Artist: ZO2 Venue: Arlene’s Grocery (New York, NY) Opener: Me Talk Pretty Date: 2/17/2006 Label: Independent Artist
When I take into account the amount of shows we are required to bring you here on PiercingMetal.com, I find myself sometimes being a little unfair to some of the fine independent artists that we come into contact with. Every once in awhile, we will aim to sate the hunger in our readers for the groups that are particularly impressive as a whole and who also bring the musical goods to the table.
One such band is ZO2, a group I have known for a couple of years based on attending KISS conventions and through their other bands. The group is merely three guys, two of them Brothers who handle the guitars and vocals along with their drummer who also sings. The frequently perform at a comfortable little club in Downtown Manhattan called Arlene’s Grocery. On a good night you can fit a little over a hundred screaming fans in front of the stage and based on the growing popularity of these guys that is seldom a problem. This is great to see happen for an independent group and on a Monday night no less. I have seen some of the signed groups having issues on weird nights of the week at certain outlets. I instantly liked the feel of Arlene’s and arrived in time to see the opening band Me Talk Pretty. They play an interesting blend of contemporary Rock with some influences that are clearly the result of their guitarist Leon Lyazidi (born in Spain) and the lovely Julia Preotu (the bands Romanian import) who sings. I am sure good things will be waiting for them going forward. Continue reading ZO2 @ Arlene’s Grocery (2/17/2006)→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “W.A.R.P.E.D.” Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 9/27/2005 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
When you begin playing your copy of “W.A.R.P.ED.” you will probably find it to be a little familiar to you. You see the reason is because this new CD release by Chris Caffery is not entirely new at all. If you were one of the smart ones, when Chris released “Faces” in 2004 he included a bonus CD that was meant for a future release. This CD was entitled “God Damned War” or “GDW” for short. It was a great inclusion as a bonus and really gave the Chris fan a large amount of music for the money. Very different however from the musical explorations on “Faces”, “GDW” is a bit heavier and now with added tracks this has been released on the public as “W.A.R.P.E.D.”. Chris explores deeper into the themes of the War as he introduced on “GDW”, the piece is definitely meant to be listened to from start to finish. “Home Is Where The Hell Is” kicks off the CD now but I did feel that “GDW” was the better track to start. I have liked the “Saddamize” track since I first heard it, and this one features Mark Wood of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The rest of the recording lineup on this piece is Jeff Plate (drums), Dave Z. (bass) and Paul Morris (keyboards). Jon Oliva makes an appearance in “Iraq Attack”. Continue reading “W.A.R.P.E.D.” by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Title: “Music Man” EP Label: Black Lotus Records Release Date: 11/2004 Genre: Heavy Metal Rating: 8/10
I have to give the guy credit for delivering a lot of music in a short amount of time. Chris Caffery not only recently released his double CD solo piece “Faces”, but has also made sure to give the fans some extra stuff on the EP versions for particular singles he wants to showcase. This EP for “Music Man” is a welcome addition to the CD pile. It hightlights one of the more radio friendly compositions from “Faces”. He also includes 4 new tracks as well. There is a clean version of “Pisses Me Off” which by making clever use of bleeps for the cursing, makes it a humorous listen. It also makes me find things that piss me off to compare notes to Chris’ ranting and raving. Continue reading “Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery→
Artist: Chris Caffery Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY) Opener: Alex Skolnick Trio, ZO2 Date: 4-28-2005 Label: Black Lotus Records
Savatage’s own Chris Caffery was onstage once again and this time it would not be with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Supporting his debut solo CD “Faces”; Chris would be joined by his band and be kicking some serious Hard Rock ass tonight. Here’s how it all went down at this show which was billed as “It’s All Good”. The title held in back of it the fact that all of the featured bands would have players that are in some fashion associated with the holiday juggernaut that is the TSO in some fashion. It was a great idea but you really had to understand the logic behind this mini festival of friends before going in. If you had reservations about it you clearly did not get the point that they were trying to make. The roster for the night would be Steve Broderick, Katrina Chester, Z02, Alex Skolnick Trio and Chris Caffery. Continue reading Chris Caffery @ B.B. King Blues Club (4/28/2005)→
Artist: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Venue: Madison Square Garden NYC
Date: 12-27-2004
For several years now, I have made the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra a Holiday tradition. It is a show that I look forward to each time it makes it’s way to New York. In the past, the scene had been the Beacon Theater but this time it would be the famous Madison Square Garden. A sold out show with just over 13,000 fans in attendance. I wanted to point out that they always start out with a donation to a charity based on $1 from every ticket sold. An admirable act and one worth mentioning. This year would hold the most visible changes for the TSO as “Diamond” Darryl Pediford had passed away just before the tour was to begin. In addition, two other male vocal leads would not be present. On the upside, this year marked the return of Alex Skolnick on guitar and Mee Eun Kim on keyboards. Continue reading Trans-Siberian @ Madison Square Garden (12/27/2004)→
![“Music Man” [EP] by Chris Caffery](https://www.piercingmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/EP-Chris-Caffery-Music-Man-e1457846598928.jpg)
