Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Dieting Edition

I decided to restart my diet this week. Maybe it’s the fact that I gained back 12 of the 20 pounds I lost. Perhaps it’s the vanity of knowing that my 20 year high school reunion is another week away. Or maybe it’s the fact that sometimes I just overeat and I know it can’t be healthy for me.

Whatever the reason, I have to admit, dieting sucks. Fruit for breakfast, tuna and red peppers for lunch, and a sensible dinner is no fun at all. Beer is off the list (except on cheat day, which is Saturday for me). No popcorn (and at the movies that is hard) and no Taco Doritos (a real weakness of mine). Sometimes I hate being vain.

I’d love to say the hell with it and let myself go. But then I see myself dropping a few pounds and I feel inspired to continue on. It’s a rough, long road – a lifestyle change, but it is best if I get back on track now. I know come October, I will be much fitter and much happier.

Here’s what rocked this week:

So You Wanna Be A Music Blogger?
I came across an excellent article this week. For anyone who has ever wanted to get into the music blogging sphere, you need to check this out. I wish I had found an article like this when I was starting out. As it is, the post still gave me plenty to think about even after all these years of blogging. This is a must read for anyone who blogs, is thinking about blogging, or wants to be a blogger. And the subject matter is good for any type of blogging, not just music. A worthy read, indeed!

Puddle Of Mudd With Rev Theory And Royal Bliss
My exclusive Puddle Of Mudd concert review for Hard Rock Hideout can be found at this link. It was an excellent opportunity for me to witness Puddle Of Mudd live (my first time seeing them in concert). The opening act was astonishing and overall, it was a fun filled night of hard rock and roll.

Pearl Jam 20
This September will bring forth an amazing moment of Pearl Jam history. Directed, written, and produced by Cameron Crowe, Pearl Jam 20 is the definitive biopic about one of the greatest bands to ever rock the stage. And while there is a book (and a soundtrack) coming out to commemorate Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary, it is the documentary film that I am most looking forward to. While I will own this on DVD, I have a feeling that I will also be heading to the nearest theater to catch it on the big screen.

Every Album Challenge Update
Albums Listened To: 217
Albums Remaining: 1,836

For more news, reviews, rants, raves, odd sayings, and strange little music tidbits, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Anniversary Edition

Tomorrow is my 6 year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe that I have been married that long already, and more importantly, I can’t believe that my wife has put up with me for that long. Between the time I spend on this blog and my obsession with comic books and sports, I’m surprised she hasn’t come to her senses and left me by now.

To celebrate our anniversary, we will be going out to dinner at the place we met. I don’t believe that either of us has been back there since the night we met, so it should be interesting to see how much we can remember about that fateful night when we are there.

For this week’s edition of Friday’s Rockin’ Roundup, I’ve decided to pull together some upcoming tours that are worthy of your attention. It seems like this has been one slow summer concert season. I know that I’ve only been to two concerts this year, and technically, neither of them was during the summer. Maybe that will change and I will attend one of these upcoming shows.

Here are some tours that rock:

POP EVIL
http://www.pollstar.com/resultsArtist.aspx?ID=158749
Pop Evil is out on the road in support of their latest album, War Of Angels. If you’ve never seen Pop Evil live before, I implore you to check them out. Travel if you must. Pop Evil is a fantastic live band and one of the greatest new rock bands to arrive in a long time.

Theory Of A Deadman
http://www.theoryofadeadman.com/tourdates
Theory is also hitting the road to support a new album, The Truth Is… And while there are no shows scheduled near The Guru at this time, Theory is known for their extensive touring. I am sure that they will schedule a concert close to home in the near future.

Incubus
http://www.enjoyincubus.com/us/tour
Another band with a brand new album to support is Incubus. They are also fabulous in concert, but I am unfortunately going to miss them this year. They are playing the Arts Center in NJ on the same day that I am attending an annual Labor Day BBQ bash that I just can’t miss. It was a tough decision, but the BBQ won out.

Seether
http://www.seether.com/events.aspx
Seether too is supporting a new album, Holding Onto Strings Better Left To Fray. The extent of their tour appears to be taking place in August. I’ve only seen Seether as an opening act, but with a late August stint scheduled for New Jersey, I may have to check out their headlining appearance.

Puddle Of Mudd
http://www.puddleofmudd.com
Puddle of Mudd has a couple of different tours coming up. First, they are out on a headlining tour doing two sets --- one an acoustic covers set and the second, a set of their greatest hits. After that tour wraps at the end of July, the band has some time off before starting a tour with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, and POD. That could be some show!

Every Album Challenge Update
Albums Listened To: 190
Albums Remaining: 1,863

For more rants, raves, reviews, news, tour updates, and odd little musings, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Friday's Rockin' Roundup - Home Repairs Edition

Mrs. Vie and I have been living through some home repair for the last two weeks. A good friend of your cousin Ryo has been working on the house. Painting, new lighting, and new flooring have all been taking place these past two weeks. It’s been a challenge living through the repairs. Doors and handrails are constantly off and not where they belong. The floor has been nothing but plywood for the past two days. It’s rough, but when it is all finished, it is going to look gorgeous. That is going to make Cathy and I very happy. With a little luck, everything will be complete next week. I have my fingers crossed, because I would like to have my house back.

And while I was dealing with the constant thumping of hammers and nails, here’s what rocked this week:

Bret Michaels Hospitalized
We start on a sad note and with a prayer of hope for Bret Michaels. About a week ago he was rushed to the hospital with what turned out to be a brain hemorrhage. He has undergone emergency surgery and is in stable, condition. Doctors are very hopeful for a full recovery.

Growing up, Poison was one of my favorite bands, and they got me through some difficult times in my life. They also are responsible for a lot of joy in my life. In high school, I even performed in the lip synch as Bret Michaels. I am hoping that Bret will make a full recovery, but a surgery of this nature is very serious.

Here’s some news and commentary on Bret (from a couple of my favorite sites):

http://hardrockhideout.com/2010/04/27/bret-michaels-medical-update

http://www.bringbackglam.com/journal/2010/4/28/regarding-bret-michaels-were-being-watched.html


The Carnival Of Madness Tour
A brand new travelling hard rock tour has been announced! Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle, Sevendust, and 10 Years are teaming up to bring you the Carnival of Madness tour. With tickets starting at only $20, how can you not attend this show?

Ozzy Osbourne’s New Album – Cover Art
The cover art for Ozzy’s new CD (due on June 15th) has been released. It looks pretty cool to me. I will admit, I’m liking the new song, Scream, a lot. A real lot. This may be the first Ozzy album on a long time that I pick up.

A Nostalgic Review of Ace Frehley’s 1978 Solo Album
Heavy Metal Addiction posted this review of Ace’s first solo album. I know you can find a review of this album just about anywhere, but I like the nostalgic touch that HMA put on the review. I can relate to a lot of it, especially spending hours in a record store educating myself about music. This is a fun (and fond) read. Enjoy!

For more news, quips, head banging, and air guitar fun, you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie

Puddle of Mudd: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate

Puddle of Mudd has brought back their brand of rock in their latest offering, Songs In The Key Of Love and Hate. This disc starts up right where Famous left off. It’s more of the heavy rock that we’ve come to know and love from Puddle of Mudd, which is not a bad thing at all. Original guitarist Paul Phillips has returned to the band for the recording of this album, and while Christian Stone did an incredible job on Famous, it’s nice to have Phillips back in the mix.

Wes Scantlin’s signature scowl and trademark sneer are present and accounted for on this record. Centering around familiar themes of revenge, anger, hatred, chicks that suck, and hating life in general, Puddle of Mudd haven’t changed an iota of their core. While some might argue that Puddle of Mudd isn’t growing musically, they are just regurgitating the same tired formula for every album, I counter that with an argument of my own. When Puddle of Mudd releases a new record, the listener knows what they are going to get. Volume 4 is very similar to Famous and the albums that came before them, and that’s fantastic. As the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Filled with rockers and a couple of ballads, Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate is another solid album from a group that keeps on producing great work. Music for the young, confused, and anger filled has always been what Puddle of Mudd is about, and the ride keeps on rolling on their fourth release. Sex filled innuendos are seen throughout, most notably on Spaceship where Wes asks the muse of the song to just cut through the crap and get naked with him already. Life’s too short to waste on set ups, just get to the heart of the matter.

Keep It Together and The Only Reason are the two ballads of the disc. Both are beautiful slower melodies that capture the intensity of the group and bear resemblance to the bands monster hit Blurry. The songs are both about needing someone to help through the difficult times and being there for that person as well. Keep It Together doesn’t want the relationship to end and Scantlin sings of redemption and making everything better. The Only Reason discusses how the muse of the song is the only thing keeping Scantlin alive. I’m curious to know if the same female was the inspiration for each song.

Spaceship, the album’s first single, is one of the most playful songs Puddle of Mudd has released in a while. A silly, sexual innuendo riddled, festival of taking off clothes, getting naked, and going for a ride on his spaceship, this song is a young male’s dream. Since that’s the market that Puddle of Mudd are biggest in, then it’s a formula that works. You need to appeal to your masses every so often, and Spaceship does just that.

Once again Puddle of Mudd has delivered a solid disc of enjoyable tunes, two or three potential hits, and forty plus minutes of entertainment. If you’re a fan of their previous albums, then you are going to love Songs In the Key of Love and Hate. If you’re new to the band, this is a good introduction that will set you up to enjoy their back catalog. If you like a good, hard hitting, modern rock album powered with anthems and a touch of ballads, then Volume 4 is an album you should own.

Ryo’s Rating: 8 (out of 10)

Track Listing
Stoned
Spaceship
Keep It Together
Out Of My Way
Blood On The Table
The Only Reason
Pitchin’ A Fit
Uno Mas
Better Place
Hooky

Shinedown/Puddle of Mudd 2010 Tour Dates

Winter tour dates are popping up from some of my favorite artists. Shinedown is going on tour this winter with Puddle of Mudd. The tour kicks off on Jamuary 21st. Puddle of Mudd is supporting Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate, which came out last month. Shinedown is still out on the road supporting their incredible Sound of Madness disc. This is a pretty good bill. Opening acts include Skillet, and Like A Storm. Tickets are less than $35, which is a decent price to see those two quality acts. Tour dates are below.

01/21 PROVIDENCE ,RI Dunkin Donuts Center
01/22 ALBANY ,NY Washington Avenue Armory
01/23 NEW YORK ,NY Nokia Theatre Times Square
01/26 BOSTON ,MA House Of Blues
01/28 BETHLEHEM ,PA Stabler Arena/Lehigh University
01/29 ATLANTIC CITY ,NJ House of Blues
01/30 LEWISTON ,ME Lewiston Urban Civic Center
02/01 ROCHESTER ,NY Main Street Armory
02/02 YOUNGSTOWN ,OH The Covelli Centre
02/03 UNIVERSITY PARK ,PA Bryce Jordan Center
02/05 DETROIT ,MI The Fillmore Detroit
02/08 ROCHESTER ,MN Taylor Arena at Mayo Clinic
02/09 COLUMBUS ,OH LC Pavillion
02/11 FORT WAYNE ,IN Allen County
02/12 DES MOINES ,IA Val Air Ballroom
02/13 PEORIA ,IL Peoria Civic Center Exhibition Hall

For more information visit http://www.shinedown.com/ or http://www.puddleofmudd.com/

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

Puddle of Mudd - Psycho

Halloween arrives this weekend. This is a perfect video to kick off Halloween week. I always thought this was a really cool video, especially in this day and age when artists are less creative with their cinematic representation of their music. Puddle of Mudd did a great job here.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up watching (and loving) all of the horror movies they feature in the video, but something about it hit me just right the first time I saw it. I especially like the Kid Rock/Tommy Lee fight with Pam in the middle, just outside the Bates Motel. Priceless!

What are your thoughts on this video? Love it? Hate it?

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.