Raiding the Rock Vault with Doug Aldrich special appearance at Vinyl inside the Hard Rock Hotel!!!!
Interview with Alex Cole
by: Leah Burlington
So please tell us about yourself for anyone out there that doesn’t know you…
I’m Alex Cole, signed by the Allied Artists Music Group. I’m the new upcoming artist to hit the music scene. I compose and perform original Retro Rock music. When you attend my shows you’ll get to see me on “fire”. I have a very high energy show. I never stop playing. I don’t talk in-between songs because it stops my energy and besides, my guitar does the talking for me. And sometime she talks a lot! I feed off the energy of the crowd’s enthusiasm and the crowd feeds off me. Hearing my songs live are going to be a bit different than on the album because I can be inspired to stretch out and jam when I feel the illumination of the moment. I enjoy playing and interacting with the people. I like to take everybody on this Rock N Roll journey with me. I’ve been playing in the best Rock’n’Roll venues in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip. Coming to Las Vegas was a real treat for me because the Vegas crowd gets to see the best acts in the world. To have them like my show and appreciating my music was a great feeling. I’ve been told my show remind people of concerts they saw in the 70’s and 80’s, like AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple and Whitesnake. That’s the best compliment ever! I loved playing at Count’s Vamp’d and I’ll be coming back soon.
Who are your influences?
While most of my shows are original music, I perform 3-4 covers in my shows and those are dedicated to those musicians who have inspired me to write and perform my style of music. Lately, I’ve been opening my shows with a few measures of George Thorogood’s Bo Diddley “ Who do you love”, because playing that song, and being reminded of him, grounds me in the rock blues feeling that I grew up with. I don’t do covers just to have the audience enjoy some classic rock hit. I perform covers because when I play Ted Nugent, “Free For All”, I can feel his energy coming through me. I play an AC/DC song, “It’s a long way to the top” because the words are true. It is a very long way to the top. And AC/DC was the first band who inspired me to write hard rock and give a sense to my stories. Bon Scott and Brian Johnson are not just singing, but telling stories in their music and everybody remembers their songs. That’s also what inspires my vocal quality. I’m not trying to sing perfectly, I’m singing full-out, with all my soul. Sometimes I find myself moving like James Brown. He cared most about the groove and I feel the same way. My body gets locked into the rhythm and the spirit of the music takes over.
What inspires you to be so full of energy and life?
I discovered a few years ago that when I take the stage I have a persona that comes out of me. It’s not a choice. It’s what happens with the freedom of playing the music that I love and being one with my guitar. I also discovered that I have to be in incredible shape to survive my shows. This requires me to have a high intensity workout program, which includes jump roping with weighted jump ropes, body weight calisthenics, lots of pull-ups, rings and stretching. I eat extremely healthy and I love that my work is a state of body and mind. I feel powerful and full of energy all of the time.
What is your favorite thing about being a musician?
I like that I can turn any experience, good or bad, into a song. Everything I write becomes a story. I like to write music about women being strong, guys at their best, people being hopeful and feeling that they can accomplish anything. Stay strong and never give up. I have a new song coming out called “You’re not alone”. It’s very different from my other songs and those who have heard it love it. It’s tender, inspiring and but still rock. Every day I enjoy that I am lucky to be able to do what I want to do. It’s not an easy job, but it’s very rewarding. The responsibility of my success is determined by the amount of energy I give to my art, combined with people believing and supporting me. I think about music and working on music most of my waking hours. There’s never a moment where the music isn’t running through my head. I never wake up thinking, “Oh, I have to go to work.” I wake up inspired because I’m thankful to be able to do what I love everyday. I think people can feel that when they hear my music and come to my shows.
Are you working on new music for an album and what is in the future of Alex Cole?
I’m working on a new album that I’m getting ready to record. The songs are some of my best work. At Vamp’d I played on a whim one of my new songs, “Lady Horse Fly” just because I wanted to see how the people reacted. And they loved it, even though I haven’t written all the lyric yet – they loved it. I’m kind-of fearless in that way. I’m never afraid to try new things. I believe in the real experience.
Please plug anything you are working on and how we can find you on the internet…
I’ll be playing at the Whisky A Go Go on March 26 and Viper Room on April 7 both are in Hollywood on the Sunset Strip. I like interacting with people on social media. You can find me as alexcolerocks on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook/alexcolerocksoffi
Thank you for your time Alex, and hope to see you ripping up the stage at Vamp’d again soon!!! I wish you the best!!!
Thank you so much Sin City Presents and Leah Burlington for interviewing me. I really appreciate the opportunity to let others know more about me and my music. It’s been a pleasure meeting you!
Originally published at Sin City Presents Magazine Volume 5 issue #2
Interview with Lucas singer/ guitarist from Void Vator
by: Leah Burlington
Hello Lucas!!
It was so awesome to see your killer new band Void Vator at Count’s Vamp’d in Vegas last Thursday night. It was hosted by John Gist and Vegas Rock Revolution. It was an excellent showcase of local and new bands such as yourselves, even though your band is from LA. It was a very different show for Vamp’d and you guys brought in a nice crowd and then slayed them with your heavy rock n roll!! I gotta say I am inspired by your band! Your live set is very energetic and the band is tight!! You have kick ass songs as well that are catchy! I will be watching for more good stuff from your band!! Let’s dive right in!!
Full interview in the April issue of Sin City Presents Magazine …
Fates Warning w/ KILL RITUAL, TYRANTS BY NIGHT
Count’s Vamp’d
By: Steven Troy
Photos by: Leah Burlington
Fates Warning… the very name conjures up dark, foreboding images… sinister… evil… well, the reality is a bit different. These guys are one of the forefathers of one of my fave Metal genres, Progressive Metal. Not quite as intense and extreme as the other progenitor, Queensryche, to whom they are closely linked by many people. More laid back, introverted, nerd Metal… kinda. I’m a nerd, so I dig it! But let’s start at the beginning.
Now, I thought for SURE this was gonna be a sold out show… nope. I was disappointed at the turnout, not bad, but not what I expected. Guess there ain’t enough geeks like me out there, but the Metal faithful were definitely out in force, if not in the numbers I had hoped for. TYRANTS BY NIGHT opened up… and I missed ‘em. I was really looking forward to seeing them, I had been crankin’ the tunes I found online, this is a kick ass band, so I was bummed. Check ‘em out on You Tube and all the usual media. KILL RITUAL was next, more kick ass local Metal, and they tore the place up. Front man David Reed Watson is a seasoned pro that knows how to work a stage, and a good, strong singer, too. Shreddin’ guitars, killer rhythm section, yeah, give it a listen, you can find ‘em on all the usual outlets. They’re hittin’ the road later this month with Iced Earth and Sanctuary… and NOT coming here. You gotta be kidding me! SOMEBODY needs to book this tour!
On to the main event! It’s been 15 years since they’ve been here. The curtain closed, the intro goin’, the crowd getting’ fired up. FATES WARNING rolled onstage to From the Rooftops, off their latest album, “Theories of Flight.” This tune starts slow, then starts kickin’… did I mention they’re a bit more introverted than what you might expect from a Metal band? It’s all good though, the crowd got JUST what they wanted. Vocalist Ray Alder, often compared to Geoff Tate, has lost nothing over the years. Deep music, tight band, with excellent musicianship. Just what everybody wanted to hear from what truly is, and deservedly so, a legendary band. How about much less than 15 years before you come back, ok guys? Again, another awesome night at Vamp’d!
LA Guns two nights at Count’s Vamp’d in Vegas 12-29 & 30
When I found out that the new and improved reunion of LA Guns were coming to play at my fave rock club, Count’s Vamp’d for two nights at the end of 2017, I was stoked!! I saw them earlier in the year there and it was fantastic show. The new album “The Missing Peace” was just released and the band was ready to rock with this awesome new line up with Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis back together for the first time in many years. That night they blew me the hell away!
I used to see both guys in their own versions of LA Guns 1 & 2 as I would call them, many times over the years. Even saw them in 1988 twice when they were coming up, as I loved this new kick ass sleaze rock band. Years later, they would tour, it seemed back to back every year, sometimes twice a year and I would see both versions each time. They were good but now they are great!! The chemistry of Phil and Tracii together, is what was “Missing” and these two guys light up when they are onstage together. Then they have the rest of the band, who are not original members, but they were part of each guy’s band before and they were kept on, which completes the circle of where they are in the present moment. They are now the complete package with incredible guitarist Michael Grant, who is so full of youth and piss and vinegar, and who is the perfect yin to Tracii’s yang. I am talking a perfect balance. Then you have mighty bass player, Johnny Martin who is one cool cat. I dig his onstage antics and posture which makes him one of my fave cats to shoot. When he and Michael are together, they exude total Bromance. They have a blast together. The truth is, the whole band is in a huge Bromance. I really hope it stays that way, because they are amazing to watch! They are rounded out by their incredible drummer, the kid in the band, Shane Fitzgibbon. Never have I seen a happier more exuberant drummer onstage. You know he feels blessed to be there rocking with all these cats.
The two nights they played together kind of blurred into one with two set lists that were a bit changed up each night. They did play my favorite song off the new album both nights, “The Floods Not the Fault of the Rain”, which to me is LA Guns masterpiece! They played all the greatest hits from the LA Guns catalogue with quite a few new songs off “The Missing Peace.” “Speed” goes over well live as a kick ass rock anthem, where we could all scream “GO FAST” along with the band! My second fave song off the album, “The Devil Made Me Do it” is a balls out rock anthem as well and gets you really going with upbeat energy. I was so happy they played that. I really would be stoked to hear the entire new album live because I feel that is the best thing they have done in their career. The guys hit it out of the park with this album and I am so proud of them that they pulled off one of the best albums in 2017! Also, the chemistry of this band is so amazing that you can feel it. They are having the time of their lives and want to share with you. That is how it felt, both nights. They put on an energetic show and are so in the pocket with every song. Perfect balance, like I said. Each guy has his own spot in this band that makes it magical. I would see LA Guns every time they come here because they still make me feel good about rock n roll being alive and kicking!!!
The BEST tribute to Queen is Queen Nation. They have the best set list because they play the hits as well as some of the older songs that you rarely hear from the early 70’s. That is my favorite time for Queen. These guys are the real deal!!
Vegas musicians came out to celebrate our dear friend and amazing singer, Mary Kryah’s Birthday at Vamp’d!!!
“Rock’n’Roll like this is a rarity these days: dirty, passionate, full of anger and lust for life, without irony or distance.” – Rolling Stone, Germany
by: Leah Burlington
There’s a lot more to The Dead Daisies then meets the eye and they have a Bio on their website to explain in detail the bands evolution. The Dead Daisies Bio It entails who has been in the band and all the amazing places they have played around the world in their five short years as a band. They have a revolving door of talented musicians, but the line up they have now to me is the best.
The Dead Daisies, formed in 2012 by guitarist David Lowy, are a musical collective created by a rotating line-up that has featured some of the best Rock musicians on the planet. Their current line-up is, Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake/Dio), John Corabi (Mötley Crüe/The Scream), David Lowy (Red Phoenix/Mink), Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy/Whitesnake),Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne/Billy Idol)
The Dead Daisies have three albums out with the newest that came out in 2016 ,“Make Some Noise” and live DVD “Live and Louder” which just came out last May.
More of the review in the next issue of Sin City Presents Magazine