Get Ready! This Week Old School Reports From The NAMM Show

The NAMM Show 2013 begins this Thursday, January 24, 2012 and Old School will be there as Ripple's Roving Reporter.  We don't know who he will see or what trouble he will get into, but, there will be plenty of chances to rock. 


Here are a few of the musicians who will be there - Nicky Sixx (Motley Crue); Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Kansas); Guthrie Govan (The Aristocats); Fieldy (Korn); Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr.Big); Glenn Hughes (Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath); Frank Bello (Anthrax); Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power); Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N' Roses); Pancho Tomaselli (War, Philm), Mark Heylman and Dan Kenny (Suicide Silence); Michael Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick (Devil Driver); Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Meat Puppets, Jackson Browne, Buck Owens, k.d. lang, Lucinda Williams); Tom Dumont (No Doubt); Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson); Victor Wooten (Chick Correa, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones); George Duke (Miles Davis, Jean Luc-Ponty, Flora Purim, George Clinton, Kanye West); Ricky Phillips (Styx, Bad English, The Babys); Tom Coster (Santana); Michael Sweet and Timothy Gaines (Stryper), Neal Schon (Journey), David Grissom (John Mellencamp, Storyville); Clint Lowery (Sevendust); Orianthi (Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper); Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, Vince Neal); Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, Foreigner); Ron "Bumblefoot" Tal (Guns N' Roses); Derek St. Holmes (Ted Nugent); Earl Slick (David Bowie, New York Dolls); Dave Rude (Tesla); Jerry Donahue (Fairport Convention, Yardbirds, Hellcasters); Michael Devin (Whitesnake); Bjorn Englen (Yngwie Malmsteen, Quiet Riot); Marten Andersson (Lynch Mob, Lizzy Borden); Will Adler (Lamb Of God); Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne); Stephen Carpenter (Deftones); George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob);  Michael Wilton (Queensryche);  Vic Johnson (Sammy Hagar); Allan Holdsworth (Soft Machine, I.O.U., Planet X); Nathan East (Fourplay); and Kelly Hanson, Jeff Pilson and Tom Gimbel (Foreigner).

In addition to the massive amount of talent that will be on the convention floor, the night shows are legendary. Elton John and Tower of Power will perform for certain exhibitors’ select clientele, while other exhibitors throw private parties.  Just check out the two The NAMM Show after hours show advertisements in this article. There are dozens more just like them with special musical guests.  We are sure Old School will catch one or two.  You can follow the wave here on The Ripple Effect!   

My First Album - Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil

 

Ah, the first album I ever bought with my own money. To be completely honest, I haven't a clue.

You see, I had an older brother who was well into bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and a whole harem of Metal Bands. He always seemed to have a new cassette of some new rock band, which I later learned was always supplied by his knack for getting "Five Fingered Discounts." But this was my introduction into Metal, and I was influenced good and proper by my older brother.

Although, I had free access to everything that rocked under the sun and can't remember the first album I ever bought with my own dough, I remember the first album that changed me forever from a rebellious kid with a knack for getting into trouble into a monstrous rebellious kid always getting into trouble.

That album was Motley Crue's Shout At the Devil. I remember seeing the cassette cover on my brother's night stand and was like, "Whoa! What the hell are these guys about?" To be honest, I couldn't tell if they were really ugly chicks or some crazed, psycho's.

The title of the album alone was too intriguing to pass up. I had to hear what these guys were about, so I lifted the cassette off my brother's night stand, popped it into my shitty tape recorder and played the sucker.

What came out was heavy, snarling, and quite delicious to my ears. I fucking loved it. Back then, Motley's sound was considered "Heavy Metal" and they were heavy. Now, they're considered "Hard Rock." Whatever.

It didn't matter. Motley was the band that converted me full on to the sounds of Hard Rock and Metal.

Now, I do remember the first album I owned. I'm not sure if I bought it or how I got it, but I do know it was the first album I considered my own. That album was unfortunately Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet.

What the fuck? Yes, I still slap my forehead on that one, but I didn't have that cassette for too long. I remember some chick in 5th grade talking about wanting Bon Jovi's album, and I told her I had it. She said she would trade it for Beastie Boy's Licensed to Ill, and you bet your ass it was the best trade I ever made in 5th grade.

--Boogs

MAAX – Unholy Rock N Roll

The press release that came along with this album says, “Maax can only be described as pure, old school, alcoholic heavy metal hellfire scathing the night with buzzsaw riffage of fist-banging, slutfucking black thrash n' roll to haunting passages of Luciferian menace.”  So I guess if that’s the only way it can be described, my work here is done.  Adios!

Just kidding.   Although there is a lot of truth in that press release, I can elaborate a little.  This is definitely an album with an old school feel.  The production values feel a lot more like a black metal release, especially the vocals.  And there is also that Motorhead-like, take no prisoners, vibe.  The first track smacks you right in the mouth and the hits just keep coming.  For an American band they sure have nailed the European metal style, and I certainly mean that in a good way.  From reading their bio it appears that they have an issue with revolving door band members and if they could stabilize their lineup I think this band could make some serious noise in the metal world.

I guess if you are going to use the phrase “slut fucking” in the description of your music, it goes without saying that you refer to women as sluts in your lyrics, and have lots of songs about fucking and drinking.  And fighting.  And Satan.  And lyrics like “Rot and roll, we are the new breed, Fuck you, this is our new creed”.  Good thing these guys came along now instead of the days of the PMRC.

There is actually an impressive variety of music on this album.  The first 6 tracks are along the lines of what you could call black n’ roll, mostly with an emphasis on just some solid rocking.  “Do What Thou Wilt” has that kind of punky, Motley Crue feel, like something from their first 2 albums, before they went all hair metal.   “Purge of Depravity” and “Overthrone” veer off into black metal territory.  “Black Thrash Em All” has a nice, thrashy feel, hence the name.  I tell ya, you don’t have to be a genius to write these things.

MAAX has 2 previous releases and based on what I heard here I will seek them out and see what they sounded like.   This is definitely a band that you want to file away in your memory and keep an eye on.   They are not a carbon copy of anything else that I am familiar with and take several elements of metal and combine them in their own way.  Metal is a genre that needs some originality and these guys have it.  Next time I go out on a Saturday night for some drinking, fighting and slut fucking, this is my soundtrack.

-- ODIN