Year in Review

They say that music is the soundtrack to your life. That fact is none the more apparent than as I am looking back over all the concerts I've attended this year. With rock concerts declining in the Memphis area, its definitely been much more about quality rather than quantity. And oh what quality I've seen in 2011.

Here's a few of my "Best Of..." picks from the year. What are yours?

Best Live Concert Photo (or my favorite of the year anyway): Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch during their show in Little Rock, AR

Best Album: American Capitalist by Five Finger Death Punch

Best New Artist: Art of Dying

Best Concert: Guns N' Roses (at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN)

Best Concert Moment: Celebrating with MIGGS drummer Walker Adams when he realized that Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin was sporting a MIGGS tshirt during the band's Memphis concert.

Best Guest Appearance: Zach Myers joining in on guitar with Nonpoint for their hit "Bullet with a Name" during their Memphis stop.

Rockin' on the Midway with 3 Doors Down

October 15, 2011
Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi State Coliseum
3 Doors Down, Theory of a Deadman, Pop Evil


3 Doors Down on the Jackson, MS stop of their "Time of My Life" Tour

       Fall is finally upon us here in the South, which made for a scenic trip down I-55 as I traveled for yet another concert out of town. I headed three hours south of Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi where the Mississippi State Fair was taking place and boasting quite the entertainment lineup. Amid other state fair staples like the smell of barnyard critters, questionable thrill rides and fried… well fried everything, was the next stop on 3 Doors Down’s “Time of My Life Tour.”

Conquering Cali & the Epicenter Festival- Part II

September 24, 2011
Irvine, California
Epicenter Festival, Part II: Redlight King, Asking Alexandria, P.O.D.

(Be sure to check out Part I of this review for Drive A, Crossfade and Middle Class Rut)

Continuing on with my experience at the 2011 Epicenter Festival…
The fourth band on the Monster Energy Drink stage brought about much more than just the halfway point. Redlight King, the only Canadian band on the bill, was one of the bands I most anticipated. Prior to the concert, I’d only heard two of their songs. “Old Man” is a slower paced tune that samples Neil Young’s classic of the same name. It’s become a staple on alt rock stations around the country. On the flip side, “Bullet in my Hand” showcases a heavier beat and gritty chorus, landing the single solidly on modern rock channels. So I was curious where the band would end up during their live performance. Alternative? Hard rock? Or somewhere neatly in between?

Growing Old and Rocking Out to Candlebox

September 30, 2011
New Daisy Theater
Memphis, Tennessee
Candlebox with Cowboy Mouth

Kevin Martin fronts Candlebox at the New Daisy Theater in Memphis, TN.

Kevin Martin smiles onstage. A lot. Maybe he took his happy pills. Maybe he believes everything’s alright. But one thing’s for sure. You couldn’t douse that Colgate spokesperson smile with 10,000 horses.

Alright, alright. That’s enough corniness for one blog (maybe.) But I can’t help it. This is what Candlebox does to me. Listening to their music evokes a carefree feeling, taking me back to when the worst of my worries was turning in my US Government paper on time and finding a ride home from high school in a car deemed “socially acceptable” (a rarity indeed.) One of the first times I ever saw the Candlebox live was during high school (sometime around 1997) as the headliner on the final night of the MidSouth Fair.

Conquering Cali and the Epicenter Festival - Part I

September 24, 2011
Irvine, California
Epicenter Festival - Part I: Drive A, Crossfade, Middle Class Rut

      

Last week, I headed to Irvine to catch my first ever California rock experience at the Epicenter Festival for its second year. From the moment I touched down at LAX, it was apparent that I wasn’t the only rocker in town for the show. Fans galore, decked out in their finest band apparel and cameras in hand, lined the same baggage claim as me. It was my first indication that, while many of the fans to fill the 20,000 seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheater were from Cali, many others were “just visiting.” I even met one guy who flew over from France! 

Loud music and high-flying stunts during the Outbreak Tour

March 2, 2011
Huntsville, AL
Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour: Rev Theory, Pop Evil, The Black Cloud Collective and Aranda

Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty gets a few helping hands from the crowd during the Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour stop in Huntsville, Alabama.

They say desperate times call for desperate measures. Though there have been some great local band shows in Memphis lately, the number of national acts rolling through is severely dwindling. So I once again hit the road, on a weeknight nonetheless, to catch the Monster Energy Drink Outbreak Tour on its closest stop to me. The locale - a mere three hours away in Huntsville, Alabama.

For Those Women About to Rock

Lzzy Hale at Rock on the Range 2010

This week brought us the centenary celebration of International Women’s Day, so I thought I’d take a look at some of the women currently turning the rock world on its ear. Unlike their pop counterparts of recent years, these women are more than just a pretty face and hot body (though they’re pretty smokin’ too.) For each, its never a case of either/or. They can sing AND scream, write AND play. They can do it all. And with their “anything you can do, I can do better” attitudes, they’re showing the boys who’s boss.