Tag Archives: peter parrella

Johnny Winter @ B.B. King Blues Club (1/11/2010)

Logo - Johnny Winter

Artist: Johnny Winter
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: William Bell with G.E. Smith & The Uptown Horns
Date: 1/11/2009
Label: Epic Legacy

I know what you’re thinking………Johnny Winter’s concert covered as an show on PiercingMetal.com as opposed to being part of the blog content? While this might confuse the diehard reader of our work, it might also make a whole lot of sense based on the impact that this musician has had on a wide number of genres over the course of his career. Brother to equally legendary Edgar Winter, Johnny has been and remains one of the true greats on electric guitar and when the announcement came about his doing a three night residency at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill we knew that we had to catch at least one of the shows to absorb his mastery. The other reason was based on the need to begin the year with a larger sense of musical appreciation and after having clocked in some 95 shows across 2009, I could think of no better way to start the process again in 2010 than with some amazing Blues Rock. Joining me for the show would be PiercingMetal.com’s own Peter Parrella and Joe Kaufman, and opening up the gig would be William Bell, a legendary Soul singer. This was not my own area of expertise, so I let Pete give us the whole introduction about Mr. Bell’s set and here is what he had to say……
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Roger Daltrey @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (11/20/2009)

You know his name as being one of the original founding members of The Who, a band that broke incredible ground in behalf of Rock & Roll music and whose sound is just as important today as it was when it first came upon the scene.  It’s pretty safe to say that they are one of the best Rock bands that ever walked the Earth and despite the passing of a couple of members they are still active and impressing audiences of the world today.  Tonight’s show would find the bands singer Roger Daltrey doing a short run of solo dates on his “Use It Or Lose It” tour and it was sure to be a night of wonderful memories.   Scroll past the logo below to see the full article on the official PiercingMetal.com website.   The words are by Peter Parrella and the images are from me Ken P.

Logo - Roger Daltrey

Artist: Roger Daltrey
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Opener: Paper Zoo
Date: 11/20/2009
Label:

At 65 years of age Roger Daltrey has embarked on what he’s dubbed the “Use It or Lose It” tour. The vocal chords are an instrument that must to be used or they turn to “jelly” he explained to the Nokia audience at the start of the night on November 20, 2009. Therefore he set out on a group of solo shows to keep his chops in good shape. As lead singer of The Who, Daltrey is an iconic figure, along with Zeppelin’s Robert Plant the epitome of “golden god” 1970’s classic rock star, frozen in time in some of pop media’s most memorable images. At “retirement age” the singer shows no sign of handing off the rock god mantel. He’s still open shirt buff and scrappy on stage; not afraid to admonish the audience about their smoking habits (Mr. D. has unfortunately developed a nasty allergy to the weedy stuff) and willing to challenge the oft too chatty crowd for their attention.
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“Woodstock” 40th Anniversary Celebration @ Hard Rock Cafe Times Square

PiercingMetal.com was on hand this past Thursday, June 4th as Warner Home Video celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the “Woodstock” Film by holding a gala celebration at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.  The event was set to feature a number of key figures who had been involved in the production of the film along with several musical guests of note.  As you see by the photo below, the entire tourist and business populace of the Times Square area were made aware that something special was happening inside this evening and being a part of it was indeed an honor.

Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square Marquee
Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square Marquee

After we walked into the Hard Rock Cafe we were led to the “Green Carpet” area where various media outlets were at the ready to bring the story about this event to the public.  I stood off to the side and jotted down notes while Peter Parrella (aka “Skeleton Pete” shot all of the carpet happenings.

Promotional Sign for the Director's Cut DVD
Promotional Sign for the Director's Cut DVD

About The New DVD: “Woodstock” 3 Days Of Peace And Music is an Oscar winning documentary that not only captured an incredible music festival with amazing bands but also gave a keen insight to the way that America was back in 1969.  The films director originally worked with almost 300 hours of film and from this a rather lengthy and gripping view of sixties culture was delivered.   The show drew together a half a million people and was one of the largest gatherings for a single concert performance and would hold this title for many, many years to come.  The Director’s Cut of the DVD now features an additional two hours of footage that was never before seen and offers up some musical performances that were omitted from the original.  There are a number of versions that the discerning consumer can purchase.

In addition to the celebrities involved we also had the chance to enjoy some actual artifacts from the historic festival event such as authentic Woodstock clothing and a t-shirt that was purchased by Graham Nash who had also performed at the show.  There were posters and some guitars as well.

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“Vamp”Collection by Fetty Launch & Semi Precious Weapons (3/31/2009)

vamp_invite_simple

Tonight’s adventuring would serve a twofold purpose because not only was Justin Tranter (lead singer of the band Semi Precious Weapons) launching his new line of jewelry called “The Vamp Collection”; but he and the group were going to perform a quick set of material somewhere down the line as the party progressed into the night.  Sounds like a good time right?  Well, when you add to the mix that the location of said event would find this gathering at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Annex down in Soho, NYC then the good time gets raised to new and much higher levels.  Back in December, photographer Peter Parrella and I had actually already paid a visit to this Annex and did a lengthy report about it which you can find elsewhere on the site.  For me the coolness factor was upgraded just a little bit more by being able to return to the place since it was rather interesting even though the Hall has left out some of my own personal favorite acts cool, even though as a fan of certain groups I have a reservation about some inductees that the Hall has placed inside its walls.  All photos are by Peter Parrella (copyright 2009).

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The Answer @ Mercury Lounge (2/3/2009)

The Answer are a hot Rock & Roll band that knows how to deliver and on a recent snowy night in NYC they made an appearance at The Mercury Lounge. Scroll past the logo to check out the report by Skeleton Pete. I shot the photos for this one and a full gallery will be presented in addition to what you see here.
Logo - The Answer

Artist: The Answer
Venue: The Mercury Lounge (New York, NY)
Opener: n/a
Date: 2/3/2009
Label: The End Records

Inclement weather does not deter the rock faithful of NYC from their appointed rounds, which is to set the DVR, shut off the 52” LCD, and get out of the house to hear some of the great live music of which we are blessed with in abundance. So despite the frozen slush and chilling wind that came with this evening’s snowstorm, it was no surprise that when Cormac Neeson (lead vocalist of The Answer) quizzed the packed house at the Mercury lounge on February 3, 2009 – “Is this your normal Tuesday night?” – He got a resounding “Hell, yeah” back. What ensued was a smoking set of gut bucket rock and roll riffs and bluesy hollers that paid off big dividends for the intrepid attendees that evening.
Continue reading The Answer @ Mercury Lounge (2/3/2009)