Tag Archives: bobby rondinelli

Features, Interviews

Music Luminaries Share Their New Year’s Metal Resolutions for 2012: Part 2

Leave a comment

new year's music resolutions

Welcome back, I’m so glad you could join us. You might remember how I recently posted a little more than a handful of New Year’s Metal Resolutions for 2012 by some truly great musical personality. Well, please enjoy the continuation of this enlightening and fun group of insights as we ask the Metal Community great to finish the sentence “My New Year’s Metal Resolution for 2012 Is……”

Alex Skolnick (lead guitarist for Testament/Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Alex Skolnick Trio): My New Year’s Musical Resolution is to sift through the endless musical ideas I’ve recorded as voice memos or on MP3’s or cassette in the last few years and develop some of them into real songs.

Lance King (lead vocals for Avian, Pyramaze, more): My New Years Metal Resolution is “To incite the Metal Masses, awaken them from their apathy, to get their collective asses in gear to support the scene wherever they live in any way they can. To help spread the word and to go out to see the touring bands, help them make ends meet by paying the ticket price, having a head banging great time and buying a shirt, music or both!!! Seriously, the scene in all countries needs a huge shot in the arm. People need to take up the support roles of the fallen in promoting shows, championing artists with PR, sponsorships, media coverage, video skills, radio, new marketing ideas, alternate sources of revenue so bands are able to get out and do what they love to do best, share the music with the fans live. There simply is nothing in tech and home media that can reproduced a live metal concert’s experience when done well.

Sammy Avigal (vocals for Avigal): My new year’s Metal resolution is to continue living the Metal dream, enjoy what I love, and do best, and hopefully influence the next generation of Metal heads, as I was influenced as a young Metal head myself by the Metal elders of my generation.
Continue reading Music Luminaries Share Their New Year’s Metal Resolutions for 2012: Part 2 →

Reviews, Videos

“4.2.11” by The Lizards

Leave a comment

Artist: The Lizards
Title: “4.2.11”
Label: Hyperspace Records
Release Date: 9/23/2008
Style: Hard Rock/Blues Rock
Rating: 4/5

“4.2.11” is the title of the live concert DVD that captures one of the hardest working Rock acts that I have seen in a few years – New York’s own The Lizards. I’ve been fortunate enough to have caught the band in performance a number of times over the past three years and based on their gigs as opener for Cactus, Zebra and UFO, they have managed to build up an impressive following of their own with their tasty Hard Rock meets the Heavy Blues. Their sound is instantly gratifying to those who long for the more traditional style of Rock and Roll as opposed to what is packaged as it for today’s mainstream marketplace and with the four members being excellent at what they do, the entire performance will keep you interested from the moment it starts until it runs its course. If you don’t know about them, well The Lizards are indeed a New York area band whose membership features singer Mike DeMeo (formerly of Riot), guitarist Patrick Klein, bassist Randy Pratt (who also delivers some harp for Cactus) and drummer Bobby Rondinelli (Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath and Rainbow). DeMeo has a super powered Blues voice with some solid range and while at moments he seems to easily hit the heights of someone like Robert Plant, there are moments where he is subtle and reserved like Paul Rodgers. During the set he also offers up some wonderful keyboards and this makes tunes like “Hyperspace” come to bigger and brighter life. Pratt by the same token makes sure to present some of his harmonica skills which bring the Blues aspect of this band to a much deeper level. The first seven numbers of the film come from the bands opening set for Cactus, and we appear to get the full performance from that night as well. Guitarist Klein impresses on every number with one of the purest and cleanest sounds I have heard from a Rock act at this same venue. Clearly he knows not only what he is doing on the guitar but also how to work best in a room like the venerated B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, which is where this part of the footage comes from. Between the sets we find casual band commentary that will enlighten their fans a little bit more about their own lives as musicians and how they have worked together for the benefit of Rock and Roll. The title of the film seems to be a slight nod to the band Spinal Tap, whose amps went to “11”, and my guess is that the “4” references the fact that we can enjoy four different setting of the band in action.
Continue reading “4.2.11” by The Lizards →

Events, Reviews

Zebra @ B.B. King Blues Club (6/28/2007)

Leave a comment

Zebra would be appearing at New York’s legendary venue for what I believed to be their first time in the place. I’ve enjoyed their music for decades and wanted to make sure that we brought the news about the gig to the readers. To read and see more about this show, just scroll past the logo below.

Logo - Zebra

Artist: Zebra
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: J-Rad
Date: 6/28/2007
Label: Mayhem Records

While they might have begun their career in New Orleans, LA – Zebra became an official New York band as far as Long Island was concerned when they relocated there so many years ago. At the time they were primarily an original band that also played some killer Led Zeppelin tunes and it was before they had secured their record deal. In those early days, the Long Island music scene was a hotbed of activity and had launched bands like the Good Rats and most notably Twisted Sister. There are others that are too numerous to name but it makes for some great investigation and needless to say Zebra was quickly one of the favorites out of all the Long Island scene groups. Blockbuster performances in sold out rooms and an ever expanding fan base led to the bands signing to Atlantic Records and their self-titled debut was a terrific display of Hard Rock with a slightly Progressive edge. The bands Zep influences were very apparent around the album and as a touring entity they continually played to packed houses. Music fans could do no wrong with Zebra. After thirty plus years of performing the band has never compromised their sound or lost touch with their diehard group of fans. When you see a Zebra show, everyone around you is a fan who knows their stories and career and every single note of their music. Tonight, the venerated B.B. King Blues Club would host the band for an evening of music and it would be my first time seeing the band in this venue, and also the first time I had been to one of their gigs in far too long. The last time I caught them would be at the now closed Downtown in Farmingdale, NY.
Continue reading Zebra @ B.B. King Blues Club (6/28/2007) →

Events, Reviews

Cactus @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/19/2006)

Leave a comment

Logo - Cactus

In the annals of Blues-based Hard Rock, the name of Cactus is a well-respected one. They were often referred to as the American Led Zeppelin and their reunion shows are loaded with melody and groove. The band would be returning to B.B. King Blues Club with The Lizards in tow as their opener. Our own Joe Kaufman was on point to bring this show’s highlights to those who could not attend.

Artist: Cactus
Venue: B. B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: the Lizards
Date: 9/19/2006
Label: Escapi Music

My friend asked me what I was doing Tuesday night and I said I was going to see Cactus and the Lizards. He then said, “What are you going to the desert?” I replied, “No, I am going to BB Kings in NYC to catch some Rock with the bands The Lizards and Cactus”.

The night started with the Lizards, a rocking group we have covered at Piercing Metal numerous times. Once again, the Lizards deliver a solid, hard rocking set of original classic rock influenced songs. An expertly executed blend of elements from 70’s and 80’s Hard Rock and Metal. Drummer Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow, Black Sabbath, BOC) along with bassist Randy Pratt get a great heavy dynamic groove going, while guitarist Patrick Klein lays down the riffs, and highly musical leads. Vocalist and Keyboardist Mike DiMeo also adds some excellent keyboard playing along with his strong vocals. Their set had a dynamic range of songs from riff rockers, funky bluesy rock to dark and moody. A solid rocking band with a classic, yet fresh style. The band is supporting their recently released album “Against All Odds”. It’s a CD that bears checking out.
Continue reading Cactus @ B.B. King Blues Club (9/19/2006) →

Events, Reviews

Y&T @ B.B. King Blues Club (7/30/2006)

Leave a comment

Logo - Y and T

Artist: Y&T
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Date: 7/30/2006
Opener: The Lizards
Label:

After an absence of seventeen years in New York City, Y&T has returned to remind the Hard Rock world what made them so special in the first place. One of their last appearances here was at The Beacon Theatre where the band opened up for former KISS guitar slinger Ace Frehley. The festivities and fun would once again fall to the one and only B.B. King Blues Club where a close to 500 person crowd had assembled. Tonight I would the tables setup and I can never tell when this will be the case but I do know that when they are present it makes picture taking a bit of a pain. You see, since Y&T is not the kind of band that one normally sits down for made this aspect a little annoying tonight but I knew the fans in attendance would get past it very quickly. Opening the show would be the ever smoking Lizards who are becoming a regular set of faces on many of this venues Rock oriented shows. Having seen them a number of times I can only stress that if you have been paying attention you already know what you get when it comes to this group. If you are not then you best get with the program for this outfit cooks, and never strays from delivering a rock solid set of music to gear up the audience. For those hiding under the rock instead of rolling with it let me sum them up for you very quickly. If you are a fan of Classic Rock with a tasty Blues feel then the Lizards is possibly the kind of band that you have been looking for. Members Mike DiMeo and Bobby Rondinelli bring the experience gained from working with some of the hardest rockers around (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow and Riot) while Randy Pratt and Patrick Klein are entrenched in Blues Rock mixing this together into an incredible group. Smoke would be the best description of a live set, and the band is set to release their new album very soon. I’m always satisfied when I see a set of their material and I hope for bigger and better things for them going forward. Keep your eye out for them as they will quickly win you over with their fine brand of Rock.
Continue reading Y&T @ B.B. King Blues Club (7/30/2006) →