He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
Had a great weekend of music starting off with the Sarnia Bayfest and the Scorpions. Friday saw me in Mt Clemens by the waterfront gazebo to see R&B singer Spyder Turner. Next week they have the Vandellas (Of Martha Reeves fame) and if you go I suggest sitting on the opposite side of the water due to the quality of the sound. Sitting on the same side can get you some odd distortion at times. Saturday took me to Steve Winwood and Santana while Sunday had me at Hole to watch Courtney Love crash and burn. OK, so it wasn't that bad. This was the first show on the tour in which she showed up on time (actually 10 minutes early) and played a decent set of new and old, along with two Rolling Stones covers. The new band is a bit disappointing since they don't have the chops of Erlandson or Auf der Maur and Love seemed to forget the lyrics a couple of times. Either that or she was easily distracted by the people in the front row. Whatever was going on in her brain, she seemed to have a good time amazed that she made it to 46 and had a good time collecting bras and panties from the audience. Judging by the size of the panties, it is no wonder that Michigan is one of the most obese states in the union.
The highlight of the night however was the opener and my band of the week, Foxy Shazam. I have their new self-titled album which wasn't overly appealing, but their live show blew me away. Remember when rock-n-roll used to be fun and bands went crazy onstage. This band brought that back in spades. The band started off in high gear as lead singer Eric Sean Nally was jumping around the stage, surfing on the equipment and eventually jumped onto his guitarist back in spastic energy. I was also amazed by Alex Nauth's horn which adds a special element to the bands sound and the manic energy of keyboardist Sky White (who reminds me of an amalgamation of the 70's wrestler Ivan and Dr Teeth of the Muppets) who during the last song jumped onto his keyboard and was playing with his feet. They only played a mere 30 minutes and eight songs, but it was one of the best sets of live music I have had the pleasure of seeing this year. I don't often see bands multiple times by choice, preferring to see as many different bands as possible in this short life, but I would be very excited to see Foxy again. Nally claims to want to see their band become the biggest in the world and while that might not happen, they might just become the most exciting live band in the world.
I interviewed Nally before the show and he was a very cool and we talked about his relationship with his kids (you can go to www.foxyshazam.com and see a video contest he did with one of his kids where the winner can win an autographed poster of the band), the music of Cincinnati and his musical influences such as live theatre and Elton John. He also co-wrote two new songs for Meatloaf's new album and their album is enjoying a nice run on the billboard charts. Here are a couple of live clips from Foxy Shazam and I highly recommend seeing them the next time they come around.
Moving on to shows coming up in the Detroit area, there are a lot of good shows of which I recommend the following:
Tuesday (7/13) – guitarist Jonny Lang w/Moreland & Arbuckle @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, all female Zeppelin tribute band Lez Zeppelin @ Magic Bag, Adam Lambert and guitarist Orianthi @ Common Grounds Festival (Lansing), Islands @ Magic Stick
Wednesday (7/14) – Chicago and Doobie Brothers @ Pine Knob, folk singer Loudon Wainwright III @ the Ark, Sammy Hagar and reggae star Jimmy Cliff @ Common Grounds Festival (Lansing)
Thursday (7/15) – Boyz II Men w/En Vogue @ Pine Knob, Gaslight Anthem and Hold Steady @ Fillmore, John Mellencamp @ Caesar's Windsor Casino, Bret Michaels w/Cavo and Neon Trees @ Common Grounds Festival (Lansing)
Friday (7/16) – hard rockers Apocalyptica @ Eagle Theatre, Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung @ Motorcity Casino Soundboard, the original Vandellas @ Mt Clemens Riverfront, Sting w/ Royal Philharmonic Orchestra @ Pine Knob, Neon Trees opens for Sublime With Rome @ Fillmore, Dramatics opens for the Whispers @ Chene Park, the Tubes and Mark Farner @ Quake On The Lake, Foghat @ Windsor's Bluesfest, Alice Cooper and Sick Puppies @ Common Grounds Festival (Lansing), Duende! And Lee Marvin's Computer Arm open for John Spencer's Blues Explosion @ the Crofoot, Cherryholmes @ the Ark, Detroit Symphony Orchestra @ DIA, Dave Mason @ Rockin' on the Riverfront
Saturday (7/17) – Watermelon Slim @ Windsor's Bluesfest, Alan Jackson @ Sarnia Bayfest, Natives Of The New Dawn @ Magic Bag, Goober And The Peas @ St Andrews Hall, Codgers and Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue (with Marshall Crenshaw, Dennis Coffey, Outrageous Cherry, Kim Weston, SRC Gary Quackenbush and more) @ Concert Of Colors Max M Fisher, Zooropa and Love Junkies open for Night Ranger @ Quake On The Lake
Sunday (7/18) – As I Lay Dying and Cancer Bats @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, Goo Goo Dolls and Switchfoot @ Pine Knob, John Hiatt @ the Ark, OAR and Citizen Cope @ Meadowbrook Theatre, Janiva Magness and Tab Benoit @ Windsor's Bluesfest, Black Eyed Peas @ Sarnia Bayfest, Duende! opens for Jack Oblivion @ Majestic Cafe, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Mavis Staples @ Concert Of Colors Max M Fisher
A quick recap of the Concert of Colors. It starts on Friday at the DIA with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and includes free admission to their new exhibit “Through African Eyes: The European in African Art, 1500 to Present”which explores the artistic consequences of the variations and dynamics of cultural exchanges between Africans and Europeans over 500 years. It also illustrates how African artists from diverse cultures have used and continue to use visual forms to reflect their particular societies' changing attitudes toward Europeans, as the latter evolved from stranger to colonizer to the more inclusive Westerner. There is also a screening of the 1931 Spanish version of Dracula which is one of the creepiest tellings of the story of Dracula. Except for Bela, it is a more atmospheric and truer adaption of Stoker's classic. It generally runs a bit longer because it includes some scenes left out of the American version. This version was filmed alongside the American to market in Spanish markets which loved US horror films. When the US cast was done filming, the Spanish cast came in and filmed at night which accounts for the gloomier atmosphere and I highly recommend the performance by the actor who plays Renfield who is really creepy in this version. One of the top 5 vampire films of all time. Grade = A+.
I hope you all enjoy the week and I'll probably talk to you midweek sometime so take care and see you later.