2011 Music Must-Hears

A lot of good music this year in the metal/hard rock genre. A lot of excellent returns to form. Here's a short list of what you really should check out:

Anthrax - Worship Music
Megadeth - Th1rt3en
Black Country Communion - 2
Whitesnake - Forevermore
Adrenaline Mob - EP
Mr. Big - What If?
Mastodon - The Hunter
Journey - Eclipse
Warrant - Rockaholic

Fun With Music

So during bowling last night, the convo came up about the farce that is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Sure, it's pointless, but it's also silly fun. So here goes, the R&RHOF as decided by me... well, at least the top twenty anyways. Anyway, here's 11-20.
NOTE: I've only included the hard rock/metal artists NOT in the RRHOF.

20. Thin Lizzy - Beautiful use of dual guitars, flowing lyrics, & the charisma of the late Phil Lynott.
19. Tesla - Again, classic use of dual guitars, mixed with a powerful voice & melodic songwriting.
18. Pantera - Warped by Van Halen & KISS, Dimebag Darrell helped create the standard in 90's metal.
17. Pat Benatar - The other half of the sexy sirens of rock, along with Ann Wilson, Benatar could sing the phone book & still make it rock. Need more proof, check out Hell Is For Children live...
16. Motley Crue - So called "Hair Metal" takes a bad rap... loud guitar, catchy hooks, fun... the Crue lived it & lived it well.
15. Dio - Little man, HUGE pipes. Dio made keyboards sound heavy. Fantasy lyrics, scorching axe riffs, & a voice that rivals only angels, Dio made his mark solo, even after a brilliant career with Elf, Rainbow, & Black Sabbath.
14. Cheap Trick - Where else are you gonna find a drummer named Bun... HUGE choruses & all out fun for all.
13. Scorpions - from Uli to Rudolph, these Germans could wail. And here's a common theme... dual guitars & big vocals. Sting Of The Tail was a perfect return to form.
12. Foreigner - Lou Gramm & Mick Jones... the AOR Page/Plant. Unfortunately, got saddled with the "Corporate Rock" tag, whatever that means. Good songwriting & memorable hooks. Just good ol' R&R fun.
11. Ozzy Osbourne - He's already in with Sabbath, but his legacy may reign supreme as a solo artist. Known for introducing the world to phenomenal, yet differing, guitar gods, the Oz Man's songs are catchy & listenable.
Top 10 coming soon... & in honor of the Eddie Trunk Rocks year-end show, here's the Top 10:
10. Megadeth - Fueled by his unceremonious exit from Metallica, Dave Mustaine formed a metal band rivaled only by the one he left. A distinctive voice, matched only by its melodic mate, 'Deth proved a soapbox for political & socio-economic musings.
9. Rush - Power trio, virtuosos, distinctive, never duplicated... Rush are truly one of a kind, mixing heavy metal with pop sensibilities, wrapped up in thoughtful lyrics & unmatched musicianship.
8. Heart - Ann & Nancy... two Zep lovin' ladies with a passion for bad ass guitar rock. Ann could sing the alphabet & make it rock harder than most male singers.
7. Def Leppard - Put aside the pop stylings of most of the last 15 years, Def Lep was part of the NWOBHM. They hit the big time with Pyromania & Hysteria, but their true roots lie in On Through The Night & the criminally underrated High 'N' Dry. Need proof... Let It Rock, Mirror Mirror, Lady Strange.
6. Boston - Symphonic is a good word. Everyone knows the multi-tracked brilliance of Tom Scholz, but the real genius was the vocals of the late Brad Delp. Putting those two elements together with melodic, soaring tunes proved to be brilliance. I dare anyone not to become a goofy air-guitarist when More Than A Feeling comes on the radio... see, you can't do it.
5. Iron Maiden - More dual guitars & more operatic vocals, complete with intelligent lyrics & galloping bass lines. Another facet of the NWOBHM, Maiden was personified by lead singer Bruce Dickinson & mascot Eddie.
4. Judas Priest - Common theme: two distinctively different lead guitarists & freak-of-nature singers flying above it. Halford set the standard that the likes of Geoff Tate have been emulating for 20+ years. If you don't feel like raising a fist during You've Got Another Thing Coming, you're not alive.
3. Bon Jovi - They've managed to reinvent themselves in the last 10 years, almost at the expense of what made them famous in the first place. The duo of JBJ & Richie Sambora have created some of the best Springsteen-ian pop metal classics ever. From album one to Keep The Faith, they managed to mature, yet keep their roots alive. Listen to the guitar solo in the middle of the epic Dry County... pure genius.
2. KISS - To paraphrase, Love 'em, Leave 'em. But you can't deny 'em. They changed the face of music in countless ways, even without the incessant merchandising. At their core, they were meat & potatoes rock, but great fun. And what is rock & roll without a little fun? Image, tunes, live shows, they did all & mostly better than the rest... even if they're using substitute Ace & Peter's.
1. Deep Purple - Criminal, criminal, criminal omission from the actual R&RHOF, as they are one of the original triumvant along with Led Zep & Sabbath. Classical music applied to rock by the incomparable Richie Blackmore. Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner... it's like a who's who of metal vocal genius.

So there it is. Of course, it's not perfect. I left out many deserving groups, such as Whitesnake, Motorhead, Styx, Bad Company, Queensryche but no list is perfect. Feel free to email me to say what a dumbass I am. Otherwise, enjoy it for what its' worth... and thanx for reading.

This is your VP, people... I'll remember that when the next 3000 people are jumping to their deaths from a fiery hell. Biden is as close to a caricature as there is in real life.

I would've thought the MLB Player's Chief would be a tad more upset that one of his stars was dragged through the creatine mud of public opinion unneccesarily...

I'm trying to figure out when exactly being a fiscally responsible politician became akin to eating babies & genocide... isn't that what we want our elected officials to do with our hard-earned money?

We should be thanking governors like Scott Walker & Chris Christie and upholing them as an example of what elections are supposed to be: putting persons of good faith into positions as the voices of the people.

You wanna recall someone, recall yourselves for stealing from the taxpayers for years without conscience & repurcussions.

TMZ Report on Braun's Test

It HAS to be one of the signs of Armageddon when TMZ is upheld as the responsible news source.

This is why there are rules against monopolies... with no other 24-hour sports source, ESPN can do & say whatever they want. And, even more heinous, STILL have not updated or corrected their original PED story (that I can find. I am not, however, a subscriber to their overpriced Insider, which I'm sure is reserved for brilliant journalism & spot-on reporting).

Simply embarrasing & irresponsible.

"Where would we be without a guy like Petak? Here was a guy who cared more about doing the right thing than being re-elected. He lost his seat, but if he hadn't taken that vote, we wouldn't have the Brewers here. And Milwaukee would be a significantly diminished town. We do have a lot of challenges. There's no denying that. We have significant economic challenges within the city. We've got public infrastructure needs. We've got libraries that need to be funded.
"The way to continue to do that and grow as a community is to invest in our entertainment, cultural and sports assets. That's what attracts business to come and expand here. It makes it a great place to live and work." - Mike Marotta, Bradley Center Chairman


Those opposed to such public spending do not realize the money this puts back into the community. Think about this for a second: for a mere 1/10th of one cent, jobs are created, shopping districts thrive, eateries spring up... it's beautiful, sexy capitalism, people.

The QB has become a cultural phenomenon, and barring injury or a sudden dearth of fourth-quarter heroics, the public's hunger for Tebow coverage will remain ravenous - NFL.com

Let me speak for what I think is the majority: as in politics, the coasts are overestimating the interest in fly-over country.

More Praise for "White Jesus"

This is getting ridiculous...

Then again, it takes a lot of hoopla away from the Braun situation & the Pack's pursuit of history, so maybe it's not such a bad thing. But, honestly, he's a serviceable alternative on a team whose defense & RB's have stepped up considerably.

There are 3 things that cannot be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. The world is full of bad, jealous, dishonest, and selfish people...but the truth will set the good free - Larissa Fraser

Like the woman behind the man, Larissa believes Ryan, if I can be allowed to interpret this random, cryptic blurb.

So now it's not a PED or steroids, but a prohibited substance, but not a prohibited substance... it's exasperating the piss poor journalism that has, at this moment, ruined Braun's reputation forever. Now, if he did do something so be it. But, the process not happening confidentially as per procedure is ridiculous.

I beacon of sanity from Dodgerville

I, too, am amazed at the fact this was leaked prior to completion. Simply terrible for everyone involved.

Braun tells Tom Haudricourt he is "completely innocent".

Damn, I hope so, young man. You now have an entire organization on your shoulders. I am encouraged by how vehemently he is denying the charges. Normally, he is very measured in his responses, almost to the point of parodying Nuke LaLoosh with his cliches.

Braun responded to the test result by telling MLB.com's Adam McCalvy in a text message: "I would love to talk, but unfortunately I'm not really allowed to say anything right now. My day will come soon, though."

Certainly sounds like a man who would like his good name back. We'll see if that's the case, I guess. I certainly hope so, not only for Ryan's sake, but the organization's as well.

My wife just wondered aloud how pissed Braun must be right now. He can't speak on anything, yet an in progress appeal has been leaked. I can say if I felt I was innocent, I'd be livid. Most of what I've read is either absolute condemnation or gloating.

Hell, if I did end up being exonerated, I'd have a few lawsuits for defamation of character in the works.

Just spoke to someone familiar with the details of Braun's test and was assured he will be found innocent. If so, horrible this leaked out.--Tom H, JS

Since being informed of the results, Braun has been disputing his case. A source close to Braun said that when he was told about the positive test, he immediately requested to be tested again. That second test, using a different sample that was tested by Braun's camp, the source said, was not positive. Those close to Braun believe that the difference between the two tests will show that the first test was invalid. Although Braun's representatives acknowledge that a non-positive test would not negate a positive one, they believe the second test shows certain anomalies that will suggest problems with the first. They declined to specify.--ESPN.com


That last paragraph is buried at the bottom of the ESPN story, presumably because when you break a story for the simple fact that you'd be first, being a responsible news source is secondary.
I have no idea if Ryan is guilty, but this sticks out to me: Why would a guy who has been subjected to testing every year since he entered the minors and cultivated a public persona as Braun has, make the risk to use PED's? In the words of Inspector Douglas Todd, "This whole thing stinks to high heaven"

NLCS BOUND... YOUR MILWAUKEE BREWERS!!!!!!!!!

I almost hope we get the Cards... and knock that damn house down!

Quick thoughts, so read from top to bottom, refresh often:

Consistent zone today, but seems a bit tight-ish early on

This has all the feelings of a "Who blinks first" affair

Give a guy 4 strikes and he always seems to find a hit. As soon as I say it, it comes up

That slide was a tad late

Greinke up in the pen stretching, top 4. Don't think he'll be used.

If this game ends 1-0, then hats off DBacks. I'm thinking we'll come alive late

Prince really going outside his zone tonight. He needs to find that patience that he showed this year.

Prince's aggressiveness is a stark contrast to Braun's patience

Hairston with just enough to score. Good thing Morgan's on 3rd. Still, unfortunately a plethora of wasted opportunities again

Anyone else notice that Roberts fielded Yuni's grounder right on 3rd. Was he playing "no doubles" on that? Odd that they'd be playing the lines.

Crew gets some guys on, ties it up. Yo has a quick, clean inning. Is the worm turning toward the Crew here?

Some would say the Brewers are struggling with the bats. When every line drive you hit goes right to someone, it will always seem that way. We need some to fall in.

Nyger has to understand who's behind him there. Make Kennedy throw a strike & take your chances if it goes 3-2.

Those are the types of hits that lead to rallies... let's hope not. That stick-your-bat-out by Young is exactly what I mean.

Not the best outing from Yo, but he gets through 6 still tied. Now it's up to the O & the bullpen. Hold onto your asscheeks, Wisconsin, it's getting late.

Content to walk Fielder here? apparently so. Poor bunt by Rickie, which is a bit surprising.

Anyone else feeling 8th inning Braun heroics today?

Sometimes luck is a bitch... As has been true most of the second half, if the bottom of the order does well, this team wins

And as good as Yuni's AB was, Lucroy follows up with a clueless display of plate discipline

K-Rod will get 2-3-4 in the 8th... you wanted the closer role, well this is as close as it gets fella. Nice bridge inning for the young man Saito.

A microcosm of Casey's year: let good pitches go by, swing at balls. Never a recipe for success.

Carlos probably going in at CF, move Nyger to RF. I would assume Axford will warm just in case K-Rod forgets the K in his nickname. This is where the trade for the 7-inning game comes to fruition.

Luc has been beat up behind the plate... get through this & the pain goes away, kid

Can't be walking people late. BIG TIME changeup to get Goldy... bear down for out 3.

Watching K-Rod makes me appreciate Axford even more than I already do

And, of course, it comes down to an Axford save chance...

Uh-oh... Burroughs with a 4th strike opportunity here... and singles of course

Luck may be a lady, but sometimes she's a bitch. Now you need to limit the damage

Henry Blanco, Brewer killer... NOT happy... that ball was almost hit slow enough to allow everyone to be safe. Awesome play Yuni, now go send us home in the bottom half

Another tagged ball, another long out for the Crew. Sometimes breaks are just bad

166 total games & we're going to extras for the right to play more... frickin' baseball

So Counsell, Gomez, Morgan in the bottom of the 10th...what sort of sorcery needs to happen for that to equal a run? Hopefully, it's the little guys' time to shine.

JJ Putz in for AZ.

And the broken record continues... another skulled ball hit right at a defender

a double may end this game... stolen base by GoGo, now a single ends it...

AND IT DOES!!!!!! GO NUTS MILWAUKEE FANS!!!!!!!!

Yo with 44 through 2 today, which is not a new development for him historically. We've got a good 'pen, if needed.

Who's gonna step up for the Crew outside of the big boys? That's the main question in this game for me. If we need the bullpen early, we're covered very well.

Who's got the big hit in them today?