A Trip Back to the Halcyon '70's Metal - Featuring Truth and Janey, and Winterhawk

It’s true. Rock really was better in the 1970’s. You had the stadium fillers like Led Zeppelin and The Who, with bands like Aerosmith and ZZ Top coming up behind them to work the big rooms. Then there were the opening acts that also headlined smaller Civic Centers and theaters like UFO and Nazareth. Below them were the more obscure bands like Sir Lord Baltimore, Captain Beyond and Hard Stuff. And then kind of at the bottom of the food chain were local bands like Truth & Janey and Winterhawk and they kicked ass, too! Where’s the time machine? Can we go back to the golden age of boogie? Who’s coming with me? Fill your wineskin full of Boone’s Farm and bake up plenty of banana peels, we’re going space truckin’ back in time.

First stop is Davenport, Iowa 1976 of all places. Long before any member of Slipknot was even a dirty thought in their parents mind, Truth and Janey were making ears bleed. The photos that come with their live CD Erupts! shows 3 dirty longhairs with killer vintage instruments and amplifiers that players fiend over today. The sound is pure power trio rock in the vein of Cream, Grand Funk Railroad and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Loud, bluesy and full of energy. Guitarist Billy Janey rips it up on his Gibson Firebird with a strong Hendrix influence. It sounds like he may have some kind of flange pedal on to give it a bit more of a Robin Trower feel. Billy also handles vocals and belts it out like Jack Bruce. Steve Bock handles the bass (Gibson EB-4, the one shaped like an SG) and Denis Bunce plays a big ass drum kit that would give Dennis Dunaway of Alice Cooper’s band a run for his money.

Erupts! is a guitar fan’s delight. Every song features excellent lead playing and driving rhythms. It’s a big challenge for a 3 piece rock band to fill all the holes in the sound and these guys knew what they were doing. Shorter songs like “Building Walls” and “The Light” contrast nicely with longer workouts like “Tunnel of Tomorrow” and the crowd pleasin’ “Birth Of The Heart.” “Hard Road” is a fast boogie that really cooks. If you’re into Johnny Winter’s live albums from the 70’s you’ll love this record.

Next stop is Chicago 1978 to check out Winterhawk’s There And Back Again (Live At The Aragon). The band photos show a lot of facial hair, headbands and knee high suede boots so you know this is gonna be good. Winterhawk’s sound is more progressive than Truth and Janey but still total hard rock. Fans of the first 3 or 4 Rush albums are gonna love this. You get 2 guitars, high-pitched vocals, no keyboards and plenty of long songs of swords n sorcery. “Hammer And The Axe” has some nice Wishbone Ash guitar interplay that points the way towards some of the things Iron Maiden would do in the mid 1980’s. “Creatures Of The Sea” is a 13 minute epic with lots of twists and turns to dazzle the musicians in the crowd. I can just see all the young players mentally taking notes while their girlfriends roll their eyes in boredom. This is definitely music for guys.

Both of these albums are worth picking up if you like the 2nd (or 3rd) string heavy rock of bands like Uriah Heep,  Lucifer’s Friend and Leaf Hound. Thank you to the fine folks of the Rockadrome for keeping the mid-tempo heaviness alive in the hearts of burnouts young and old across the globe.

--Woody

Buy here: Erupts!

Buy here: There and Back Again (Live at the Aragon)

Lost Classic - Foghat Live

What can you say about Foghat Live except that it ROCKS! And that means everything about it ROCKS – the music, the awesome LP packaging, the band’s giant droopy mustaches, you name it. The only thing disappointing about this album is that it’s only a single and not a double. This is one you need to have on all formats – LP for the killer die cut sleeve, CD for the car and mp3 for your ipod. Captured in concert on their never ending 1977 tour, Foghat Live kicks ass from start to finish. It’s impossible to listen to just one song, you just gotta play the whole thing and boogie!

Side one starts off with a simple intro – “ladies and gentleman, please welcome FOGHAT!!” The crowd goes nuts and they crash into “Fool For The City,” a hit single in 1975 and title track of their fifth album. It sets the tone that everyone is going to rock HARD and have fun. “Fool For The City” is such a great song. It has everything you could ever want in a rock song – a simple but memorable riff, big sing-along chorus, funky breakdown and great lyrics. “Air pollution, here I come!” Brilliant.

The energy dips just a hair for “Home In My Hand.” With an arrangement reminiscent of Free’s “All Right Now” it gets the party people clapping to the beat. If you turn your stereo up loud enough you can hear the guys putting their girlfriends on their shoulders so they can get a better look at these hairy English guys and their tight satin pants. Side one finishes up with an awesome 8 minute reworking of Muddy Waters’ “I Just Want To Make Love To You.” This jam really shows off the bands strengths. Drummer Roger Earl hammers the beat like a pissed off carpenter while bassist Craig MacGregor grooves alongside him. Rod “The Bottle” Price plays some blistering leads and vocalist Lonesome Dave Peverett sings his heart out while also laying down some funky rhythm guitar. The dueling wah wah guitar solos in the middle jam really get the crowd rocking.

The great thing about having this on CD is that you don’t have to put down your bong to get up and flip the LP over. But if you’re listening to this on vinyl you can catch your breath with the mid-tempo boogie of “Road Fever.” You’ll appreciate the break because when Lonesome Dave says they’re gonna get “energized” with “Honey Hush” you better be ready because the full tilt boogie is about to get unleashed. Originally written in 1953 by rhythm & blues shouter Big Joe Turner, it got its first rock n roll workout by Johnny Burnette's The Rock and Roll Trio in 1956. Foghat takes that version and turns the heat way up. Rod goes nuts with the slide and wah wah pedal during his multiple solos. People who saw Foghat back in the 1970’s say they played really loud. You can tell, too. Bands don’t sound like this unless they really crank it up. And they had super cool speaker cabinets covered in white shag carpeting!

The album wraps up with an extended work out on their biggest hit, “Slow Ride.” Is there anyone who doesn’t love this song? Flat out, it rules. It’s so simple but it’s impossible not to get excited when that “Iron Man”-esque bass drum intro thuds through the speakers. When the guitars come in everyone knows that the party is in full force. Even without a lyric sheet, everyone knows the words. The funky cowbell pattern during the sing along part is pure class.

Sadly, Rod Price and Lonesome Dave are no longer with us but Roger Earl still leads a version of Foghat that plays anywhere that serves beer. Even though Foghat Live has been certified double platinum in the USA, it deserves a place in every home. The government should send a copy to everyone who gets a tax refund. This album is instant happy hour wherever and whenever you play it. If you already have it, track down the King Biscuit live CD that came out a few years ago with killer live shows from 1976 and 1974. What are you waiting for?

 --Woody

buy here: Live


Official Foghat

http://www.foghat.com/

Ripple News - Slayer, Megadeth Team Up For American Carnage

Slayer. Megadeth. Two names synonymous with fierce, crunching power. Two bands whose histories are inevitably intertwined in defining the thrash/metal genre. Individually, their respective prowess and accomplishments are impressive; but together, they're brutal and unstoppable. Megadeth and Slayer will join forces to co-headline "American Carnage," the most blistering, the most explosive, and the most eagerly-anticipated mega-tour of the winter - and you do not want to miss it.

"American Carnage" will kick off on January 18 in Seattle, WA for a 26-date trek across North America that will include the six Canadian dates postponed earlier this month. Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, November 20. Ticketmaster is offering a special presage for most shows from Wednesday, November 18 at 10AM until Thursday, November 19 at 10PM.

In addition, Testament, who was also on the '91 "Clash of the Titans" bill, will be Special Guests on the entire tour, marking the first time that all three bands have shared a stage together in more than 18 years, and making this a "must see" metal event.

Both Megadeth and Slayer will hit the road supporting new albums: Megadeth's 2009 album, ENDGAME, and Slayer's World Painted Blood, the band's 10th studio venture, which hit stores November 3. Testament's The Formation of Damnation: Special Tour Edition, will be released on February 23, 2010 with special unreleased bonus tracks.

Confirmed dates for "American Carnage" are as follows:

JANUARY

18 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA*
19 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR (tickets sold via www.rosequarter.com)
21 Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA*
22 Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA * (tickets on sale 11/21)
23 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix, AZ**
25 Magness Arena, Denver, CO*
26 Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM*
27 El Paso Coliseum, El Paso, TX*
29 Verizon Wireless, Houston, TX**
31 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN*


FEBRUARY

1 Gwinnett Arena, Duluth, GA*
2 Broadbent Arena, Louisville, KY* (tickets on sale 12/4)
4 Roy Wilkins Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN* (tickets on sale 12/4)
5 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL* (tickets on sale 12/4)
6 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI*
9 Chevrolet Theatre, Wallingford, CT**
11 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ*
13 Susquehanna Center, Camden, NJ*
14 Tsongas Arena, Lowell, MA*
16 Pavillon de la Jeunesse, Quebec City, QC (tickets sold via Billetech.com)
18 John Labatt Centre, London, ON (tickets on sale 11/27 via JohnLabattCentre.com)
19 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON (tickets sold via Ticketmaster.ca)
20 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC (tickets sold via Admission.com)
22 Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, NB (tickets sold via MonctonColiseum.com)
23 Metro Centre, Halifax, NS (tickets sold via TicketAtlantic.com


* tickets sold through Ticketmaster
** tickets sold through LiveNation.com