Wishbone Ash Rocks Sacramento - If Rock 'N' Roll Is Dead, Andy Powell Didn't Get The Memo

Going into yesterday evening's show at the B Street Theater in Sacramento, California, I knew it would be good. Andy Powell has always insured a high quality product, but honestly, I was not expecting what I witnessed. This latest iteration of Wishbone Ash is as powerful as any lineup the band ever fielded, and it may even be the best. One of the best shows I've witnessed in the last five years, a band at its apex.

Michael Schenker Fest - Lights Out in San José!

photo by Robert Lio

Michael Schenker Fest played to a nearly sold out, loving crowd at the San José National Civic Center on Saturday night, but as much fun as the audience had belting out lyrics with their favorite Schenker vocalists and being mystified by their hero's heavy licks, I think the most fun was actually had by the eight hard rock legends who make up the Fest.

I don't believe that I've ever seen a band have more fun onstage. The four singers (Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, and Doogie White) came across more like a hard rock version of the Four Tops than competing metal myths, and their fun was both contagious and inspiring.

Lance Lopez - Tell The Truth - An early contender in its class for 2018

Lance Lopez overwhelmingly succeeds in his quest to bring sizzling blues rock to the masses once again with his latest full length release, Tell The Truth, currently out on Mascot Label Group.

Tell The Truth is that rarest of beasts, a well thought out blues rock record. In a genre which can become stiflingly repetitive, Lopez, along with producer Fabrizio Grossi, avoid the usual pitfalls by bringing to the forefront some elements too often found absent in so many youthful displays of six string exuberance common to the breed.

This is apparent right out of the shoot as "Never Came Easy" starts off the proceedings with a dropped D tuned acoustic guitar and an effected vocal that sounds as close to Nashville as it does to Texas, but where you would imagine the song would then kick off into the predictable guitar histrionics, a sultry electric piano that sounds as if it just found its way out of 1973 and a growling, throbbing, greasy bass line come in to accompany Lopez's gritty vocals. This song set is strongly autobiographical, and when Lopez breaks into his silky slide guitar solo the soulful background vocals paint the picture to great effect. Song based blues rock - Lopez hits the nail on the head, and he keeps it between the ditches for the entire ride.