Well the second annual Rocklahoma is here and I am headed to OK this Tuesday night for five days of rock. Really looking forward to this years event as last year was a total blast. Beyond all the great music it was so cool for me to meet and hang with so many listeners and viewers and I hope to have time to do more of that this year over the five days. Once again I will serve as the events on stage MC and backstage interviewer. I appreciate all the folks behind Rocklahoma for once again making me a part of it. Also, once again XM is your official exclusive satellite radio home for the festival. Kevin Kash from the Boneyard will also be on hand and will be recording many interviews with many of the artists backstage. Also, very excited to announce that this year I will be posting some daily blogs and hopefully audio and video from Rocklahoma right on this site exclusively as it happens. My good friend Erik Luftglass, who now works with me on this new site, will be shooting video and photos backstage, in front of stage and on stage. I'll be providing blogs and updates as well. So track everything as it happens right here on this site! We will update as much as possible schedule permitting. Once I return on 7/15 I'll also give everyone reports and updates on both the Q104 and XM radio shows. Very psyched to see the reunited Extreme, Triumph, the return of Lita Ford, my good friend Ace Frehley, one of my favorite lesser known acts Vain, as well as my all time faves UFO. Should be an awesome five days, hope to see you there!
Check out the new feature video of Night Ranger on the site. Lot's of talk with Brad Gillis about Ozzy you guys will love. Coming soon video of Mike Levine, Mike Piazza and Richie Kotzen in studio, plus an EXCLUSIVE full length interview with Judas Priest courtesy of MSG!
When Richie Kotzen did my show a week or so ago he gave me a bunch of his last few solo CDs. I'm listening to this stuff amazed. The guy is an UNREAL singer and guitarist! I always knew he could play, but his voice is incredible as well! And most impressive is he is still very much about songs, not just instrumental showcases. Richie is not a metal guy by any stretch, but has some roots in hard rock with his work in Poison and Mr. Big, and since I do like some other styles of music now and then this really has blown me away. The new live CD he has released is as a power trio and he has much more of a hard edge live than the studio stuff, but either way it's all top shelf singing and playing and all great. Listening to this stuff bums me out beyond belief because it's astonishing that someone who is the total package like this guy is still for the most part unknown here in the USA to the mainstream! There is simply NO justice in this business. Check out www.richiekotzen.com for more info. If you like bluesy hard rock with great playing and singing you have to give this guy a listen now. His latest studio CD is called Go Faster and that's a bit more R&B influence, 2004's Get Up and Into The Black from 2006 have more of a hard edge. I'd start with the new Live In Sao Paulo DVD or CD however as it's a great cross section of everything he does and he totally jams on it for hard rock fans. Richie will also be on my XM show when he returns from an upcoming Euro tour. REALLY slamming stuff I highly suggest.
Spoke to someone who heard the new AC/DC and said it was amazing. 8 years in the making I hope it's special. Look forward to this CD in the Fall and I'll put a call into Brian Johnson to get him back on the show soon. Brian also produced a new film on DVD now called Totally Baked. As a guy that comes from working in a record store I hate this trend of major releases cutting exclusive deals with people like Wal Mart, but I get it since it's so hard to sell music these days. Still sucks that the stores still open are getting killed. Kudos to a band like Metallica still trying to support retail. They were also the first to see all this coming with the Napster wars.
I'm hearing Pete Way is not in great shape in trying to rehab and get cleared for the US again. Pete was denied access to the US most recently do to concerns over his health and the years of abuse on his body. He was told to get healthy and rehab and reapply. Reports are that this has not happened and recently Pete did not play with UFO at a recent show in Germany (where he is currently not banned). This is very sad and I really hope Pete gets it together. He is one of my favorite personalities in rock music and the bass player for one of my favorite bands ever. I do NOT want to be doing a radio tribute to the guy anytime soon! Let's hope he gets it together, gets healthy, and gets back where he belongs, on stage with UFO!
Gave away a bunch of tix on the radio show last night for my 25th Anniversary party with Judas Priest. Don't fear if you didn't win tickets yet. Still a month to go before the event and we will be pulling winners from this site right up until a few days before. Be sure to register!
ET
