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Interview - Sebastian Bach

2012-02-06T01:37:30Z

Sebastian Bach is one of the last true rock 'n roll frontmen from the 1980's. While he is part of a select group, he is part of an even smaller faction of singers who can still hit all of the notes they once did in their youth (gone wild) and has never strayed from their heavy metal roots (unless you count the time when he competed on the reality TV show "Gone Country" and won).

2011 marked the release of Sebastian's 2nd full length solo album (his 5th release in total, if you count his live and covers releases & his EP), "Kicking and Screaming," but last year was bittersweet for Bach. Although he released some great music, he was forced to endure a painful divorce from his wife of 18 years, and the devastation of losing his home in New Jersey to Hurricane Irene.

Throughout all of the turmoil, Sebastian rocked on like the trooper he is, and forged ahead to tour in support of "Kicking and Screaming." Bach is currently doing a string of dates here in the US, and has some select Canadian and European dates scheduled in the upcoming months.

When RockMusicStar caught up with Bach, he was still riding high on the release of "Kicking and Screaming," even though it had been out for some time. Sebastian was candid as ever, as he spoke about his personal triumphs and tragedies, what it would take to get him to do a Skid Row reunion, and what it is about the Metal Sludge gossip site that really pisses him off.

For full interview, click here.

Interview - Steve Blaze - Lillian Axe

2012-02-03T03:52:37Z

On Feb 14th, the New Orleans based hard rock band, Lillian Axe will be releasing the 11th album of their 24 year career entitled, "XI: The Days Before Tomorrow." This epic, ten track masterpiece will finally give Lillian Axe the recognition that they rightfully deserve, in their criminally overlooked career. And although many artists always believe their most recent work is their best, Lillian Axe leader/songwriter/lead guitarist Steve Blaze truly feels that this is, in fact, the band's best work to date. With new vocalist Brian Jones, Lillian Axe has reinvented itself once again, and Blaze has taken his songwriting and guitar playing to another exciting level. Lillian Axe is without a doubt, a band on a mission.

What follows is an exclusive interview with one of the most talented musicians in rock today, Steve Blaze. During this interview Blaze discusses the new album, their change of vocalist and much more.

For interview, click here.

Interview - Steven Berez(Venrez) - Venrez

2012-01-29T22:06:05Z

Vocalist/songwriter, Steven Berez, is living proof that no matter what age you are, it’s never too late to live out your dreams. While Berez spent the last few decades as both a journalist and part time record producer, he hadn’t been in a band since his teen years, when he briefly fronted a local band. But music had never left Berez. A few years back, while working on a home improvement project, Berez started jamming with some of his co-workers, who happened to be musicians themselves. This eventually led to Berez thinking that he could certainly front a band again, and soon after, he formed the first version of the band Venrez.

In addition to singer Steven Berez, who now simply goes by the name Venrez, the band consists of a cast of awesome veteran musicians, including guitarists Jason Womack (formerly of Juliette Lewis and the Licks) and Alex Kane (formerly of Life Sex and Death - aka LSD - and Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg), bassist Michael Bradford, and drummer Ed Davis (also formerly of Juliette Lewis and the Licks).

The band quickly earned a reputation as an exciting live band. After touring Europe twice, the accolades started pouring in. Their live show, coupled with their innovative and unique sound (a derivative of classic 70’s rock with elements of punk and glam), has music critics and fans across the globe praising Venrez as the next big thing. The band is currently on tour in the USA, opening for Fuel. Their debut record, “Sell the Lie,” will be available on Feb 28th.

What follows is an exclusive interview with Steven Berez (Venrez). During this chat he discusses the formation of the band, their future plans and much more.

For interview, click here.

RockMusicStar.com's Top 5 of 2011

2012-01-28T03:55:56Z

By John Jeffrey

1. Anthrax - "Worship Music" - While their previous releases with John Bush were strong, they never matched the chemistry of the material they recorded in the 80's with their classic era vocalist, Joey Belladonna. Hard driving riffs, thunderous drums, offset by Belladonna's melodic vocal delivery is what sets them apart from every other thrash metal band. Great songs with a non-dated sound is what gives Anthrax the #1 CD of the year.

2. Megadeth - "Th1rt3en" - Coming in at a very close #2, Dave Mustaine delivers yet another incredible release, as this is the third CD in a row of just incredible tunes by Mega Dave. With Dave Ellefson back in the fold and a more brutal production than the last 2 discs, they've slowed the speed metal down just a bit, making "Th1rt3en" more reminiscent of some of their releases from the 90's. The fact that they included some re-written tunes from that era didn't hurt either.

3. George Lynch - "Kill All Control" - Following up 2008's hidden gem "Let the Truth Be Known" (recorded under the moniker Souls of We), George came in under the radar again with a killer CD in 2011. Utilizing several different singers (most notably Marq Torien of Bulletboy's fame and London Legrand from Brides of Destruction), "Kill All Control" displays a diverse, yet completely cohesive collection of songs. Ranging from Lynch Mob type compositions, to songs that sound like a cross between Tool/the Offspring/Alice In Chains (courtesy of several co-writes by AIC guitarist Jerry Cantrell), to tunes with big arena rock choruses in the vein of the Scorpions and Queen, George Lynch really hit the mark. George's guitar work on "Son of Scary" is worth the price of admission alone.

4. Sebastian Bach - "Kicking and Screaming" - Finding a comfortable medium between Sebastian's love of 'metal' and his Skid Row past, "Kicking and Screaming" delivers a nice package of hard rock tunes, which features guitar prodigy Nick Sterling on guitar. Producer Bob Marlette did a nice job of dialing in a current sounding guitar tone, which nicely compliments Bach's unmistakable pipes.

5. Butch Walker - "The Spade" - While the latest from Butch Walker isn't metal or hard rock, it would be remiss to not include "The Spade" as one of the best from 2011. With every release, Butch struggles with reinventing himself and satisfying his fan base, but "The Spade" has a little bit of everything to please his diehard followers and new listeners alike. Just overall, a fun record from beginning to end.

Interview - Ken Savage - BlancaWhite - "Resurgence of Rock"

2012-01-26T13:23:27Z

When international lawyer and 70’s and 80’s hard rock music lover, Ken Savage, grew tired of listening to his CD collection over and over again while traveling across the world, he decided to do something about it. He got out a legal pad and started writing his own lyrics. After accumulating pages of lyrics, Savage thought he may have something of interest. He then presented his lyrics to his longtime friends and musicians, Austin and Rick Schell. After reading the lyrics, Austin Schell instantly realized that he could create music that would turn the lyrics into rock anthems.

The team of Savage and the Schell brothers then decided that they were going to create a project in which they would create the songs, but use a cast of known vocalists to sing them. They decided to call their project BlancaWhite, which was named after a world-famous bar in Matamoros, Mexico, near the childhood homes of Savage and the Schell.

The next step for Blancawhite was to find the vocalists to fit the songs. After months of searching, they found Paul Shortino (Quiet Riot, Rough Cutt, King Kobra), Terry Illous (XYZ, Great White), Lorraine Lewis (Femme Fatale) and Jeff Paris (Cinderella, Vixen, Slash). All four were excited to be part of the project. What finally resulted was an anthematic and vintage rock sounding album, entitled “Resurgence of Rock.”

What follows is an exclusive interview with Blancawhite’s co-founder and lyricist, Ken Savage. During this interview, Savage discusses the writing process for the “Resurgence of Rock” album and much more.

For interview, click here.

Warrant releases video for "Home"

2012-01-19T04:21:35Z

"Ask yourself what HOME means to you. It is very different for everybody. The song sends a universal message that we all can relate to but has a much different meaning for each individual -such as the military far away, taking a vacation or visiting the moon!" - Erik Turner

Book review - Butch Walker "Drinking With Strangers"

2011-12-15T16:09:22Z

Review by John Jeffrey

Although Butch Walker explains how he came up with the main title of his book, "Drinking With Strangers," the subtitle of his work ("Music Lessons From a Teenage Bullet Belt") sums it up much better, as the autobiography (co-authored by Matt Diehl) reads like an episode of VH-1's "Behind the Music." When reading the hard-cover release, you're taken on a fantastic journey, from Butch's youth in Cartersville, GA, to the pursuit of his musical dreams in Hollywood, CA, to settling down in Malibu, and enjoying being the self-described "Mid-level Artist" he has become.

For full review, click here.

Kid Rock - press conference - Buffalo, NY Nov. 20, 2011

2011-11-28T05:05:20Z

Review and photos by Diana MacDonald

Buffalo, NY - Not long after finishing a summer shed tour, the multi-faceted entertainer, Kid Rock, announced that he would be doing a special, winter club tour to coincide with the release of his latest single "Care," which comes off of his 2010 album, "Born Free." The purpose behind this 10 city tour was to show support for cities in need, as Kid Rock donated money (provided via the Kid Rock Foundation) to local charities, causes and individuals in each market. With Buffalo, New York being the third stop of the tour, the local charities selected were: Music is Art, Gaunches Unite, Boys & Girls Club Buffalo and Special Spaces Buffalo.

On the afternoon of Kid Rock's performance at Buffalo's Town Ballroom, a press conference was held for the local media and RockMusicStar was invited to attend the conference.

For full review, click here.

Concert review - Judas Priest, BLS. Thin Lizzy - Main St. Armory, Rochester, NY Nov 16, 2011

2011-11-24T14:45:54Z

Review by John Jeffrey, photos by Thomas S. Orwat, Jr.

Rochester, NY - The current Judas Priest "Epitaph" tour is not being billed as the 'Farewell Tour' for the group, but more of a statement of the band's intentions to start slowing things down, in terms of touring and recording. However, anyone on hand for the group's recent concert at the Main Street Armory, would not come away from the show thinking Judas Priest has any intentions on stopping anytime in the near future.

For full review, click here.

Concert review - Anthrax, Testament, Death Angel - Town ballroom, Buffalo, NY - Nov 15, 2011

2011-11-21T04:37:52Z

Review by John Jeffrey, photos by Diana MacDonald

Buffalo, NY - On a cold Tuesday night, the Town Ballroom was transformed into a hot box ministry, setting the stage for Anthrax and the sold out crowd to engage in what the group has entitled their latest CD, "Worship Music." After solid opening sets by Death Angel and Testament, and a killer 90 minute set by the headlining Titans of Thrash Metal, music was worshiped, INDEED! Although Anthrax may be the "warm up" band when participating in the "Big 4" festivals (where they perform alongside Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica), they proved that they are still worthy of headlining, and brought the goods to prove it.

For full review, click here.