Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Valentine Edition

Sunday is Valentine’s Day for anyone who may have forgotten (you single guys). Valentine’s Day is a nice time here at Cousin Ryo’s house. We don’t spend a lot of money on extravagant gifts for each other. Instead, my wife and I cook a nice romantic meal together and watch a couple of movies (a rare treat in these parts). It’s a nice time of togetherness that I cherish almost more than any other time of the year.

This year we are cooking steak and shrimp, with asparagus, au gratin potatoes, and chocolate truffles for dessert (my wife found the recipe last year and they are delicious). We’re going to rent “Couples Retreat” and I was able to talk her into renting “Zombieland.” It should be a wonderful Valentine’s Day for the two of us and I am just going to enjoy being able to spend the entire day with my wonderful wife.

And while I was practicing my romantic lines for Sunday, here’s what rocked this week:

The Who’s Subpar Superbowl Performance
This is a GREAT post over at Real Rock News. The rocker wrote his true opinion of The Who’s performance and it’s not very glowing. I say good for him. Not many people have had the balls to write what they truly thought of that lackluster halftime show, afraid to upset rock royalty or something. Real Rock News tells it like it is – and it sucked.

The Masses Are Kind Of Stupid Sometimes
I’ve been saying this for years! The masses are nothing more than lemmings. This is a well written, enjoyable post over at Troubled Souls Unite. And for the record I am a HUGE LOST fan, I don’t particularly care for Coldplay, and I never liked Kings of Leon.

Saliva Releasing A Greatest Hits Disc
Saliva is one of the most underrated modern bands out there. I’ve seen them live 3 times (openers for Kiss/Aerosmith) and I was impressed with each performance. I love their music and think that this band can really blast toward the top of the pack with one more solid release. A greatest hits package is a nice holdover, but I’m anxious to hear new music from them.

Bruce Kulick At The Kiss Coffehouse



For more rocking fun and dancing nancies, follow me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Bruce Kulick - BK3

It’s been a great time to be a Kiss fan lately. Kiss put out their first new record since 1998’s Psycho Circus. We were blessed with Ace Frehley’s 1st solo release in over 20 years. And now we have another former member of the band releasing a solo album. Bruce Kulick has just unleashed BK3 to the delight of many. Packed with enough guitar riffs to make any metal-head happy BK3 is a hard rocker’s blissful delight.

On BK3 Bruce Kulick really shines. Centered on rip-roarious guitar riffs, Kulick built songs that are meant to show off his skills with the ax. Guitar solos are plentiful and crafted with the experience of this seasoned veteran. Kulick reminds everyone how gifted he is with just one listen. Hard, heavy, and fast is the pace of BK3.

Guest stars appear in abundance on this album. Former Kiss band mates Gene Simmons and Eric Singer show up as well as Nick Simmons, John Corabi, Doug Fieger, and Steve Lukather. Gene handles vocal duties on Ain’t Gonna Die and this song gives us a taste of what Kiss would have evolved into had they continued to make records with Kulick. It’s an amazing sound and style that makes me yearn for 90s Kiss.

Nick Simmons (Gene’s son) guests on the album’s first single, Hand Of The King. A dark, heavy groove drives this song giving it modern rock flair. Kulick tears into the song's solo like a hot knife through butter, delivering a crisp, energetic guitar solo that overloads the ear senses with pleasure. It’s hard to believe that Nick is the one behind the microphone. His voice is deep and dark on this track and brings it all together perfectly.

Kulick pulls double duty and handles vocals on a few of the songs as well. Admittedly, he is much better on guitar than in front of the microphone, but after a couple of listens his voice does grow on you. The biggest problem with Kulick’s vocals is how they sound strained. It appears that he doesn’t sing much and he’s forcing himself through the vocals as best he can. His voice doesn’t take away from the songs, but he may have been better served finding a lead singer ala George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Souls of We).

Overall, Kulick delivers an album of fun filled rock and roll. Building his skills while in Kiss and, more recently, Grand Funk Railroad, Kulick brings back what’s been missing for some time – exceptional guitar rock. The new class of young musicians would be served well using BK3 as a roadmap to exceptional music. After more than 25 years in the industry, Kulick is still amazing and gifted, and BK3 drives that point home with authority.

Ryo’s Rating: 8.5 (out of 10)

Track Listing
Fate
Ain’t Gonna Die
No Friend Of Mine
Hand Of The King
I’ll Survive
Dirty Girl
Final Mile
I’m The Animal
And I Know
Between The Lines
Life

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Championship Football Edition

This Sunday is championship Sunday in Ryo-land. The AFC Championship game puts the New York Jets against the Indianapolis Colts, while the NFC has the New Orleans Saints going up against the Minnesota Vikings. I always love championship Sunday. I’ve always felt that it’s the day for the true football fan. You get two great games, none of the hype of the Super Bowl, and it’s just pure fun.

As I do every year, I’ll be watching the games where I watch all my football, a nearby local watering hole that is my football home. We all look forward to the games, and this time of year when all of the teams that we regularly root for are out of the playoffs, it’s just about seeing good football, much like when we watch the college bowl games.

And after these games, there’s one more to go and then a week later, pitchers and catchers will be reporting for baseball spring training. Oh, those are magical words! I hope everyone enjoys their football or their whatever they do this Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone!

For more news, reviews, updates, banter, and unthoughts known, follow me on TWITTER.
www.twitter.com/ryovie

Here’s what rocked this week:

Coachella 2010
The Coachella lineup has been unveiled. The dates are set for April 16th – 18th to kick off the festival season. This looks like a great lineup once again. Faith No More, MGMT, Les Claypool, and The Dillinger Escape Plan jump out at me right away. If only California were a little closer to my New Jersey home. Well, one year I’ll make the trip out there for Coachella.

Free Music From The Smashing Pumpkins
As discussed a couple of months ago, the Smashing Pumpkins are offering free music as the tracks are finalized for their new album Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. This is a very cool offer, shades of Trent Reznor giving away an album last year. It helps bring more recognition to the Smashing Pumpkins, but it also helps Billy Corgan and the band share their music. The first two songs are available at their website now. Widow Wake My Mind is absolutely incredible.

Ozzy Book Signing
To help support the US release of his new autobiography, I Am Ozzy, Ozzy Osbourne will be doing a week’s worth of book signings in the states. Click the link for dates/times. I’m going to have to pick this book up and post a review. Reading the Ozzy snippets in The Dirt really make me wonder what this guy was like in the early days. I have a feeling this book will tell all.

Bruce Kulick Trailer for BK3
And finally there’s this little gem, a trailer helping to promote Bruce Kulick’s new album which is coming out on February 2nd. This is going to be one great album and I can’t wait to hear the whole thing. Once I do, you know there will be a review posted.

Hear The New Bruce Kulick Single

Wow! That's all I can say after listening to the new Bruce Kulick single, Hand Of The King. If this song is any indication of how the rest of the record is going to be, there are going to be a lot of happy Kiss fans and a lot of happy rock fans come Februrary.

This song is (dare I say it) better than most songs on Ace Frehley's Anomaly. Don't take my word for it though, listen for yourself. The song is streaming online at:

http://www.idesignprod.com/brucekulick/audiostreams/HandOfTheKing.asx

Give it a listen then give me your thoughts. Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

About BK3:
BK3 will be released February 2nd on Rocket Science Ventures.The album features appearances by some of Bruce’s closest friends, including: KISS icon Gene Simmons and up-and-coming son Nick, longtime friend John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, Kulick’s own Union), Knack frontman Doug Fieger, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Edguy power metal stalwart Tobias Sammet and even current KISS drummer Eric Singer.
“Many albums lack cohesion with different vocalists, but I know that my guitar playing is the glue on BK3,” Kulick says. “There was the clear goal of making absolutely the best record that I could put together. I feel like this is my Revenge.”

http://www.kulick.net/

New Bruce Kulick Single Available on January 12th

KISS fans rejoice (again)! This has been a good year to be a KISS fan. Not only did we get a brand new KISS album, but we also received a new Ace Frehley disc, and in February we’ll be hearing some new Bruce Kulick. That makes me happy! Here’s the news on Kulick’s first single, Hand of the King.

On January 12th, Legendary Kiss axeman Bruce Kulick will release Hand of the King, the first single from his 3rd solo LP, BK3, due on February 2nd. The single features vocals from Nick Simmons, son of Gene and star of the reality series Family Jewels. KISS icon Gene Simmons himself appears on the track Ain’t Gonna Die. The album features additional appearances by some of Bruce’s closest friends, including: John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, Kulick’s own Union), Knack frontman Doug Fieger, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Edguy power metal stalwart Tobias Sammet and even current KISS drummer Eric Singer.

“Many albums lack cohesion with different vocalists, but I know that my guitar playing is the glue on BK3,” Kulick says. “There was the clear goal of making absolutely the best record that I could put together. I feel like this is my Revenge.”

BK3 will be released February 2nd on Rocket Science Ventures
http://www.brucekulick.net/

Cousin Ryo cannot wait to hear this. As soon as I do, I’ll post a review.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Bruce Kulick's BK3 Scheduled For February Release

BRUCE KULICK GEARS UP TO RELEASE BK3 FEBRUARY 2ND
Guests on the album include members from KISS, Motley Crue and more

LOS ANGELES - If you ever play Six Degrees of Bruce Kulick, the former KISS/current Grand Funk Railroad guitarist’s résumé will keep you happily busy for hours. Cherished by artists as diverse as Meat Loaf and Kanye West, the veteran axeman’s boundless creative energy permeates his third solo LP, BK3. In the works for nearly six years and produced by Jerry Rubulino, BK3 delivers explosive hard rock arrangements and addictive pop melodies that honor both Kulick’s singular past and bright future. And then there’s the jaw-dropping guest list, boasting members of KISS, the Knack, Toto, Mötley Crüe and more.

After getting his solo feet wet with 2001’s Audio Dog and 2003’s Transformer, Kulick—the often unheralded driving force on 12 years of classic KISS records, from 1984’s Animalize to 1992’s Revenge—assembled his own rock ‘n’ roll dream team. The roster: KISS icon Gene Simmons and up-and-coming son Nick, longtime friend John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, Kulick’s own Union), Knack mainman Doug Fieger, Toto axe authoritarian Steve Lukather, Edguy power metal stalwart Tobias Sammet and even current KISS drummer Eric Singer.

“Many albums lack cohesion with different vocalists, but I know that my guitar playing is the glue on BK3,” Kulick says. “There was the clear goal of making absolutely the best record that I could put together. I feel like this is my Revenge.”

BK3 will be released February 2nd on Rocket Science Ventures
http://www.brucekulick.net/