Music

Sunday Metal – Bad Brains

/ hsoi

We got that PMA (Postive Mental Attitude)!

Bad Brains, born in Washington D.C. then subsequently banned in D.C. What made them stand out? Not just the fact it was four black guys playing punk music (later with a more metal edge, e.g. “Quickness”), not just the fact they mixed in Rastafarian belief and reggae music with their aggressive punk style, not just their high-engergy live shows that did things like convert Henry Rollins. It was the sum of all these parts that made Bad Brains and their place in music history.

Sunday Metal – Great White

/ hsoi

I got to see Great White live one year during undergrad (benefits of working college radio). Scorpions were headlining, followed by Great White, and Trixter was the opening act. I didn’t get to see all of Great White’s set as I was backstage doing meet & greets with both Trixter and Great White (my friend Tori was big fans of both). But I did get to wander out near the end of Great White’s set… down on the floor, from backstage. Great location. I recall watching singer Jack Russell and how well he worked the crowd. Of course, there was guitarist Mark Kendall wearing his signature hat. I was never the biggest fan of Great White, but I always dug their bluesy, stripped-down, “good old rock and roll” sound.

I also loved their Led Zeppelin covers. I recall the first time I heard them doing “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” I was struck by how well they covered it.

Of course, Great White’s bread and butter was there own original rockers, like “Rock Me”

Sunday Metal – Van Halen

/ hsoi

If we didn’t have Van Halen, we wouldn’t have metal and hard rock as we know it. Everything about the band, from the music, composition, Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing, David Lee Roth’s stage presence, off-stage partying, you name it. If Van Halen hadn’t been around, rock & metal wouldn’t have been what it was.

Here’s one of my favorite Van Halen tracks, “Unchained”.

Rikki Rockett, BJJ black belt

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Rikki Rockett is the drummer for the hair/glam band Poison. Yup, I like Poison.

In addition to being a drummer, having his own custom drum shop (which puts out some gorgeous drum kits), being a vegan, and an animal rights activist, Rikki is also a black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.

I’ve always known he was into BJJ, but this is the first time I’ve been able to see him on the mat.  (h/t to BW&BK)

Sunday Metal – Hatebreed

/ hsoi

I’ve only been a fan of Hatebreed for about 5 years, but I do remember the first time I heard them. Over at my buddy W’s house, music blaring, and something was coming out of the speakers with a thrashy metal sound, a groove, but yet this hardcore aggression and attitude. It was powerful and brutal. It was Hatebreed.

Am I getting old?

/ hsoi

Twisted Sister, celebrating 25 years since the release of Stay Hungry, appearing on Regis & Kelly.

Twisted Sister. Remember? The band on the PMRC’s shitlist. Dee Snider, testifying in front of Congress, leading the rebels in the fight.

Now, on a daytime television show, where the audience is primarily middle-aged to elderly women. (Well, they looked like a bunch of ancient ugly drag queens, so maybe it was to be a fashion segment?)

Fucking Regis & Kelly. They have no clue who or what they’re shilling, but they know how to read cue cards (Dee Smith?) and fill time.

Geez. Is Slayer booked for next week?

When did all of this become socially acceptable?

Oh that’s right, because we all got older. 🙂

Get off my lawn.

So what do you do?

/ hsoi

Caleb recounts how he just went to a concert and had to disarm himself. I’ve run into this same situation.

This is why we cannot be one-trick ponies, relying upon guns alone. To carry other weaponry such as a knife, collapsable baton, pepper spray (women will likely be able to get away with this more than men can) — a layered approach. But of course, even those may not be permissible given the venue. Thus all you are left with are your wits and your hands.

This is why it’s good to know how to use your empty hands.

But this is why it’s even better to know how to use your brain, keep your wits about you, be aware, and follow that first rule of self-defense: ABC — Always Be Cool. That seems to hold even moreso in a context like a concert, where cool is so much what it’s about.

Sunday Metal – Forced Entry

/ hsoi

Forced Entry was a Seattle band that didn’t fit what the world came to know of “The Seattle Scene”. Thrashy, technical, and a healthy sense of humor. Brad Hull did all sorts of guitar tricks with whammy bars and pinched harmonics that gave the band a unique sound. The band didn’t last very long, but for those that knew them there was nothing like them.

But that’s just how I spent my summer vacation. 😉

(Don’t let ’em) Grind Ya Down

/ hsoi

This morning I’ve been listening to Iron Fist, one of my favorite Motörhead albums. There’s a track on there that serves as a good reminder.

People gonna make ya wonder if you’re right,
Keep ya wide awake and worried late at night.
Why don’t ya tell ’em to beat it?
Why don’t ya tell ’em to eat it!
They’re just a bunch of clowns,
Don’t let ’em grind ya down.

Sons of bitches, crocodile tears in their eyes.
We scare ’em shitless just by showin’ up alive!
Why don’t you tell ’em to shove it?
You know they might as well love it.
Give you runaround,
Don’t let ’em grind you down.

Evil bastards ain’t got nothin’ else to do;
Make your life a misery and put you off your food.
Don’t you dare to go under!
Don’t let ’em steal your thunder!
Listen to the sound,
We’ll let ’em grind that down.

Don’t let them bastards grind ya down!