Brandon Gibbs - October Twenty Four EP

What if...  What if there were a performer that came from a small town in Iowa, belonged to a couple of "super groups" and has sang lead vocals for a legendary rock band and he released a new EP, do you think he would be interesting?  What if I told you this same guy recorded music with some of the biggest names in '80's heavy metal and he is as humble as a dove?  And what if I were to tell you that he is as big a talent as there is in music today?  Would you want to hear more?

Avatar - Rock USA - Ford Festival Park, Oshkosh, WI, USA July 13th, 2017

When you think of rock music what do you remember?  Do you remember just the music of the band or do you remember the way they look?  Do you gravitate toward a band based on appearance or shock value before you do their music?  Do you see the message of the band in their stage appearance and think to yourself that you really need to pay attention to this band because of it or do you discount them immediately based on appearance and refuse to give their music a chance?  It's a legitimate question isn't it?  It happens regularly in the workplace and in entertainment to this day, so which camp are you in?  What if the very first time you EVER encountered a band you were presented with a split second to see their appearance and then hear their music, would it then matter?

LA Guns - Poopy's In Savanna, Illinois - July 8th, 2017

The late '80s - early '90s where a very strange time for music.  There was a massive conglomeration of bands and artists all trying to look and sound the same while acting as if they were the true originals.  While every band that came from the Sunset Strip had the hair, the attitude and the music down there were some bands that stood above them all.  What if there was one man, a "Pied Piper" if you will that not only started one iconic band back then but started TWO?  Two bands that traveled the same dingy streets of LA and became two of the greatest bands of that generation.  What if one of those bands "reloaded" themselves and came back to do it all over again but this time even better?

Loud-N-Lima - Day 2 July 22nd, 2017

The world is a giant music festival, or at least that is how it seems to be for me.  I have traveled far and wide to go to even the smallest of music festivals.  I have battled crowds so deep I think that people gave up trying to walk to the bathroom and just went where they stood.  I have been to a festival that literally had a promoter asking people to foot the bar tab so they could still sell beer at the festival.  I have been so sunburned that a year after the sunburn I still had a vicious tan line and I have seen things that cannot be unseen at music festivals that not even bleach and a great IT guy could wipe clean.  But is it possible that another festival could make the list of obscure references that beg you for more information?  Well...

WARRANT - Poopy's in Savanna, Illinois - July 29th, 2017

The history of rock music has enigmas woven inside its very fabric so tight that at times it becomes what is the enigma and what is reality.  Any fan of music from the late '80's - early '90's surely understands because that whole time frame is that hazy.  While the number of bands that entered into the foray of "hair metal" was seemingly in the tens of thousands few remained viable in any capacity after the popularity began to fade like many hairlines.  What if one of those that remained was still out there, as popular as before and what if they went from enigma to stalwart?

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?

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?

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?

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.

Scott Weiland - 1967-2015

I was in a bar in Rockford, Illinois the first time I heard "Stone Temple Pilots," and knowing me it was while eating nachos at O'Brien's and drinking some God-awful beer.  I remember that because of the debate that began to rage between another patron and the bartender, and the fact that I had to get involved.  The argument had very little to do with the band itself rather the patron was angry that they were playing such garbage and he went on to argue about how there were no longer any good bands out there performing and as I chimed in I understood the concept of "grunge."

Trixter - Rock 'N Skull - October 17th, 2015

October is a month where by ghosts, goblins, ghouls and the occasional Presidential candidate goes door-to-door begging for various things.  Yes most of those mentioned are looking for gifts of candy, or the occasional popcorn ball, there are somethings in October much, much scarier than a nine year old in a Bernie Sanders mask.  Yes it is true that each child, and the occasional Presidential candidate is trying to solicit a piece of candy or two but rarely does the the candy giver ever respond to the demand of the rapscallions and seven year old Trumps.  What am I babbling about?  Well...

Bulletboys - Rock 'N Skull October 18th, 2015

It goes without saying that at times we all have had that moment when we remember a moment in time when we are prompted by something.  I don't mean dejà vu either, I mean that moment where you hear the song you first held hands with your date, or hearing the bells on the ice cream truck reminding you of the time that fat kid hit you in the face with his bat that he carelessly threw when he ran to the ice cream truck.  That kind of moment, do you feel me?  So...

Steelheart - Rock 'N Skull October 16th, 2015

What if I told you there was a band from the late 80's - early '90's from the "era of hair" that was known for its ballads that is completely underrated for their "non-ballads?"  Much of that era was a giant misnomer to begin with because many of the bands were only known for "ballads" but they were so much more.  Can a band from that era, known for one heck of a "ballad" still be putting out music that will make grown men sing along hitting the highest freaking notes they can whilst harboring the incoming groin pull?  Can it?  Well...

Ace Frehley - Mississippi Moon Bar, September 11th, 2015

Where were you on Christmas 1977?  I was at home celebrating with my family and the one real thing I remember was that as a nine year old boy I got "KISS Alive II" as a Christmas gift.  That album started this thirty-eight year frenzy that has been my obsession with the band.  It was so much fun getting new KISS albums and listening to those old vinyl albums over and over again.  There are many confessions I can make about KISS and now is the time to start...

Devil City Angels - Debut Album

For some time now I have been talking to people about a band that I saw for the first time in 2014 at a place called "Catfish Bend."  I began talking about the skill of this band and the pedigree that follows it and while I would mention that I promised them that when the band released its first album they would understand.  Would I be right?  To paraphrase the old adage "the Devil is in the details."

Free Fallin' - Taste of Minnesota

Tom Petty.  That singular name means so much in the annals of music history that his contemporaries and those that have come after him have made the man an icon.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and if anything Tom Petty is imitated all of the time.  At times with incredible success and at other times blatant failure but can a band that isn't named "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" do it justice?

OWL - Taste of Minnesota

If nothing I am a person that will travel for a good live music act without concern of distance or time frame.  When I started this blog in fact it began because of a live show that I attended only miles from my home and that show directly relates to the trip to the Taste of Minnesota.  Really you ask, how?  Well...

Vice Squad - The Interview

The history of punk rock to many is nothing more than a bunch of "talentless" performers that just scream obscene lyrics resembling the dregs of humanity.  To the rest of us punk rock is one of the most influential genres of music ever.  Today's music across all genres (that includes to an extent country music even) would not exist in its current state, period.  Punk rock has redefined genres of alternative, metal and hard rock but are the only influential punk bands named "Ramones," "Sex Pistols" and "The Clash?"  Well...