Legendary 70's Rockers CAIN To Perform September 17!!

If you know anything about forgotten 70's hard rock you have heard of Cain. This Minneapolis-based band was one of the heaviest bands out there in the 70's, and their LPs command big bucks if you can find them. Cain independently released two albums on the ASI label, A Pound Of Flesh and Stinger, and third album wasn't completed before the band broke up. The Monster Records reissue of A Pound Of Flesh a few years ago generated new interest in this cult band, and fans today still rave about the thick guitars and Jiggs Lee's vocals.

As I was flipping through the City Pages a couple days ago, I was stunned to see Cain listed as performing at the Mid America Music Hall Of Fame Induction Award Show on Friday, September 17 at the Sheraton in Bloomington, Minnesota. This appears to be the real deal, as an earlier version of the advertisement (below) lists "Jiggs Lee and Cain". I've never heard of Cain doing any reunion shows, so this could be your only chance to hear their songs live. Former members are now an anesthesiologist and a popular radio personality here in Minneapolis.

The other performing acts probably won't be of any interest to readers here, but Cain is worth the price of admission alone. I'll try to find out more information about Cain's performance and report back. Get your tickets in advance as this event is expected to sell out.

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KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE - Minnesota Dates Announced

It's been a while since anything has been heard from Bonz, former vocalist for rap-metal pioneers Stuck Mojo. His new band is called Killer In The Workplace, and also features former members of Soulfly and Primer 55. There's no word yet on when any recorded material will be released, but the band is hitting the road later this month through October in a lot of out-of-the-way places in the Upper Midwest, including shows in Circle Pines (October 14) and Rochester, Minnesota (October 16). Here's the current list of tour dates for Killer In The Workplace:

September 24 - Middletown, NY, Orange County Fair Speedway
October 1 - Orlando, FL, The Haven
October 2 - South Ft. Myers, FL, Skeeter B's
October 7 - Louisville, KY, Phoenix Hill Tavern
October 8 - Peoria, IL, The Brass Rail
October 9 - Green Bay, WI, Players Lounge
October 10 - Spooner, WI, Stone Pony
October 14 - Circle Pines, MN, Bamboo Betty's
October 15 - Northwood, IA, Bar Games
October 16 - Rochester, MN, Midwest Skate Park
October 17 - Fort Dodge, IA, Eagles Landing
October 22 - Sandusky, OH, The Underground
October 23 - Murfreesboro, NC, Zakk's Coffee House
October 31 - Atlanta, GA, Lenny's
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KISS - From The Vault

Kiss played at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand last night, and although I didn't go I thought it'd be fun to reminisce about some past times that I've seen the legendary rockers. One of the very first concerts I went to was Kiss and Dokken in March 1985 in Dubuque, Iowa at the Five Flags Center, a small arena. Kiss had recently recruited Bruce Kulick to replace guitarist Mark St. John in support of Animalize, and Dokken was just starting to get some legs with Tooth And Nail. Me and my junior high school friends were too young to drive, so my friend's parents drove a carload of us 90 minutes to Dubuque for this. My friend's stepfather who drove us later went on to become a United States Congressman, haha! We thought it was funny that a small crowd was protesting the "Satanic and evil" Kiss outside the venue. Tooth And Nail is easily one of my favorite 80's albums, and Dokken tore the roof off playing most of the album, including "Heartless Heart", "Tooth And Nail", "Don't Close Your Eyes", "Just Got Lucky", "When Heaven Comes Down", "Into The Fire", and "Alone Again". Kiss blew we away, too, and I remember them playing a great set that included "Firehouse", "Black Diamond", "Under The Gun", and many, many of the usual favorites.

I didn't see Kiss again for another five years, however, I caught them three times on the Hot In The Shade tour in 1990. The first two times were in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa (I posted an uncirculated audio bootleg of the Cedar Rapids show here) with two of the worst opening acts you could have asked for, Faster Pussycat and Slaughter. For the second leg of the tour, Winger replaced Faster Pussycat and Kiss changed around the set list a little bit (they brought back "I Was Made For Loving You"). By the time I saw this show in East Troy, Wisconsin, Slaughter had taken off in a huge way. The pyramid stage set for Kiss on this tour was completely over the top!

The Revenge album was the first album from Kiss that had excited me in a long time, so I was glad Kiss returned to Cedar Rapids in 1992. Great White and Trixter opened this show, but we got there late and missed both bands. Kiss never disappoints, so this was another great show although one without any surprises.

It's hard to believe that it's been 14 years now since I last saw Kiss. This 1996 show in Kansas City sold out instantly because this was the first reunion tour with makeup and the four original members. Despite all the hype, it probably wasn't any better than any of the other Kiss shows I've seen. Unfortunately, this show has become legendary because Alice In Chains was the opener and it was the last public performance of singer Layne Staley. That's Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell's signature on the ticket stub. I met him in 2001 at a club in San Diego before one of his solo shows where he also autographed my We Die Young EP.

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DIMMU BORGIR Sets North American Tour, Minneapolis November 16

Norway's black metal leaders Dimmu Borgir have announced a North American tour that will take them all across the United States and Canada. Sporting their best support acts in some time, Enslaved, Blood Red Throne, and Dawn Of Ashes, this should be a great show to catch in the more intimate confines of The Cabooze when it hits Minneapolis on November 16. The new album from Dimmu Borgir, Abrahadabra, will be released on North America on October 12 via Nuclear Blast.

November 5 - Worcester, MA, The Palladium
November 6 - Albany, NY, Northern Lights
November 7 - Towson, MD, Recher Theater
November 8 - New York, NY, Terminal 5
November 10 - Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade
November 12 - Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Smalls
November 13 - Detroit, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre
November 14 - Chicago, IL, House Of Blues
November 15 - Milwaukee, WI, The Rave
November 16 - Minneapolis, MN, The Cabooze
November 18 - Calgary, AB, MacEwan Ballroom
November 19 - Edmonton, AB, Edmonton Events Center
November 21 - Vancouver, BC, Rickshaw Theater
November 22 - Spokane, WA, The Knitting Factory
November 23 - Portland, OR, Roseland Theatre
November 24 - Seattle, WA, Showbox SoDo
November 26 - Reno, NV, The Knitting Factory
November 27 - Pomona, CA, The Fox Theater
November 28 - San Francisco, CA, The Regency Grand Ballroom
November 30 - Las Vegas, NV, House Of Blues
December 1 - Tucson, AZ, Rialto Theater
December 2 - Tempe, AZ, Marquee Theatre
December 3 - Albuquerque, NM, Sunshine Theatre
December 4 - Englewood, CO, Gothic Theater
December 6 - Dallas, TX, House Of Blues
December 7 - Houston, TX, House Of Blues
December 9 - Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall
December 10 - Philadelphia, PA, Electric Factory
December 11 - Buffalo, NY, Town Ballroom
December 12 - Toronto, ON, Sound Academy
December 13 - Montreal, QC, Metropolis
December 14 - Quebec City, QC, Imperial
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Illness Forces KAMELOT Singer Roy Khan To Miss North American Tour

Progressive/power metal band Kamelot issued a press release stating that vocalist Roy Khan was recently striken with an undiagnosed illness during tour rehearsals in Tampa, Florida, and has returned home to Norway to recover. Rather than cancel the tour on the eve of its start, Kamelot has drafted Michael Eriksen from Norway's Circus Maximus to sing on this tour with Roy's "full and unconditional blessing." Also joining the band for this outing will be Elize Ryd, Swedish vocalist for Amaranthe.

Kamelot also announced that an ESP guitar autographed by Thomas Youngblood will be given away at the end of the North American tour. You can enter the drawing for the guitar only at each of the shows. After nearly selling out Station 4 the last time through St. Paul, Kamelot steps up to the main room at First Avenue in Minneapolis on September 25, and the full tour itinerary is listed below. Support on the Minneapolis date will come from Leaves' Eyes, Blackguard, and Dawn Of Valor. Kamelot's new album, Poetry For The Poisoned, will be released in the United States on September 10.

September 8 - Lake Buena Vista, FL, House Of Blues

September 10 - Atlanta, GA, Progpower USA Festival

September 11 - Springfield, VA, Jaxx

September 14 - Philadelphia, PA, The Tracadero

September 15 - New York, NY, Nokia Theatre, Record release show

September 17 - Worcester, MA, The Palladium

September 18 - Montreal, QC, Club Soda

September 19 - Toronto, ON, The Opera House

September 21 - Cleveland, OH, Peabody's

September 22 - Milwaukee, WI, The Rave

September 24 - Chicago, IL, Logan Square Auditorium

September 25 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue w/Leaves' Eyes, Blackguard, Dawn Of Valor

September 27 - Denver, CO, Bluebird Theatre

September 29 - San Francisco, CA, Slim's

October 1 - Hollywood, CA, House Of Blues

October 2 - San Diego, CA, House Of Blues

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Dave Mustaine Book Review

Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

Dave Mustaine with Joe Layden, HarperCollins, 2010
10/10

Everyone is familiar with both the brilliant music created by Dave Mustaine as a member of Megadeth and Metallica, and the seemingly never-ending controversies that he engenders. Mustaine is an extremely personal and insightful autobiography that doesn’t shy away from any topic, be it long-term drug and alcohol abuse, marital problems, band personnel changes, or the long-simmering feud with Metallica. Mustaine is well-known for his pointed opinions and that continues here, so what you get is an honest, sometimes raw, self-portrait of one of the most important metal musicians.

The book begins with Mustaine recounting the pinched nerve injury that nearly ended his career during a stint in rehab that ultimately led to him finding God. This internal reflection leads into him telling the early story of his childhood and events that shaped him. He grew up apart from his alcoholic father, living a nomadic-type existence as his family sought to escape him. This was a tough life that’s hard to imagine, and it’s inspiring to hear about how music provided a release from these hardships. This early lifestyle of music and drugs also was nearly his downfall. It’s hard not to feel some shred of sympathy at having grown up this way, and it puts Dave’s volatile personality in context.

A good deal of time is spent recounting his early friendship with Lars Ulrich, the earliest days of Metallica, and the events that led to his unceremonious departure. I imagine that there are parts of this history that some will disagree with, but remember that this is Mustain’s autobiography and he’s telling it the way he saw events transpire. By his account, this time (as well as much of Megadeth’s history) was fueled by massive amounts of alcohol and drug abuse by all parties, so everyone’s version of events will differ.

The underside of Megadeth’s history has been publicized in the press far less, and this is the part of the book that is most fascinating. What emerges is the tale of an individual that is so driven, so focused to succeed, that not even the most trying of personal and professional circumstances can hold him back. For as high of a profile as Megadeth has had since its early days, it astounded me to learn that many bands members were invited to join simply because they were in the right place at the right time. For instance, Chuck Beehler and Nick Menza were Megadeth drum technicians who happened to be available to step in at a moment’s notice. I also enjoyed Dave’s explanation for how Megadeth’s sound changed with the release of Cryptic Writings. He doesn’t offer any excuses or apologies, and he’s very forthright with the band’s goals at the time.

Throughout all this, Mustaine describes the toll that his career has had on his marriage, his kids, and his recurring struggle with alcohol and drug abuse. Near the end of the book, he is very clear about how finding God saved him, his marriage, and the band. Metal fans scoff at this, but once again, Mustaine isn’t afraid to speak his mind about this without sounding like a Bible-thumper. He also spends some time explaining his decision to not attend Metallica’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the resolution of his disputes with Metallica.

Minnesota is mentioned a couple times during Megadeth’s history. Bassist David Ellefson is from rural Minnesota, so when describing how he met Ellefson, Mustaine muses that “for some reason, I guess there was a small but thriving metal scene in the Upper Midwest.” Yes, California and New York weren’t the only places that had metal scenes! Ellefson had left Minnesota with guitarist Greg Handevidt, who also joined the first version of Megadeth. Mustaine notes that Handevidt remained friends with the band even after he left, eventually returning to Minnesota to form thrash band Kublai Khan. One early show in Minnesota (presumably Minneapolis or St. Paul) in the mid-80s is mentioned where Mustaine “had beaten up a fan in Minnesota after he rushed the stage.” Mustaine freely acknowledges poor stage behavior in the past, and this brought to mind an old Megadeth concert review from Minnesota. The following account of a Megadeth show in the Twin Cities published in 1987 was given by the late Earl Root in Jake Wisely’s Sheet Metal fanzine #1 (the exact date and place of the show isn’t noted):

"…the kids really dug Dave Mustaine’s drunken obnoxiousness, and when he got overly lippy, or just down right rude in a not-so-cool way, the kids grooved on it more. They completely overlooked his sloppy playing and poor guitar sound (which was almost nonexistent). Some guy said shit to him about being an asshole or something and Dave retaliated with quote: 'Just because your Mom gargles with my cum doesn’t mean you can call me asshole on my stage. Come on up here you skinhead creepy faggot and I’ll personally kick your ass.' There was more bickering and then a couple of goons with Mega-badges hauled him outside while Dave just sat there and smirked. This whole five minute ordeal was more entertaining than their whole fucking show. (My sentiments exactly, even though I left early –Ed.)"

Mustaine is a fascinating read from front to back, and only extreme fatigue kept me from absorbing this is one sitting. The editor missed a few minor errors in the e-book edition I have, such as misspelling producer Dave Jerden’s name and having a picture or two labeled with the wrong caption. It should be apparent that Mustaine is a must-read for any metal fan. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Megadeth or Metallica, this is a compelling life story about success, failures, addictions, and musical history that anyone will appreciate. It’s a rare, honest, personal account by one of metal’s greatest individuals.

 

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NAILS Begins Tour Today, Announces Minneapolis Show

It's unfortunate that when you mention hardcore bands, most people seem to think you're speaking of lame metalcore bands. Nails is a cool California hardcore band in the traditional sense of the genre, and Southern Lord Records will be re-issuing their latest album, Unsilent Death, on CD and releasing their next album early next year. The press release touts their similarity to late-90's Amphetamine Reptile bands such as Today Is The Day, Helmet, and Unsane, so how cool is that? Nails embarks on a lengthy North American tour in a couple days, and a date has been added in Minneapolis on Sunday, October 3 at The Beat Coffehouse in Uptown. Nails will also take part in a free Scion-sponsored show on September 11 at The Roxy in Hollywood; RSVP for this event at www.scionav.com/metalshow. The complete tour itinerary for Nails follows.

September 5 - Mesa, AZ, Nile Front Room
September 6 - El Paso, TX, 10756 Limas
September 7 - San Antonio, TX, Ten Eleven

September 8 - Austin, TX, Red 7
September 9 - Dallas, TX, The Nightmare
September 10 - Little Rock, AR, Downtown Music
September 11 - Hollywood, CA, The Roxy, w/Trash Talk, Magrudergrind
September 12 - Birmingham, AL, Firehouse
September 13 - Atlanta, GA, 585 Wells
September 14 - Pembroke Pines, FL, Talent Farm
September 15 - Tampa, FL, Transitions
September 16 - Jacksonville, FL, Warehouse 8B
September 17 - Greenboro, NC, Legitimate Business
September 18 - Cincinnati, OH, Daniels Pub
September 19 - Indianapolis, IN, Dojo
September 20 - Chicago, IL, Double Door, w/Venomous Concept
September 21 - Detroit, MI, Blondie's, w/Venomous Concept
September 22 - Baltimore, MD, Sonar, w/Venomous Concept
September 23 - Brooklyn, NY, Europa, w/Venomous Concept, Strong Intention
September 24 - Montreal, QC, Katacombes, w/Venomous Concept
September 25 - Toronto, ON, Sneaky Dees, w/Venomous Concept
September 26 - Burlington, VT, 242 Main
September 27 - Albany, NY, Bogies
September 28 - Philadelphia, PA, TBA
September 29 - New Haven, CT, Lilly's Pad
September 30 - Cleveland, OH, The Church
October 1 - Toledo, OH, Mickey Finn's
October 2 - Cedar Falls, IA, 1108 Main
October 3 - Minneapolis, MN, The Beat Coffeehouse
October 4 - Kansas City, MO, Scion Lab
October 5 - Denver, CO, Blast-O-Mat
October 8 - San Diego, CA, Che Café
October 9 - San Francisco, CA, Sub Mission
October 10 - Fresno, CA, The CYC
October 30 - Hollywood, CA, Troubadour

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Kiss - May 23, 1990, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Kiss continues to support last year's Sonic Boom release with a show tomorrow night at the Minnesota State Fair. To get you ready, here's an uncirculated audio recording of Kiss in 1990 on the Hot In The Shade tour. Of course, a healthy dose of songs from the mid-70's era are played, and this tour featured all of their hits from the 80's that aren't played much anymore, such as "Forever", "Tears Are Falling", "Heaven's On Fire", "Hide Your Heart", "Rise To It", and "Crazy, Crazy Nights". The real gems here are "Fits Like A Glove" and "Under The Gun". The tape was switched for the encores, and unfortunately that master tape hasn't been found yet. The final three that are missing, based upon the set list from other shows on this leg of the tour, are "Detroit Rock City", "I Want You", and "Rock And Roll All Nite".

Kiss - 1990-05-23, Cedar Rapids, IA, Five Seasons Center

90 minutes, audience recording, mp3@128 kbps

1. Intro

2. I Stole Your Love

3. Deuce

4. Heaven's On Fire

5. Rise To It

6. Fits Like A Glove

7. Crazy, Crazy Nights

8. Strutter

9. Calling Dr. Love

10. Hide Your Heart

11. Black Diamond

12. Shout It Out Loud

13. Lick It Up

14. Cold Gin

15. Forever

16. God Of Thunder

17. Under The Gun

18. I Love It Loud

19. Tears Are Falling

20. Detroit Rock City (missing)

21. I Want You (missing)

22. Rock And Roll All Nite (missing)

This was recorded from the center-front seats with a Sony WM-D6 and external stereo shotgun microphones, and each song was individually mastered. The sound is good for an audience recording and is very listenable, probably a generous B grade. This is definitely worth downloading if you're a fan. Sorry, a higher bit rate version is not available. The download link is in the text file:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H8GJUW51

As always, I encourage sharing, but please share the link to this post rather than the text file or the download link. Thanks and enjoy!

Kiss performs this Saturday, September 4 at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand in St. Paul. Support will come from The Envy.

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Suffocation Announces North American Headlining Tour

Death metal heavyweights Suffocation have announced a Fall North American headlining tour to promote their latest album, Blood Oath. Support acts for the tour are The Faceless, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, Decrepit Birth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse. With 26 shows in 28 days, this looks to be a grueling trek. The package comes to St. Paul at Station 4 on Sunday, October 24.

Suffocation w/The Faceless, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, Decrepit Birth, and Fleshgod Apocalypse

October 15 - Worchester, MA, The Palladium

October 16 - New York, NY, Gramercy Theatre

October 17 - Quebec City, QC, Imperial Theater

October 18 - Montreal, QC, Foufounes

October 19 - Jonquiere, QC, Place Nikitouragan

October 20 - Toronto, ON, Opera House

October 21 - Poughkeepsie, NY, The Chance

October 22 - Detroit, MI, Harpo's

October 23 - Chicago, IL, Clearwater Theatre

October 24 - St. Paul, MN, Station 4

October 25 - Milwaukee, WI, The Rave

October 27 - Denver, CO, Summit Music Hall

October 28 - Salt Lake City, UT, TBA

October 29 - Las Vegas, NV, The Farm

October 30 - Pomona, CA, The Glasshouse

October 31 - Los Angeles, CA, The Whisky

November 1 - Phoenix, AZ, The Clubhouse

November 2 - Albuquerque, NM, Fusion Factory

November 3 - Amarillo, TX, Club Khaos

November 4 - Tulsa, OK, Marquee Theatre

November 5 - Austin, TX, Emo's

November 6 - Ft. Worth, TX, Ridglea Theatre

November 8 - Tampa, FL, Brass Mug

November 9 - Jacksonville, FL, The Pit

November 10 - Raleigh, NC, Volume 11

November 11 - Philadelphia, PA, Polaris

November 12 - Springfield, VA, Jaxx

November 13 - Allentown, PA, Crocodile Rock

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Black Stone Cherry Concert Review

Black Stone Cherry

Monday, August 30, 2010

Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, St. Paul, MN

Fairly or not, Kentucky’s Black Stone Cherry have been tagged as a Southern rock band, a term that I think is grossly inaccurate. To me, Southern rock conjures the more relaxed style of classic acts such as The Allman Brothers Band, Molly Hatchet, and Blackfoot. Black Stone Cherry certainly has this type of influence, but they are first and foremost a hard rock band that has a much wider appeal. They proved this tonight as they burst onto the stage in the fading sunlight with “Crosstown Woman” from their self-titled debut. No time was wasted as the band moved on to two tracks, “Blind Man” and “Please Come In”, from their latest album, Folklore And Superstition. Guitarist Ben Wells and bassist Jon Lawhon raced around the stage as they played, riling up the crowd with their energy. Even their drummer, John Fred Young, was fun to watch as stood up behind his kit while playing, at times leaning over to bash the front of his bass drum. The biggest break was when vocalist and guitarist Chris Robertson announced that the band has been working on new material most of this year and introduced a new song, “Blame It On The Boom-Boom”, that features a great “Hey!” sing-a-long. The show returned to their first album with “Maybe Someday” and “Lonely Train”. By this time the crowd was generating a large amount of applause, and the set closed with “We Are The Kings”, which featured an interlude/jam on “Voodoo Chile” that included Chris playing his guitar with his teeth. Black Stone Cherry packed a wallop in their short 35 minute set, and it was clear that the crowd wanted more. Judging from the long line of people that waited to meet the band at the merch tent immediately following their set, Black Stone Cherry is poised for great things. The entire band cheerfully met with their fans, taking the time to briefly chat and pose for pictures with everyone. It was a great start to the evening, and left me with no reason to stick around for Hinder and Seether. Without a doubt, Black Stone Cherry’s third album is going to be one of the most eagerly anticipated hard rock releases in coming months.

Click any picture for more photos of Black Stone Cherry (28).

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