Rocklahoma: Live on HDNet

Rocklahoma 2012

On Sunday, 27th of May, the music festival Rocklahoma had its final day.  Luckily for the people not in Oklahoma this weekend, Mark Cuban's HDNet decided to air the last day of the festival live for people to see.  Rocklahoma is a hard rock festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma.  It’s a hard rock festival with a southern tinge to it.  Obviously the bands playing it are mostly in that style although there are some that leave that mold a little bit.  From the heavier stuff to the more progressive and alternative.  This is a review of the last day of the festival which was aired on HDNet.  Out of the four stages, we got two, which is pretty damn good.  Most of these band I have never seen or heard live, so this will be a good experience.

Rains

 (Hard Rock Stage)

The first thing that really jumped out at me was that the vocalist didn’t sound so good.  HDNet had some problems trying to fix the sound and have it fit well for the TV crowd so that might have had something to do with their sound.  Sometimes the musicians were nice and clear but you could’t hear the vocalist and other times it was the complete opposite.  It took them a little while to fix it, but later on, they did.  I had never heard this band before but what I heard wasn’t that impressive.  Either way, this was never really my style of music, so I understand why I wasn't that into it.  It was not bad, just not my cup of tea.

Black Stone Cherry

(Main Stage)

 

The band showed a lot of energy even though the place was still pretty empty.  It was obvious to me the difference between BSC and the previous band in the way they sell themselves at the same time they sell their music.  They were able to fix the sound issues about half way through their set and it sounded pretty good.  I’ve been a fan of their music since they released their self titled album back in 2006.  Its southern hard rock at its best.  Interestingly enough, their next to last song was a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”.  It wasn’t a bad one, just sort of lacked feeling.  They closed their set with one of my favorites from their self titled album, “Lonely Train”.

Charm City Devils

(Hard Rock Stage)

This is another band that I had never heard before this live show.  Good energy and the music was okay.  His banter is pretty lame.  I love it when people who have probable never lived outside of the United States proclaim it the best country in the world (if the singer of this band has lived outside of the US for some time, I retract my statement towards him and keep it for everyone else.  I wish they would play so he will shut up.  I actually liked their style.  Give them a listen.  It's hard rock with some obvious southern roots.  Their version of the traditional folk classic "Man of Constant Sorrow" isn't bad at all.

Puddle of Mudd

(Main Stage)

They had some entertaining songs back in the day, but nothing that really spoke to me.  Truthfully, I haven't heard any of their stuff since their Come Clean album.  I sort of realized why that was while listening to their set live.  I really don’t like Wes Scantlin’s voice.  It sort of takes me out of the songs.  Come to think of it, I don’t think its that I dislike his voice… he can’t sing worth a damn live.  Really bad.  I don't know, I was just so disappointed in this whole performance.  It was definitely one of the downers of the night.  The music was alright, but considering who the headliners are, okay is worse than mediocre.

Aranda

(Hard Rock Stage)

Aranda are a band from Oklahoma City and their music is as safe as that picture of two of them.  Their biggest claim to fame is that Kelly Clarkson covered one of their songs.  Hey, whatever gets them fans is fine by me.  This was a little too Nickleback-y for me, but they were okay.  Nothing special.

Jackyl

(Main Stage)

This is one of the sets I was looking forward to the most.  I had never heard their music, but Eddie Trunk (who was hosting the event) mentioned something interesting about them.  These guys are just plain fun to listen to and watch.  Vocalist Jesse James Dupree knows how to work a crowd and both guitar and bass players are pretty damned good.  Their music is southern metal to its oomph degree.  With songs like "My Moonshine Kicks Your Cocain's Ass" and "She Loves My Cock", they will have no problems with people questioning their credibility to play is a festival like Rocklahoma.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Dupree is not the next coming of Freddie Mercury, but his voice fits perfectly to their party heavy style.  It’s gonna be hard to top their set.  Dupree played the “Star Spangled Banner” with his mouth on guitar.  And finally, the bastard played a song with a freaking chainsaw.  A chainsaw.  And then he burned the stool he was chainsawing… fuckin' awesome.  They have just gained a fan.

Art of Dying

(Hard Rock Stage)

Another band I had never heard.  It's too sad for them that they had to follow up the amazing show that Jackyl put.  It sounded like every other generic band out there.  Which is never good.  At least if people hate you, they will talk about you.  These guys are just... meh.

Queensrÿche

(Main Stage)

I’m a big fan of Queensrÿche.  Maybe not their newest stuff so much, but the band have been making amazing music for a while and it's a little weird to see them along with all these hard southern rock acts.  Either way, I was definitely looking forward to this set.  Geoff Tate is definitely one of the best vocalists in hard rock music.  I would probably put his up there in the pantheon of Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio.  Just listen to a song like "Queen of the Reich" and tell me differently.  Tate and the band decided to move away from the heavy metal scene and more into prog metal music (which is why I think they are so underrated in most circles).  Still, there is something about the band that is really special.  They played a good mixture of old and new stuff for this set, which left me satisfied.

Hellyeah

(Hard Rock Stage)

This is an interesting group.  Vocalist Chad Gray (Mudvayne), guitarists Tom Maxwell (Nothingface) and Greg Tribbett (Mudvayne), basis Bob Zilla (Damageplan) and drummer Vinnie Paul (Pantera, Damageplan) are the members that comprise the southern groove metal band.  They fit perfectly in this festival.  Their aggressive style was definitely a contrast to the more low-key southern hard rock bands that played before, but these guys really brought the pain and the energy.  It's great to see Vinnie Paul back behind the drumset.  These guys are heavy and I much prefer Gray here than in Mudvayne.

Chickenfoot

(Main Stage)

If you haven't heard of Chickenfoot, then go to YouTube or wherever and listen to this wonderful super group (if you will).  The team of Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen) on vocals and bass respectively, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on drums and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.  The great thing about this group is that when you listen to them live (this being the second show on HDNet were they have played live), you can see how much fun they are having up there.  Sure, Hagar can no longer be the spark plug that he was before, he can still hold a crowd interested.  Also, it is also worth noting that one of my biggest fears for this group was Joe Satch and the fact that he didn't come from a band background (unlike the others) and I thought it would be a little difficult for them to mix well.  They did a good job mixing tracks from both albums and playing the classic Montrose track "Rock Candy" as the closer to the show and the festival.

Overall, I would say this was a pretty damned good show with the highlights being Jackyl, Queensryche, Hellyeah and Chickenfoot.

I will definitely be looking at more Live Concerts from HDNet as this was definitely a winner even though it was 8 hours long.

Top Ten Albums That Changed My Life

Eddie Trunk has worked in the music business for a while now in different roles. He basically specializes on Hard Rock and Metal but mostly the former. Not too long ago, he released his list of Ten Albums That Changed His Life. While his list was a good one, there were not many surprises. While its definitely a very personal list, I decided to do my own. Let me make this clear, this is NOT my favorite albums list. This is just the albums I believe changed my life in some way. This was Alexis' and Yhann's idea and I thought it was cool and hope to see their lists very soon and maybe implement them here so you can all see them. So, without further ado, here's my list...

Honorable Mentions

Pantera had released a couple of sub par albums in the eighties that were okay but nothing extraordinary. In 1990, they changed the metal world by releasing this fantastic album, Cowboys From Hell. While they were not the thrash style that had been made mainstream by the Big 4, this was sort of post-thrash heavy metal. The energy of the band onstage (I was never able to see them live but through DVD's and such) was unrivaled by most of the metal world and the music was powerful. Sadly, 'Dimebag' Darrell is gone from this world, but this album will be remembered by me as an integral part of my metal growth.


I am not a huge fan of the extreme metal genres. Sure, there are a band here and a band there, but traditional Death Metal and Black Metal have never been my cup of tea. About 6 years ago, I stumbled upon this band completely by chance. Arcturus was a sort of supergroup in the Black Metal genre with guys like Garm, Samoth and Hellhammer coming together to form this interesting group. Their first album was the normal black metal fair, but with 1997's Le Masquerade Infernale thet became something else entirely. With 2002's The Sham Mirrors, they were able to come together and really become an interesting band that shunned traditional black elements and implemented an avant garde style that made the group stand out from most. This is a fantastic album to discover and it really made me dig deeper into the subgenres of black metal and discover other nice gems.

The List

I first heard vocalist Devon Graves (Buddy Lackey) when he created the band Deadsoul Tribe. While his voice was interesting and incredibly haunting, I would never know his real potential until I heard this album. In 1990 progressive metal was still in its infancy. Psychotic Waltz's first album A Social Grace is an underrated gem of an album that will blow fans of the genre away. Listen to the energy of this album and the weird time signatures and especially the unique vocals of Graves and you will see why this album is so great. This album showed me that you don't need to do things the same way as everyone else does them. You can make your stuff unique.


I don't think this is Pain of Salvation's best album, but it's certainly their most creative one. This prog metal band has definitely evolved with each new album, but it wasn't until their concept album BE that Daniel Gildenlow and his band truly showed how creative and innovative they could be. Sure, it may be flawed in its way as it probably tries to do too much, but that is not what attracted me to it in the first place. What some more arrogant reviewers might view as pretentiousness, I see as Gildenlow's way to show everyone his vision. The mixture of music, spoken word pieces, and such make this a listening experience that should never be taken out of its own context and even less, viewed individually as different "songs". This is much more than that, which is why I am a big fan of this album and will continue to be for a long time.


I have to give a lot of thanks to my father for showing me the classic rock legends way back when I was little. Without having listened to classic bands like the Stones, The Who, etc., I would have probably been listening to reggueton or some shit like that. What better album is there to discover when you are at a young age? Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker's landmark album, Disraeli Gears, is a gem of classic psychedelic blues rock. There is nothing better than to rediscover this album when you are a older *wink* *wink*. This album helped to turn me into a fan of the 60s which I am still one now. Slowhand is also one of my favorite guitarists.


I remember when I first got this album like a thousand years ago. I was interested by the album cover. I had heard a friend of mine talk about Joe Satriani before, but I really didn't know what to expect when I bought it. While most people consider Surfing With the Alien to be their favorite Satch album, The Extremist was my first album of instrumental guitar, and it still holds a place in my heart. Besides all that, this is just a fantastic album. Satch has always been one of my favorites because he is not just one of those really fast guitarists and nothing much more. He is a talented song writer and his music is full of soul (for lack of a better word).


I have always been one of those music fans that just likes to demand more from his music. I don't like to settle for just a collection of songs put together under the same name. When I heard that this album had one of the most talented vocalists out there, some kickass prog metal music, and an interesting story to boot, I was in from the get go. This album was the one that made me realize that there exists music that doesn't just want to be music alone but can also come together in an album (and through different albums) and tell a coherent story. Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime is probably the best concept album in the metal genre (including all its subgenres). Geoff Tate's vocals are just amazing and I still like to listen to this album after about 13 years of discovering it.


Okay, okay... I admit it. I'm sort of cheating in a way. But not truly. The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble should be in anyone's blues rock collection... hell, in anyone's music collection period. When I got this album, I had never heard any of Stevie's songs. I was getting it purely on a friend's recommendation. I'm incredibly glad I did. This collection of Stevie songs is incredibly deep with some fantastic songs that really showcase Vaughan's guitar work and deep voice. This album and Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar made the transition from blues rock to delta blues for me seem seamless. If you don't like this man, you don't have a soul.


If there is one album that I would love to take with me to a deserted island, it would probably be Pink Floyd's seminal work The Dark Side of the Moon. Pink Floyd always released incredible albums, but there is something about this album that just propels it over everything they ever wrote with Syd Barrett or after. I remember when I first heard this album it was like nothing I was used to hearing. I had heard the classic rock of the 60's but this was more than just that. It was my first foray into prog rock. From there, the other classics of the genre where obvious in my journey (gotta give props to King Crimson as well!). Listen to this masterpiece and be awed by it.


I never thought death metal could be beautiful. I never even knew it was possible. That is until I heard Mikael Akerfeldt's growls and then suddenly an acoustic interlude with incredible clean vocals coming from the same mouth. Not only are his growls amazing, but Akerfeldt's versatility quickly made him one of my favorites and Opeth one of my favorite bands. The music is complex and interesting, its ugly and beautiful, its raw and at the same time crisp. This band has everything I want in an band. Blackwater Park, for me, is the perfect album from a band like Opeth. This album made me believe that death metal could be beautiful and I also found one of my favorite bands in the process.


Can anyone go wrong with a Led Zeppelin album? I don't think so. I never got into Zep early in my life. My dad liked them but he was more into the Stones and The Beatles. When I first heard them in a movie's soundtrack, I knew I needed more. I went out and got Led Zeppelin IV or The Fourth Album or ZoSo... however you may want to call it since it has no name. When you look at the track list, its filled with unquestionably fantastic songs. This album really did open a lot of doors for me in the classic rock world and it was when I knew that this was the style that I liked the most. This was the genre that spoke to me the most. It was the day I knew that I loved this kind of music and there was nothing that could ever change it.


Now, I know what you are about to say. "You chose Fear Factory over Led Zeppelin!? Are you mad!?!?". It's a fair question. Yes, I did pick Fear Factory's Demanufacture over my favorite band ever. Why? When I started listening to Zep earnestly, I was already a heavy metal fan. One day, I had been paid by my mother for cleaning something I don't remember. I had 20 bucks in my hand and was in a music store. I saw the cover of this album and bought it because it looked incredibly cool (still does). I knew it was harder and harsher than anything I had heard before (it was on the metal section) but I never expected it to be what it is. It was a visceral experience. From the moment I put on the CD, I was blown away. This was some heavy shit, especially for someone not used to this kind of music. It took me a bit to really get into it, but when I did, I was hooked. The Slayers, Metallicas, Iron Maidens, Judas Priests of this world came after Fear Factory for me. In my musical life there are many different experiences, but I divide it simply as the Years of Silence (when music wasn't a big part of my life) and After Fear Factory.

Well, there is my list. I hope you enjoyed it and maybe discovered an album you hadn't given the time of day before. I am sure yours is also an interesting read. Comment below what you think and if you want, gimme your list as well.