Sammy Hagar: 'Sammy Hagar and Friends' CD Review (Frontiers Records)

In the great ‘debate’ in the 80’s over whether Van Halen should carry on without David Lee Roth (or call themselves ‘Van Hagar’), I was firmly in Diamond Dave’s camp. Now, almost 30 years later, my biases have almost completely faded and I found Sammy Hagar’s new disc, Sammy Hagar and Friends, to be significantly better than I ever would have anticipated. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some duds on the album but this disc has warranted an enjoyable couple of spins.

For his first solo disc in five years, Hagar has assembled an all-star cast of ‘friends’ which include Montrose alumni Bill Church & Denny Carmassi , Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Taj Mahal, Kid Rock, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Journey’s Neil Schon. With Hagar’s list of friends including band mates from all points of his career, it is a bit noticeable (and somewhat humorous) that the Van Halen brothers are absent. The strengths on this album are when Hagar leverages these friends and returns to the 70’s hard rock that he played with Montrose. The album’s weakness is when Hagar goes down a pop-country path and sings duets with Ronnie Dunn (Brooks and Dunn) and Toby Keith.

The disc starts out on a strong note with the stomping blues rocker “Winding Down” where Hagar is joined on vocals by blues man Taj Mahal. This is followed by “Not Going Down”, which is a 70’s hard rock number that was written for Hagar by Rival Sons’ Jay Buchanan and features Montrose band mates Bill Church and Denny Carmassi along with ‘southern’ backing vocals from Claytoven Richardson, Sandy Griffith & Omega Rae. Hagar next covers Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” and reinterprets the song as a guitar-grinding blues number (with nice leads from Neal Schon) and big ‘southern’ backing vocals from the same trio of backup singers as on the previous track.



Hagar then completely switches gears and goes into the New Orleans’ soft-rocker “Father Sun” which features backing vocals from Hagar’s son Aaron and eclectic instrumentation that combines electric guitar with lap steel, accordion and mandolin. “Knockdown Dragout” features Kid Rock sharing the vocals and this track has a “Marilyn Manson – Beautiful People” groove that features guitar work from Joe Satriani (though Satch’s leads aren’t showcased until the end of the song). Hagar’s second cover, Bob Seger’s “ Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” is solid but misses the drive of the original. “Bad on Fords and Chevrolets” has a nice rock beat but has too much of a country twang for my taste with Hagar trading off vocals with Dunn. I never liked Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” so Hagar’s slowed down version (and changing the lyrics to “Waboritaville” is pure cheese) makes me quickly hit “next” on the CD player. “We Need an Island” is another slow number featuring intricate percussion from the Dead’s Mickey Hart, a Tahitian ukulele and shared vocals from Nancy Wilson. This isn’t a bad number but it sounds like a Stephen Stills AOR number and bears no resemblance to the tracks that opened the disc. The disc ends on a strong note with a live in-the-studio run through of “Going Down” (which was made popular by The Jeff Beck Group), featuring raw vocals from Hagar and blistering guitar leads from Neal Schon.





Links:
Sammy Hagar and Friends

Van Halen: Download First Three Songs from Show at Cafe Wha?, NYC 1-5-12

DOWNLOAD: Jim Florentine's Comedy Metal Midgets Podcast

Comedian Jim Florentine just posted live audio of the first three songs from Van Halen's set at Cafe Wha? and there are all kinds of quality live videos posted on YouTube.



Cafe Wha? Set List:
You Really Got Me
Runnin' With the Devil
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Everybody Wants Some
She's the Woman
Dance The Night Away
Ice Cream Man
Hot for Teacher
Ain't Talking About Love
Jump

Van Halen 2012 North American Tour:
2/18/12 - KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
2/20/12 - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
2/22/12 - Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
2/24/12 - United Center, Chicago, IL
2/28/12 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
3/1/12 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
3/3/12 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
3/5/12 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
3/9/12 - First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
3/11/12 - TD Garden, Boston, MA
3/15/12 - Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
3/17/12 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
3/21/12 - Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON
3/24/12 - Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
3/28/12 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
3/30/12 - Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
4/1/12 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
4/10/12 - BankAtlantic Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
4/12/12 - St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
4/14/12 - Amway Arena, Orlando, FL
4/16/12 - Jacksonville Arena, Jacksonville, FL
4/19/12 - Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
4/21/12 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
4/25/12 - Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
4/27/12 - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
5/1/12 - BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
5/5/12 - Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
5/7/12 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
5/9/12 - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
5/11/12, Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
5/17/12 - MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB
5/19/12 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
5/22/12 - Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
5/24/12 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
5/27/12 - MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
6/1/12 - STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
6/3/12 - Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
6/5/12 - HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
6/12/12 - Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
6/14/12 - Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
6/16/12 - US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
6/20/12 - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
6/22/12 - AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
6/24/12 - Toyota Center, Houston, TX
6/26/12 - New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA

Links:
Van Halen

Van Halen - "Live on Air" CD Review (Southworld)

This disc came out last year but I only recently became aware of the "copyright gap" in the UK where previously unheard-of British labels are releasing live radio broadcasts under the premise that the broadcasts are public domain in the US which would make these shows public domain in the UK.

The good news is that this disc marks the first 'official' release of Van Halen's headlining set at the US Festival, which took place on May 29, 1983. This is also the first commercially available live recording of the band with David Lee Roth. I've read reviews of this show which said that the band was pretty drunk before taking the stage (check out the video below of Roth forgetting the words to the set opener) and this show captures the sloppy party rock of classic Van Halen. It is a fun performance as the band's set is loose and they take some chances with the material. David Lee Roth is at his peak and shows why he is one of the more entertaining frontmen in the business and the Diver Down tour marked Eddie's last hurrah as a guitar hero before he got lost in the keyboard and synths of 1984 and the pop of the Sammy-era discs.



Looking at this disc from the other side of the coin (aka: "the bad news") - guess what do you get when you try to fit a 120 minute concert onto a 72 minute CD? The answer is that ~40 minutes were cut out of the concert. Unfortunately, some of the songs are faded out early. "Cathedral" was cut from the middle of the set and so was the encore ("Bottoms Up" and "You Really Got Me / Happy Trails"). The mix is also a bit strange as it appears to be from the soundboard (as the crowd is behind the band) but it is rather unbalanced.

Here is the set list:
1) Romeo Delight
2) Unchained ~ Drum Solo
3) Full Bug
4) Runnin with the Devil
5) Jamie's Cryin
6) So This is Love
7) Little Guitars
8) Dancing in the Street
9) Somebody Get Me a Doctor (includes Girl Gone Bad & I'm So Glad)
10) Dance the Night Away
11) Secrets
12) Everybody Wants Some
13) Ice Cream Man
14) Pretty Woman
15) Ain't Talking Bout Love

Despite this disc's flaws, Van Halen was one of the better live acts during the early 80's and this disc does a good job of showing why the band deserved this reputation. The price point is also a winner as you can buy the disc new through Amazon's UK site for just over $10 (USD).

Jumping forward to the present, according to Ultimate Classic Rock:
"Van Halen‘s long awaited new studio album is completely finished and expected to hit stories in February of 2012, according to an inside source. The new record, the band’s first since 1998′s ‘III,’ and first with original lead singer David Lee Roth since 1984′s ’1984,’ has been the source of much speculation over the past few months.

No title or tracklist has been revealed for the new album yet, which is described, similarly as by other people who have heard it, as a modern-day revisiting of the classic Van Halen sound. The source said a record company had yet to be chosen, with two unnamed major labels reportedly bidding for the right to work with the band."

Links:
Van Halen

White Wizzard Releases 'Over The Top' on March 9th / Show at Santos Party House on March 10th

Los Angeles traditional metal band White Wizzard are releasing their first full-length, Over the Top (Earache), on March 9th and are playing an early show at Santos Party House on March 10th.

The new disc was produced by Ralph Patlan (Megadeth, UFO, Michael Schenker) and Earache is taking pre-orders for limited edition colored vinyl and 2-CD versions of the disc. For anyone who wants an advance listen on how the new material sounds live, there are two White Wizzard videos from a recent performance at Reggie's in Chicago streaming on Chicago's UVTV site.

Here is an interview that I did with the band when they were in town last year for a show at Club Europa.



Links:
White Wizzard

White Wizzard: Video Interview & Live Footage, Club Europa 8-20-09 (Earache)

Los Angeles based NWOBHM/traditional metal band White Wizzard made their East Coast debut last month at the Brooklyn Thuder Fest at Club Europa. The band's debut EP "High Speed GTO" was released on Earache Records earlier this month and is getting excellent press. (Check out the coverage in the Village Voice)

I had the opportunity to catch up with the band before their set and I've included some footage from the band's live set after the interview.



White Wizzard recently posted on their MySpace page (link below) that they just finished recording their first full-length disc which is due out early next year.

Links:
White Wizzard

White Wizzard - High Speed GTO CD EP Review (Earache Records)

Later this summer, Earache will be reissuing the debut EP from Los Angeles NWOBHM-influenced band White Wizzard. The original lineup of the band cut this EP in '07 and it went out as a very limited release. White Wizzard got national attention when the title cut from the EP "High Speed GTO" was included on Earache's Heavy Metal Killers compilation earlier this year. The band's 7-track EP is now being reissued with a bonus video track for "High Speed GTO" (below). Earache refers to the bands on the Heavy Metal Killers compilation as "New Wave of Traditional Metal" and that is probably as good a label as anything. White Wizzard plays hook-heavy melodic metal which has elements of Van Halen, Saxon, Judas Priest and Quiet Riot in its music. You also have to love a band that name-checks (the grossly underrated) Wrathchild America on their MySpace page.



Like many of the bands from the NWOBHM-era, White Wizzard utilize dual-guitars and a driving bass line. The lyrical themes are pretty typical and range from cars ("High Speed GTO") to girls ("Celestina") to skeletons ("March of the Skeletons"). This last track is a bit more 'punk' than some of the other tracks and, with its driving bass line, sounds like something from the Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden.

Moving forward to this year, the band had some lineup changes and a new lineup has regrouped around bassist Jon Leon. Not that original vocalist James Luna was lacking, but the band's new vocalist Wyatt "Screaming Demon" Anderson has a powerful set of lungs. Here is a live video/interview with the band's current lineup.

White Wizzard interview and performance at Paladino's


White Wizzard is playing around Los Angeles while working on tracks for a full-length disc that is tentatively scheduled for release later this year. Two songs from these new sessions are posted to the band's MySpace page. The band has also attracted some international attention as they have been tapped for next year's Keep It True Festival XIII in Germany where they will be playing alongside bands like Tygers of Pan Tang, Hades, and Candlemass.