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Tag: Randy Cook

  • ProgPower USA XXIII Soars to Conclusion On Day 4 In Atlanta

    ProgPower USA XXIII Soars to Conclusion On Day 4 In Atlanta

    Fully rested up after a rocking day yesterday, ProgPower USA’s XXIII (PPUSA) last day started early with an acoustic show with Jeff Scott Soto & Jason Bieler performing for VIPs and Gold badge holders upstairs in The Loft. It was my first time checking out the upstairs area of the venue and it was quite spacious, accommodating for just under seven hundred people.

    Soto Bieler

    Seats were set up for today’s attendees and one of my local Tampa area friends, Rob, was traveling with Jason and Jeff handling their merchandise. This provided an opportunity to introduce Christina to Rob, as we never had that opportunity earlier this year on The Monsters of Rock Cruise.

    Soto Bieler

    Not only are Jeff and Jason’s performances packed full of comedic gold with the banter between themselves, the musicianship and the emotion in their delivery sets their performances apart and I always seek out their time slots when they play at events.

    Soto Bieler

    This set of theirs was freaking hilarious, and a bit adult oriented with humor, among the tasty musical treats they played the two Siagon Kick songs that always bring a tear to this metalhead’s eye – ‘All I Want’ and ‘Love is on the Way’.

    Soto Bieler

    They also played a surprise version of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Number of the Beast’ and left the stage to a rousing, standing ovation from the crowd. Definitely, a highlight set for me from the weekend and it was great to say hi to Rob.

    Disillusion

    German progressive metal band Disillusion was the first band that I saw today and they were another band performing for the first time in the United States. Once again, the heightened level of excitement was in the air as their set started.

    Disillusion

    Their music shifts between flashes of intense, crunchy heaviness and softer, more melodic sections, and their vocalist effortlessly switches between genre-defining growls and clean, melodic singing, which adds an emotional depth to their music.

    Yet another band that plays across several of the metal genres and again their musical technicality and complexity was on full display, balancing aggression and melodies.

    As this set was concluding, Rob and I met back up and I went in and checked out the merchandise room in more detail. We met and chatted with two band members of Apetron Bound. They made a comment that they were in a band based out of Tampa and instantly new friends were made. Contact information was exchanged and sadly, Rob had to depart for the airport.

    Illumishade was next, and this is another band performing for the first time in the US. After the fact, I learned that this band originated as a class project for one of the members to complete her Master’s degree.

    Illumishade
    Illumishade

    “The band’s name is a combination of the English words illumination and shade and refers to the contrast between light and darkness that emerges in the songs, as well as the contrast between quiet and heavy songs”[1].  

    Illumishade
    Illumishade

    Their music has an epic storytelling feel, and again with the twin guitars, one being a seven string. Heavy, but not overpowering, synthesizers add to their musical structure and compliment the powerful vocals. This was the band that Christina and her friends ‘sponsored’ this year.

    Illumishade

    Again, here is where the uniqueness of this festival comes to light, in that as part of a band ‘sponsorship’ the sponsors are given exclusive access to their sponsored band both before and after their set.

    From the photos I saw from Christina, and other sponsors I met and chatted with, it takes their festival experience to a whole different level having additional access to hang out with their favorite bands.  

    Damian Wilson

    Damian Wilson was up next and he is an English singer-songwriter and musician who has been in the progressive metal scene since 1991. What in impressive fireball of energy this wild man was. Convinced at this point that every band had two guitarists, this man had the crowd absolutely mesmerized within the first few notes of his set.

    Damian Wilson

    During the second song, while I was still up front in the photo pit Damian, with help from the VIPS, sponsors and photographers in the front pit area, gingerly stepped onto the barrier and fell back to crowd surf while still singing.

    Damian Wilson

    Somehow making a surprise appearance at the back of the venue he made his way down and literally parted the crowd before making his way back on stage. Posts and comments in the online Facebook group for this event, people were still talking about this set for days after everyone had made their way home from Atlanta.

    Damian Wilson
    Damian Wilson

    Winger was up next and this was to be a special one-off show where the band would be performing their third studio release, ‘Pull’, in its entirety. This would be my tenth time seeing Winger and their set was my musical highlight of the festival.

    Winger
    Winger

    Kip Winger introduced his brother, Paul, as he would also be performing and contributing backing vocals with the rest of the band, for the ‘Pull’ portion of the show. The band sounded fantastic. Crisp and spot-on from note one.

    Winger

    It was easy to tell on some of the faces in the crowd near me, these songs were a trip down memory lane for most of us in the crowd. Kip mentioned “…This is by far the most difficult show I’ve ever had to sing. It’s been very fun to play this again, so let’s hear it for the promoter for insisting on us doing this show. We had a great time putting this together, and it’s probably the only time we are ever gonna do this…”[2].

    Winger

    One musical hiccup resulted in a song being restarted and Kip reminding us that this proved they were indeed playing live in front of us. Even being one of the longer sets of the day it went by too fast and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, there is only one band left to play for the weekend.

    One thing to note is that “…Promoter Glenn Harveston has shared the following message in the aftermath: “There has been universal praise across social media that Winger not only had the best sound this year, but perhaps in the history of the fest. Every single thing was crystal clear and pitch perfect….and zero backing tracks.

    There are two reasons:  

    1) Their soundman is world class.

    2) They took this show so seriously that they went out and rented the exact FOH board that Center Stage has and rehearsed with it for a few days prior to the fest. They soundchecked for 45 mins on Saturday morning without even going through a full song – just jumped around to certain verses and choruses of different songs: ‘Third chorus, A- minor…’ and they instantly started on that spot.

    I have never seen anything like it. They were just testing various sound aspects they had worked on prior to even walking in the door. No one has ever done that at the fest and I doubt no one ever will again.”[3] It really was the definite moment of the festival for me, it was the set I was most looking forward to and delivered awesomeness in literally every aspect of their performance.

    Pagan’s Mind
    Pagan’s Mind

    Pagan’s Mind was the headliner of the festival and it was a complete shock to find out “…Their music is influenced by Stargate, especially the theatrical film. In an interview, frontman Nils K. Rue said: “I wouldn’t say I like the TV series Stargate, because I never saw an entire episode of that. But I really like the film Stargate. Of course, I took some inspiration from that…”[4].

    Pagan’s Mind

    After the fact as I read up on this band, their longevity as a cohesive unit has lasted through the entire existence of the band beginning in 2000. Vocalist Nils is very theatrical in his delivery, almost operatic in stance. This band blends their intricate instrumental sections with both melody in the guitar and vocal lines.

    Pagan’s Mind

    Certainly a fan favorite the band was shown love from the crowd from before their first note. Playing their complex arrangements flawlessly, their songs go from intense, riff-heavy sections filled with time signature changes to the melodies that result in massive, climactic moments. The band was certainly interesting and was another added to my list of must check out more in depth.

    Pagan’s Mind

    Their set concluded a festival experience where fifteen of the seventeen bands I was able to see were new to me. I very much compliment the promoters of the event, Nathan Block, Day 1 Promoter, Milton Mendonça, Day 2 Promoter, and Glenn Harveston, Owner & Days 3-4 Promoter for their well thought out and executed festival.

    It truly is intimate enough where you are not surrounded by tens of thousands of others and actually have a chance to meet and interact with members of the various bands. They are staying in the nearby hotels just as we fans are so there is fan interaction at every turn.

    While intimate, the festival is also internationally reaching and recognized, their pull evident by the strong contingent of bands making their US debut year after year.

    It was a heartfelt parting of ways with new friends and the friends I had traveled here to see. Likewise to venue and festival staff who were all so friendly and welcoming. I ran into several familiar and smiling faces at the airport and it was a somber trip home and back to reality, and a ton of new music to listen to. 

    PPUSA was certainly a fun adventure, with a ton of interesting, and highly talented and technical bands, incredibly friendly and passionate attendees and staff. It is a community of people who all have at least one common interest.

    With VIP tickets already sold out for the 2025 festival, 900 general admission tickets will go on sale October 19th, 2024 at 12PM EDT. I highly encourage any fan of any of the metal genres, or even all of them, to check out this festival at least once.

    For more photos of the day’s festivities, go here.\m

    [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illumishade

    [2] https://www.instagram.com/p/C_53i_pPsQR/

    [3] https://bravewords.com/news/watch-winger-s-entire-progpower-usa-2024-show-crystal-clear-and-pitch-perfect-and-no-backing-tracks

    [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan%27s_Mind#Influences

  • ProgPower USA 2024 in Atlanta Resumes On Day Two

    ProgPower USA 2024 in Atlanta Resumes On Day Two

    Kristin Starkey

    The journey to attend ProgPower USA XXIII (PPUSA) began in August of 2023 in my initial conversations after meeting my friend Christina. She made a comment about a Monsters of Rock Cruise (MoRC) shirt I was wearing and how the 2024 sailing would be her first time on that cruise.

    Soon, our conversation shifted to had I ever been to PPUSA? My answer was, I had never even heard of it. After more conversation and hearing how Christina had been to all twenty two previous festivals, I knew I needed to check it out. Upon further research I discovered that:

    “ProgPower USA is a progressive and power metal festival held annually in the United States since 2001…The festival’s band selection process focuses on quality over quantity. In addition to the emphasis on the power and progressive metal genres, the festival has branched out into other genres with the inclusion of the “oddball” slot that does not fit the normal motif.

    ProgPower USA gives bands that have never performed in the States a chance to perform in the country. The festival has been described as a cultural experience for fans with autograph signing sessions, guest appearances, reunions, and meet-and-greets. The festival has hosted over 70 bands’ USA debuts…”[1]

    After meeting some of Christina’s PPUSA friends and hearing their excitement as they talked about years past and how much they were looking forward to this year’s event, I could sense the same feeling of a family community within the PPUSA community that I have experienced with the Monsters community.

    When the planets aligned for me to not only attend PPUSA, but cover the event, my travel arrangements were made within the hour after said planetary alignment. This year’s event was again held in Atlanta, GA, September 4-7, 2024, at Center Stage, a mid-sized concert complex comprising three separate venues.

    The 2024 lineup was stacked with bands that it would be my first exposure to, and I specifically chose to go in ‘deaf and blind’ so I can experience these bands in their live, raw sound.

    Venue Staff

    Before I begin to describe the awesomeness that this festival experience was for me, I want to express thanks and gratitude to the behind the scenes staff who make this event happen, specifically the stage production staff, the sound and lighting team and the security group.

    I also want to mention the great job that the venue food and beverage staff, the box office staff, fellow photographers, and the ProgPower USA staff did as a whole. There is tireless dedicated work before, during and after an event like this and there is no way it can be successful without the people who make it happen. I know the effort that goes into making this event run smoothly is considerable.

    I spent a bit of time familiarizing myself with the event website where a detailed daily schedule was posted before the event and I compliment the team on keeping things running on time and smooth for the entire event.  

    On the site I felt the Promoter’s note (Glenn Harveston) solidifies my thought that any song played is THE song any given person there came to hear being performed live when he wrote “…you will see new bands.

    You will see old friends. You will see bands that make you question my sanity. You will see bands you think suck, but others think are awesome…”[2]. I for sure saw a ton of new bands, and for that reason alone I think makes it worth stepping out of your comfort zone in life to experience new things.

    Temperance

    Due to my work schedule I was not able to attend the first day of the event or my knowledge of new bands would be that much greater. However, at my hotel in Atlanta, in the late evening hours I did encounter many obvious first day festival attendees.

    We metalheads roll deep and conversation ensued between a few of us and already new friends were made. After arriving at the venue and making my way to the seating and floor area and being totally unfamiliar with the venue, I found a slightly elevated section at the back of the floor area in front of the seats. The first band I was exposed to was Temperance and the amazing operatic vocal range of Kristin Starkey.

    Temperance

    An Italian modern melodic power metal band, I was more fixated on the power behind amazing Kristin’s vocal delivery. While the words melodic and power metal do not seem to go together to the uninitiated, this band made it work and certainly captured my attention. The day and my festival experience was off to a fantastic start.

    Temperance

    Earthside was up next and they were a little too atmospheric for me. I decided to check out the rest of the venue after getting a few photos of the band performing.

    Earthside

    Each band is given a minimum of an hour to play, with progressively longer sets as the day goes along, so I knew I could pop back in and I did at the end of their set as I always appreciate seeing the fan reaction and Earthside was shown a lot of fan love at the conclusion of their set.

    There were TV feed in multiple places in the venue’s lobby so one was never far from the action. Of the three venues inside the one building, the vendor room was set up in the smaller of the two in the main section. This was also where the autograph sessions would take place throughout the weekend.

    Earthside

    After the Earthside set concluded, I went into the main performance area to get a good look at it in the light. With an open floor area surrounded by elevated stadium style seating with a capacity just over one thousand, it truly was an intimate setting where literally any and every seat in the house has a great sightline views.

    Earthside

    As I was waiting for this set to begin, I noticed more and more people on the floor brandishing blow up swords I sensed there would be a lot of raised swords in the air from my vantage point and I elected to find a seat a couple of rows up and on the stage right side.

    Twilight Force

    Twilight Force took the stage and here is where I first questioned Glenn’s sanity. I saw band members dressed like Robin Hood characters and could not snap enough photos.

    Twilight Force

    It took me a few minutes to realize it was Kristin Starkey on stage again and just delivering vocal power unlike anything I have ever heard before, well, at least before today. I had never heard of the term ‘adventure metal’ but there it was when I looked the band up after their set:

    Twilight Force

    “The group describes themselves as “adventure metal,” in part due to the use of costumes, props, and demeanor onstage. The band has cited early role-playing games like Heroes of Might & Magic and table-top role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons as inspiration for their appearance.”[3] 

    Twilight Force

    I felt like their set was an adventure – like I was fighting the dragons in my life and having an army of metal brethren by my side. It was the most visually stimulating set that I witnessed this weekend and after their set, Glenn’s sanity was no longer in question.

    Leprous
    Leprous

    Next up was Leprous, a Norwegian progressive metal quintet that surrounded themselves on stage with a mass of piped in smoke/fog, which made it difficult to get decent photos. After the fact, once I was home and had a chance to go through my photos I realized while difficult at the moment of clicking the photo, the smoke/fog actually gave the photos a really neat visual effect.

    Leprous

    The technicality of this band’s music is completely off the charts, as some of their earlier catalog makes use of an eight stringed  guitar, which allows for a wider tonal range and  non-standard tuning. I made a mental note that I needed to dig deeper into this band’s discography.

    Dark Tranquility

    Swedish melodic death metallers Dark Tranquility closed out as the headliner for my first day in the PPUSA realm and the second day of the festival. I had heard of this band before but had not knowingly heard any of their music.

    Dark Tranquility

    After the fact, I discovered Dark Tranquility are considered one of the pioneering bands in the melodic death metal genre and after my experience I can describe their musical sound as balance of aggressive ferocity and melodic emotion. Their set was my first instance of seeing a mosh pit break out on the floor.

    Dark Tranquility

    They had the entire crowd captivated and I was mesmerized by the tonal harmonic melodies created by the twin lead guitars that just seemed to fit well with vocalist’s Mikael Stanne use of genre expected harsh, growled vocals. It certainly made for a wide musical range for the various bands that performed this day.

    Dark Tranquility

    At the conclusion of this day’s events I elected not to attend the after show party in The Loft upstairs. I used the walk back to the hotel to reflect on what I had witnessed this day. The new bands I had been exposed to, and the depth of the love fans have for this event and each other.

    Leprous

    At festivals, I love to people watch and see the moment when a fan is overcome with emotion at a certain part of a song and this happened numerous times today. It is those memories that help me appreciate the planets aligning for me to attend this year and to call it a successful first day for me at this year’s ProgPower USA 2024 event.

    For more photos of the day’s festivities, go here.  

    [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProgPower_USA

    [2] https://progpowerusa.com/media/PPUSA-XXIII-Mini-Program.pdf

    [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Force

  • A Virgin Survives The High Seas On The 2024 Monsters of Rock Cruise

    Virgin.  I knew that would catch your attention and in full transparency, I have been on the Beach Boys Cruise but never on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. They both have some similarities but The Monsters of Rock Cruise is a whole different animal.  A gorilla comes to mind but imagine one on steroids ala King Kong.  35 plus bands, comics, and all sorts of events to keep you busy from sunrise to sunset and beyond.  

    This was an eye-opener and for those who haven’t been on before, I hope after you read this, you will think hard about going on MORC or a music cruise in the future. The following is what a newbie experienced and some tips if you decide to go on a MORC in the future.  

    People from all over the planet (no exaggeration) traveled to Miami for the 5-day Saturday departure but kicked the party off early as Larry Morand and his crew put on a pre-cruise concert at the Magic City Casino on Friday night.  

    A few thousand people got their drink on and said hello to people they hadn’t seen since last year. It was a good time as Y&T headlined the show with HardCore Superstar, Rhino Bucket, and others hitting the big stage.  The outdoor venue was great, and the weather was even better and was a perfect primer for the festivities to come.

    Saturday morning for the cruisers requires patience as the lines to get through security and check-in are damn long and can take a while to get on the boat. I do suggest parking at the cruise terminal, especially if you are local to Florida and you drove to the port.

     It costs $110 bucks, but the convenience is worth it especially if you are splitting costs. Park the car, check your bags (if needed), and get in line. Many will park at a hotel and take a shuttle or uber etc, but when the cruise is over, the last thing you will want to do is take multiple avenues to get to your final destination.

    After we got checked in, the party had already started as food and booze were available, Glen Hughes did a Q&A with Eddie Trunk and Quiet Riot hit the Theatre Stage at 1:45 to kick off the lineup of bands that concluded with Tuff at Midnight.

    I can go through all the bands and their sets but that’s not the basis for this article. It’s more about the actual cruise experience than the bands but I will point out some stand-out performances.

    What is cool about cruises in general and this one specifically is that it has price points that seem to be affordable especially if you are coming with a friend or multiple friends.  Sure, you can book a cabin that has a balcony and be a Silver or Gold VIP, but even if you book the cheapest cabin, you’re going to have a great time.

    Most of the people that I talked to spent minimal time in their cabins other than sleeping and showering.  I know that was the case for us so even 3 people in a interior cabin was feasible.

    Don’t get me wrong, gold and silver vip cruisers have benefits. A couple of those are first entry into the venues for the shows and first in for the Photo Experience with the bands.

    These benefits are considerable as you are guaranteed up-close access to the two primary stages in the Royal Theatre & Studio B. The other two venues were the Pool Stage and the Star Lounge, and both were first come, first serve no matter what cabin you had.   

    Also, getting into the photo experiences with the bands early saved you a lot of time as the lines were long, especially on the day when photos with Ace Frehley, Extreme, & Queensryche were being taken.  Even if you didn’t have VIP status, everyone was able to get their pics taken with the bands but once again patience is needed.

    Everyone wants to talk to the artists and have their “moment” with the band and I get that completely as that is probably the only time you will have that access.

    Keep in mind though that the staff truly have their hands full as a thousand people are going through the lines each shoot and they are required to keep the lines moving and be professional while doing it.  

    If you are a drinker, the alcohol package might be good for you and it costs about $100 a day for each person in your cabin, but there are discounts available prior to boarding that you can take advantage of online. 

    Just take into account that even though you have the package, It doesn’t mean you should drink yourself into oblivion by 4 pm every day and miss out on the bands you want to see.  We witnessed plenty of people passed out around the ship in precarious positions unaware that there pictures was being taken.

    There are also scheduling decisions that have to be made and band times will and do change for a variety of reasons. Thankfully each band plays 2 sets with most of them playing at different venues.  

    If there’s a band playing later in the week on the pool stage, I highly suggest seeing that band at one of the different venues that might not be affected by the rain. This happened to us specifically with Armored Saint who were scheduled to play the pool stage on the last night and couldn’t perform.

    Every night as the bands finished up their sets, the party continued as karaoke took center stage in the Viking Crown on the Independence of the Sea. The room was packed with artists and with Armored Saint getting rained out, it led to a couple of the coolest things I have witnessed on any stage in my life.

    John Bush and Gonzo Sandoval from Armored Saint were joined by Rachel & Jenna from Paradise Kitty doing “Papa Was Rollin Stone” and then Ritchie Kotzen did his best impression of Chris Cornell when he sang “Cochise” by Audioslave.    https://www.facebook.com/travis.failey/videos/813026893991254?idorvanity=1560929797513981

    But If you were in that room, you witnessed something that I highly doubt will ever be seen again and that was when Ritchie Kotzen along with Justin Hawkins from the Darkness,  joined Glen Hughes for “Fooled Around and Fell In Love.”  Saying it was epic is an understatement.  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=419297110586594

    This was just one of the surprises that you might experience on the MORC. Another was being able to hang out and chat in the Irish pub with Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion. Steve walked through the Promenade Deck (5) numerous times and stopped and had a pint.

    At any time of the day or night, you would run into musicians walking around or in or near the elevator or getting a slice at the pizza place.

    Deck 5 was always buzzing with cruisers, musicians and new friends. That’s what really makes the MORC so special. I met so many people from all walks of life and from different countries that I now call friends.

    You may bump into the same couple over and over again, even in the ports, and think they are stalking you but timing sometimes just works out that way and I’m still looking over my shoulder wondering if they are nearby.

    You will see and talk to many people all the time on that floor and get caught in what Larry David likes to call “Stop and Chats.” If you are in a rush to get to anything, avoid this floor even if it means going past the staterooms above or below you.  It’s a pro move that may be needed at some point.

    Speaking of the ports, we stopped in Cozumel and in Nassau with Cozumel with both being tourist traps. There is a spot in Cozumel outside the port that has a great Mexican restaurant that put on a show that concluded with an artist putting out a fire with his lower region and 5 men swinging from their feet from a pole 100 plus feet in the air. It’s called the Dance Of The Flyers and it was worth getting off the boat just for that.  

    If you decide to stay on the boat while in port, there are bands playing and activities still going on along with food available 24/7. Some love the food, and some hate it but that’s normal with cruises and you can’t make everyone’s palate happy.  

    The crew also hides plastic ducks throughout the ship and if you find one, it has an entry ticket for a raffle for a free cabin for next year’s cruise. They also have numerous theme nights like Heaven & Hell & Battle Vest night to show off your best gear for prizes etc and a “So You Think You Can Shred” contest with guest judges.  

    Another tip: Come with your A game and make sure you can play at a high level because after you get judged, you might not want to pick up your guitar again. Brutal honesty and I’ll leave it at that.

    Everyone had a great time and I only witnessed one event between cruisers that might have led to fisticuffs. That was in the Star Lounge when people were standing up near the stage watching an awesome and heavy performance by Kaliedo.

    I guess the unspoken/unwritten rule is that everyone is supposed to sit in the Star Lounge to not block people’s view and that was happening and a large man was pissed.

    The situation was quickly defused by security and people went back to their seats where headbanging commenced. Yes, seeing massive headbanging while people sat in white leather chairs was another first for me.

    There was a buzz amongst the people who are serial cruisers on the MORC and that was about the swap meet. People were talking about what they brought with them to share with fellow cruisers.

    From guitar pick holders to custom branded metal straws to everything imaginable with different logos etc were laid out on tables on the Promenade Deck (5.) People swarmed the area to chat and browse and came back with a variety of different swag.  

    There were also multiple Rockstar Painting Classes that you could sign up for to paint.  On this year’s cruise, you had the option to paint David Bowie, Angus Young or Ace Frehley. We did Ace Frehley and 3 members of Ace’s band were in our group with Bassist Ryan Cook sitting directly next to me.  

    I highly suggest it if you haven’t done it before as Ron provides a template and walks you through it. Even a super novice like myself was able to do it and I can’t paint a circle.

    Be prepared to walk and walk and walk. You will get acclimated to the ship in a couple of days but one of the statements you will get used to is: “It’s on the other side of the boat.” Everything throughout the cruise will be on the other side. It just works out that way but I highly suggest taking a look at the layout of the ship before heading on the cruise.

    You will also have to wait for bands to start their performances as previous bands might run long or their sound checks get extended. This led to Justin Hawkins calling Ace Frehley a “cunt” for doing an extended sound check but it was a combination of that and KK’s Priest running their set a bit long.

    It was pretty hilarious and along with The Darkness’ pool stage set, it was one of the more fascinating moments of the cruise. The comment by Hawkins has grown legs with a back and forth between Ace and Justin online.

    Lead singer Justin Hawkins went and joined the cruisers in the hot tub while he played his guitar and during their set in Studio B, he did a handstand and flailed his legs on stage.  Some say the pool stage performance was the highlight of the cruise but I disagree. I base it more on personal preference as KK’s Priest was simply outstanding.

     

    Both their Theatre set and their Studio B sets just crushed with Tim “Ripper” Owens’s vocal performances proving once again that he is one of the best along with Queensryche’s Todd La Torre. Queensryche also played two different sets with their pool set another highlight for me.

    Unfortunately, I missed both of Accept’s sets but once again, decisions have to be made but like in a festival setting, you will get to see bands that you have never seen before. For me, it was H.E.A.T., Dangerous Toys and Bad Marriage.

    All three were great and H.E.A.T.‘s singer was one of the nicest guys I’ve met. We also talked and took pics with Gary from Extreme in the coffee shop. These are just a couple of examples of you never know who you’re going to run into on the MORC.

    After seeing 40 plus sets of music, I can go on and on about the bands, but I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Faster Pussycat and Lizzy Borden. Both are MORC veterans with FP playing a midnight pool stage set that was simply amazing.

    Taime Downe and the boys lit up the stage and the sky with their hits and non-stop energy as Jenna And Rachel from Paradise Kitty joined them on backup vocals.

     The band has a combination of veterans while mixing in some youth in guitarist Sam Bam Koulton and Ace Von Johnson.  Sam Bam is a can’t-miss player if he’s hitting a stage near you. He’s that good.

    I’ve been a fan of Lizzy Borden for decades but they rarely play in Florida. Thankfully they played twice within 24 hours in Studio B on the last day of the cruise.  

    What a visual experience with Lizzy changing costumes every song and wiping blood on adoring fans’ faces during “There Will Be Blood Tonight.” Both sets were fantastic, and I highly suggest seeing them at least once if you get a chance.

    In closing, The Monsters of Rock Cruise is not only about the music but it’s also about the experiences and the people you will meet. In just a few days, I have made lifelong friends from different countries and already look forward to seeing them again.

    I asked some of them if the lineup matters and many said “not at all” and look forward to the following year as soon as the “cruise hangover” concludes.  

    This is a real thing and I experienced it firsthand. Getting back to “your reality” takes a few days and I suggest not going back to work if you can fit it in your schedule.

    Bookings for next year will start happening soon and it’s never too late to join the other previous virgin passengers who have now become veterans and an integral  part of the MORC family.  

    For information and future bookings, check out their Facebook page as they are updating their web page for the 2025 cruise. https://www.facebook.com/MonstersOfRockCruise/

    For Additional photos from the cruise and other shows, please check out:

    https://www.travisfaileyphotography.com/untitled-gallery

  • Tesla Shines At Night Number Two at The House of Blues

    Tesla Shines At Night Number Two at The House of Blues

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Fresh off two performances on the 2023 Monsters of Rock Cruise, hard rockers Tesla took over the House of Blues in Orlando for two nights, playing to a sold-out audience on Friday, May 5th followed by a nearly sold-out show on Saturday, May 6th. I attended the Saturday show with a good friend and concert photography mentor, whose behind the lens Jedi skills have earned him the nickname Lord Nikon.

    We had a spirited and entertaining music-related conversation enroute to the venue based around the two Tesla shows I had just seen onboard the cruise and how well they were attended.

    Well that carried over to their two dates at the HOB as Friday was sold out and from the looks of the line on Saturday when we arrived, this was the case again or darn close.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Opening for Tesla was Kurt Deimer and sadly, I was not able to enter in time to take photos of him and his band but something he mentioned in between the songs caught my attention. His spoken introduction to a song written during Covid questioned why everyone was so hateful towards each other? His point was that we should all be nice to each other.

    My thought was that this should not have to be kept being said in the world today, it should be an unspoken rule. The band covered “Have A Cigar” by Pink Floyd and that was the song of theirs that stood out to me.

    Photo-Randy Cook

     Fastest Land Animal was up next and I noted they had a twin guitar attack just like our headliners for the evening. I thought their sound had some solid rhythms and grooves and at least two of their songs after my time down in the photo pit had my head nodding to some crunchy riffs and leads.

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    Singer “Screamin” Jack Novack tossed out tambourines to fans at various areas of the crowd and had them join in on creating the band’s sound. I had noticed the pile of tambourines stacked around a microphone stand and wish that would have happened earlier in their set, as I can picture tambourines flying in my photos.

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

     In the minutes leading up to the main event for the evening, I took note of how much the crowd was singing along with the in-between set songs. From what I experienced from varying locations around the venue for Tesla’s set, the sing along never stopped, if anything it only got louder and more people joined in. The crowd was also multi-generational with grandparents and parents bringing their young ones to the show who were also singing their lungs out. Its pretty special sight to see and realize that kids are enjoying rock and just not pop music these days.

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    This would be my fourteenth time seeing Tesla and the third time in the past six days as I was one of the lucky ones to have sailed on this year’s Monsters on Rock Cruise.

    This is a band that I have been a fan of since my discovery of their music with their debut release “Mechanical Resonance” back when MTV played music videos. My first time seeing them live was in 1989 and this (as well as every other prior show of theirs) is a stroll down memory lane for me. I appreciate their straight-up solid rock n roll with no frills – combined with the passion of each band member’s delivery and interaction with the fans.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Lord Nikon and I both mentioned after the show how there was very little chit chat in between songs, and not as a slight to talk to us in attendance, it was more to fit sixteen songs into a ninety minute time slot. I would venture to say that every song played this evening was the favorite song of someone in attendance as I saw continual evidence of air guitars, air drums and many people putting their head back to try and hit the same note and length as lead singer Jeff Keith.

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    I shared the photo pit with a trio of incredibly skilled photographers who I am thankful to also call friends. We had plenty of room to move around during our three-song allotment as Tesla brought the crowd to a roar starting off with “Change in the Weather” and then rolling right into their gateway song for me, “Modern Day Cowboy.” Our last song up front was “Time to Rock” and I was thankful we had beautiful lights to work with and very little piped in smoke.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After my time down front I made my way up to the balcony hoping to find a decent view of the band but with the crowd as full as it was, that proved to be a challenge. I was over in the corner near one of the stage lights and became quick friends with a group of people who were rotating out those in their group to the balcony rail.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    One of them noticed my media credential around my neck and asked if I had gotten any good shots? I replied “absolutely!” I showed a couple of photos that I had already copied to my phone and then they put me in their rotation club in exchange for me taking their family photo after the show. I got to experience another perfect unobstructed view of these rock titans that I grew up with.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    As the set list progressed and “The Way It Is” hit my ears, I closed my eyes for a few moments of self-reflection. These songs take me back to life events that have such thought provoking emotion within me and to where I once was. I then opened my eyes and appreciate where life has taken me and joined the crowd in the sing along.

    I would say the exact same thing for the song “What You Give”, but it was my turn at the rail and with this view, there would be no eyes closed reflecting on my past.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    During “Miles Away” which was a late addition to the set, the twin guitar attack of Frank Hannon and Dave Rude, and bassist Brian Wheat and drummer Steve Brown holding down the rhythm section, the band sounded as crisp ever.

    After “Miles Away,” Tesla segued into the fabulously gut-wrenching “Love Song.” To quote an old Sam Kinison joke, this is the song that makes you think about the girl that broke your heart and made you say “…make that TWO fifths of Jack Daniels!” For the third time in the past six days I am man enough to say that hearing this song live gave me goosebumps.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After tearing our hearts out with what truly is a beautiful love song, “Little Suzi” brought the crowd’s feet back to life and brought the main set to an end with a roar of approval from the crowd. The band concluded the evening with their famous rendition of “Signs” by Five Man Electrical Band and truly brought the evening and their two night stint to a fantastic conclusion.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    With how strong this band is live they truly are still kicking ass and I encourage anyone and everyone to go and see them live at least once. I can adamantly say I look forward to whenever the future brings me my fifteenth Tesla show. I did end up taking the family photo for the gracious group and they were a lot of fun to rock out with. I hope they do end up using that picture as the family Christmas card photo.

    Tesla will be back on the road after taking a brief break with tour dates all over the country.

    For a list and additional info on the band, head to https://teslatheband.com/tour/

    \m/

    Tesla set list for Friday, May 5th 2023:

    Lady Luck

    Modern Day Cowboy

    Hang Tough

    Time to Rock

    Heavens Trail (No Way Out)

    Miles Away

    Changes

    Were No Good Together

    Love Me

    Call It What You Want

    What You Give

    Song & Emotion

    Edison’s Medicine (Man Out of Time)

    Love Song

    Little Suzi (Ph.D. cover)

    Encore:

    Signs (Five Man Electrical Band cover)

    Tesla set list for Saturday, May 6th 2023:

    Change in the Weather

    Modern Day Cowboy

    Time to Rock

    Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)

    The Way It Is

    Shine Away

    Changes

    Pvt. Ledbetter

    Lazy Days, Crazy Nights

    Love Me

    Call It What You Want

    What You Give

    Miles Away

    Love Song

    Little Suzi (Ph.D. cover)

    Encore:

    Signs (Five Man Electrical Band cover)

  • Sunshine City Roller Derby Bout: A High-Action Game Derailed by Electrical Malfunction.

    Sunshine City Roller Derby Bout: A High-Action Game Derailed by Electrical Malfunction.

    By Codzilla #F15H

    Photo: Brian Craig

    On Saturday 4/22, Sunshine City Roller Derby hosted another fun filled evening of hard hitting action at the Youth Park outdoor roller hockey rink. This bout featured the league’s home athletes sorted into team Orange and team Teal, with a handful of guest athletes from nearby leagues joining the rosters.

    Caption: Roller Derby athletes wear roller skates designed for speed and agility
    Photo: Randy Cook

    Roller Derby is a full-contact team sport played on roller skates. Two teams each send five players to an oval track, and the teams assist their point-scoring member to break out of the pack and to pass opponents for points. Sunshine City Roller Derby utilizes a ruleset designed for Banked Tracks, which produces fast-paced gameplay.

    Each team’s Jammer, the point-scorer, is marked with a star helmet cover.
    Photo: Randy Cook

    Sunshine City Roller Derby’s newest athletes Chase N Chaos #584 and Chew-blocka #514 marked their debut bout.

    Caption: Chase N Chaos #584 regroups on the bench in her premier bout. Photo: Randy Cook
    Photo: Brian Craig
    Photo: Randy Cook

    As the sun set and the halftime break approached, it became apparent that an electrical issue was preventing the facility lights from operating. A City of Pinellas Park employee arrived to assess the situation, and determined the lighting system could not be immediately repaired. Unfortunately, the bout could not proceed.  Sunshine City Roller Derby ended the bout early, with the Orange team taking the win 61-54. League skater, Circuit Break-her #90, denies involvement with the broken circuit breaker.

    Photo: Brian Craig
    Photo: Randy Cook
    Photo: Brian Craig

    Congratulations to Frankenfine #369 and Chew-blocka #514 on being awarded Most Valuable Blocker, and to Circuit Break-Her #90 and Jamel Toe #386 as Most Valuable Jammer.

    Photo: Carnage Asada #130

    The City of Pinellas Park has since repaired the lighting system, and Youth Park is ready for Sunshine City Roller Derby’s next bout on May 20th. Fans can take advantage of early bird ticket pricing and find more information at https://sunshinerollerderby.com/bout

    Photo: Randy Cook
    Photo: Brian Craig
    Photo: Randy Cook
    Photo: Brian Craig
    Photo: Randy CooK
    https://sunshinerollerderby.com/bout
  • Trauma Awakens-An Interview with Drummer Kris Gustofson

    Trauma Awakens-An Interview with Drummer Kris Gustofson

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Most bands when they fade away early in their careers never make a comeback but that’s not the case with Trauma. After having their song “Such A Shame” included in the Metal Massacre II compilation in 1982, Trauma signed with Shrapnel Records and released Scratch and Scream. It received high praise with the band hitting the road to try to gain traction in the industry and with the fans and unfortunately they didn’t gain the steam that many other thrash bands did at the time.

    After disbanding in 1985, Trauma got the band back together in 2013 and have been active on the road and in the studio releasing Rapture and Wrath in 2015, As The World Dies in 2018 and Awakening, most recently in 2022. Out on the road and with their new vocalist Brian Allen in tow, we caught up with drummer Kris Gustofson as Trauma is opening for Queensryche on their Digital Noise Alliance tour.

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Travis: Welcome to St.  Pete. Big show tonight and the venue should be packed as it’s Todd and Casey’s hometown. How has the tour been going?

    Kris: Oh, it’s been great. You know, a great bunch of guys. Everything’s been going smooth, you know? It’s been really good, man. It went positive.

    Travis: Any craziness on the tour at all?

    Kris: Not too much.

    Travis:  I know you guys are a little bit on the older side, has to be a bit different from back in the day.

    Kris: Yeah, yeah, but I mean, it’s all been falling really good, man.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Travis:  What are the biggest changes that you’ve seen on this tour in comparison to when you guys used to be on the road 20, 30 years ago?

    Kris: Not much, really. I mean, the road’s the road. Except that the roads in the United States now, man, are not in great shape.

    Travis: Probably more of a guy-centric-type crowd that you guys have been seeing?

    Kris: Yeah. I mean, here in the United States, it seems like it’s…you know, it’s a lot of just, you know, white guys, and anywhere from, you know, 20-year-olds up to 60, 70-year-olds are coming to these shows.

    Travis: So what’s the big difference between the shows in the States and shows in Europe? Music like Trauma’s is more predominantly in tune with the people over in Europe. We have our core family of metal fans here but its at a whole other level in Europe.

    Kris: I think there’s pockets of metal people who are in the States, obviously. But over in Europe, and that’s where all the big festivals and everything are. So, I mean, it’s like a real popular type of music over there.

    Travis: You guys have any tours dates set up over for any of the festivals over in Europe?

    Kris: We’re working on some. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get over there in the summer this year. But, you know, there’ll be some stuff coming up.  Last August we just played the Alcatraz Festival. There were a ton of people there. So, it was a blast.

    Travis: I’ve been listening to both Scratch And Scream and Awakening and some of the other material that you guys have released. I wasn’t familiar with “Scratch” at all and it’s amazing. Along with Awakening, the guitar work and just the musicianship in general on both of those releases is just incredible. The guitar player that was on Scratch And Scream, was Ross Alexander. What happened to him? After you guys broke up in ’85, the guy disappeared and I couldn’t find anything on the internet on him which is very rare.

    Kris: Yeah, a lot of guys just didn’t continue on doing anything with music really. He was 17 when we were together. When we signed with Shrapnel Records, Mike Varney didn’t like one of the other guitar players. So, they used to do these competitions in the Bay Area with drummers and guitar players, everybody. And we went and picked Ross from going to one of these things.

    Travis: Was there a major age difference at the time between the rest of the band and Ross

    Kris: No, he was, like, 17. I think when we recorded that record I was around 21.

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Travis: You’ve mentioned signing with Mike Varney and Shrapnel and both Metal Blade and Shrapnel were signing thrash bands at that time. Was Trauma ever close to signing with Brian Sagel and Metal Blade at the time?

    Kris: No.

    Travis: So getting back to Scratch And Scream, you guys aren’t playing anything from it in the set. Was it tough to leave any of that out?

    Kris: No. We got a new singer in Brian Allen formerly of Vicious Rumors after Donny Hillier unfortunately passed away. Brian is more comfortable singing the new music at this point in time. Plus, we’re trying to promote our new album. There’s no reason to promote an album that was done back in 1984. But right now, on this tour, we only play for such a limited amount of time. At some point, we’ll probably start picking some of those to play.

    Travis: A lot of the new metal bands prescribe to a clean lead vocal mixed with metal-core type screaming vocals. An example of this would be Crown the Empire. What I like about your band’s sound and style is that I can understand the vocal track.  

    Kris: Donny Hillier, the original singer, never sang like that. I’m not a huge fan of it. I mean, I appreciate people who are doing those kinds of vocals but we’re a thrash metal band from the Bay Area. So, we like a singer to be heard and that the listener can sing the words with us.

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Travis: My condolences on Donny’s passing. I know you guys were very close. He sounded a bit like U.D.O., a little early Joey Belladonna from the early Anthrax stuff with a bit of Dickinson with his own style obviously mixed in. Brian is a little bit more like Halford, but he has his own tone and much more aggression. So, it’s interesting to hear the music on Awakening with Brian in comparison to Donny from the previous records.  Brian’s work on Awakening especially on tracks like “Burn” is stellar.

    Kris: Brian has the experience and is a really good vocalist. He’s a great front guy.

    Travis: Were a lot of the vocals and the vocal tracks and the lyrics changed once Donny passed away?

    Kris: Well, some of the lyrics Donny wrote before he passed away, not all of them, but some of the songs. He’s actually on the album on some of the vocal lines, we left them on there. So, his spirit’s on there, you know, but we had to kind of change it up a little bit for Brian.

    Travis: Of course. Different vocal styles.

    Kris: The songs were written kind of in the mindset of Donny singing them. But with Brian, he’s got more of an aggressive kind of voice. So, I think the next stuff we do is going to be really…it would be really good.

    Travis: Well, you’ll be more cohesive as a band and you’ll be able to get into a room and work together instead of sending tracks to each other by computer and putting songs together during the pandemic while writing for Awakening.

    Kris: That was a pain in the ass. Yeah, that was a tough time for everybody, you know? I mean, you know, everybody was on lockdown, especially in California.

    Travis: Well I found that the production on Awakening is fantastic. Did the band do a lot of that themselves by Pro Tools or something of that nature?

    Kris: No, we sent files back and forth quite a bit, but that was pretty much done by the producer, Juan Ortega. He’s really good in the studio, a lot of ideas, you know, he’s done albums with Testament and many others. So, we kind of had a vision of what to do with it.

    Travis: It’s such a full sound and all the different instruments stand out at throughout the album.

    Kris: Yeah, he worked his ass off on that album.

    Travis: I saw that you were in a band with Frank Hannon for a little bit of time with Tesla. How did that come about?

    Kris: We had this band called in San Francisco called Moon Dog Mane. Frank was working with the manager, a guy named Steve Clausman and he had helped Tesla with some of their stuff and we played a gig at the Boardwalk one night, and he brought Frank down. We ended up replacing a few guys and we formed a whole new band with Frank and kept the name and then we started playing a bunch of shows all over the place and got a record deal. It was cool.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Travis: After this tour other than possibly doing some tour/festival dates out in Europe if it plays out that way, will you go back into the studio to do the follow up to Awakening?

    Kris: Yeah, at some point. You know, I mean, we’re starting to kind of talk about it right now.

    Travis: You guys ever think about going out and maybe doing a West Coast roadie by yourselves?

    Kris: Maybe. Maybe. We just went out for six weeks doing this. And, you know, it’s time to go home and take care of home life, business-type stuff. But we’ll see what comes around.

    Travis: Do you guys all have regular jobs back home, or how’s that working for you?

    Kris: I have my own business, but pretty much everybody, you know, does their own thing.

    Travis: The music cruise industry is doing big business and I just went on one and it was great. I know you guys played 70,000 Tons of Metal. Would you guys go back out on that and do that again? Was that a good time for you all?

    Kris: Oh, it was killer. Yeah, it was great, man. There’s people from around the globe on that thing. A lot of people from South America were telling us, “Oh, you guys need to come over here and play.” You know, at that time, it was…when we did it in 2017, it was Anthrax, Testament were on it. It was great.

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Travis: Have you guys been getting any kind of airplay on Liquid Metal at all? It seems like that would be perfect for Awakening to be on…

    Kris: No, for some reason, and I’ll say it, you know, we haven’t gotten much love from them or Full Metal Jackie. I was hopeful we would, you know, but the powers that be, man, it just didn’t happen.

    Travis: Will you get to spend anytime in Florida to relax after the show tonight

    Kris: No unfortunately. We have got to fly home, I have got to be at the airport tonight.

    Travis: I was hoping you’d have down time here as it’s one of the best times of the year in Florida.

    Kris: We all got to kind of get back.

    Travis: Well, I want to say thank you so much for spending time with me and Rocket Sports and Entertainment. We wish nothing but the best for you guys and you are both Scratch and Scream and Awakening are now on my regular playlist. I always promote bands that some might not know about to my close friends and people in the industry and hope to see you at the various metal festivals in the future. I really hope that you guys can get picked up by them to attain more success and keep pushing this thing because the music is exceptional.

    Kris: Right on. Thank you for the support.

    To keep up with all things Trauma, go to their website at https://www.traumametal.com/

  • A Roller Derby Revival in Saint Petersburg

    A Roller Derby Revival in Saint Petersburg

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Sunshine City Roller Derby versus Tallahassee Roller Derby | March 25th 2023

    How do you explain how much fun you had doing something when you are not exactly one hundred percent sure of what you just witnessed? So begins the challenge of describing my first visit to a roller derby bout which lived up to the hype and then some. Rewind a few months back to when I discovered a couple of posts on the local subreddit of upcoming roller derby bouts and from the photos I saw, it sure looked interesting.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Literally a week later, two of my concert photography buddies and I were down at the local First Friday event with our cameras having a ‘dude’s tog night’ and we encountered a couple of the skaters on the team from that reddit post and we were introduced to Sunshine City Roller Derby. We were encouraged to bring our cameras with us if we ever made it out to a bout.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    It took a few months for my schedule to align with a bout night and on March 25th 2023 my friends and I attended the Sunshine City Roller Derby versus Tallahassee Roller Derby at the Youth Park Sports Complex in Pinellas Park, Florida. One of my tog friends that was with me that night at First Friday (B Man) was with me along with another friend who watched from the stands (Joe) while B Man and I were trackside with our cameras.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Prior to this bout, I had interacted with one of the team members via reddit and she introduced herself and welcomed B Man and I to the event. We told her we really had no idea what to expect and she walked us through the game play rules, and where we could and could not be during bout action. The bout is played on an open air rink that has actual track-side seats right there where the action is happening, as well as areas where you can bring your own chair or as mentioned, there are bleachers.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    The teams began to form up on the track and they began their warm up, practicing their team moves and periodically coming back to the bench area to let the speed skaters warm up and buzz around the track a few times. Soon the bout began and I was so busy clicking away that two hours melted away in the blink of an eye. The bout was segmented into quarters and with a halftime youth dancing demonstration by a local based Highlands Dance Group before the match began again for its second half.

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    At the intermission, B Man and I met back up and exchanged our observations so far regarding angles and such as well as a couple of instances back and forth between us each saying “hey look at this shot!” as we each did a quick run through of the first half shots. We began the second half sitting right at the penalty box so we had a great view of each starting jam as well as an angle that offered some of what I thought were the best shots of the night.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    There was scoring, there was cheering from the fans and from the players trackside waiting their turn to go in. There were collisions, there were breakaways, there were game face sneers that turned to smiles between combatants, while the referees worked out some penalty situation and the match was halted periodically. Then once the refs signaled ‘ready’, the game face sneers and collisions returned.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    At one point during the bout B Man and I even heard the visiting coach yell to one of her players who was helping an opposing member up after a hit, “DON’T APOLOGIZE!, You’re supposed to hit her!” That was awesome we agreed with Joe at a post bout meal the three of us shared afterwards.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    There is definite strategy involved in the game play, which was evident as the speed of the players constantly changed throughout the bout. Those were my three takeaways as I try to describe my thoughts, the sport is based on speed, strategy and brute force. If I was not glued to my camera lens I probably would have come out of the experience much more knowledgeable to explain how the scoring system works. For now photos will have to do the talking for me.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    In the end, the bout result was a decisive win for the home team, but I honestly still do not know the sport enough to explain the rules and the scoring to anyone else. All I can say is I had a great time out there, the competition was serious, the skaters put their all into the bout and certainly have the passion and drive to make their sport entertaining for us fans as well, of which I like how many of the players have funny entertaining pun names.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    I asked B Man to summarize in a sentence how he would describe the evening and his response was “A captivating display of strategy, teamwork, elite skill and talents showcased before a unique and dedicated audience.” I took that to mean he wants to go with me again for their next bout on Saturday, April 22nd as I know I certainly look forward to seeing another bout and learning more about the sport. Check out information about the league and their bout schedule at: https://sunshinerollerderby.com/

    More photos from the game by Randy Cook

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook
    https://sunshinerollerderby.com/
  • On The Blue Cruise 2023. Day One in Review

    On The Blue Cruise 2023. Day One in Review

    Photo-Randy Cook

    On The Blue Cruise | January 28-February 2, 2023 | Norwegian Pearl

    For the 2023 On The Blue Cruise, I was once again joined by my Jedi behind the lens friend Obi Wan. Since our last adventure together at the Monsters on the Mountain festival in Gatlinburg, he has upgraded his camera body from a DSLR to the Nikon Z mirrorless series which prompted me to update his nickname to Zobi Wan.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    As with any (music) cruise I have ever sailed on, we once again opted to make the drive to Miami the day before departure to eliminate any possibility of travel related issues on the day of sailing. I made the suggestion that since we were not in a hurry and had no agenda for the evening we should make a roughly thirty minute detour to the Iron Maiden themed restaurant partially owned by Iron Maiden’s drummer, Nicko McBrain.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Rock n Roll Ribs in Coral Springs, FL, is famous for its fall off the bone ribs, having been honored as “Best Ribs 2012” by the web site Broward-Palm Beach New Times.[1]

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    This was my third time visiting the establishment and the ribs were just as amazing as my two prior visits. The entire inside is adorned with Iron Maiden memorabilia and many visitors as I have seen in the past are representing in their Iron Maiden shirts and as Chief Metal Officer, it was my duty to proudly wear my newest Iron Maiden shirt.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After dinner we settled in for the rest of the drive to the hotel where once we got to the lobby to check in, we saw many familiar faces from our prior trips working with the various teams that are the behind the scenes crew.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After getting up to the room and settled in, Zobi and I both grabbed our cameras and headed to the lobby and outside area courtyard of the hotel where there were all sorts of interesting things in and around the hotel to take photos of. Again, more familiar faces were seen, greetings were exchanged and you could feel the excitement in everyone’s voices of the adventure ahead of us all.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    The next morning, embarkation day, I was pleasantly surprised to discover there were also artists staying at the hotel as well as cruisers and the various crew teams. Then it was time for us to board the crew team bus for the ten minute ride to the cruise port. Check in at the cruise terminal was a snap and after a short wait in the terminal, our crew group was among the first onboard to get ready for the events of the next few days.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Before I begin to describe the awesomeness that this cruise is and was, Zobi Wan and I want to express our thanks and gratitude to the behind the scenes staff who make this event happen. The people the fans do not see (much of at least). The stage production staff, the sound and lighting team, the security group, fellow photographers and videographers. There is tireless dedicated work before, during and after an event like this and there is no way it can be successful without the people who make it happen.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Many thanks to everyone we interacted with, broke bread with, laughed with, rocked out with and just enjoyed the company of our fellow rockers! One other area of props to note is how well this team kept things on schedule as out of the fifty one performances that I saw, only one was delayed to not start on time. That is an amazing percentage given the scope of multiple bands playing at the same time in various locations across the entire ship.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    In addition, it is worth noting that it is impossible for me to convey everything that I experienced on this cruise so I will stick to the main highlights. The daily schedule is so packed that it is also an impossibility to take in every band’s performance, every event, both On the Blue Cruise related or even offered by Norwegian Cruise Line. There are times when two different bands that you want to see are playing at times that cross over one another, so there are times when choices have to be made. Thankfully, each band plays at least twice. It is a good problem to have with so many options available.

    To say that we made new friends in the first few minutes of being onboard is an understatement. Once cruisers first step foot onboard, the cabins are usually not ready for occupancy so masses of people congregate in the food buffet areas. Seating is very limited in those first couple of hours.

    Chihuly Art Photo-Randy Cook

    As Zobi and I stood with plates of food in hand scanning for an open table, we were offered a seat with two very friendly ladies which we readily accepted. After introductions between the four of us, we discovered Carol and Monica had never been on a music themed cruise and we began to try to describe just how much fun that they in fact were in for.

    Marbin Photo-Randy Cook

    After completing lunch we Zobi and I parted ways with Carol and Monica for the time being, telling them we for sure would bump into each other out and about exploring the ship on this first day. Also soon after lunch the music started on the pool deck with Marbin and their jazzy rock fusion sound.

    Marbin Photo-Randy Cook

    This was the first of their multiple performances in the various venues, but also as you will read in subsequent days’ posts, the guys in this band love music and performing so much that they are very rarely without their instruments and quite often break out with impromptu performances wherever they happen to find themselves hanging out on the ship. These impromptu performances always seem to gather a crowd.

    Marbin Photo-Randy Cook

    Beside meeting new people and saying hi to familiar faces, for me the first day of a music cruise is usually spent exploring the ship to make sure I know the quickest and most efficient way in between the various musical venues and of course the food locations. In my music cruise experience, food is sometimes the forgotten necessity, where the music and the people can make time can fly by so easily that I forget to eat and do so only to keep myself fueled for the next performance.

    Randy Hanson Photo-Randy Cook

    Musically the highlights for me this day was being introduced to Randy Hansen, who I came to discover is an absolutely amazing axe slinger known for his “Rock Tribute Act” honoring Jimi Hendrix. He was absolutely mesmerizing on stage with his amazing ability to make us think we were actually seeing and hearing the mighty Jimi playing in front of us. I was totally blown away and definitely had his second performance circled on my schedule.

    Randy Hanson Photo-Randy Cook

    Also I can share that when I went up behind the stage to get a photo of Randy working his magic and the crowd facing him, there was Carol and Monica in the crowd dancing away and already having a great time!

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Pat Travers Photo-Randy Cook

    Pat Travers started his set by saying that he and his band were here to “…kick our ass with some rock…” and most certainly did. Both Zobi and I were very impressed with The Bottom Feeders, a group of younger musicians in different bands literally thrown together for this event and their youthful, hard rocking spin on songs of an older generation.

    Pat Travers Band Photo-Randy Cook

    The rest of the day was full of amazing music also taking in eight other bands for a marvelous start to this adventure. As Zobi and I settled in for a quick late night snack, we agreed that we were in for a fantastic and fun four days ahead.

    Bottom Feeders Photo-Randy Cook

    [1] https://blabbermouth.net/news/iron-maiden-drummer-s-restaurant-honored-for-best-ribs

    More Photos From Day 1 from Randy Cook

    Al Stewart Photo-Randy Cook
    The Babys Photo-Randy Cook
    Little River Band Photo-Randy Cook
    Al Stewart Photo-Randy Cook
    Mellow Yellow Photo-Randy Cook
    The Babys Photo-Randy Cook
  • Rocking With The Monsters On The Mountain

    Rocking With The Monsters On The Mountain

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    With an invitation in hand to come and check out the 2022 Monsters on the Mountain music festival, my ‘Jedi behind the lens’ friend Brian (B Man) and I made travel arrangements and the day of could not get here soon enough.

    We would be flying into Knoxville, TN and then had a ride pre-arranged to get us over to Gatlinburg, TN where the event would be held.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    The Monsters on the Mountain is part of the Monsters of Rock Cruise family which I have been a part of since 2018. Any gathering with this group of like-minded rockers is also a reunion of old friends with the guarantee of both getting our rock on for multiple days, but also the promise of meeting new friends along the way.

    This was my sixth Monsters of Rock Cruise produced event and it was as much fun and kicked ass just like the previous five events have.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Travel day finally arrived and we had a 9:30 PM flight out of a local airport I had never flown out of in 52 plus years of life in this town so that alone was kind of a cool way to start the adventure. Throughout the day I had seen on the socials of other event attendees having travel chaos so I kept hope alive that we would not suffer the same fate as miserable as others were having.

    Late flights, lost luggage and gear seemed to be the norm this day. Alas, we did end up having flight delays that had us departing after the time we were originally scheduled to land so we really felt bad for whoever was on the other end of our flight waiting to pick us up for the forty five minute drive to the hotel.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    After a long day at work and a very delayed flight, my tiredness was instantly evaporated the moment we met our chauffeur extraordinaire, Will. Not only was he gracious and understanding about the delay we could just tell how much fun he was having interacting with all those who got to ride in his ‘free candy van’.

    (Photo-William Doüglas)

    Great conversation was had up to the point where Will said he was a retired policeman, to which I had to ask if he had ever tazed anyone? His answer was not only comedic gold, but B Man and I are still laughing over it a week after the event and I am sure will be forever. Will said “I tased all those mother f*ckers!

    (Photo-Brian Craig)

    I made them ride the lightning” Holy hell that was the laugh we needed at such a late and tired hour and made the ride that much more fun as he took us through a back road adventure we
    could have never found on our own – to the point I was thinking ‘where the hell are we?’ Already a new friend had been made!

    Autograph (Photo-Randy Cook)

    As we arrived and tried to check into the hotel at 1:45 AM, the guys in Autograph were at the desk struggling with the desk clerk to find their reservations.

    Nerd Halen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Alongside those guys was Caleb, the axe slinger of Nerd Halen who is a new friend from the most recent Monsters of Rock Cruise so it was great to already be in and among my rock brethren.

    Our new tase happy friend figured out that the Autograph
    band’s reservations were actually for a different hotel and he soon invited them into the ‘free candy van’ and away they went leaving Caleb, B Man and I to chat for a few minutes before we finally got the keys to our room and went and immediately passed out.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Before I begin to describe the awesomeness that this weekend event is and was, B Man and I want to express our thanks and gratitude to the behind the scenes staff who make this event happen. The people the fans do not see (much of at least).

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    The stage production staff, the sound and lighting team,
    the security group, the caterers, fellow photographers, the drivers who got us safely from and to the airport at all hours of the day and the Monsters staff as a whole.

    There is tireless dedicated work before, during and after an event like this and there is no way it can be successful without the people who make it happen. Many thanks to everyone we interacted with, broke bread with, laughed with, rocked out
    with and just enjoyed the company of our fellow rockers!

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Day one of the event had B Man and I eating breakfast at one of the over abundant pancake houses in the area. Then back to the hotel for a preflight check of our camera gear before we made the half mile trek down to the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Literally as soon as we step foot in the venue the reunion commences right away as familiar faces are everywhere.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    After doing a quick walk through of the empty main stage arena and vendor area we make our way to the “Summit Room”, which is another stage ‘venue’ as well as the location for all of the photo experience meet and greets that B Man and I would be photographing.

    (Photo-Brian Craig)

    After checking out a little bit of the Tango Down set, the first of what turned into twenty eight performances seen, we make our way back to the massive main hall with two side by stages.

    Tango Down (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Actually there was probably room for there to be three stages across the massive presence, but logistically with everything happening behind the scenes two stages did make more sense. The side by side stages were set to allow the maximum amount of rock and viewing in the least amount of time and space.

    Tango Down (Photo-Randy Cook)
    (Photo-Jody Wilk)

    As part of the ‘Production’ team for this event B Man and I also took some time to figure out access to both side and backstage as we had access to photo from literally anywhere as long as we were not interfering with any given band’s performance. So it was a necessity to get those routes figured out as soon as we could to allow for maximum photo potential.

    Nerd Halen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    When the daily schedule was announced and Nerd Halen was listed as what I perceived to be the opening band of the event, both B Man and I were elated to find out they were actually the closing band of the day. We thought this would mean possibly a longer set, but each band had the same out of performance time.

    It was just we were both blown away by Nerd Halen on the 2022 Monsters of Rock Cruise and even with some of my favorite heavyweights of rock scheduled for this day, Nerd Halen was
    the band I was most looking forward to seeing.

    Nerd Halen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    As a seasoned concert going dude and a knowledgeable
    Chief Metal Officer, I simply cannot stress enough just how amazing Nerd Halen is live. Their flavor of the iconic and anthemic tunes of the mighty Van Halen mixed with the humor that only (lead singer) Hal Sparks can deliver I savored every second and note of their hour long set.

    Caleb rocked the house right in front of both B Man and I more than once, and was beyond appreciative of the photos we shared
    directly with him and the band after the weekend. Super great guys in this band and totally the highlight show of the whole weekend for me, even though it was still only the first day.

    Tom Keifer (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Another musical highlight for me this day was seeing Tom Keifer’s Band. The amazing depth of his emotion as he screeeeeeeeeeams his heart out on “Nobody’s Fool’ gives me goosebumps as I write this because I saw him express that exact same passion a few weeks ago in Fort Myers, FL on the Sonic Slam Tour. https://www.rocketsports-ent.com/sonic-slam-2022-tour-sends-shock-waves-in-fort-myers-florida/

    Extreme (Photo-Randy Cook)

    In addition to Nerd Halen and Tom Keifer’s Band the day ended after seeing sets by Extreme, Quiet Riot (including the return of Rudy Sarzo), Richie Kotzen, Kip Winger acoustic, Autograph, Lillian Axe, and Tango Down. What an incredible first day musically.

    Kip Winger (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Tom Keifer (Photo-Randy Cook)

    For the photo experience sessions this day I had Nerd Halen in the afternoon and Autograph in the evening. These sessions are incredibly fun as it gives us photographers extra time with the bands as we get sorted out who will be where in the photos and for me it is a literal laugh fest the entire time – especially with comedian Hal Sparks, the lead singer of Nerd Halen.

    Kip Winger (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Hal kept telling everyone to “say hi to Kip (Winger) at the next photo station as they left our station – it was comedic gold as the guys in the band a few times wondered how many people were actually saying ‘Hi’ to Kip and something I’ll never forget! For the evening session, I got to share with the guys in Autograph how they were the first band I ever saw live, opening for Van Halen back in 1984 and I proudly showed off my ticket stub to the show
    and they all exclaimed how cool it was that I still had it.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)
    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Our second day started again with breakfast, and we found a really picturesque stream not too far from the café that we ate at. We respectfully stayed at a distance as a couple were exchanging their wedding vows at the exact spot B Man and I wanted to get a few captures from. Soon after man and wife became one, we moved in and snapped our shots then headed off for day two preflight check.

    Quiet Riot (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Lillian Axe (Photo-Randy Cook)

    As we departed the hotel, we encountered the guys in Lillian Axe, who B Man had done their photo experience the day before and I had on the 2022 Monsters of Rock Cruise. They were on their way to Germany for some shows and were gracious enough hanging out to enjoy a friendly chat with us as for as long as they possibly could before Will and his ‘free candy van’ arrived to whisk them to the airport.

    Nerd Halen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    We also encountered both Caleb and Hal from Nerd Halen who were also on their way to the airport headed to Texas for a show that night. We thanked them for an outstanding performance the night before and all shook hands farewell with me mentioning how Florida NEEDS a Nerd Halen tour.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    B Man and I make the trek to the Convention Center and by now we were familiar with the layout of the venue and the quickest routes from in front of the stage to both side and backstage that the metal media gods had bestowed upon us. After our first photo experience session of the day we found some
    time to go out and wander the streets close to and around the Convention Center.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Upon returning to the comforting air conditioning of the Convention Center we spent some time browsing and paying closer attention to the wares the rock vendors had on display. We got the chance to chat with my friend Tom, one of the curators of the Wentworth Gallery which manages the art display that has accompanied every ‘Monsters’ event I have attended.

    I met Tom on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in 2018 when an afternoon snack turned into a conversation with the gentleman seated next to me and an instant friendship was had.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    After seeing Tom on the most recent Monsters of Rock Cruise, he
    read my review after the fact where I mentioned B Man and I playing mini-golf aboard before the music started for the day. Tom asked me “Where the heck did you find mini-golf aboard the ship?” Once I found out Tom would also be aboard the 2022 Cruise to the Edge (another Monsters sponsored cruise), B Man and I made sure Tom was able to carve out some time to play mini-golf with us.

    Michael Sweet (Photo-Randy Cook)

    The three of us had a great laugh when Tom mentioned how insane the local mini-golf course looked but we all knew
    that would have to be for a later adventure as B Man and I literally had no play time on either side of this event.

    Wild America (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Soon after returning from our venture into the city, B man and I discovered the patio area and stage. Immediately walking out onto the patio, I do not recall which one of us said it first, but one of us commented how it smelled like the Pride Festival (an event B Man and I covered together earlier this year).

    Ritchie Kotzen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    It is an inside joke between him and I how at that Pride show we never went more than a few minutes without smelling someone burning the Devil’s lettuce. Funny thing is that was the one and only time the whole weekend we made that inside joke.

    Stephen Pearcy (Photo-Randy Cook)

    The musical highlight for me this day was seeing Stephen Pearcy. It had been since August 9 th, 1991 since I had seen Ratt and I have always been and forever will be a fan of this band. I held out so much hope that Ratt was one of the surprise last-minute additions to the 2020 Monsters of Rock Cruise, but alas that was not to be.

    Thirty one years in between shows and seeing this man perform with his backing band instantly took me back to my musically formative teenage years. Wow did his show ever kick ass.

    Stephen Pearcy (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Sending much love after the fact (there were many thank yous at the time of) to the spicy ginger who went out of her way to re-arrange the photo experience session photographer schedule when I mentioned how much of a highlight seeing Stephen Pearcy would be – sending hugs from here to again show my appreciation! My camera and I thank you!

    Stephen Pearcy (Photo-Randy Cook)

    More rock was had as this day held fantastic sets by Queensrÿche, Stryper, Dangerous Toys, Enuff Z’Nuff, Cold Sweat, John Corabi acoustic, and Cody Parks & The Dirty South with their funky blend of ‘country metal’ as we continued to see more old friends and all the while still making new ones.

    Queensrÿche (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Queensrÿche (Photo-Randy Cook)

    For the one photo session I did today I had Cody Parks & The Dirty South who had just performed moments before. I got to share how much I enjoyed their blend of country and metal and found out Cody (their lead singer) was local to my area, having played several of the beach bars I had frequented years back.

    Cody Parks & The Dirty South (Photo-Randy Cook)

    What a small world as B Man and I shared how we often go out to John’s Pass in Madeira Beach to do animal and sunset photography and Cody joined in the chat with how much he loved the laid back beach vibe out there and my reply was how “…we live in paradise”.

    Cody Parks & The Dirty South (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Our third and final day had us back for breakfast at the same pancake house as our first day. Walking back to our hotel, I could see in the distance some wording on a hotel marquee that I couldn’t quite read in the distance, but upon getting closer it made me stop and take a photo.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    It did not quite register at first, but upon re-reading someone (probably a drunken, long haired, Devil’s lettuce induced, rock n roll hooligan) had changed to the wording to read “I Lick WAP” – well, B man and I had a great laugh over who, when and how the change was made and especially we laughed at the owners who were probably wondering why their local one-off motel was all of a sudden trending on social media.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    I recall thinking that while I could not recall what the sign said in the days before, if anything, because the other side was blank, who carries those letters around to even do something like this. After our final preflight check, during our trek to the venue we noticed the newly erected sign was down.

    Vixen (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Vixen (Photo-Randy Cook)

    From the moment we arrived at the Convention Center, while we had the whole day still in front of us sadly we knew it would be time to say goodbye to friends old and new because this day would go by in what seemed like an instant. “See you on MoRC 23” was the realization of the next time our rock family would all be together again. Social media and texting keeps us in touch, but I much prefer the person to person interaction, especially in an environment that we all enjoy so much.

    Kix (Photo-Randy Cook)

    I cannot pinpoint a specific musical highlight this day as I was savoring every note of every band knowing the event was steadily drawing to a close. Cody Parks & The Dirty South playing outside on the patio, Vixen totally kicking ass, Kix commanding the stage and Firehouse absolutely rocked out.

    Firehouse (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Firehouse (Photo-Randy Cook)

    I was completely wiped out by the time Night Ranger took the stage to close out the main stage fun. My feet hurt so bad from so much walking that I planted myself to watch and just enjoyed their set, taking not one single photo (which I now regret as my feet eventually grew back after several days rest).

    John Corabi (Photo-Randy Cook)

    My photo experience sessions this day were with Nelson in the afternoon and The Hot Summers in the evening. As fast as the crew tries to funnel people through these photo experience sessions we photographers always take that quick second to look after a shot to make sure everyone’s eyes are open and nothing wacky happened to the camera’s settings since the last shot.

    Quiet Riot (Photo-Randy Cook)

    This one guy I thought his eyes were closed so I called him back for a second photo. That second photo his eyes looked like they were closed too, but more than likely he had joined in a Devils lettuce session out on the patio earlier. The Nelson brothers asked to do a third shot with him and asked me for a three count (instead of a two count) and as I said “Three”, they both closed their eyes for the photo.

    Nelson (Photo-Randy Cook)

    One other funny moment occurred at the Nelson photo experience, after we were done and a few people who had waited patiently outside after their turn to come back in to hopefully have a few minutes with the guys in the band(s) and possibly get items autographed.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    As I am putting my camera away, a guy comes up to me and says “Hey man, I’m friends with (I do not recall the name he said) and we used to hang with you guys after you played back in the day at (again I do not recall where he said)…” It took me a second to realize he thought I was part of the band, even though I am wearing a clearly marked “Crew” shirt, I had my camera in my hand and I was the one who just took his picture with the band minutes ago. Well we had a laugh, I pointed him over to the right group of people and I jokingly wondered if maybe it was time to get a haircut.

    Enuff Znuff (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Sadly we exited the venue for the last time (this year at least– hint, hint, bring Monsters on the Mountain back to Gatlinburg in 2023 please!) and with an 8 am flight on Monday, it was a 5:15 am pick up time for us and both B Man and I hoped for another ride in the ‘free candy van’ with Will.

    (Photo-Randy Cook)

    Well, it was another Will who provided this ride’s entertainment as DJ Will of KNAC.com fame was in our group with early flights. This time thankfully there were no flight delays or anything and B Man and I arrived back in St. Petersburg. We stopped and had breakfast, then we each went our separate ways and soon after
    arriving at my house literal total exhaustion grabbed hold of me and the next thing I know it is more than five hours later after I woke up.

    Dangerous Toys (Photo-Randy Cook)

    It is a total first-world problem to be that tired after having so much of a fun, head banging and kick ass weekend but I would not trade the recovery time it took me to get back to feeling like myself and I seriously cannot wait to do it again next year (but with a day or two on either side of the festival to explore the area).

    Wild America (Photo-Randy Cook)

    It was a fantastic weekend. We got to spend time with some amazing and incredibly talented people, musicians, photographers and support crew. We got to rock out with some of the legends of 80’s hair metal as well as exploring bands both new and old I was not familiar with, to the best tribute band I
    have ever seen.

    Stryper (Photo-Randy Cook)

    I already miss my “Monsters” peeps and while I have enjoyed seeing other photographer’s work from the event and reading their words of how kick ass of a time they had I am
    already counting down the days until we can get our family back together again!

    Additional Photos By Randy Cook

    Joe Satriani (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Don Jamieson (Photo-Randy Cook)
    (Photo-Randy Cook)
    (Photo-Randy Cook)
    (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Vixen (Photo-Randy Cook)
    Queensrÿche (Photo-Randy Cook)
  • Sonic Slam 2022 Tour Sends Shock Waves in Fort Myers, Florida

    Sonic Slam 2022 Tour Sends Shock Waves in Fort Myers, Florida

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Article & Photos by Randy Cook & Travis Failey

    The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon in Fort Myers, FL was our destination on Sunday, July 24th to attend the rock concert tour of the summer in “Sonic Slam 2022.” Now you may think that the Stadium Tour featuring Motley and Def Leppard was the tour of the summer, well my friends you would be incorrect, especially if you witnessed what we did in Fort Myers.    

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Tom Keifer, the lead singer of the now disbanded multiplatinum selling Cinderella, was set to shine onto Southwest Florida with his new “Keifer Band.”  Along on the “Sonic Slam 2022” tour was L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat. A solid lineup of some great rock mixing in some new material with mostly older well know tunes that all three bands made their career with.  All of them formed in the mid 80’s and are still releasing new music, albeit Tom Keifer under his own name, while still actively keeping the Cinderella spirit and sound alive during his performances and in the hearts and ears of us in the crowd.

    As we arrived at the Ranch after a two hour plus drive with a packed car, we were all very interested to go into the venue as none of us had been there before. The line of fans stretched around the building and out into the parking lot as the Florida summer heat was still cranking at 6 pm. People were tailgating and partaking in all sorts of drinks and other substances getting their buzz on prior to the show. It was an old school parking lot bash on a Sunday night.   

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Walking into the Ranch Concert Hall was an eye-opening experience. This venue is huge with a big stage and even bigger dance floor as country music and dancing is the norm here. There were tables and chairs galore around the perimeter of the dance floor and many were occupied prior to Faster Pussycat taking the stage.

    The bartenders were all primed to take care of the patrons and with a start time of 7, Faster Pussycat hit the stage only a few minutes after that.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Vocalist and founding member Taime Downe acknowledged the crowd with a throwing of the “horns” as he strutted towards the microphone with the band kicking in to “Jack The Bastard” from their junior release in 1992.   

    Downe who was sporting a cowboy hat and vest got the crowd singing and shaking with a trio of hits from the band in “Cathouse,” Slip of the Tongue” and “Don’t Change that Song.”

    Photo-Randy Cook

    The band was really having a great time with Downe smiling and two of the young gun slingers in the band in Ronnie Simmons and Sam “Bam” Koltun, shredding with the ladies in the crowd keeping their eyes glued to them.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Faster Pussycat then played “NOLA” which was their first original single they have released since 2006 with some in the crowd recognizing it. Faster then played their biggest song of all time which got everyone singing and some with tears in their eyes in “House of Pain.”  

    Photo-Randy Cook
    Photo-Randy Cook

    The whole band was super tight and sounded great, especially Taime Downe. Faster Pussycat veterans, bassist Danny Nordahl and drummer Chad Stewart kept the back line tight and sounded fantastic especially during “Poison Ivy” and the finale that I couldn’t wait to hear in “Bathroom Wall.”

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Faster Pussycat were fantastic and got the crowd revved up and ready and 20 minutes later right before L.A. Guns shot onto the stage, Tracii Guns was backstage near his rig and commenced playing “Diary Of A Madman.”

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Fans had their eyes wide open and it was a dynamic opening to a fast and furious 8 song set that was kicked off by “Cannonball” from their recent release in ‘The Devil You Know’ album. 

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Phil Lewis was in complete command of the crowd from the jump and once again performed like a spry 25-year-old singer.  It’s amazing what Phil does night in and night out as the 65-year-old vocalist in L.A Guns. I’ve seen him perform at least ten times and he’s always sharp and on his game, and this was especially noticeable on “Over The Edge” and the fan favorite “The Ballad Of Jayne.”

    Photo-Travis Failey

    As a segue to “Over The Edge,” Tracii Guns reached into his bag of guitar tricks and played a bit of “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath with a bow.  Never have I seen this played with a bow before. It was amazing. Tracii had a big smile on his face as both he and Ace Von Johnson crushed the dual lead guitar parts with the crowd screaming in approval.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Another highlight of their set was when L.A. Guns played “Speed” from The Missing Piece album from 2017.   

    This song goes 100 miles an hour from start to finish and is a continuation of fast paced shredding songs that L.A. Guns fans have loved throughout their career.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    An L.A. Guns show would not be complete without the song that put them on the map way back in the 80’s in “Never Enough.” Tracii along with drummer Shane Fitzgibbons and bassist Johnny Martin, played the intro to “Hells Bells” by AC/DC which led perfectly into “Never Enough.” Guns also played tribute to Eddie Van Halen by playing a small piece of “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love.”

    Photo-Randy Cook

    L.A. Guns concluded with a rousing rendition of “Rip and Tear” that left fans banging their head even after the song concluded. Once again it was evident that L.A. Guns still has it in spades after all these years and still leave everything on the stage with the fans wanting more. The band left the stage as an upbeat rendition of “So Long, Farewell” played over the loudspeakers.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After seeing L.A. Guns again, It was confirmed that Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns should be recognized as one of the great song writing tandems of our generation and it was evident just by the crowd reaction on Sunday night in Fort Myers.

    With a bit more of an extended break before Tom Keifer hit the stage, I walked around the Ranch and took in a bit more of the venue. I just can’t rave about this place enough. The sound and the setup were fantastic and the staff working there were accommodating to say the least. I would definitely suggest seeing a show here and I wish The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon was in the Tampa area.

    Photo-Randy Cook

     As the stage lights were dimmed, Tom Keifer and his band stood center stage by the drum riser and had a pre-show round circle meeting of his mates before kicking the set off with “Touching the Divine” from his most recent release in “Rise”

    It sounds funny to say that Tom and his band are finally getting to go out on the road and to play his new songs for his fans, but we all know that back story on that. All I know is from the jump, Keifer looked and sounded great and that was confirmed as the title track from the debut album Night Songs, commenced.  

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Keifer screamed “I Need A Shot of Gasoline” that reverberated through the venue and really primed the crowd for the rest of the set as Keifer’s voice sounded fantastic.

    With fellow guitarist Tony Higbee and Keifer sharing lead guitar duties, these two were in perfect sync all night.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    After “Coming Home” and “Its Not Enough,” Keifer and his band went back to the Cinderella debut album and their first video on MTV with “Somebody Save Me.”

     The band was doing five person perfect harmonies as Kendra Chantelle and Savannah Keifer provided backing vocals throughout the set. It was almost like we were at a church chorus; the harmonies were that tight.  

    Photo-Randy Cook

     After “Rise,” Higbee broke out the double neck Gibson and the opening notes of “Nobody’s Fool” rang out as Keifer addressed the crowd and asked them if they wanted to sing tonight. He started but then the crowd took over until the chorus hit.  It was musical magic and it took the crowd instantly back to a simpler time when MTV actually played videos and mattered to us.

    Photo-Randy Cook

    Other than for “Solid Ground” from the 2013 The Way Life Goes release, the next three songs were a trio from Cinderella’s sophomore release Long Cold Winter.   These included the bluesy “Falling Apart at the Seams” “The Last Mile” and the huge hit “Don’t Know What You Got (Till Its Gone.)

    Photo-Randy Cook

    The last three songs were straight rockers in “Shake Me” “Shelter Me” and the encore/finale in of course “Gypsy Road.”

    As we left the venue I looked back and thought that sadly, in all of my concert going days I had never seen Cinderella live. They were a band who was a staple in my formative years especially as our local radio station back in the day gained notoriety as drummer Fred Coury wore an upside down 95YNF shirt in Cinderella’s ‘Somebody Save Me’ video.

    This also started a semi silly craze in the area as locals turned their 95YNF license plates on the front of their cars upside down in a show of rock solidarity. This came out when I was sixteen and somehow, I had not managed to ever see them live. I never really thought of them as a “hair band” especially after the second album hit with a much more bluesy sound.  

    Photo-Randy Cook

    They were also on their way to separating themselves from most of the other bands of that genre with a huge European tour just as Desert Storm commenced. This was a huge setback and Cinderella was never truly able to regain traction especially with grunge at the doorstep.

    Photo-Travis Failey

    Over three decades later though Tom Keifer with his recognizable trademark voice, carries on the Cinderella legacy as only he can. Keifer and his band were fantastic and played every note without issue or backing tracks and the fans loved it.

    The Sonic Slam 2022 tour proved that you don’t need 40,000 plus fans in a stadium to have an amazing tour and night of music. All they needed was great musicianship, a crowd hungry for the songs they love and an awesome venue. Thankfully for us in attendance, all three were in play and many stated as we left the venue that we witnessed the concert tour of the summer.

    For dates near you go to http://www.tomkeifer.com/events/