Fun with Music, part deux

This list differs from the last in that this is my top 20 bands you should give a chance, in no particular order. Now they'll be outside the realm of what radio tells you is popular & if you don't like melodic guitar & soaring vocals, you may just need to look elsewhere. Click on the band name for a tune of my choosing. At any rate, it'll be interesting. Enjoy.

Harem Scarem - This Canadian band I will champion till I'm dead. Too awesome to have not been more popular. This is what melodic rock should always sound like.

Khymera - Italian band. I couldn't find it here, but if you get the chance listen to "The Damage Is Done". Massive vocals on that one. Here is "Beautiful Life", which begins with a wonderful guitar line & driving groove.

Eclipse - Awesome band from Sweden. And as you'll see, they don't sit still. Features the many talents of Erik Martensson, who isn't making his last appearance on this list.

Pink Cream 69 - Get past the goofy name and you'll be amazed by the vocals of David Readman & the production of Dennis Ward. Some bad-ass German shit here.

Evergrey - Another German powerhouse. Sometimes reminds me of Fate's Warning.

EndeverafteR - Is a little band out of Sacramento. Think Poison, but good at their instruments. They run the gamet from the power pop of "Gotta Get Out", to soaring ballads like "Next Best Thing", to my sample "From The Ashes Of Sin", which borrows many NWOBHM tricks.

Gotthard - Another Swiss band, featuring the vocals of the late Steve Lee. Driving rhythyms, HUGE choruses. Good stuff.

We'll end tonights session with a fun one. A band called Bad City that I stumbled across on MelodicRock.com. A little ditty named "Call Paul Stanley".

I'll see you soon with another batch of discoveries.

"I feel proud of the opportunity we were able to give him here, and he capitalized on it... What else can you ask? The guy plays every day, every inning, and he brought a lot of great emotion to this franchise" - Doug Melvin, Brewers GM

Compare that to the LeBron/Cavs fiasco. That's why Doug is so respected within MLB.

Godspeed, Young Fielder

Good for Princey... I have nothing but good things to say about Prince Fielder: he played hard, he played often, & he loved the game. He helped turn the Brewer franchise around & for that, he'll always be remembered warmly by me.

Dan Patrick hearing that RB8 will be exonerated soon... take it for what it's worth, but at least it's good news for once.

EDIT: More comments, with a link to the podcast

Good story from Joe Lemire over at SI.com on Braun's speech last night. One of the very few that doesn't have him hung in effigy before the process is done.

“Sometimes in life we all deal with challenges we never expected to endure. We have an opportunity to look at those challenges and view them either as obstacles or opportunities. I’ve chosen to view every challenge I’ve ever faced as an opportunity and this will be no different. I’ve always believed that a person’s character is revealed through the way they deal through those moments of adversity.
“I’ve always loved and had so much respect for the game of baseball. Everything I’ve done in my career has been done with that respect and appreciation in mind. That is why I’m so grateful and humbled to accept this award tonight.”
- Ryan Braun accepting the NL MVP award tonight.

He's a stand-up young man, regardless of the upcoming verdict. The Crew had a contingent on hand, including Doug, Gord, & Mark A. And while I'm sure they're proud of his on-field accomplishments, Braun's continued well-spoken nature & general character should make them feel alright that he's the future face of the franchise.

I understand your anger, Duff, but you're seriously going to wonder why the "music fans" aren't against internet piracy of music?
I know you have a finance degree, but this is relatively easy ... because they get it for free.

KISS Album Poll

A poll on the best KISS song per studio album.
A little fun on a Saturday morning, but really people, the highest voted songs on nearly every album are the singles. Dig a little deeper... there's no way "Rock And Roll All Nite" trumps "Rock Bottom". "Heaven's On Fire" couldn't hold "Thrills In The Night"s jock strap. And don't even get me started on "I Love It Loud"... top to bottom that may be the weakest song on Creatures.

Watching High Voltage Festival 2011... which reminds me, revisit Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime. From start to finish, it may be the most cohesive, complete concept album ever laid down, apologies to the Who & Floyd. 24 years later it still holds up, both musically, lyrically, & message-wise.

1.9 million signatures...just under the actual votes in the last WI state election...
Well, I suppose, when Hitler, M. Mouse, Joey Shitpants, & Elvis Presley are considered good signatures with a corresponding WI address, you can spin it any way you want it.
I guarantee that there are not 2 million disallusioned Wisconsinites, based solely on the dedaction of "rights" to collectively bargain taxpayer-funded salaries & benefits. What a collosal waste of time & money, again footed by the taxpayer... though I shouldn't expect any different from liberals.
And to those that damn me as a conservative Republican swine, I could care less about gun or abortion issues. I'm interested in what makes fiscal sense for everyone, especially myself. I think for myself, not along party lines. I was raised Democrat and decided I'd form my own opinions based on how they affect me, not my parents or grandparents.

Presumably, RB8's arbitration hearing is complete. Whether we know something within days or weeks is unclear. For my wife's sake I hope he's exonerated... she's having a rough time as half her wardrobe carries the name & number.
Again, we all want our sports heroes to be humble and clean and Beaver Cleaver, but reality is always an amalgomation of the best and worst.

I personally believe Braun's spent too much time on his public persona to jeopardize his standing as the face of the Brewers to do something so blatant. That being said, the MLB testing is extremely black & white.

For those that love hard rock & heavy metal, do yourself a favor & get iheartradio or find Q104.3 online. Friday nights at 10pm eastern, Eddie Trunk. Good guests, fun info, & jamming tunes for 3 hours.

Shame on Scott Walker for being fiscally responsible with WI taxpayer's money. Strange how you need to dig for stories on this, but a gaggle of self-serving fools carrying in boxes of half-bogus names to the Capitol get top billing.

Tip o' the cap to Al's Ramblings

I'm an avid bowler and I don't know Glenn Carano from Adam... but I do know his daughter. Absolutely gorgeous young lady.

Here we go, Crew fans... Braun's appeal heard today.

For a group allowing Adolf Hitler & Mickey Mouse to sign, I would estimate maybe 75% of those million to be legit.
I remember when California recalled Gray and got... The Terminator, who we all know had NOTHING to do with the outstanding financial state CA is in now. Recalls are a waste of money & time. Voters have opportunities every 2-4 years to make their voices heard. In fact, Walker ran on the very changes he's made, so the "outrage" of forcing a heavily-debted state to become undebted should not be a surprise.
I'm tired of hearing the "take from the rich" because everyone should pay their share... that's what the whole point of the public union issue is: pay your share. I'm lower middle-class & when I hear idiots like The Ed Show spew that Walker is balancing the budget on the backs of the middle class, I get a little pissy. A teacher making 60-100 grand on my taxes alone is NOT middle class. My taxes have gone down, my state is finally returning to health, so what's the problem? You're gravy train has been put in the station? Tough times, tough choices. That's your Greater Good.

The Niners coming out jacked up, as most young teams are apt to do. The key is to have the energy to keep that edge for 60 minutes. The Saints are clearly not out of this, even being down 17-0 midway thru the 2nd quarter, but they can't afford any more turnovers.
Give the Niners a short field, they have their share of weapons too.

I'll tell you what, if I'm a Packer player I have to be wondering what more we need to do to get some love. It seems like every pundit is annointing the Giants as the dominant team. I don't think I've ever seen a 15-1 defending SB champion be so universally regarded as an afterthought.
Ranking defenses by total yardage is asinine... last I checked points won games. And while GB is not the '85 Bears, they're also not the sieve they're made out to be.

Van Halen inks a new "Tattoo"

18 years in the making... New VH dropped today, with first single "Tattoo" from the upcoming album A Different Kind of Truth.

The classic VH harmonies are immediately evident. However, the lack of high range courtesy of one Michael Anthony is noticeably absent. Unlike other VH hardcore's I'm not too upset with the lack of the former Mr. Sobolewski. He's got a pretty good gig going on with Chickenfoot these days.
The opening riff is very reminiscent of the groove & chorus of "Hear About It Later" from Fair Warning. Go ahead, check 'em out back to back. I think you'll hear what I do.
It was quite clear that the band chose to let Wolfie groove during the opening verse, as he, perhaps, will be the most scrutinized band member.
Lyrically, it's about what you expect from DLR: campy, half-sung, half-spoken, tongue-in-cheek... essentially, fun. Musically, the tone is recognizable as Balance-era, "Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do". A cleaner tone than the Roth-era Brown Sound, but pleasing nonetheless. The real star of this tune is, of course, the solo. Chock full of melody, tricks, squeals, taps, arpeggios, and whatever other trick EVH has bestowed on the 6-string world.
Overall, this tune actually does a great job of growing better with successive listens. After diving into the original 6 Roth discs over the last few weeks, I think this one may just live up to the hype. If nothing else, it's nice to hear the sweet cymbal work of Alex & EVH staking claim to the throne he deserted a decade ago.

I'm sitting here, like everyone else in Wisconsin, wondering what the Packers will get for Matt Flynn now. And with a high draft pick in exchange for his services, the rich get richer. - Mike Hunt, JSOnline


Unless the new labor deal has been significantly altered, a team gets nothing for a free agent, Mr. Hunt. And to think, soon you can pay to read the drivel provided by the Journal Sentinel & it's pantheon of "writers".