Carcass and Obituary coming!!! Oh Hell Yeah

Metal lovers should nut at the news of this monster of a show coming to Diamond Pub on November 8. Look up Terryharper.com to get your tickets! And get ready to get bloody in the pit! This shit should be sick.

Pantera Cover Band (featuring Flaw Members) Infantry # 333 T o P lay Rock For Kosair 10

One night only people!!! Don't miss the Pantera Tribute band "Infantry #333" (Official All Star Tribute Band Honoring the Life of Dimebag Darrell) f eaturing members of Flaw, The Smokin' Gorillas, Sixteen Bones, Deadlite Redemption and more. One Night Only Nov 29 at ROCK FOR KOSAIR. Don't miss this exclusive Feature presentation of Pantera music .

Days Of The New Interview w/ Jesse Vest, on Reunion Collapse

Eddy: First, my condolences for the Days Of The New reunion collapse. It's a damn shame that one person can ruin such a cool reunion for everybody. I know a lot of people already know what happened, but some might not be so informed, or might not be in the know about what transpired within the band. Jesse, I know you are probably tired of explaining, but maybe you can do it one more time for the Louisville Music News readers? Why did the DOTN reunion fail?

Jesse: To be honest, I am a little reluctant to talk about it. It's kind of like picking a scab on a sore that has finally started to heal. Without going into too much detail, Travis has some issues that made traveling and performing almost impossible. I will freely admit that some of these issues are beyond his control, such as the drug addiction and his very complicated mental health problems. Other issues were completely in his control, but he decided to behave very selfishly and disrespectfully to the band, crew, fans, and basically anyone else he came into contact with. Contrary to popular belief, drugs are not Travis' biggest problem. His biggest problem is that he is simply a self-absorbed asshole. The REAL Days of the New did 13 shows this summer, and sadly Travis was drunk/high for every single one of them. He played poorly, forgot the words and arrangements of the songs and was verbally abusive to the audience. It was very difficult for me to continue the tour under those circumstances, so I ended it in early September.

I have taken a lot of criticism from fans who are loyal to Travis, but the fact is that I did what I felt was best. If the tour had continued, Travis would have most-likely been dead by now. I didn't need his death on my conscience. He really needs to be in a long-term treatment program to help him with all of his issues. Most people probably assume that I hate Travis, and after this summer part of me definitely does. What a lot of people don't realize is I have known him for so long that I don't remember meeting him. We grew up together, and he was like a brother to me. I would love to see him get clean and live a positive life. To hell with Days of the New and the music we made, it would be enough for me just to see him healthy.

Even though the tour was by and large a disastrous headache, I am thankful that it gave me the opportunity to play with Matt and Todd again. I hadn't shared the stage with them since I left Tantric a decade ago, and it was great to revisit the magic that we share. I would like to point out that both of these guys were complete professionals, and that the collapse of the tour was in no way due to anything they did. They went above and beyond.

Eddy: I'm really sorry to hear about your hard work and high hopes for the reunion to go down the drain for nothing. But it seems you have all kinds of other positive stuff going on, including being bassist in Louisville's most popular cover band, The Louisville Crashers! What's new with the Crashers and what does the immediate future hold for the Louisville Crashers? And whats up with that bass tone you got kicking? Seriously, it's one of the best tones I've heard! Did Zeus send that rig down from Olympus?

Jesse: Thanks, man. The truth is that I don't really use a rig. I go straight from my bass, to my tuner, to a Radial DI box. I am convinced that my Spector bass (a Euro. 4-string) has a soul of its own. I've had it for 20+ years, played it on the first DOTN record, the first two Tantric records, the Louisville Crashers' record, and beat the crap out of it for thousands of shows. It's the best playing, best sounding bass I've ever come across.

*side-note for bassists: if you're going to forego a rig, it helps to have a good soundman who knows what the hell he's doing. Otherwise, you could be sorely disappointed.

I've been playing in the Louisville Crashers for going on seven years now, and it is by far the most challenging and rewarding project I've ever been involved with. While we are very well known for being a cover band, we also write and record original material. We released our debut album last year, and while it's very different than any other music I've recorded, I am immensely proud of it.

If you live in the area and haven't seen the Crashers yet, I highly recommend it. Of course I'm biased, but believe me when I say that it is one of the most entertaining bands you'll ever see. I am seriously the worst musician in the band… And I'm freakin' awesome. The bulk of our shows are private events, but you can find info on our public shows on our website (www.theLouisvillecrashers.com). We are finalizing details now for a New Years Eve performance at Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana, so mark your calendars!

The Return of GWAR

GWAR lives and is apparently stronger than ever, even despite the loss of the last remaining original band member, Dave Brockie, not long ago. I hadn't seen them live in quite a long time, maybe five or six years ago at the Oasis Club, but not much has changed, they are still the wild aliens from another planet, as always! This night at Expo five saw the return of GWAR in excellent fashion, as they absolutely ripped it up from the get-go.

The original Beefcake The Mighty (former bassist Mike Bishop) has taken over vocal duties and seems to have done a fine job. I tried to stay out of the way as to not get goo-ed upon, or splattered with blood from Beefcake The Mighty's groin cow udders, and this time I succeeded! Once before an eight-foot-tall Jesus shot a load upon my face from across the room at Headliners! It was, um, unforgettable. Guitarist Pustulus Maximus (Brent Purgason) was shredding like a madman this night! I like this guitarist, who was added in 2012. He is much better than the former axeman! I was very impressed! The band seemed pretty tight, considering all they have went through in the last few years. The band also has a new female co-vocalist named Vulvatron.

Huge monsters in outrageous costumes running around acting a fool, and nice heavy music, what more could you want? I'm sorry I don't know the music or songs of GWAR, but I was able to get a setlist. The band played love songs such as "Fly Now," "Tormentor," "I, Bonesnapper," "Saddam a Go-Go," "Let Us Slay," " Gor -Gor" and for the encore, they played "The Road Behind," "West End Girls," (a Pet shop boys cover!) and "People Who Died." All I can say is that this was one good fun metal show and I'm glad I went. It was a nice crowd and everyone had a blast. Props to Terry Harper for making this happen. I needed this show!

Halloween Bash w/ Puddle Of Mudd

I went to PHT's Halloween Bash and had a good time as always. PHT always manages to have one bitchin' ass Halloween party every year. This year, they had the radio rock band Puddle Of Mudd. I've never been much of a fan, I admit, but after seeing them live and up close, I think I may have to change my tune. Vocalist Wes Scantlin has a darn good voice! And he plays guitar at the same time, leads and all. He has something special about him in his voice that seems to call you home. It's very soothing, melodic and entrancing. His look reminds me of Kurt Cobain, with the long straggly blonde hair, but I think Wes is the more gifted musician, by far. Better singer and better guitarist! Bassist Michael Grajewski is a bass demon and was all over the neck of his Fender P -Bass. The band was very tight and has plenty of character to boot. The packed crowd in the Saloon was loving this band from the start to finish. What an enthusiastic crowd!

People had fun this night, and I was one of them! Guitarist Matt Fuller looked like an Englishman in the punk era with his semi-mohawk and punk-styled pants, but he let his fingers do the talking as he weaved his way through the set, playing some nice riffage on his custom Schecter guitars. This band writes some very good songs, and I can see why they got signed and are doing well. Drummer Dave Moreno was kicking some butt on the drums and I must say, dude is pretty powerful on the skins, for playing radio music! I've learned one thing here, never underestimate a band just because they play radio hits!

Some Kind Of Saint at PHT Halloween

Photo By Eddy Metal

Puddle Of Mudd at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

Some Kind Of Saint at PHT Halloween

Photo By Eddy Metal

A guest at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

Puddle Of Mudd at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

Puddle Of Mudd at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

Scary at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

A guest at PHT Halloween 2014

Photo By Eddy Metal

The band was in fine form as they cruised through the set, playing all their best songs. The band played "Control," during which they waded into the Black Sabbath song "Warpigs," which was badass. Wes had the perfect voice for some Sabbath! Then they played "Drift And Die," "Stoned" which was kinda heavy and melodic both at the same time (which I dug! One of my new faves by POM), "Psycho," "Spaceship" and "Already Gone." Then they played their top hits, "Blurry" and "She Hates Me," for an encore. The fans wanted more, but time constrictions kept the band from playing on. PHT was packed! There were some great costumes, but not as good as previous years, I noticed. People used to go all-out with these costumes, but the costumes didn't seem as wild this year. We saw Princess Cupcake from Wreck-It Ralph (complete with cake car); full Predator outfit; Mad Hatter's Tea Party; a Demon; various superheroes; slutty girls in lingerie, Gene Simmons of Kiss and some asshole who had Ebola as his nametag on his shirt!

Props to the local acts who played before POM, Some Kind Of Saint and Trust Divided. Both bands did well and got the crowd worked up nicely for the main course! I just wish my band Year Of The Gun could have been on this bill, we would have been perfect.

Props to PHT for getting such a rockin' national band for Halloween! Good choice!

This was one fun show, and I'm glad I covered the event!

Judas Priest in Evansville at The Ford Center

I just wuuuuv Judas Priest, so me and a buddy made the two hour drive to Evansville to see JP play a headlining show at the new ­three-year-old Ford Center w/ openers Steel Panther. It was a great show! The sound was much better than at Louder then Life. The new Ford Center is awesome! The sound was crystal clear and you could hear every note easily. This sound system was outstanding! Such a clean and modern venue. I would drive there again in a heartbeat. The venue had some high-tech stuff I hadn't seen before, like seats with a TV screen right in front of them so you could watch from close up, or flip the screen down to watch it live in action. You had a choice. Not sure how much those tickets were though! Probably not cheap. Steel Panther played a good set, but to be honest, the whole gimmick is starting to wear thin on me. I do love the band, but I'm thinking they need to come up with some new jokes. At one point singer Michael Starr said to a lady in the front row "Mam, you actually brought your young daughters to a Steel Panther show? That is crazy!" Then he turned away and was walking away and said "Girls, I'm gonna f**k your mom!"

And bassist Lexxi Foxx constantly grooming his fake hair in a dressing room mirror that is set up onstage by his bass rig, is goofy as hell. I do really like Satchel's guitar playing though, and you can't find a better singer live that Michael Starr. That dude has an amazing voice! His performance is flawless, live. "Death to All But Metal" and "Community Property" were the standout tunes!

Judas Priest was up next and I loved every minute of it. It was kinda hard hearing the music at Louder Than Life with the wind, yelling, iffy sound- system, and drunkards falling into you, so I was expecting this to be a much better circumstance to see/hear my favorite band, and I was right. OMG, was I right. Every note, be it from guitarist Glen Tipton, or vocal notes from Rob Halford, were crystal clear.

The band played basically the same songs that they did at LTL in Louisville, but they added (thank god!) the badass songs "Jawbreaker," which was killer, "Beyond the Realms Of Death (frikkin' classic!)," "Love Bites" and "Defenders Of The Faith" to this show. Any true JP fan knows that these more obscure songs are the real deal. I wish "The Ripper," "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" and "The Sentinel" would have been played as well, but you can't have everything. I was very grateful to get the extra songs that they played. It was a treasure chest of JP classics! My highlights were "Victim Of Changes" which is the definition of Judas Priest to me, as well as "Devil's Child," "Love Bites" and "Jawbreaker." Glen and new guitarist Richie Falkner tore it up! And Ian Iill is the most underrated bassist in history. Rob Halford was sounding much better then he did at Louder Than Life. Much better! He tried really hard and didn't hold back this night! Sometimes he holds back if he feels he can't pull something off well. The flawless sound system at The Ford Center made for an excellent listening experience. This was probably my last time seeing my favorite band of all time, and it was totally worth the two-hour drive, getting lost, waiting outside in the cold, and spending tons of cash on band merch. Special Thanks to my bro Chipster, and the good folks at The Ford Center. You have a great venue there! I would love to go back sometime, so please book some more great bands like JP.

The Tri Tones, the new Demo

I just got in the brand-new Tri Tones track "Vindicate", a song that's probably one of my favorites by them. I think The Tri Tones are one of the top ten original rock bands around these parts. They have some good powerful melodic, but still rocking tunes, going for them. The track starts out with a rock pull-off guitar riff that quickly turns into a more upbeat rock/metal rhythm.

I must say that so far I'm not digging the sound quality of the recording. Coming through my computer it's kind of low in volume and muffled. The opening heaviness dies down to make way for the laid-back verse that kicks in nicely to a chugging grooving beat that kicks butt. Stephen Trusty's vocals are good, like always. This song kinda has a Tool-esque like vocal sound, but with much less whining. You can tell that Maynard James Keenan is a vocal influence to Stephen Trusty, at least in this song.

The pre-chorus and chorus are energetic, upbeat and rockin'. The guitar pull-offs return after the chorus to good effect. The drumming of Jon Flaherty is rockin, but I'm still not liking the demo quality, though. There is a nice breakdown that leads into a seriously rocking metal part. That short metal part ends a bit too soon, before I had a chance to properly get into the groove like I was, but the alternate picking guitar part that comes after is worth it. Back to the metal. This song is all over the place! Io just wish the sound quality was better. If this song was done by EarlyGrayce or Jetlag Studios, this would have sounded unreal. The musicianship and songwriting is good in this band, the guitar tones could probably have used a little tweaking, though. Maybe a few more guitar effects on a few small parts.

These guys have the tools and know how to get things done. I really admire how they use sound samples from a laptop in their set. I think that is so cool live! "Vindicate" is a darn good song. I just wish the recording was better for this wicked tune.

Here is some live Tri tones!

The Louder Than Life Festival Review

For years, I have complained about this city never getting the big shows, while other city's nearby rake in the cash from big festivals and concerts. I have always said that our city is scared to death of any kind of real rock/metal show. That our city's leaders are some uptight chickensh*ts who are beyond reluctant to take the risks associated with such a large venture, to make great changes needed to make our city a better, brighter place and to bring in more people from all over. Well, I finally got my wish. The Louder Than Life festival was off the frikkin' hook! That means it was a very popular, fun and successful concert. There is no doubt that this show was one the best events we have ever had in Louisville, Kentucky, or the whole state of Kentucky, for that matter. I saw 20,000 rockers having a blast, getting along, behaving, not fighting at all, enjoying the show, and basically, just peacefully letting off a little steam. It was beautiful.

First off, I (and I'm sure every other darn person that attended the concert) would like to thank Danny Wimmer Presents for bringing us such a great event! Simply awesome! Everyone absolutely loved this event, and it is now a part of Louisville history forever. Thanks for treating us here at LMN very well. I had a blast. I would like to sincerely thank Mayor Greg Fischer for having the courage and brains to see that this was a brilliant idea and for allowing it to happen.

Finally, we have a Mayor who isn't scared of a "real" rock show and all the bright future possibilities an Annual Event like this could bring. I saw and met people from all over at this event. Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, California, Tennessee. Some awesome people, too! People love to travel to see a good show. It's a fact. And now these people can come to Kentucky to spend their money! Why give all that money to other states year after year? It's stupid! Louisville is an awesome town, and it's about time we did something like this.

"Gourmet man food," indeed! The food was outstanding, they had every kind of food you could think of it seemed! I had some very good food that day! A turkey-and-gouda grilled cheese sandwich, Thai noodles, goat cheese tamales and a killer steak sandwich. It was like no festival food I've ever had. Fancy and delicious grub! Two thumbs up on the food idea! The bourbon tents were excellent, as well. The whole idea to tie Kentucky bourbon and rock together was brilliant.

The stage setup was smart. Two huge stages set up side to side, so that when one band went off, immediately the next band started playing. No waiting for 20 minutes for the next band! Sweet.

They had huge TV screens for the fans in the back to see the show better, but high winds kept them lower to the ground than planned. But as the wind died down a bit, the screens were raised! And the smaller stage was real nice, too, and it wasn't so small a stage, either.

There were plenty of vendors selling some cool stuff: rock clothes, hats, masks, jewelry and more.

Now, on to the music! I got a late start on Saturday (I'm bummed I missed Louisville rockers Flaw on the Marshall stage! Congrats to those guys for playing to a good 5,000 people even at their early timeslot! I'm glad we at least had ONE of our own on this awesome bill!) and made it in time to see Fuel sing their hit songs "Bad Day" and "Shimmer." Singer Brett Scallions is a fine vocalist live. He sounds just like his records.

Pop Evil came on and rocked out as well, but I was walking around at that time, checking out the vendors and cool jewelry and stuff. People watching!

Southern California's Steel Panther certainly made their mark on Kentucky this day, as they easily won the hearts of rockers at LTL. I have been following this band for a few years now, and I love them! It's great to see them go over so well in my hometown. They are a blend of cheesy Eighties rock, comedy, and all out outrageousness. Dressed in pink Spandex, armed with leopard print guitars, these rockers are fun! Incredible musicians, too. They do tend to piss off some females at times because of their Eighties sex talk gimmick, but it's just a gimmick, people. Let's not make this a serious issue. Yes, they are profane and lewd, but I'm sure those guys aren't really like that. They probably have wives and ten kids at home. They do however like to see boobs, and I support the boob liberation thing, and welcomed the chance to see lovely boobies on the large screen TV's. There was one instance with a guy and a topless gal that was kinda wild, the guy proceeded to act like he was a hungry baby, and that the topless gal was his mother, if you get my meaning. Anyway, the guy was tearing that titty up! It had to hurt. The band played a bunch of new songs off their new album, and of course their classics "Community Property," "Asian Hooker" and "Death To All But Metal." Vocalist Michael Starr is one amazing vocalist. And I have to hand it to those guys, they have some damn good jokes! The crowd was in stiches! Long live Steel Panther! It warms my heart that my city liked this band that I like so much.

Theory Of A Deadman played, but I've never been much of a fan of their music.

Alterbridge came on and was very good as well. I didn't know that the singer Myles Kennedy was the same guy who acted on the movie Rockstar, as the guy who replaced Izzy on vocals at the end of the movie. Myles has a great voice and impressed me much more than the last time I saw him perform. I have not always liked his vocals, but I think maybe it was that when I heard him sing before a few times, he was singing Guns 'N' Roses songs, and I don't think that music fits his style at all. Myles does much better with his won music than emulating Axel Rose.

I walked over to the smaller stage for a bit, and got to check out Ohio's Miss May I, and they were good, all except the lead vocals, which didn't do it for me. Too growly and not enough melody. Sounded like every other cookie monster metal singer coming down the pike.

The music was fine, though, and I enjoyed hearing this new band. The sound coming from the smaller Marshall Headphones stage was real good, too.

Mastodon was next, and I have to admit, I like their music but have not been a fan of their growly vocals. Mastodon kicked butt, and the vocals seemed to have gotten a little better since the last time I saw them. They put on a good, energetic, old-fashioned heavy metal show and I enjoyed watching them play. This band is different: it's culty, Sabbathy at times, and sometimes really groovin'. The guitarist's Hitler haircut was kind of weird, though. He needs to get rid of that fro, for real. But his playing was awesome! The guitar riffs and musicianship were in full force.

Limp Bizkit came on, and I wasn't thrilled, but opted to stick around to see what the big deal was. These guys have been out of commission for years, and now they are back. Never been a fan of Florida white trash rap-rock, but I have to admit they put on a pretty good performance. Frontman Fred Durst is great at getting the crowd going and talking to the crowd. The band was tight, and guitarist Wes Borland is pretty good, even though I don't see how he plays wearing all those crazy masks and ultra-tight-fitting pleather suits he wears. I love his use of effects on his clean guitar tones. The crowd seemed to really like Limp Bizkit, too. They played "Rollin" but stopped the song right in the middle to make sure the crowd was okay after several people fell down in the crowd (a classy move); "Re-Arranged," "My Way," "Take A Look Around" (which is the theme song for Mission Impossible 2), "Break Stuff" and they even played two cover songs, Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle" and Rage Against The Machines "Killing In The Name Of." Fred did much better than the whiney rap guy in Rage, if you ask me! Fred made security bring up someone in the crowd dressed up like a Ninja Turtle and had him dance around for the song. Then he started pointing out other superheroes in the crowd, like the Flash, and another Ninja Turtle. My metal friends will give me sh*t, no doubt, but I enjoyed watching Limp Bizkit rock out.

Stone Temple Pilots were next and I was looking forward to hearing STP with new singer Chester Bennington. The verdict? Chester is a damn good singer, but STP needs Scott Weiland, heroin and all. Those vocals are hard to sing, so it is no easy task to replace him. Chester did an excellent job, but I find that he can't quite get the growlier, edgier vocals as good as the higher notes. Chester has that crystal-clear, high voice, but he is not so much of a growly-type singer, that STP demands at times. Chester was almost too darn clear and clean. Chester is no doubt a great singer though and deserves some credit for even trying! However, some fans were not happy about this change. One guy was walking around yelling "F**k you Chester, you ruined STP!" You could tell this cat wasn't the brightest individual to grace the event, but, hey, everyone has an opinion. Guitarist Dean Deleo had an awesome guitar sound and tone! Maybe the best of the night. Every song seemed really slow in tempo, I thought. Most bands play everything a bit fast when playing live! As always bassist Robert Deleo was his usual badass self on bass guitar and backup vocals. This is one band that I used to hate, until I saw them live. The change in singers is a huge change and I don't know if STP will survive it. Several people said that they liked STP's new songs with Chester, but Chester doing the old songs weren't up to par. It's a shame that something like heroin can destroy such a good thing. If I was a rock star, there is no way in hell I would let any drug take my music away from me. Weiland is an awesome singer, and even high on heroin, somehow he still managed to kick major ass. It didn't seem to affect him as much as it did other singers. But drug addicts like that are difficult to depend on, so I can totally respect STP's choice to move on with someone more dependable. The band was tight as always, but the band's extra slow tempos got to the crowd and quietened them down a bit. Not so good for a show like this. They played "Vasoline," "Wicked Garden," "Plush," "Interstate Love Song," their new song "Black Heart," "Dead and Bloated" and "Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart." Not bad, but I miss the heroin addict.

Next up was Korn. The epitome of nu-metal. I'll be honest with you folks, I'm old-school metal to the core and really never got into the whole Korn/Limp Bizkit nu-metal thing when it came out in the mid-to-late nineties. But saying that, there are a few songs of theirs that I do kinda like. The guitars are kinda cool sounding, too, even though I never cared for seven-strings. Jonathan Davis is a darn good frontman and quite a singer as well. I like how he mixes vocal styles up constantly. One second he is actually singing, the next it's brutal growls, the next it's vibrato weird stuff. Very creative. They played their little musical "Twist" song. where Davis does aboriginal-type vocal sounds that are just bizarre. It did mix well with the music, whatever the hell it was. Korn had the place really bumping! The crowd went nuts! The younger folk really love Korn, and you could tell. The sound was good and the band tight. I've always admired the bass guitar sound that Korn has. It's really punchy and cuts through very well. They played "Falling away From Me," "Got The Life" and Jonathan Davis whipped out his bagpipes for "Chutes And Ladders," which made everyone happy. "Coming Undone," "Freak" and "Blind" wrpped up the set. The guys were all business this day and did not waste any of the fans' valuable time with talk. They just rocked out!

Judas Priest played last, and every old-school metalhead was in ecstacy. The crowd had thinned because of the cold weather (it was in the forties by then), but those who knew about JP stayed. Hell, I would have stayed in the cold, wet rain! This was the first time in 30 years that JP played in Louisville with original singer Rob Halford. And to have them return like this, on such a big stage and at such an awesome show, was incredible. I got to see my wish come true that we get a show like this, and I get the added bonus of seeing my favorite band of all time headlining? Too good to be true. That is what everyone I know was thinking. People were excited about JP playing this event. More than you know!

New bands/sounds are awesome too, but the classics will never die. And that is what people talked about this day. Judas Priest returning to Louisville, whole and complete. Well, they were missing guitarist K. K. Downing, which is a huge bummer for me, but they found a great replacement for K. K., in young K.K. lookalike Richie Faulkner, who was amazing. His solo was ridiculous. Did you guys hear that kid shred? Wow. Rob Halford was his usual self, wicked. True, he cannot sing quite as well as he did when he was twenty-eight (today's young vocal demons cannot even do it now! ), but he does the best that he can, within his limits. And he does really try to do well. That being said, Rob did all right. Seeing JP was like hooking back up with an ex-girlfriend that you always cared for. There's always going to be a place in your heart for that somebody. And that's how we metal fans feel about one of the creators of metal, Judas Priest.

They played new songs "Dragonaut" and "Redeemer Of Souls," but I wish they would have played "Secrets Of The Dead" and "Cold Blooded" instead. Why do the best songs always get put on the backburner? They also played "Turbo Lover," which was great, "Breaking The Law" - that Rob let the crowd sing mostly (he was probably catching his breath!) - "Metal Gods" and, to my delight, "Devil's Child," plus the all-time classic "Victim Of Changes," which was the highlight of Louder Than Life to me! For an encore, Rob came out on his Harley for "Hell Bent For Leather." They also played "You've Got Another Thing Coming" with new guitarist Richie Faulkner's blistering solo; the last song of the night "Living After Midnight."

Wow. What a day. I was beyond tired. My feet ended up having blisters on blisters! My only complaints for the whole festival were parking, and maybe to have a few more bathrooms! We had to pay $15 to park almost two miles away from the entrance to the event. Way down past the sand company on River Road! That pissed me off. Parking past a certain point should have been $5, not $15. How is paying $15 to park right next to the venue, and having to pay $15 to park two miles away fair?

I was tired before I got to the front gate! Hopefully, parking will be planned better and more fairly next time, IF there is a next time. I hear some of the rich snobs in that neighborhood are complaining about noise and traffic. My response is: Look you whiney, stuck-up beeyatches! You deal with Thunder Over Louisville, which brings trouble and multiple arrests, noise way louder than any rock concert, and trouble galore! You deal with countless concerts/festivals at the Water Tower. You deal with the Snorecastle Festival and Derby events every year. And now that our great city has realized our potential with an annual huge rock festival, you will now deal with this as well. This city has needed this like a man in the desert, dying of thirst needs water! It brings jobs and money and visitors to our city, like never before! And now we have our chance, so don't make things difficult just because you don't like rock or metal. If those boring ass bands at Snorecastle are allowed to have their day, then so should we! What's fair is fair.

I just couldn't make it Sunday for Kid Rock and FFDP; my feet were blistered and I was exhausted, and I had a concert to play with my band. But I had my bro Clark Staples get some killer pics for you guys! I did hear there were even more people there on Sunday. That is crazy, because Saturday was nuts!

All in all, the event was just excellent. There was one disturbing occurence that had my group bewildered. We walked towards a group of people and some guy was wearing pants that had the front so low you could see his crotch (trust me, I wasn't trolling for penis shots, I like the ladies, there was no avoiding this sight!!), the weird part was, this guy didn't have a penis! My date noticed it first and said, that guy don't have a dick! And sure enough, dude either had it tucked under the sack, or he had a vagina! It was weird. It seemed he was wanting to show everyone! A "Hey, look at my folded/tucked/missing peter" type of gesture!

Here are some highlights of LTL, enjoy!

Devil City Angels (featuring Rikki rocket of POISON, Tracii Guns of LA GUNS and Eric Brittingham of CINDERELLA) Review

I got to open for Devil City Angels recently and had nothing but a good time (get it?), even though there weren't very many people in attendance. I thought for sure that drummer Rikki Rocket of Poison, bassist Eric Brittingham of Cinderella and guitarist Tracii Guns of LA Guns would have drawn more of a crowd, but I guess the show being on a Sunday evening hurt the turnout overall. It's all good though, because opening for these Eighties rock legends was still pretty frikkin' cool to me regardless, being that I am an LA Guns and Cinderella fan! I've always liked guitarist Tracii Guns playing style, and nothing has changed except he has gotten better, refined and honed those already good skills into something classic. Dawg is a beast on guitar. Not so much technically like today's speed metal, technical, eight-string playing fools, but the blues and soul just seem to radiate out of Tracii's fingers when he plays. He plays with much feeling. The singer of DCA is an unknown (at least to me) singer out of LA named Brandon Gibbs, who played in a band called Cheap Thrill. The band played some Cinderella tunes like "Save Me" "Back Home Again" "Nobody's Fool" and "Gypsy Road." Brandon Gibbs had a little trouble making his cleaner vocals work with Cinderella's vocals, of course, but you gotta give the guy credit, not many can sound like the ultra-raspy Tom Keifer of Cinderella on vocals. But don't get me wrong, Brandon Gibbs has a heck of a soulful, bluesy voice. He is good, just maybe not as good playing old Eighties covers! They played some Poison tunes like "Talk Dirty to Me" and "Let Me Go To The Show." The band played a few LA Guns songs, too, like "Never Enough" and "The Ballad Of Jane" and they sounded pretty good, but I liked the band's original songs as well. "No Angels" and "All My People" are some good, original rock n' roll tunes. Tracii's guitarwork on the new stuff is wicked. Gibbs sings his own music much better, and I can't say I blame him. The band's original music doesn't sound like Poison, Cinderella or LA guns at all. It has more of a bluesy Black Crows-ish type, rock n' roll sound that was nice! They do have their own sound. Tracii Guns had a doubleneck guitar with an electric twelve-string that sounded fantastic on "The Ballad Of Jane." Brandon Gibbs sang that song much better than the current singer of LA Guns, and probably better than the original singer of LA Guns as well. Bassist Eric Brittingham didn't seem to do much on bass guitar, he seemed like he was just along for the ride or something. Nothing fancy, just playing the bass notes. Rikki Rocket wasn't too impressive, either, at least until they broke out their original music, then he seemed to come alive with some more difficult drumming patterns. I had fun, but I could tell the DCA weren't very happy with the turnout. They griped about it backstage. True it's not the Eighties any more, but I for one enjoyed seeing this fun band of talented, well-known rockers. I would go see them again.

New Louisville cover band Wicked Sinsation (vocalist Tim Adonis, guitarist Frank Campbell, bassist Tony Z and drummer Danny Murphy) opened the show as well, and tore it up. This Eighties and classic rock cover band is badass. I haven't heard Tim Adonis sing that good in years! To be honest the last time I heard him he didn't sound his usual rockin' self, but this night Tim was in a zone. He killed. They played some Bulletboys, Zeppelin, Lynch Mob, Skid Row, Triumph, Heart and Whitesnake. Guitarist Frank Campbell shreds in fantastic Eighties fashion! The guy was flawless in his playing. If you love good-time party rock from days gone by, then you need to see Wicked Sinsation. I was very impressed. And Adonis took home the vocalist of the night award, even over Devil City Angels' Brandon Gibbs.

Thanks to Dennis Gray for loving the Eighties music as much as I do, and for getting my band on the bill.

Here is some live footage of DCA playing LA Guns' "The Ballad Of Jane."

Fatal Step Video

I finally got a peek at new Louisville metalheads Fatal Step doing their cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller." This band must obviously be trying to win my heart. Anyways, it's blistering! Check out Louisville's Fatal Step.

Musician Of The Month, Jesse Vest

This month's feature is Louisville Crashers bassist and former bassist for Days Of The New and Tantric, Jesse Vest. Be sure to read this feature. Dude is one awesome bassist!

Name That Louisville Metal Band!!!

My longtime friend Quen Caudill (former guitarist for Faceplant and Jefferson County Drunktank) was over at my crib the other night, playing some brand-new, mean-ass guitar riffs, and he was telling me about his new metal band (consisting of Stretch on drums, Chris Gravel on vocals, Shannon Waters on guitar, and Jamie Wiegle on bass), and, particularly, that they do not have a name yet. So me being the genius that I am (yeah right!), I came up with an awesome idea. Name that metal band!! Nowadays it's hard as hell to find a good metal band name. And I've seen some really retarded ones floating around! So maybe one of you bright folk might have a suggestion for these guys! The music of this band is labeled as hardcore groove metal that is some crazy shit! So chew on that when thinking up a name for my buddies band. Who knows, maybe they will use your idea! I always wanted a goofy band name like The Bloodfartz, Stinky Nightgown or Poop Bubble. Something like that! So think of a good metal band name and hit me up at Eddymetal1@aol.com and I'll pass it along to the band. In subject line put "Name That Band."

Luther " L ive" in Bowling Green

Here's a lil' live Luther for ya. Can you dig it!

The Whiskey Riders ' New Video

Here is the brand new video for The Whiskey Riders song "Sunshine." Good song.

Caducus in Action

Check out some live Caducus. Nice voice!

My Band Year Of The Gun's Two New Songs

Check out live versions of our two newest songs "Can't Find My Wings" and "Head in The Sand" that we plan to record soon. Hope you dig em!

Upcoming Shows

Diamond Pub (on Baxter)

Saturday, November 8 - Carcass w/ Obituary, Exhumed and Noisem. 7 p.m. $25

Sunday, November 30 - The Misfits w/ The Revenants, Vice Tricks, Dead Dick Hammer. 7 p.m. $20

Sunday, December 5 - Flaw, Signal The Revolution, Gravel Switch, Chadillac Dundee and Modfire (from Illinois.) 7 p.m.

Sunday, December 14 - Crowbar and Luther. 7 p.m. $15-$30

Expo 5

Tuesday, December 2 - Black Veil Brides w/ Falling In Reverse, Drama Club and Setting It Off. 6 p.m. $25

Tuesday, May 12 - Nightwish.

Highland Tap Room

Monday, December 29 - Luther. 9 p.m.

Lukes Tavern (Salem Indiana)

Saturday, December 13 - Rockaway Drive.

Nelligan Hall

Thursday, December 4 - For the Fallen Dreams, Palisades, Sylar, Johari, The Contingent and Ari. 6 p.m. $10

New Albany Production House (1736 E. Main Street, New Albany IN)

Saturday, November 1 - Caducus "String Me Up" E.P Release w/ Luther, Kingslayer and Lucidai. 6:30 p.m. All ages!

The New Old Taproom

Saturday, November 15 - Call Me Bronco, The Dammit. 10 p.m. Free!

Phoenix Hill Tavern

Friday, November 7 - Candlefly, Old Soul Envy, The Tri Tones, Lethean. Free before 9pm. Only $5 after 9.

Saturday, November 15 - Metall Maffia, Cadudus and Poetry Of The Dead. 7 p.m. Early show.

Saturday, November 29 - The tenth annual Rock For Kosair childrens benefit concert. Proceeds raised go to buy toys for poor kids for Christmas. So far we've raised over 50 thousand dollars worth. 15 bands on 3 stages! 4 Guitar giveaways from J and J Old Louisville Music Shop, Guitar Center, B-Mart and Music Go Round! Prizes! So far, bands playing are : Infantry #333 (the Pantera cover band featuring members of Flaw, 16 Bones and The Smokin Gorillas), Signal the Revolution, Krosjoint, Zebras In Public, 16 bones, Unleashed, Grindstone, Year Of The Gun, Rock Brigade, Mooseknuckle, Maloik, Punchdrunk, Digg, Jayson William Allen (of Poetry Of The Dead), John Hager (formerly of Centerfold), Tim Vacancy and more TBA!!

Friday, December 5 - Kingslayer, Graveyard Romeos, Untold Rellik and Darkness Beyond Light. Free before 9pm, only $5 after 9.

The Vernon Club

Saturday, November 8 - A Feast For Kings, O"Kingdom, The Earth Laid Bare, Grayhaven and Brought By Giants. 6:30 p.m. $8

Friday, November 21 - Devil and The Darkness, Hellfire Militia, War Curse, Dirty Raggae Punx. 8 p.m. $8 18 +

Saturday, January 10 - Four Year Strong and Comeback Kid. 7 p.m. $16 - $65

Wicks (Goose Creek)

Friday, December 5 - The Dammit. 9 p.m.