Anticipation was high for the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth in the summer of 1996 when it was revealed that Sammy Hagar had departed the ranks of the SoCal party rockers and their OG singer had returned to the fold. Unfortunately, the (re)union was short-lived, and after a disastrous fallout at the MTV... Continue Reading →
Tonight! Tune into ‘Talkin’ Van Halen’ at 8pm
The fine folks over at Johnny Beane TV are going to have me on this evening at 8:00pm on their program Talkin' Van Halen to discuss my upcoming book Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock, which comes out next Wednesday, Oct. 6. Tune into the show live or catch it on the replay. It's... Continue Reading →
30 Years Ago: Soundgarden Give Hard Rock a ‘Badmotorfinger’
The breakthrough LP from Soundgarden, 1991's Badmotorfinger, could very well be the heaviest to come out of the grunge era. From Kim Thayil's guitar seemingly always at a steady boil to the screech of Chris Cornell's caterwaul, it was full of the sound that defined an entire generation. A few years back, for the now... Continue Reading →
Talking ‘Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock’ on ‘Halenville Live!’
Last week, the guys over at Halenville Live! had me on to discuss my upcoming book, Van Halen: The Eruption and the Aftershock. It was a lengthy conversation that any Van Halen fan will find enjoyable as everyone on the show is a huge fan of the band - including myself! You can watch the... Continue Reading →
Photo Gallery: Alice Cooper and Ace Frehley Play Boston
There's an abundance of Alice Cooper related posts this week, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Earlier this week, I caught the shock rocker live in Boston at the Leader Bank Pavilion. Opener was Ace Frehley, who I hadn't seen live since the 1996 KISS reunion tour. The Spaceman did a great set, mainly because... Continue Reading →
The Story Behind the Guns N’ Roses Epic ‘Coma’
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Guns N' Roses ambitious Use Your Illusion albums, and to mark the occasion, Ultimate Classic Rock is doing something pretty cool by diving into the background of each song on the records with a new one every day. The track I got to tell the story behind... Continue Reading →
35 Years Ago: Alice Cooper Makes a Comeback with ‘Constrictor’
Back when I was a wee lad, I thought Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives was one of the greatest films ever made. What can I say? Back then all I needed was some jump scares, ridiculously obscene kills, a fitting soundtrack and I was sold. The year after it came out, it ran... Continue Reading →
Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out for Charlie Watts.
The backbone of the Rolling Stones has passed at the age of 80. Rest in Peace.
KISS Resume ‘End of the Road’ Tour
Kiss resumed their End of the Road tour last night at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass. more than 17 months since the last show of the trek, with this current leg having been interrupted and significantly rerouted since it was first announced in Dec. 2019 due to COVID-19. The band showed little signs of rust though,... Continue Reading →
Did Metallica Steal from Other Artists for ‘Enter Sandman’?
It's one thing to have what is arguably the greatest crossover heavy metal song in history. It's quite another to be accused to finding major amounts of inspiration in said song not just in independent acts from a parallel label, but the guitarist and co-founder you fired many years prior. An unknown Los Angeles band,... Continue Reading →