Gene Simmons - Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Gene Simmons today!  Born August 25th, 1949 Chaim Witz became one of the iconic performers that formed the band, KISS.  For those of us that are mathematically challenged that means Simmons is 67 years old today.  While most 67 year old men are out playing golf on their birthday, Simmons and his bandmates are ON TOUR right now on the "Freedom To Rock Tour".

When KISS released their first, self titled album in 1974 it met with some success, reaching the US Billboard Top 200 peaking at 87 (and 82 in Canada). The album was certified Gold in the US and Canada but that was far from the last bit of success for the band.  In the forty-two years since the release of that album, the band has released a total of twenty studio albums, seven live albums, thirteen compilation albums, eight boxed sets, sixty singles, four solo albums, and three instant live albums.  That is fifty-five total albums (including the boxed sets) which is incredible.

August 20th, 2016 I saw Simmons and KISS at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Illinois and it didn't look like Simmons was 66 (now 67) years old.  There will be a review of the performance forthcoming so stay tuned for that.  Simmons was incredible, he performed at a level that I remember when I saw my first KISS concert in the '80's.

Happy Birthday Gene!!!

Check out KISS and The Dead Daisies on their 2016 Freedom To Rock Tour, for dates when they may be at a venue near you, click HERE.

The Dead Daisies - BMO Harris Bank Center Rockford, IL - August 20th, 2016

With a few exceptions there are some times of the year that are really, really special, take Spring for example.  As the snow melts (for those of us that see snow), we get the first peek at the grass as it takes in the rays of the sun, popping between the other dormant blades of grass and the patches of snow.  Summer brings the heat, and the world is renewed but as Fall approaches the green of the grass, and the petals of the flowers begin to fade and fall.  The leaves begin to cover the ground and the flowers die but what it I told you I have seen some dead flowers that are full of life right smack in the middle of Summer?  Would you believe it?  Well?

C'el Revuelta: Black Flag and Beyond

What do you remember about your last year in high school?  Do you remember the name of your US History teacher?  Your favorite move?  Your first girl/boyfriend?  I remember the events of my senior year because there were indeed life changing moments that I could have never anticipated.  That is the interesting part of our lives isn't it?  What?

Evanescence - 2016 Fall Tour Announced

I am proud to announce a new feature for musciallead.blogspot.com, that feature being announcements of new tours as they happen.  What an excellent band to announce first, Evanescence.

Evanescence was started in 1995 by Ben Moody and Amy Lee after meeting each other at a youth camp in 1994.  With three albums in their catalog and the iconic, haunting voice of Lee the band have sold over 25 million copies worldwide since the 2003 release of the album "Fallen."

Evanescence will begin their Fall your October 28th, 2016 at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas, Texas and will continue through November.  For more information about the tour, check out their Facebook PAGE, or their WEBSITE.

Saints of Las Vegas - Hard Rock Cafe, May 27th, 2016

It goes without saying that I am a big music guy, I listen to literally everything, no really you should see my iPod its packed full of music of so many genres I pull ligaments and tendons in my hand as I peruse it.  I debate myself constantly about many of those genres and what qualifies inside of said genres and I think the hardest area to define is "metal," "hair metal," and "hard rock."  The problem is never if music is good (or bad) enough to qualify itself for those genres, its actually more complex than that.  Think about it like this for a moment, what if there was a band that had its roots in the L.A. music scene, the L.A. club scene and tours with bands like Alice Cooper, Motörhead, KISS and Mötley Crüe, was still alive and kicking today?  Would that be a pretty important band?  Well?

Brandon Gibbs Band - Rascals Live - April 29th, 2016

Pedigrees are very telling instruments aren't they?  At times a pedigree can be chock full of unimportant sources that look like simple filler with nothing more than blah, blah, blah, blah, blah gushing through the ink on the paper that they cover.  When a pedigree exudes that kind of emotion it becomes quick work to discredit the pedigree in rather quick fashion.  Yes at times they can seem to be just dripping with droll moments in their history that are mere chaff upon the threshing floor but at times there are pedigrees that stand out and should be noticed.  Right?

Rascals Live - Moline, Illinois

Live music is a passion of mine, its cathartic to such an extreme with me that I feel almost lost not seeing a live show.  It's probably some type of addiction I have or just a way to extend my childhood  once again.  My childhood had so many layers inside of it that it is possible that some of the areas are in a strange way intertwined.  Without question I have seen to so many live shows that they at times melt together like those old plastic toy cars I had as a child.  What?

Firehouse - Mystique Casino April 16th, 2016

What defines us?  Are we defined by our personality?  By our choices?  Or are we defined by just random events and traits?  Those are fair questions but I would tend to think that for each of us we can't be defined the same way as any other person.  It's like the old adage "never judge a book by its cover" because until you open that book you can't make an accurate judgement and if you try to and you are wrong then you risk being judged yourself.  Right?

Prince - June 7th, 1958 - April 21st, 2016

Icon.  Pioneer.  Genius.  Eccentric.  Those four simple words define one of the greatest artists of all time and I think that artist is the right label for the man simply known as "Prince."  On April 21st, 2016 at 12:10 PM CST I was writing an article about a different artist and then I opened Facebook and all of my thoughts immediately switched gears to the "Artist formerly known as Prince."  What?

Lita Ford - Mississippi Moon Bar April 17th, 2016

Music is full of legends and inside of that are the stories of their life that at times are told in their music.  At times those legends are caught inside of their own environment or stereotypes which can muddy those legends.  All too often those legends aren't legends with just a little afterthought and deep introspective search.  What if we looked at those legends and tried to reshape their legend into its proper spot in music?  Well?

Hookers and Blow - Tailgaters - Bolingbrook, Illinois - February 12th, 2016

I am amazed by the bands I see every year, they are at times some incredibly well known, well established acts and other times they are little known bands.  In 2015 I saw 157 different acts perform, and much like a band on a massive tour it becomes cumbersome remembering where I was on a particular date.  Sure its possible to remember a music festival or one of the iconic acts but at times it is nothing more than a simple name that sticks out never to be forgotten.

Elle Carpenter - Complex Simplicity

From time to time we all experience little "perks" in our lives, the extra cheese on a pizza without asking, being given a warning instead of a speeding ticket despite our guilt, even the thank you from a stranger for holding a door.  We all have those perks but in my little world usually those come along the lines of music.  Its a strange world music isn't it?  More often or not we hear faceless musicians playing our favorite songs in a heavy rotation on satellite and regular old radio but the perks are a little more rare in those terms.  Huh?