In 2011, I began a personal journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that has continued to this day. Coming into the world of Combat Sports at the beginning of the new decade, I heard a song repeatedly at Amateur MMA promotions & Pro Grappling Cards. It was “Warrior Song” by the Danish Rock band Volbeat. It made sense! The gang chorus is in the back, yelling, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” while the song spins a tall tale of an actual fighter, Danish boxing champion Mikkel Kessler. Through 2011 and well into 2012, I went deep into the band. What I had come to find are more common denominators in good old-fashioned American Rockabilly and considerably less in Nordic metal. Volbeat is one part Godsmack, one part Nu Metal and one part Johnny Cash, making their sound uniquely their own. 

Throughout their career, Volbeat toured extensively, building a dedicated fanbase through their energetic live performances. This summer, Volbeat planned to stop at Ocean Casino Resort’s Ovation Hall in Atlantic City with none other than Pennsylvania’s Halestorm. And to the surprise of literally no one, the place was packed on the night of the show!

Ovation Hall doesn’t feel or look different from the neighboring Hard Rock Casino’s Etess Arena. While physically nothing stood out of note, the sound was the best attribute of the evening and especially for those who were performing. Bands like Halestorm and Volbeat have such a microscope on the lead vocals. Lzzy Hale’s sound & strength of her singing and Michael Poulsen’s specific staccato and tone could all get easily lost in the sauce of a live show’s overall presentation. But Ovation Hall was such that, no matter where you stood or how close you got to the stage, both singers could be heard like you were listening to a high-definition studio set. That is reason enough to go back to Ovation Hall in the future.

First, Halestorm exploded onto the stage, tearing right into “I Miss the Misery.” Lzzy carried all the stage presence of a Metal Goddess, adorned with the regalia of leather & grit, both outrageously beautiful and frighteningly tough-as-nails. The band went on to perform an amalgam of their first single, “I Get Off,” and Heart‘s “Crazy on You.” Hearing Halestorm play Heart with such ferociousness was like hearing Heart play “Crazy on You” for the first time, all over again, dumbfounded by the force and sultriness of it all. They went on to offer the fans skewering hits like “Wicked Ways,” “Freak Like Me,” and “I Like It Heavy.” The band wrapped up with their newest chart-topping cut, “The Steeple.” The fans were visibly disappointed that the energy was coming to an end. As the road crew began breaking down the gear on stage, people were literally looking around at each other with what can only be described as a look saying, “Well, what are we going to do, NOW?!”

If there is ever a rock & roll Call to Action for a band, it is the way the opener left the crowd. If the band left the audience rabid for more, the next band has to step up and follow that momentum. Volbeat was that such band. No fanfare, elaborate entrance, or crowd introductions were necessary, so Volbeat ripped right into “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown.” Poulsen proceeded to put on a clinic in hard rock. It was fist-pumping, horns-waiving, high-energy fun, but hard rock and roll. If their idols are an array of mid-century rockabilly artists and metal pioneers of the 80s & 90s, then they stuck the landing, especially for a band hailing from Copenhagen.

Ripping through a venerable greatest hits set with “Lola Montez,” “Die to Live,” and “Shotgun Blues,” the band offered up A Johnny Cash cover of “Ring of Fire” as the opener for “Sad Man’s Tongue” and even some of their newer singles like “Temple of Ekur” and, my favorite, “For Evigt” (Which is ‘Forever’ in Danish.).

The crowd understood the assignment during “A Warrior’s Call” and yelled along with the chorus until the song seamlessly transitioned into “I Only Want to Be With You.” 

The night wrapped up with everyone counting all the assholes in the room, along with Volbeat’s “Still Counting.” 

My initial thoughts upon leaving the show were that of satisfaction. Volbeat performed exactly how I thought they would and how I hoped they would after years of being a fan. You can’t say that about every show, but the expectation of talent after almost 13 years of imagining their shows was ultimately met. Any fan of Hard Rock owes it to themselves to give this band a listen and check out their live show. 

I remember seeing Halestorm at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia in 2008. They had opened for Shinedown, and afterward, I met Lzzy at the vendor booth. I told her they blew me away, and I bought their CD, which may have been burned copy. Regarding the band’s performance, Lzzy and the band met, surpassed, and destroyed any expectations I could have ever had. Epic. Long live the Queen. 

(Halestorm has been on the pages of Origivation and the front cover in their earlier years playing in Philly.)

Volbeat

Website 丨Facebook丨Instagram丨Twitter丨YouTube丨Spotify丨 Apple Music

Halestorm

Website 丨Facebook丨Instagram丨Twitter丨YouTube丨Spotify丨 Apple Music

photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos, Right Stuff Studios

Ever since I reviewed Taylor Tote’s eponymous EP back in 2015, she has continued to impress new fans and make great strides in the world of music. A native of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Tote and her top-notch band have been taking the musical world by storm. Since I last covered her 4-song project, Taylor has continued to perform many high-profile out of state shows including venues in NY, PA, MD, CT, DE, TN, CA and potential upcoming shows to AZ and VA.   Her audience continues to expand gaining exposure across the nation at each show.

Taylor has performed at the world’s most significant trade-only event for music products industry, NAMM, in both Nashville, TN and Anaheim, CA.  This past Winter NAMM there was over 99,000 attendees from across the world.  She performed at the 2017 Penn State THON for over 10,000 students and was recently named NYC Hard Rock Rising 2017 Division Champions.

Tote’s main influences include Amy Winehouse, Grace Potter, Adele, Maroon 5, Train, and Stevie Nicks. American Songwriter called Tote’s full-band performance as one of the highlights of the New Jersey Light of Day festival for her “wide, emotional vocal range and pop sensibilities.” The Asbury Park Press cites a “lilting twang in her voice that shades from corn-fed country to big pop and vampy jump blues.” I described Tote at the Aquarian as an “Artist that is dominating, empowering, strong, soft, sexy, and insanely fun. Her attitude and stage presence is smooth, sweet, and controlled. However, it can be flipped like a switch to a rock and roll, hell-stomping diva. Her range is one of a rock ‘n’ roll vixen that will send your music senses on the ride of your life.”

Totes award-winning “Fighter” music video received three prestigious awards in 2017 from Garden State Film Festival, The Asbury Park Music and Film festival and Los Angeles Movie Awards in Hollywood, CA. “Fighter” has had over 125,000 views and has been written up in numerous publications, including a national feature on Joan Lunden’s blog. The long-time host of Good Morning America called the song a “must download, ” and Tote is even conscientious enough to contribute all proceeds from Itunes downloads to childhood cancer research through Infinite Love for Kids Fighting Cancer.

Between all the live work and video’s that Tote handles, she also has found the time to work on new material with Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum engineer, and producer David Ivory. Ivory, who has worked with some of the music’s best performers such as Grammy-Winning Halestorm, The Roots, Patti Labelle, Silvertide and much more. Ivory is in the process of getting ready to record a pair of live Taylor Tote band shows coming up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The band will also be utilizing the film crew of Right Stuff Studios (New Jersey) who will be on hand to capture performance and audience interaction with the group. Ivory will be putting the band through its paces on October 13 at the world-famous Stone Pony in Asbury Park and then at Puck Live, an intimate live music venue in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on October 21.

I had the recent opportunity to hear some of the new music, and while it is still unreleased, I can say that she is on the right track. Songs such as “Forever Young,” a mid-tempo country-flavored number featuring outstanding guitar work from Nick Ryan. Clean and concise, his playing helps the song stand out in spades. Tote’s toned vocal skills are the guiding light on this sure fired hit and a highlight of what was sent to me. Other songs include “Please Don’t Break My Heart,” a poppy, jazzy feel over the top of Totes powerful pipes. Choruses pop where they should as does the verse work and bridges. Another song that is sure to turn heads and garner attention for the band.

They also sent me a song called “Mama Told Me” Steeped in the traditions of R&B and Blues, “Mama” lays in the pocket in just the right way. Tote and company prove they can rock-and-roll but also find a different musical voice that works well for them in within a different format. Guitars are soulful and bark when needed. The middle-Eight solo (Performed by Tom Briant) is Clapton-inspired gold straight out of 1970. Drums and bass nail this bluesy gut-wrenching hit to the proverbial floor. The chorus for this song is my favorite out of all that I had the chance to listen to.

I can’t really discuss anything else about the yet to be titled record, but Taylor said songs would be unveiled at the live shows. The upcoming live Stone Pony show will be a “hands-on” test of new material aimed at old and new fans alike. Tote utilizes a crack band of players which includes Tom Briant, Tote, Aaron Manzo, Anthony Flora, and Nick Ryan.

photo by Kostas Lymperopoulos, Right Stuff Studios

Tickets for The Stone Pony show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. There will be limited VIP tickets available for $40. That fee includes a meet and greet, a T-Shirt, autographed poster and early entry. For advanced tickets and VIP packages contact taylortotemusic@gmail.com. Advanced tickets are also available at The Stone Pony Box Office.

The Doylestown, PA show will offer similar arrangements for the 10-21 date at Puck Live. For more information on Taylor Tote band, please go to their website. That address is www.taylortote.com..

Written by John Pfeiffer

Into the Wild Life

Reviewed by: Max Miller

When I agreed to review Into the Wild Life, the third full-length from Red Lion, PA hard rockers Halestorm, it was under the suspicion that their brand of no-frills, radio-friendly hard rawk would at least be as fun as listening to, say, Mötley Crüe or Lita Ford. As something of an ex-metalhead (and former Guitar World subscriber), I recall hearing rumblings surrounding their 2009 debut from the type of dudes who get excited about bands like Seether and Avenged Sevenfold. All I wanted out of Halestorm were some cheesy solos and stadium-ready hooks; by the end of opener “Scream”, I suspected I would be getting neither.

Halestorm’s greatest asset is vocalist/guitarist Lizzy Hale’s powerful, bluesy voice — a welcome reprieve from the sub-Scott-Stapps fronting most comparable modern hard rock groups. But Hale’s vocals are often heavily processed and otherwise compressed by Jay Joyce’s flat production, stripping the band of any potential potency. This leaves nothing to distract the listener from the bland swagger of tunes like “Amen” and “Sick Individual”. Where I expected “Mr. Brownstone”-esque party rockers, I found a band content to spin its wheels in the muck of mid-tempo fist-pumpers like lead single “Apocalyptic” or the self-explanatory, utterly stupid closer “I Like It Heavy”.

Among the only songs that stick out between the forgettable rockers are the de rigueur power ballads like “Dear Daughter” and “Bad Girls World”. Both offer messages of female empowerment that I can only hope hit their intended target of young female hard rock fans. I worry, however, that the only people who’ll be paying Halestorm much mind are dudes in their mid-40s who constantly complain about “real music” dying in the ‘80s.

Rating: No Comment

Rearview Ghost (photo credit, Curtis B.)

Huntsville, Alabama rockers Rearview Ghost are no strangers to the Nietzsche quote “that which does not kill us makes us stronger,” and for good reason. Lead vocalist. Josia needed surgery almost every year to correct an ongoing medical issue so she could continue to sing. Then, in the Spring of 2011, the band lost all of their equipment in a tornado. The final blow, only a few months later, was the accidental deletion of their almost completed album. But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they persevered and are set to have their best year yet with a new album and more extensive U.S tours.

“At the time, we didn’t think twice about giving up,” recalls bassist Phillip ‘Flip’ Cooper, “but you look back and think how did we not just go-screw this, I’m going home.” That determination and inspiring attitude, as well as kick ass gritty tunes, is just one of the many things their fans love about Rearview Ghost.

Starting in 2006, the band was originally just Cooper and Josia. “We were put together by a friend of ours who owned a bar and wanted to have a house band every Saturday night,” says Cooper. “Josia and I had never met before and we were both burnt out playing in bands at the time, but we started working on all of these crazy cover songs. Then, the band fell apart and we decided to just start writing songs together, plus I’d been looking for a vocalist like her for awhile. We brought in [guitarist] Craig Shadix in 2008 and that changed everything.”

“I really think it’s the chemistry of all three of us,” says Josia. “We all come from different backgrounds and it created an entirely different energy and emphasized what Flip and I had started to create, so when Craig came in, we felt confident moving on as songwriters and hit our stride with our first album.”

Growing up, Cooper was listening to classic rock early on and three members of his family were musicians. “I was also listening to country music as a kid and fell in love with it, so I started focusing on what I enjoyed about music, picked up a bass and went from there. I always had a song in my head.”

Being Italian-American and living for a time in Italy, where her father was stationed in the military, Josia always had opera music around her. “I really wanted to connect with the audience, though as myself and not as a character [in an opera], so I leaned towards the rebelliousness of rock and roll because there you can have your own message and be yourself.”

Rearview Ghost’s self-titled album dropped in 2012 and quickly climbed up the regional rock charts. They recently found a hit with their infectiously rocking single, “Devil’s Backbone”, off their upcoming second album which was produced in Nashville by the legendary Michael Wagener (Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Alice Cooper). It’s no wonder this song gets so stuck in your head since that’s how it started out for Josia.

“I’d come up with the first verse ‘it started with a whiskey’. I just wanted a party song and that line was in my head; I thought of all the possibilities of what could happen with ‘it started with a whiskey,’ so we began with that and then Flip added ‘it ended in a fight.’ We thought about every party moment in our lives and put it into the song.”

Cooper continues, “then Craig comes in with a couple of lines and that’s how we write most of the time. It really is a collaboration, that’s why I love what we do. When it gets down to the nitty gritty and going into the studio, then we’re all involved. I might write down crazy poetry and hand Josia my notebook and she runs with it.”

Josia jokes, “because I think that Flip is way too wordy.” Cooper laughs and says, “and then she’ll come in and say I have this idea for a song and gives us one line.”

“As a singer, for me no matter what the lyrics say, I really need to know how I feel about the song in order to sing it,” says Josia. “A word or group of words might evoke a feeling or an idea and then when we feedback off of each other, it creates the song to go in different areas rather than if I had come up with the idea originally, I think it’s richer with the collaboration of the entire band.”

Being in the minority of female rockers out there today, Josia is very supportive of other female singers of all genres. “I think women musicians face different challenges than guys do, so when I see a woman out there, I know they have to be a little bit stronger than most to be able to deal with it.”

We start gushing about Lzzy Hale from the York, PA rock band Halestorm. She’s a sick guitarist and one hell of a live performer. Josia exclaims, “we need to have a kick ass women of rock tour!”

Revolution Of An Open Mind, the band’s upcoming six song EP,  will include a bonus track of an acoustic version of “Make Time” off their first full-length album. The EP was funded by fans through Indiegogo, which was new territory for Rearview Ghost. “It was fun coming up with the cool perks and we got a lot of great feedback from friends, family and fans,” says Josia. “There were so many people out there supporting us, it was just amazing. We have t-shirts with your name on it for our backers that say “I helped start a revolution” and we’re hoping to hook up with a whiskey company for a sponsorship at some point.”

The energetic music video for “Devil’s Backbone” is part concert footage/part goofy antics that was, for the most part, filmed by musician/videographer David Koonce. “He came to one of our shows and shot some footage that he sent to us,” says Josia, “but we thought it needed to reflect the party element a bit more, so we decided to have fun with it and had our crew, Jenae and Ryan, film us at home drinking whiskey and goofing around. We sent it to David as a joke, but he used a lot of the shots and it just looks so cool. We had fun with it and I think it comes across in the video.”

Rearview Ghost just finished a small tour of the east coast, playing the Irish Rock Festival where Cooper says, “we were treated so well. We were on Staten Island and New Jersey and the people were just so nice to us, we can’t wait to come back. One of our goals is to start touring up there regularly and we would also love to play some Philly shows.”

Currently, Rearview Ghost is planning a short tour through New Orleans, Mississippi and Texas, as well as preparing for their upcoming album release show in Huntsville. “We put a lot of love and sweat into this record,” says Cooper, “and we can’t wait to get it out and have people hear it. Our goal for the year is to play the biggest shows and festivals we can and tour more cities.”

Josia adds that, “the tornado kind of derailed on our plans, so now we want to go out to as many places as possible and get our music out there, we’re so excited.”

Gutsy, edgy and cool as heck Rearview Ghost is a band I’m excited to hear more from. Judging from their “Devil’s Backbone” video, I can only imagine what a wild ride their live shows must be like. Also, any band that posts on their Facebook fan page this gem: “Apparently our cover photo violates a guideline on FB. That’s just rock and roll, baby.” I say hell yeah. That sure is rock and roll, baby.

When you start naming bands from the late 80s, you come up with a list that sounds something like this: Bon Jovi, Warrant, Def Leppard, Poison, , Motley Crue and Skid Row. This was a time when metal was king and these guys ruled the airwaves. Now, we are far away from those care free days of the youth gone wild. When you think about these bands today, some have become constants, other have ended tragically, and some, like Skid Row, continue to make the best music that they know how.

Today marks the release Skid Row’s EP United World Rebellion – Chapter One, which reignites the youthful energy Skid Row is known for. Rachel Bolan, founding member, co-songwriter and bass player for the band Skyped in from the UK tour to talk about Skid Row, metal, the new EP and coming home to New Jersey. In a very un-rock ‘n roll-like fashion Bolan contacted me at exactly the time we discussed, exuding “cool”, pride and excitement for the latest project from the band.  He informed me that they were just finishing up some shows in the UK and were headed to the Czech Republic before heading back to the States and then down to Mexico.  I asked him how the metal scene was in the UK and he enthusiastically stated that the UK loves metal!

We talked about how the metal genre has changed over the past few decades, specifically the lack of melodies in songs and the possible death of the power ballad. Bolan says that even though there are those bands that do a lot of screaming in the genre, that there will always be melody in metal as long as Skid Row is around. I asked what were some of his favorite up and coming bands and was delighted to hear that he was fond of hometown favorites, Halestorm.

The new Skid Row project is really interesting and breaks the rules of traditional record releases.  The title of the EP implies that a Chapter 2 is close behind. “The idea [of releasing EPs] really appealed to me” says Bolan.  The band plans to release a steady flow of music over the next 12-18 months, just right for the fast paced social media world we live in.

When asked what’s the most important part about songwriting and making music, Bolan stresses the importance of being yourself and doing what’s meaningful to you as an artist.  It’s good to know that his roots remain firmly in New Jersey, and that he hasn’t broken the 25-year-long promise he made to his mother to come home for Christmas every year.

United World Rebellion – Chapter One is available everywhere today!  Join the rebellion because Skid Row is back and better than ever!