment on new drum solos n' stuff, so it don't get too awfully old. The drums sounded amazing. Sully is a talented man. Guitar, vocals, drums, whatever! He don't give a shit. The crowd was off the chain by this point, after Ice Cube's showing, so things got kinda wild. I was so hot and dirty it was ridiculous. Being blinded by sweat is no fun, lemmie tell you! They performed “When Legends Rise,” “Cryin' Like A Bitch,” “Awake,” “Keep Away,” “Whatever” “Bulletproof” and “I Stand Alone. ” Two of the songs were off the brand new album When Legends Rise. I kinda like the new stuff, and wished they woulda played “Under My Scars” in their set. I like that new one the best. I think I've just seen Godsmack way too much to be that interested anymore.

Guns N' Roses came on and I was stoked. This will have been my third time seeing them. Once on the Appetite For Destruction Tour, in 2016, and now at LTL. The band did excellent this time, but Axl wasn't having such a good night. In this unusual brutal heat, and under all those powerful lights onstage, I don't really blame him. It was murder. But the show must go on!

The band sounded so good it wasnt even funny. Duff McKagan's bass tone was badass, Slash sounded unreal, rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus is amazing in his own right, and very creative in his playing as he brought new styles and flashy cool new riffage to the Guns camp. And drummer Frank Ferrer was on point as much as a drummer can be. No complaints. As Duff's bass ripped into “It's So Easy” to start with, I knew this was going to be good. Then came “Mr Brownstone” and the new song “Chinese Democracy,” which I don't really care for. They should have left that song off the set! There are so many better songs on the Chinese Democracy Album that trumps that tune! WTF? “Welcome To The Jungle” sounded good. “Better” sounded good, too. I like that newer song. I know a lot of people don't like that new Axl solo record, but I like several songs off of it. At first I didn't but then it grew on me. True, it's not real GNR, but nothing lasts in this world and you better learn to deal with it and move on. My gal loved the next song “Estranged” but I was never a fan of it. Too fucking slow! James Bond Flick lovers musta loved when they played “Live And Let Die. ” “Civil War” was always a tune I loved, complete with dead-on accurate whistling by Axl, unless it was a recording. I whistle pretty well myself, and it's not that easy to do. They did a Velvet Revolver song, “Slither,” that was jammin' pretty good as well. “Rocket Queenm” “Yesterdays” is when Axl started losing his voice a bit, I think. All that heat finally took its toll. Then they played an old obscure tune called “Coma. ” “Sweet Child O' Mine,” and a Pink Floyd cover of “Wish You Were Here” were decent. “November Rain” with Axl on piano was cool, and a cover of “Black Hole Sun” was kinda shocking. “Knocking On Heavens Door,” “Nighttrain” and an encore of “Patience” and a Who song that I cannot recall the name of was played, followed by the last song “Patience. ” All in all it was a great set that fans should have loved. But there are a lot of M-fers out there who love to dog Axl. Dog the man if you want, but I would like to see you get up there and try to sing some Axl melodies the way they are supposed to sound. Good luck on that! The man is a vocal genius and the shit is not easy to sing at all, so cut him some slack. He had the hardest job to perform up there of all those guys. Recreating those melodies to perfection is almost impossible. For anyone! But yes, he sounded a little weak this night. I'm sure it was the heat and humidity that hurt him vocally. Slash's guitar solo was badass as usual. Duff's backups were great as usual. That rhythm guitarist is a beast for sure though! He needs to play more leads, because he brings a new modern element to GNR that I like! It's hard for me to like any new guitarist in GNR, but this cat is perfect! He even looks like Izzy Straddlin so much I thought maybe it was him!

Day Three

I cannot lie, I was sore AF and could barely get up to get motivated. But we finally did, and made it in time to see Demon Hunter from Seattle. This is a Christian metal band. They were okay, but really did nothing for me. They a few good riffs, though.

Three Days Grace came on and played a pretty good set. I don't know much about this Canadian rock band, but I kinda enjoyed their set a little bit. It's commercial AF, but it still sounded good and the vocals of Matt Walst are decent! The backups were good, too. I liked this band better that I thought I would, that I can say. They played songs like “I Have Everything About You,” “Animal I Have Become,” “Never Too Late” and “Riot. ”

So I was going to watch In This Moment when I saw a friend who asked me if I was going to go see Deadland Ritual on the small stage, the band with legendary bassist Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, guitarist Steve Stevens of Billy Idol, and drummer Matt Sorum of Guns N' Roses. I didn't even know this band existed! I can't see everything. So after hearing this, In This Moment didn't have a chance. We made our way to the small stage to see legends in action. To me, it was sheer folly that musicians of this magnitude would be playing a small stage at a festival like this, while Demon Hunter, Halestorm, Motionless In White, and A Day To Remember get the big stage. WTF? Madness. So when we got to the stage there were only maybe 200 people there, but that didn't last long once Geezers bass tone came bursting forth. Pretty soon, it was crowded back there once word got out about this supergroup playing! The band was awesome! Geezers bass tone was, well, legendary. It was loud, clear and very deep sounding. Guitarist Steve Stevens is a tone monster as well. He still looks the same as the Eighties! What the hell? Did he take a special anti-aging potion? Is he related to Ponce De Leon? Drummer Matt Sorum sounded great, too. Vocalist Frankie Perez can sing well, but I think this awesome band could have done a little better. They played a bunch of Sabbath tunes like “Sweet Leaf,” “Symptom Of The Universe,” N. I. B,” complete with Geezer bass solo, “Neon Knights,” “Dimas,” “Broken And Bruised,” “Fade And Disappear” and they ended the set with “War Pigs. ” They also did a cover of Velvet Revolver’s “Slither. ” People loved them! I'm glad people ended up rushing over to see them at the last minute. I am so thankful that someone told me about this awesome band! I would have surely missed their set! They were tight as hell and one of the highlights of this day for sure!

We got back to the main stage in time to see Marilyn Manson, a band I've never seen. I was NOT impressed as he fassed his way through the set, spitting on folks and seemingly not even trying to sing that well. The guitar playing didn't seem so great, either.

They played “Irresponsible Have Anthem,” a heavier song that I've not heard before called “This Is The New Shit” that wasn't that bad, “The Dope Show”sounded okay, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” was the best song of the night in my opinion, “Antichrist Superstar” and a lackluster vocal performance of “The Beautiful People. ”

A good friend told me that Marilyn got pissed that the crowd wasn't getting into the music, so he spit on people and walked offstage. I don't know if this is true or not, but I have no reason to not believe my friend of 35 years. Dude is just weird, and his vocal style just isn't for me. The whining, low volume talking, and it seemed he just didn't even try to give it his all for some reason. He didn't give a fuck. The music wasn't special. A bunch of samples, and the music wasn't layered very well, so it came across as one entity coming at you. I like theatrics, when they are backed by talented musicians who actually try to do well. Dude came off as a spoiled brat who didn't get the toy he wanted in Kmart as a kid. And quit spitting on people. That shit is nasty. If you were a Manson fan, you might have liked his set, but the rest of us weren't impressed, and that was the word of plenty of folks who witnessed this performance. Manson sucked is what I heard. Oh well, now I know not to waste my time on that clown.

Rob Zombie came on and played his usual set of classics like “Dead City Radio,” “Living Dead Girl,” “More Human that Human,” “Well, Everybody’s Fucking In A UFO,” “Thunderkiss 65” and Helter Skelter. ” He also played a bunch of stuff I hadn't heard before that surprised me. John 5's solo was awesome as usual. I have seen Rob Zombie probably like 10 times, I bet. I am burnt the fuck out! It seems like he is on every festival these days. I like Rob, but his vocals seem to get worse and worse every year. He skips words, fasses, don't try hard sometimes, and just basically tries to get through the set as best he can. To his credit he does have a very raspy style that is rough on the old vocal cords. But you gotta love his stage setup, gimmicks, video, and outfits as he does his thing! He is genuine. I just need a break from this band for a few years. This M-fer is everywhere!

Disturbed came on, and my back was killing me and my girl was wore out by this time so we watched a few songs and headed out. I took all I could take, and I could take no more. I did find out from a friend that they played songs like “Stupify,” “The Vengeful One,” “The Sound Of Silence,” “Indestructable” and the last song was “Inside the Fire. ” I would probably like this band much more if what happened at Ozzfest didn't happen. I was with 100. 5 the Fox then and I met David Draiman backstage and tried to get a picture with him. He acted like I was asking him to work a full day doing construction for free or something. It would have taken all of one minute to take that picture, as I am not one to bug and pester rock stars. I get what I need and go away fast so they can do their thing. Instead he acted like a snobby dick, and denied me in front of a group of people. The guitarist Dan Donegan was a super cool dude, though. Very humble and nice. It was more my back and shoulder hurting that anything though. Three days of all that walking was murder on my back.

About the new location.

I liked Champions Park better, even though the new location is much closer to me and easier to leave. The reason is there is no grass or trees. The white gravel was extra hot and blinding to the eyes, and the dirt areas were so dry from lack of rain that dust was everywhere. Someone would walk in front of you and dust would fly straight up in your face. It was a dustbowl from hell. You couldn't sit down without eating dust, and when you left at the end of the day you looked like Pigpen from Charlie Brown, with the cloud of dirt following him. that was probably the dirtiest I've ever been leaving a show.

But the layout of everything was just fine! The stages were nice. The food vendors were adequate and tasty. The choices of food was great! I spent a fortune on food. I didn't drink much booze at all, because it was too damn hot!

We did break an annual concert festival attendance in North America, so ít’s good!

I wonder if LTL will be in the same place next year?

I still say E. P Tom Sawyer State park would be a good option, if possible. I grew up out there and there's lots of trees and grass, and plenty of room for such an event.

Thanks to Danny Wimmer for bringing this event to Louisville. We really needed something like this! Highlights of this year, to me, were Phil Anselmo, Staind, STP, Guns N' Roses, Ice Cube, Knocked Loose and Deadland Ritual. Rock on Louisville!

Tesla Review w/ pics by me!

What a great show. I a blast, even though my date (our first date) disappeared on me midway through the show! I was like WTF? Yup, she went to the toilet and never returned! At first, I thought she was maybe off in the toilet doing some weird drugs or something (you never know these days!), but then I realized it probably was the fact that someone I used to date (not the nasty, cheating ho) came up to me at the show and said some things to the fact that she still loved and wanted me. It was kinda shocking and did rattle me a bit I must admit. That mighta been it. Oh well, you simply cannot control what people do, or how they act. Actually, I'm glad it happened. I was regretting my decision for that date before we even got to the Palace, to be honest. I don't know what it is, but nowadays people get on my nerves worse that ever! My tolerance is at an all-time low. It's all good, though. I still a blast seeing and hanging with good friends, and it's good to know that you are still wanted and cherished by a beautiful woman from your past. I'm such a softie!

Tesla

Tesla was kicking butt this night. It seemed like kind of a short set to me though, or maybe I was just having too much fun and didn't want to leave. that happens a lot I've noticed. The guitarists Frank Hannon and Dave Rude weaved a web of soul and melody as they soloed and switched off solos all night. They have seriously good guitar tones going on. Gibson guitars rule. Classic stuff. Bassist Brian Wheat is such a cool, laid-back mofo you almost don't even know he is there. I did an interview with him years ago, and he is one great dude. Vocalist Jeff Keith sounded good to me this night. No complaints. His voice seems to be holding up nicely. Troy Luccetta is another very quiet individual and not your average drummer. He is the most laidback drummer I've ever seen, but he can play like a M-fer. I really liked the new song, “Shock,” a lot! Sounded heavy and catchy as hell. Props to Tesla for still having that same old good songwriting formula from way back when! I've seen them maybe four times or so in my days, and I would go see them again. It's one of those bands you really don't get tired of. Unlike the same freaking festival bands that always seem to be on the same bills every freaking year! How many times can you see Rob Zombie, Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed? I get burnt out. Tesla just that positive vibe that folks seem to enjoy. No gimmicks. No monsters. No crazy videos or fire. It's just rock n' roll done right. I really enjoy how guitarist Frank Hannon uses a Theremin, an instrument that you play by not even touching it. Crazy but true. Look it up! It makes 50's movies space sounds. Some cool sounding stuff for real. I have a buddy who has one and it's neat AF. I might try to get him to sell it to me, since he rarely uses it. I'll incorporate it into a Krosjoint song! My inspiration and influence will be 100% Tesla. Great idea, Frank!

Tesla played “Coming Atcha,” “Modern Day Cowboy” - which is my favorite -, “Be A Man,” “Heavens Trail,” which is my second favorite, “Miles Away,” “Changes,” “Getting Better,” “Summer Song,” “What You Give,” “Shock (a new song that jams!),” “Edison’s Medicine” with theremin solo (I love this), and then they wrapped up this great night with “Love Song,” “Lil Suzie” and the classic Tesla cover song they do, “Signs. ”

I wanted to hear “Paradise” and “Song And Emotion” but they didn't play them. Bummer.

Maybe next time!

Thanks to the palace for the love. See you at King Diamond!

P. S I ended up inviting the girl I used to date over after the show!

Slayer coming to Yum Center on November 11:

Yup, it's true! Slayer, Primus, Ministry and Phil Anselmo and The Illegals. Let's show the Yum Center that we metalheads can be like and that we truly appreciate them having bands like this in our fair city. Props to the Yum Center for making this brutal show happen. You have made a bunch of people psyched! I just wanted you to know that.

King Diamond coming to Louisville Palace on November 16:

Omg! One of my favorite obscure bands is coming to Louisville Palace? How on earth did I get so lucky? I missed my chance to see them three years ago at Red Rocks in Colorado and I have kicked myself in the ass ever since. I met and interviewed King back in the late 90's but that was ages ago, and I am looking forward to seeing him in action once again. At 62, his voice sounds freaking amazing! I will be there for sure! Do not miss this! Seeing this show at a Gothic-looking place like the Palace will be even better!

Alice Cooper coming to Louisville Palace on November 19:

The king of shock rock returns! I'll do my best to get you peeps some free tickets to WIN in early November. Wish me luck!

Flaw Plagiarized Youtuber?

More drama from the Flaw camp as allegations that the band ripped off a youtuber musician of a couple his riffs that appeared on Flaws album. I listened and there is no mistaking it. It ‘happened. Vocalist Chris Volz stated that a new band member brought those riffs in as his, and that the band no knowledge the riffs were stolen from anyone. Actually I believe Mr Volz 100% on this comment. I've known him a long time and he takes his music very seriously. I seriously doubt he would purposely steal another persons music and use it as his own. No way! He too much pride in his own music to purposely do something like t. So I believe that the new guy did be dishonest about where he got those new riffs. He thought he would get away with it, apparently. Chris Volz contacted the youtuber to make amends and hopefully he will be taken care of properly. The new guy who stole the riffs should be fired immediately, though. Stealing someones riffs is not cool. And Chris is getting the backlash from all this. Really not cool. Once my band got a new guitarist for two months, and he was good, and the future looked bright, but then, out of nowhere, he stole something from one of the other bands at a show, got busted and made the rest of the band look very bad, so we fired him on the spot. All my guys are older laid-back non criminal types, so it was ridiculous. One bad apple can fuck up everything! There is no room for thieves in music. I hope all this can be resolved and the drama disappear for these guys. Fire the douche, get another replacement, make amends with the youtuber and move on! Problem solved.

LRSFEST 2019:

Saturday, October 5 at the Brown Foreman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park. Bands playing are Nonpoint, Royal Bliss, Hyro the hero, Afterlife, Despite The Fallen, Anemic Royalty, Smut, SWP, Boombox Poets, Mojothunder, The Last Origin and Julius. 12P. M. $20 in advance, $25 day of event.

The Iron Maidens Return:

Those Maiden chicks are coming back, so don't miss their return performance. They ripped it up last time.

Judas Priest/Iron Maiden and Testament to tour next year!

It looks like the rumors were true. It looks like this just may happen. It's cool, because Maiden and Priest had some bad blood between them from way back when. Iron Maiden were apparently douchebags when they were starting out. I hope all can be worked out, because that is one show I would never miss!

This Month’s Musician Of The Month is Crazy Trains guitarist Scott Gravil:

Be sure to check out his feature in this months Musician Of The Month.

New Music from Pikeville's Downtrend:

Enjoy!

Poetry Of The Dead Video Debut:

Here is some new stuff for ya! Enjoy!

Grans Video:

Good stuff from southern KY.

Louisville Music News Live

Yeah, I've made this up to feature you mofos in all your onstage glory! So let's see some videos from you musicians, old or new! If it's good, it might be featured! Send to Eddymetal1@aol. com. But it must be on youtube!