• Blog,  Concerts

    Sebastian Bach Rocks Ashland, KY!!!!

    Wow I needed this!!

    So did my friend John Robinette, who sadly just recently lost his job.

    We both went to see Sebastian Bach in concert at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY.  Just a few minutes from where I live and where I was born.

    The opening act, Kurt Deimer, started off the night with a really rocking set.  His debut album is out April 25 of 2025, which is his birthday.  I definitely want to buy it.  He does have an EP out now, though, and songs are available to stream online.  Seek him and his awesome band out.

    But the main event, Sebastian Bach, came next and boy as always, he rocked!!

    He and his great band played almost the entire first Skid Row album (2024 marks 35 years since it’s release) and several songs from Sebastian’s great new album Child Within The Man (my favorite Sebastian solo album along with his album Angel Down), and a few songs from the second Skid Row album Slave To The Grind.

    Sebastian told some funny stories about KISS (He gave a water bottle to a little kid in the audience because KISS guitarist Ace Frehley handed him a water bottle from the stage when Sebastian was 11.  And he got one of KISS singer/bassist Gene Simmon’s cup of fake blood and kept it in his refrigerator for 20 years, and one day his Mom was over cleaning and she threw it away thinking it was trash.), really pumped the crowd (he even brought two young little girls on stage to rock out to Youth Gone Wild), even signed a few things for some fans, and really had a great time.  Which in turn caused the audience to have a great time.

    Sebastian always delivers the goods and I and my friend John thank him for all the music and for the great concert.  We both needed it.

    Sorry though to my friend Brandon Lange, who was going to go to the show, but unfortunately he was not able to make it.  So, he gave me his ticket, in which I gave to my friend John.  John thanks you Brandon and I say get well soon my friend.

    Again, thank you Sebastian for everything.  I love the Child Within The Man album.

    We love you Baz and please keep on rocking!!

    I took videos too but I can’t yet post them.  I will soon.

    Keep on rocking everyone.

    Sebastian Bach Setlist:

    1. What Do I Got To Lose? (New Song)
    2. Slave To The Grind
    3. Here I Am
    4. Big Guns
    5. Sweet Little Sister
    6. 18 And Life
    7. Can’t Stand The Heartache
    8. Freedom (New Song)
    9. Piece Of Me
    10. Everybody Bleeds (New Song)
    11. Monkey Business (w part of Tom Sawyer by RUSH)
    12. I Remember You
    13. (Hold On) To The Dream (New Song)
    14. Rattlesnake Shake
    15. Youth Gone Wild
    16. Future Of Youth

    Kurt Deimer Setlist:

    1. Dance
    2. Doom
    3. Look
    4. Have A Cigar (Pink Floyd cover)
    5. Hero
    6. Whatcha Sayin’
    7. Live Or Die
    8. Naive 
    9. Fight

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    First Jason (Ari Lehman of Friday The 13th) Rocks!!

    Thank you Ari Lehman (Jason Voorhees in the first Friday The 13th movie) and his great band First Jason for a fun, rocking night at the Paramount Arts Center.
     
    The band played for about 40 minutes, featuring songs that combine metal and punk rock music, but lyrically, the songs are all about Jason. Really cool stuff. 
     
    After the band’s set, Ari took a couple of questions from the audience about the Friday The 13th movie, then the band, who include Ari on vocals and keytar, Eddie Machete on guitar, and Bass Amp on drums, sat in the audience and did a commentary watch along of the movie Friday The 13th.
     
    Lots of fun tidbits about the movie, trivia questions for the audience, and just funny comments throughout.
     
    Then after the movie, Ari went to the lobby to take pictures and sign stuff.
     
    This was a really fun night.
     
    Not a lot of people were there, but I hope the band and everyone had fun.  I know I did.
     
    Thank you guys for the great night!
     
    And as Ari said “Jason never dies!”

    First Jason Setlist:

    1. Machete Is My Friend
    2. Red Red Red, Jason is Watching!
    3. Kill For Mother
    4. Look What You Did
    5. Voorhees Is The Name
    6. Victim
    7. Jason’s Bride
    8. Ari Keytar Solo
    9. Jason Never Dies

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    Billy Bob Thornton’s Band The Boxmasters Rocks!!

    Many know of Billy Bob Thornton’s work as a movie and television star.

    Many do not know that he is also a singer/songwriter/musician too and has been for decades.

    He has released solo albums and for almost 20 years, has had a band called The Boxmasters.

    Most of the albums include mostly just him and J.D. Andrew doing all the instrumentation.

    However, their latest album, called Love & Hate In Desperate Places, includes the whole band, which is Billy (AKA Bud) on vocals, J.D. on guitar and keyboards, Kirk McKim on guitar, Raymond Hardy on bass, and Nick Davidson drums.

    The Boxmasters, in a nutshell, kind of sound like a 1960s garage rock/pop band, but also have some elements of punk rock, outlaw country, and some Beatles/Beach Boys/Pink Floyd melodies.

    They have a lot of albums, and I must say they are very good.  Album favorites of mine include Boxmasters ’66, Boxmasters ’69, Light Rays, Christmas In California, and Help…I’m Alive.  But really all of them are very good.

    Billy/Bud is a very good singer (think Tom Petty) and he and the whole band are very good songwriters and musicians.

    Also, they are great live too.

    I saw them in Mt. Vernon, KY at a very nice venue called the New Barn Theatre, which is part of the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center.

    The band played for about 90 minutes, and really rocked the place.

    Billy/Bud told some stories along with singing all of these great songs.

    He even requested to the audience that they move as close as they could to the stage near the end of the set, which was very cool!!  By doing this I was able to get all the way to the front and was able to get a fist bump from Billy/Bud and he wanted to take a selfie with me!!  He did this with a lot of the fans and also signed stuff for them too.  Awesome stuff!!!!

    All of the songs were originals, except for the closing song, which was a song by The Kinks (setlist and pics below).

    The band and audience had a good time.

    Another great concert in the books for me and more to come in the future.

    Thanks to The Boxmasters for a fun night!!

    And please, do yourself a favor and seek out their music and see a show.

    Also, their opening band, Fran Moran & The Nervous Wrecks, were quite good too.

    Keep on rocking!!

    The Boxmasters Setlist:

    1. Emily
    2. Jupiter Man
    3. She Looks Like Betty Page
    4. Go Like This
    5. Garage
    6. Science Fiction
    7. I Still Want To See You
    8. You’ll Never Be Mine
    9. Jayne Mansfield’s Car
    10. Light Rays
    11. Goodnight, Sleep Tight, I’m Gone
    12. A River Rising
    13. The Light Of Lenore
    14. I Must Have Been High
    15. I Got A Girl
    16. I’m Not Like Everybody Else (The Kinks cover)

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    I Finally Saw Burton Cummings In Concert!!

    This has been a long time coming.

    I had a ticket to see the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Burton Cummings (The Guess Who and solo artist) a few years ago, but unfortunately, the pandemic happened and so the show was canceled.

    Also, Burton and fellow The Guess Who member Randy Bachman (also of Bachman-Turner Overdrive) had been in a lawsuit with other members of The Guess Who, in regards to the band going out on the road with no original members and playing their songs, but yet advertising their music as being sung by Burton and played with Randy.

    In 2024, Burton and Randy were able to get the rights to The Guess Who name and hopefully will tour it together in the future.

    But until then, Randy has been on tour with BTO (sadly I had to miss them in August) and Burton is on tour with his own band celebrating 60 years of The Guess Who, playing those classic songs, as well as some solo hits too.

    So long story short, I was FINALLY able to see Burton at one of these shows.

    As I just said, Burton and his great band (includes Joe Agelo on guitar/backing vocals, Nick Sinopoli on percussion/backing vocals, Sean Fitzsimmons on drums/backing vocals, Jeff Jones on bass/backing vocals, and Tim Bovaconti on lead guitar/backing vocals) are playing many songs by The Guess Who, as well as some of Burton’s solo songs and some covers.

    Burton even released a new studio album on the day I’m typing this, September 27 of 2024, on digital (physical formats being released on November 15).  It is called A Few Good Moments (review here) and I think it is a very good album.  Burton even played one of the songs at this show.

    Burton has been one of my favorite singers since I was a little kid hearing his songs on the radio.

    His voice is still strong and he has a great band.  He has a lot of stories to tell and has a great sense of humor.  And judging by what I saw at this show, at the Rose Music Center At The Heights in Huber Heights, OH, Burton is very happy doing what he does and his having fun.

    The show was a lot of fun, and the opener, singer/guitarist King Solomon Hicks (w/bassist Kirk Allen I believe) was very good also.

    Go see Burton in concert if you get a chance (he’s touring in 2025 too).  You will have fun believe me.

    Thank you sir for all your great music (and I truly do really like your new album) and please keep on rocking.

    Burton Cummings Setlist:

    1. Runnin’ Back To Saskatoon
    2. Clap For The Wolfman
    3. Hand Me Down World
    4. Laughing
    5. Undun
    6. Guns, Guns, Guns
    7. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
    8. Albert Flasher
    9. Blackjack Fever (New Song)
    10. These Eyes
    11. Trouble In The City
    12. My Own Way To Rock
    13. Star Baby
    14. American Woman (w/some of Roadhouse Blues by The Doors leading up to American Woman)
    15. No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature
    16. No Time
    17. Louie Louie (The Kingsmen cover)
    18. Share The Land

    King Solomon Hicks Setlist:

    1. Playing The Blues
    2. I’d Rather Be Blind (Freddie King cover)
    3. Farther On Up The Road (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover)
    4. Help Me (Sonny Boy Williamson cover)
    5. Every Day I Have The Blues (Aaron “Pinetop” Sparks cover)
    6. What The Devil Loves

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    More Than Words & The Cult Of Personality Combined: Extreme & Living Colour Concert Review

    All concerts are bucket list concerts for me, but this one especially was.

    For the first time, I finally saw both Extreme and Living Colour.

    Sorry guys that it took me sooooooo long to see you, but hey better late than never.

    Besides, if you look at this website, I’ve been busy.

    Anyway, on with the concert.

    Living Colour opened the show with a rocking 45 minute set.

    The band consists of singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid (P.S. Thanks Vernon for the shout out on Twitter/X), bassist Doug Wimbish, and drummer Will Calhoun.

    These guys have been rocking since the 1980s and play all kinds of different styles of music.  Everything from rock, funk, soul, hip hop, metal, it runs the gamut.

    And they do it all very well.

    I hope they will have a new alum next year.  I know they’ve been working on one.  I’ll definitely buy it.

    Keep on rocking guys.  You are awesome!!

    Now onto Extreme.

    Like Living Colour, Extreme’s music also runs the gamut in sound.  But mostly, it just Rocks!!

    Extreme still consists of singer Gary Cherone, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt (dare I say one of the best guitarists in the world), and bassist Pat Badger, and their drummer Kevin Figueredo has been with them since the 2000s.

    Also like Living Colour, Extreme are still releasing great new albums, having put out one of my favorite albums of 2023, called Six.

    What can I say?  They just rock.  They played for about 2 hours and 15 minutes and I loved every second of it.

    Gary is a ball of energy, constantly moving and singing his heart out.

    Nuno is by far one of the best there is on guitar and a great singer also.

    And Pat and Kevin are a phenomenal rhythm section.

    Go see both of these bands if you get a chance.  

    You will not regret it.

    Thank you Extreme and Living Colour for all your great music, the great concert (I was dancing and rocking throughout) and I hope for more music from both in the future.

    Love you all.

    Also, I’m including the setlists below, like I always try to do, but I’ll preface by saying that throughout Extreme’s set, little snippets of Queen songs (We Will Rock You and Fat Bottomed Girls) and Van Halen songs (Eruption, Mean Streets, and Women In Love) were interspersed either before, during, or after some of their own songs.

    Great stuff.

    Living Colour Setlist:

    1. Leave It Alone
    2. Ignorance Is Bliss
    3. Funny Vibe
    4. Sacred Ground
    5. Open Letter (To A Landlord)
    6. White Lines (Don’t Do It)/Apache/The Message (The Sugar Hill Gang covers.  Doug Wimbish played with them.)
    7. Times Up
    8. Cult Of Personality
    9. Should I Stay Or Should I Go (The Clash cover)

    Extreme Setlist:

    1. It (‘s A Monster)
    2. Decadence Dance
    3. #REBEL (New Song)
    4. Rest In Peace
    5. Hip Today
    6. First Album (Extreme) Song Medley:  Teacher’s Pet/Flesh ‘n’ Blood/Wind Me Up/Kid Ego/Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go To School Today)
    7. Play With Me
    8. OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW (New Song)
    9. Hole Hearted
    10. Cupid’s Dead
    11. Am I Ever Gonna Change
    12. THICKER THAN BLOOD (New Song)
    13. Midnight Express
    14. More Than Words
    15. BANSHEE (New Song)
    16. Take Us Alive/That’s All Right (Elvis Presley cover)
    17. Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee
    18. Get The Funk Out
    19. Encore:  SMALL TOWN BEAUTIFUL (New Song)/Song For Love
    20. RISE (New Song)

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    Rock Music Is Alive And Well: Dirty Honey and The Band Feel Concert Review

    Don’t let anyone tell you that rock music is dead.

    I just saw two phenomenal younger bands that rock as well as anyone, past or present.

    Dirty Honey and the opener The Band Feel.  Live at a really cool club in Cincinnati, OH called Bogart’s.

    I had not heard of The Band Feel until somewhat recently with their social media video posts from their shows.

    I was impressed so I knew they would be great when I saw them.

    Holy cow!!!!  The best word I can use to describe them is “powerful”.

    They sound like a 60s/70s rock band, which I love, but yet still sound fresh.

    The whole band (singer Garrett Barcus, guitarist Tyler Armstrong, bassist Rodger Lenhardt, and drummer T.J. Steinwart) is so loud and punchy.

    Everyone sounds great, but the rhythm section, especially, may possibly be the most powerful rhythm section I’ve ever heard in concert.  And trust me, I’ve seen the best of the best.  I’m not kidding they’re that great.

    These guys are super impressive and I think they have a great future ahead of them.  I certainly hope they do.

    I cannot wait to buy their new EP, out October 25, on their website thebandfeel.com.  They already have a few singles out digitally and a Live EP (Live In St. Petersburg) also.

    Check these guys out if you want your rock loud, powerful, and punchy.  

    Again, they are called The Band Feel.

    Now to the headliner:  Dirty Honey!!!!

    I had become aware of this band a few years ago.

    They definitely have a 70s/80s rock vibe to their sound, but still sound quite fresh and new.

    They have one EP (Dirty Honey) and two albums (also called Dirty Honey and Can’t Find The Brakes) so far, and all of them are great.

    I almost got to see them in 2023, but unfortunately, I was sick.

    Luckily, they came back around so I could see them.

    Dirty Honey, along with Lost Hearts (another great young rock band) are my favorite somewhat newer band.

    Everyone in the band are amazing at what they do.

    The singer, Marc LaBelle, has such a great voice.

    Guitarist John Notto is unbelievable.

    And this rhythm section (bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Jaydon Bean) are quite powerful too.

    They have a loud and raw, but clean and clear sound.

    If you put The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Guns N Roses into a blender, mix them up, and you got Dirty Honey.

    Marc said at one point in the show that they were recording this show and others for a live album, so that’s something else to look forward to.

    I love Dirty Honey so much and they, along with The Band Feel, Lost Hearts, and a few other bands give me hope that rock music will carry on once all the legends sadly go away.

    To me, rock music will never die, and as long as Dirty Honey, and all these other great younger bands are around (and I’m sure more bands in the future), rock music is not dead.  

    Got it?!  Good.

    Rock forever guys and please check out Dirty Honey at dirtyhoney.com.  You will not regret it.

    The Band Feel Set List:

    1. Find A Love
    2. Shoal Creek
    3. Call It What You Will
    4. Poem 59/With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker version)
    5. Goodbye Virginia
    6. G Rock (working title)
    7. Brother
    8. In The Garden

    Dirty Honey Set List:

    1. Can’t Find The Brakes
    2. California Dreamin’ (No it is not The Mamas And The Papas song.)
    3. Heartbreaker
    4. Get A Little High
    5. Scars
    6. Dirty Mind
    7. Tied Up
    8. Coming Home (Ballad Of The Shire)
    9. Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones song-Acoustic version)
    10. Don’t Put Out The Fire
    11. Last Child (Aerosmith song)
    12. The Wire
    13. Another Last Time
    14. Guitar Solo
    15. When I’m Gone
    16. Encore:  You Make It Alright
    17. Won’t Take Me Alive
    18. Bass Solo/Funky Jam/Drum Solo/Funky Jam cont./Blues Jam
    19. Rolling 7’s

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  • Blog,  Concerts

    Summer of 99 Tour w/Creed, 3 Doors Down, and Finger Eleven Concert Review

    I was taken back in time when I went to see Creed, 3 Doors Down, and Finger Eleven.

    This tour is called the Summer of 99.

    I was in high school in 1999 and these three bands were HUGE then.

    And they’re still doing well now.

    The first band, Finger Eleven, started the night with a solid, rocking set.

    I was actually surprised I knew as many of their songs as I did.  Quite a few hits.

    The band includes original members Scott Anderson (Vocals), Rick Jackett (Guitar), James Black (Guitar/Vocals), Sean Anderson (Bass) and Steve Molella (Drums, who joined in 2013).

    They really rocked and I’m glad I saw them.  

    They have a new album coming out in 2025 (they played one song Adrenaline from it at the show) and I look forward to that.

    Next up was 3 Doors Down.  I only knew of their hits (Kryptonite, Loser, and When I’m Gone), but they played quite a few songs, even a new song, and definitely sounded very good.

    The band includes Brad Arnold (Vocals), Chet Roberts (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Chris Henderson (Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals), Greg Upchurch (Drums), and Justin Biltonen (Bass).

    As good as they were, though, I was anxiously awaiting the main event, which was Creed.

    This was their first tour since 2012 and I must say if appearances are true, they are really back this time.

    The band is still the original lineup (Scott Stapp on Vocals, Mark Tremonti on Guitar and Vocals, Brian Marshall on Bass, and Scott Phillips on Drums) but also includes for the tour guitarist Eric Friedman to fill out the sound when Mark plays leads.

    Honestly, I liked Creed when they were arguably the biggest band in the world in 1999, 2000, and 2001, but I also didn’t worship them either.

    But when they reunited in the late 2000s and made an incredible album (Full Circle in 2009) I got more into them.

    I missed them on tour then and hoped that someday they would reunite again.

    Aside from Scott Stapp, who still has a solo career (just put out a great album called Higher Power) the rest of the band has been the band Alter Bridge for 20 years with Myles Kennedy singing and playing guitar with Mark, and Mark has a solo band (Tremonti) and also now sings Frank Sinatra songs and does Sinatra concerts too.  

    So, they have all been busy, but the hope always was that they would reunite as Creed.

    Long story short made longer, Creed did reunite for two Creed Cruises, both of which sold out quickly.  They then announced this tour and many of the dates, including this one, sold out.

    They have an arena tour booked in the fall, and hopefully this is the start of another great chapter in the Creed story.

    They looked and sounded great.  They appeared to be having fun.  The crowd loved them.  It was a great rock show.

    These guys are really really good live.  Go see them if you can.

    I hope they will make more Creed music someday, while also maintaining all of their other music pursuits.

    Rock on guys.

     

    Creed Set List:

    1. Bullets
    2. Torn
    3. Are You Ready
    4. Never Die
    5. My Own Prison
    6. What If
    7. Weathered
    8. Overcome
    9. Say I 
    10. Faceless Man
    11. One
    12. What’s This Life For
    13. With Arms Wide Open
    14. Higher
    15. Encore:  One Last Breath
    16. My Sacrifice

    3 Doors Down Set List:

    1. Train
    2. It’s Not My Time
    3. Loser
    4. Duck And Run
    5. Here Without You
    6. Time Of My Life
    7. Away From The Sun
    8. Never Look Down
    9. Let Me Go
    10. Landing In London (All I Think About Is You)
    11. Kryptonite
    12. When I’m Gone

    Finger Eleven Set List:

    1. Above
    2. First Time
    3. Quicksand
    4. Together Right
    5. Adrenaline (New Song)
    6. One Thing
    7. Paralyzer (w/parts of That’s All by Genesis and Back In Black by AC/DC)

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    Wow What a Show!! Tom Keifer Band and John Corabi Concert Review

    Holy cow!!

    That was quite the concert.

    My good friend Brandon Lange and I went to see the Tom Keifer Band with opener John Corabi.

    I had seen Corabi play guitar for RATT in 2007 and sing for The Dead Daisies in 2016 (met him then too) but I had not seen him do his acoustic show.

    I’ve been a fan of his since 1999.

    He has such a great voice and is a great songwriter and very good guitar player too.

    For his acoustic set, it his just him singing and playing an acoustic guitar.

    He sings songs from throughout his career (The Scream, Motley Crue, Union, The Dead Daisies, and covers).

    He tells stories (I finally bought his book Horseshoes And Hand Grenades at the show) and has a great sense of humor.

    And like I said, what a voice and very good guitar player!!

    Even acoustic, he was quite loud, which is great.

    I loved it!! 

    I also bought a live album he did singing all of the songs he did on the Motley Crue self titled album from 1994 (including one song from their Quaternary EP).  

    Thank you sir!!!  And I can’t wait for the next album by The Dead Daisies.

    Next up was the Tom Keifer Band.

    This was the second time I had seen them (other review here) and like before, they did NOT disappoint.

    Tom and his band rock!!!! Lots of songs from his band Cinderella, some solo songs, and even a cover song.

    Tom had a lot of vocal issues many years ago, but you would never know it now because he is as great as he ever was.

    He’s been a favorite of mine for many years too and I’m glad he’s still rocking!!

    I hate my life most of the time and I’m super scared of the future, but on this night, I forgot about all of that and had a great time.

    Thank you Brandon for the ticket and for inviting me.  I appreciate you sir!!

    And thank you John Corabi and the Tom Keifer Band for rocking my world.  I love you all.

    Rock on!!!

    John Corabi Set List:

    1. Love (I Don’t Need It Anymore)-Union Song
    2. If I Never Get To Say Goodbye-Solo Song
    3. Father, Mother, Son-The Scream song
    4. Dead And Gone-The Dead Daisies Song
    5. Daydream Believer-The Monkees Cover Song
    6. Hooligan’s Holiday-Motley Crue Song
    7. Man In The Moon-The Scream Song

    Tom Keifer Band Set List

    1. Life Was Here
    2. Hot & Bothered
    3. Heartbreak Station
    4. The Death Of Me
    5. Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart At The Seams
    6. Coming Home
    7. Nobody’s Fool
    8. Solid Ground
    9. Night Songs
    10. Somebody Save Me
    11. The Last Mile
    12. Shake Me
    13. Shelter Me
    14. Don’t Know What You Got Til’ It’s Gone
    15. With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker Cover version)
    16. Gypsy Road

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    I Saw and Met The Last of the Street Survivors-The Artimus Pyle Band Concert Review

    Wow what a fun night this was.

    I saw The Artimus Pyle Band in Cincinnat, OH.

    Artimus is the last classic member of Lynyrd Skynyrd (unless you count Rickey Medlocke) still alive and playing.

    Artimus will be 76 years old on Monday July 15th, and he looks and plays like he’s so much younger.

    He and his band play the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd songs with justice, pride, honor, and respect.

    All the songs you want to hear from the classic Skynyrd era they play.

    And on top of all of this, Artimus is by far the most down to earth, kindest famous person I have yet to meet.

    As soon as I walked in, he was telling stories to the drummer of the opening band, Six Gun Sally, and I just happened to overhear some of it.  He said his favorite drummer is Neil Peart of RUSH (awesome) and his favorite guitarist is Jeff Beck (also awesome).

    He eventually went to the back for awhile but came back out before the crowd really started coming in.

    Only a few of us were there at that point, and he just sat on the stage and told stories and chatted with us.

    I showed him my copy of his band’s latest CD.  It is called Anthems:  Honoring The Music of Lynyrd Skynyrd.  It’s really good, by the way. 

    He was happy to see I had it and told me about how he was able to get Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington (RIP) to play his famous slide part on the version of Freebird, featuring Dolly Parton, on this album and also on her Rockstar album. 

    He said it took several calls but everything worked out and Gary was able to do it and wanted to do it.  It was the last recording known he did.  As a fan, I’m glad Artimus was able to make that happen.

    He said he was going to take pictures and sign stuff after the show, and he did, but some people went ahead and gave  him some stuff to sign, and he had no problem doing it. 

    So, I figured I’ll just go ahead and have him sign my stuff if he was OK with it, and he was. 

    He signed all my Skynyrd CDs he’s on and the Anthems CD and he told me how great his band is.  He said you can’t beat the original but that his band is really good, and they are.

    When I told him I had been playing the music all day leading up to the show, he said “Ronnie Van Zant never wrote a bad song” and he’s right.

    When I told him he is one of my favorite drummers, he said something to the effect of “well I just took a little from here and there”.  And when I told him Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin once said something to the effect of “everybody nicks it”, he said he once met Robert and thought he was cool and a lot taller than he thought he was.  Trust me, Artimus is a phenomenal drummer.  Always has been.  And I’m going to keep saying this, but he is so down to earth and kind.  

    And again, I was going to wait until after the show to get pictures with him, and I still did then too, but he said “snap away” so we took some pictures together right then.

    Even when the crowd increased a bit and saw that he was just hanging out and wanted to speak to him and get stuff signed, he still took the time to talk to them and signed stuff right then if they wished and took pictures.

    And again, after the show, he did the same thing.  Signed stuff, talked to fans, took pictures, and was just so down to earth and kind to everyone.

    When I was in line the second time, he was telling some ladies about the Anthems CD and when they said they didn’t know about it, I handed him my CD and he showed it to them and told them about it.  He then handed it back to me.  He told me he loved my Grand Funk hat too and said their singer/guitarist Mark Farner (phenomenal talent too) is one of his friends.

    Even though he’s not online (his socials are handled by others), I still gave him my website card and told him about what I do on here.  When I told him I was going to type a review of this experience, he said “thank you for doing that”.  And even though he is not online and doesn’t look at it, I told him one of the band could show him.  He told his merch guy to hold on to my card, but even if he never sees this, I appreciate him even accepting my card.  And he jokingly said “this isn’t a porno site is it?”  And I laughed and said no and he said OK.  Funny.

    And might I add, Artimus did all of this for free.  He does not charge for meet and greets.  Again, he is just a great, down to earth, kind person who loves to talk to people and cares about the fans.

    I cannot say enough about Artimus Pyle.

    Great talent and his band rocks, but wow, what a great person he is.

    Thank you Artimus and all of the band for being awesome and keep on rocking guys.

    As I mentioned, Six Gun Sally was the opening act and they rocked too.  They have a new single and album coming soon.  I’ll definitely be checking those out.

    Again, I don’t know if Artimus will ever see this, but if he does, I again just want to say thank you sir for all the great music, the great shows, the great memories, and just for your kindness.

    And thanks to he and the band for singing/playing these amazing songs amazingly well.

    Thank you.

    The Artimus Pyle Band Members:

    Set list:

    1. Workin’ For MCA
    2. I Ain’t The One
    3. Call Me The Breeze
    4. That Smell
    5. Saturday Night Special
    6. Drum Solo
    7. Gimme Three Steps
    8. Simple Man
    9. On The Hunt
    10. Street Survivors
    11. All I Can Do Is Write About It
    12. Tuesdays Gone (Acoustic)
    13. What’s Your Name
    14. Searching
    15. Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
    16. Sweet Home Alabama
    17. Freebird

    Photo Gallery (click on thumbnail to view larger image)

    Video Gallery (click on thumbnail to play video)

  • Blog,  Concerts

    My Girlfriend and I Enjoyed Seeing Molly Hatchet in Concert

    My girlfriend Mariah and I went to see Molly Hatchet Saturday night of June 22 of 2024.

    I had seen them a few years ago, but she had been wanting to see them so I was happy to take her to see them.

    Plus, I had not seen them since their singer, Parker Lee, joined the band, so I wanted see him sing these great songs.

    Molly Hatchet is one of my favorite bands.  Actually my favorite of the “Southern Rock Bands”.  Yes I love the others too but I really love Molly Hatchet.  I bought and love all their albums.

    Unfortunately, many of the band members have passed away over the years, but the band has carried on with guitarist Bobby Ingram (who joined the band in the 80s and knew and played with original singer Danny Joe Brown on and off years before.)  

    He has carried the band on very well, I think.  He is a phenomenal guitarist, songwriter, and producer.

    The band, along with Ingram, now includes Parker Lee on vocals, John Galvin (also been in the band since the 80s) on keyboards, Tim Lindsey on bass, and Shawn Beamer on drums.

    The band is really rocking and still play the songs very well.

    Parker sings the songs well.

    What more can you ask?

    I can’t wait to buy their new album too!

    After the show, the band came out to the lobby and spoke to fans and signed stuff. I had them sign my ticket.

    Really cool.

    Another fun show.

    Keep on rocking guys.

    Mariah, what did you think of the show?

    Hi all! Lucas decided to bring me in on this post since I was there too. Overall, I had a pretty good time. The venue, the Niswonger Performing Arts Center was absolutely beautiful and was the perfect size for Molly Hatchet. The audience was a bit lackluster, which lead to a more subdued show, but the lead singer Parker Lee did everything in his power to breathe life into the people and create a rocking show. The one con of the night though was the sound mix was not quite right. The bass tones were distorted and the guitar was too quiet. If the mix had been right, I think it might have helped with the atmosphere, but all the playing was expertly done. Molly Hatchet is worth seeing at least once.

    And there you have it.

    OK maybe a few sound mix issues we had where we were sitting, but aside from that, a fun rocking show.

    We both love Molly Hatchet and I’m glad I could bring my girlfriend Mariah to this show.

    Again, keep on rocking guys and I will buy your new album when it comes out.

    Set List:

    1. Whisky Man
    2. Bounty Hunter
    3. Gator Country
    4. One Man’s Pleasure
    5. Devil’s Canyon
    6. Beatin’ The Odds
    7. I’m Gonna Live ‘Til I Die
    8. Son Of The South
    9. Firing Line
    10. Fall Of The Peacemakers
    11. Jukin’ City
    12. Layla (ending of it-Derek And The Dominoes Cover)
    13. Dreams I’ll Never See
    14. Encore:  It’s All Over Now
    15. Flirtin’ With Disaster

    Photo Gallery (click on thumbnail to view larger image)

    Video Gallery (click on thumbnail to play video)