Greetings friends it’s time to once again scroll back through the sands of time and pull out another classic album and celebrate its anniversary. Today we are raising a glass of whatever you like to drink the most and saying “Congratulations” to the band King’s X on the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album “Out Of The Silent Planet”. The album was released on this day thirty years ago on the Megaforce Records label and while it is a solid piece of musical work, there were far too many of us who missed out on it until much later. I say it like this because in 1988, the Hard Rock and Metal scene was getting ready for a dramatic almost seismic shift as the Grunge Movement from the Seattle side of the fence was getting ready to take a full hold of the music buying public. Back then I was listening to the reasonably new sound of Power Metal with bands like Helloween and the like and while I would catch King’s X on video playing networks such as MTV and their “Headbanger’s Ball” the bands sound eluded me. Sure, I liked a few tracks and the clips that accompanied them but was I dedicating myself to the body of work. No I wasn’t and it would take a few more albums for me to consider myself an acolyte of some kind.
That being said, many of my friends who found what I was listening to as “too much mayhem” for their liking, they became devoted followers of what King’s X was bringing to the musical table and would see them whenever they came to town. It would be many years later that I finally would catch them and one of the first things that I remembered about them that impressed me was that it was still the original three members of Dug Pinnick (bass and vocals), Ty Tabor (guitar and vocals) and Jerry Gaskill (drums and vocals). There are not many bands out there anywhere who can claim that the original founding lineup is still 100% in place. The second and probably the most important thing that I would notice when I would catch them was just how good they sounded and how close it was to the recordings that I had heard over the years. Continue reading Toasting 30 Years Of King’s X “Out Of The Silent Planet” (1988-2018)→
You are not seeing things my friends because it is indeed true, former TNT vocalist Tony Harnell who joined Skid Row back in April of this year has quit the band. He announced the news on his Official Facebook Page (because that is how everyone is doing things these days) and his statement is below the first image. Check it out.
Tony Harnell w Skid Row by Ken Pierce (2015)
“I was not fired from Skid Row, I quit. Being ignored and disrespected isn’t my thing. I had a great time performing with the band and singing so many great songs. I don’t regret a thing!”
This is no April Fool’s prank as it comes a few days after that time of tomfoolery and will likely depress numerous fans of this mans voice but its true – singer Johnny Solinger has quit the band Skid Row. He replaced Sebastian Bach and has been at the microphone for fifteen years and was featured on a handful of their releases. Check out his official statement below.
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“I have decided to leave SKID ROW to pursue my solo career. The past 15 years has been a great experience and I have appreciated the opportunity to be the lead singer in one of the most prominent bands of the 1990s and share stages with the likes of AEROSMITH, BON JOVI and KISS, performing in front of millions throughout the world. I wish SKID ROW the best of luck in their future pursuits.”
Artist: King’s X Title: “Gretchen Goes To Nebraska” @ 25 Years Label: Megaforce Records Release Date: 6/27/1989 Genre: Progressive Hard Rock
Thanks to a friend of mine who is nothing less than a diehard about the musical body of work that comes from the band King’s X I was reminded that today is the 25th anniversary of their second album “Gretchen Goes To Nebraska”. With that being the case I wanted to take a moment to congratulate the band on their seminal second release (it’s long been lauded as one of their very best releases in the catalog and that is not a bad honor with ones sophomore effort). It was released on Megaforce Records where the band recorded three albums in total (Out Of The Silent Planet, Gretchen Goes To Nebraska and Faith Hope Love). They are now a part of InsideOut Music which I think is the perfect place for them based on the kind of music that they play but I digress. Now one of the things that I most remember about his album was how the video for “Over My Head” was in a constant rotation on MTV. They used to have a killer Saturday evening program that showcased tunes like this and then of course I remember it being on at other various times. For me as a music fan I was getting into this and the debut around the same time and I feel that I like both albums equally as opposed to one more than the other. Still this does withstand the tests of time and one of the coolest aspects of this anniversary celebration is the fact that King’s X still actively tours with all three of its original members. Yep, Dug Pinnick, Ty Tabor and Jerry Gaskill still regularly do gigs for their most ardent fans and can always be found at their merchandise table after a gig to talk to fans and pose for pictures. They deserve any praise that you wish to heap upon them my music loving friends and since this posting comes shortly before some national touring dates; do check your local listings so you can get a ticket to see them in concert. I can pretty much guarantee that you will leave very, very satisfied and I am speaking from experience and as one who never managed to see the band during their earliest time but have been on point several times since becoming a music scribe in 2005. They deliver. Continue reading King’s X’s “Gretchen Goes To Nebraska” @ 25 Years (1989-2014)→
