FACING FORWARD Bent And Broken And Breaking Out

I caught the self-described "original pop-indie style" 4-piece alternative-rock band Facing Forward at the intimate-sized stage that resides in the very back barroom area of the North Beach live music venue located in Downers Grove, Illinois last month (May 8th, 2010)...they performed to an audience of enthustiastic beer-soaked patrons that were ready to be rocked. And rocked they were! (image above: Ryan on the lead vocals and Nicola wailing on the skins)Facing Forward took control of the scene the moment they walked onstage with an immediate no-nonsense jump into the first tune. As their website relays: "Facing Forward has enjoyed plenty of regional and national exposure over the past couple of years, and has shared the stage with some of the industry's hottest acts, such as; Fallout Boy, Plain White T’s, The Violent Femmes, Lady Gaga, Boston, Chicago, Tesla, Twisted Sister, Aaron Lewis of Staind, Papa Roach, Collective Soul, Dierks Bently, Gretchen Wilson, Sum 41, and dozens more. They were a part of VH1's Aftermath: The Station Five Years Later, which was broadcast on Easter of 2008 on VH1 & hosted by Bret Michaels. Part of the band's performance was broadcast on the Boston News. Facing Forward's music has been heard on Chicago's Q101 (101.1 FM) and many of MTV's most popular reality shows including: A Shot At Love 2: with Tila Tequila, NEXT, Parental Control, Juvies, True Life, and Pimp My Ride. They were named best emerging artist at Milwaukee Summerfest in 2007. “Bent and Broken” may be a dynamic depiction of Facing Forward’s original pop-indie style, but also describes exactly where the band has come from in the past year-and-a-half. Beaten and battered by a long rocky road full of corruption, broken trust, and false promises, they have salvaged pieces of the past and used them to define a new sound and attitude that they now hold close.(image above: Kieran vocalizes) Back on their feet, the band continues the quest to find what they have been looking for all along. With songs that send messages of hope, strength, overcoming, and empowerment, Facing Forward presses on stronger than ever, and is taking everyone who believes to the top with them. "To everyone who has ever helped us, taught us, or inspired us in any way, we owe you!"
~Facing Forward".'Nuff Sed.
(image below: Colin tears into the strings)

NEXT SHOW:
When: Friday, July 31, 2010 9:00 PM CDT
Where: Ballydoyle Pub
Bloomingdale IL

BAND MEMBERS:
Ryan Greshock: Lead Vocals
Colin Greshock: Vocals/Guitar
Nicola Palazzo: Drums
Bryan Kieran Walker: Vocals/Bass

MANAGEMENT:
unsigned

WEBSITES:
http://www.facebook.com/facingforward
http://www.myspace.com/facingforward
http://www.facingforwardmusic.com
Here is a video of Facing Forward from a concert in Providence, Rhode Island burning through the tune "Just Say Goodbye":


(source: youtube.com, facingforward.com photos by: Jordan Schmalz of JORI PHOTOGRAPHY)

Led Zepplin - One Last Concert In The USA...PLEEEASE!

Led Zepplin...This is one band, unfortunately, I managed to miss seeing in my youth during the 1960's; if only we could get them over here to the USA one more time, maybe as a gesture to the American fanbase that helped make them legend (if a band makes it in America, its one helluva huge market for their music as well as their wallets and the old USA made them)...here is a synopsis of the group:

"Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin), and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock music. However, the band's individualistic style drew from many sources and transcends any one genre. Led Zeppelin did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of "album-oriented rock"."

Close to 30 years after disbanding following Bonham's death in 1980, the band continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million certified units in the United States[8] and they have had all of their original studio albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the US, with six reaching the number one spot. Led Zeppelin are ranked #1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the '70s" and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history." Similarly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes the band being "as influential in that decade (70s) as the Beatles were in the prior one."

In 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited (along with deceased drummer John Bonham's son, Jason) for the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London." 'Nuff Sed.

(Source: Wikipedia.org, Youtube.com, LedZeppelin.com)

Chickenfoot-Rock Promoter's Dream

Never heard of the band Chickenfoot? Then how about the musicians that are in it? Surely you've heard of the rock-legend-names Hagar, Satriani, Anthony, and Smith! I remember during the years of the Viet Nam war the Peace Symbol became a prominent image (those of us in the service at the time called it "The Footprint of the American Chicken")...the band's logo is a slightly modified version of it with the chickenfoot being inside of a square rather than a circle as it had originally been used...slick...their sound is even slicker...Check 'em out:

"Chickenfoot is an American hard rock supergroup, comprising ex-Van Halen members Sammy Hagar (vocals) and Michael Anthony (bass), solo musician Joe Satriani (guitar) and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The band released their self-titled debut album, Chickenfoot, on June 5, 2009. Regarding the band's status as a "supergroup", vocalist Sammy Hagar states: "We’re not a supergroup, we like hanging out together and the music is a bonus. We just happen to be in other groups. While the band's name and logo reference a disparaging term used to describe the peace symbol, the "footprint of the chicken", bassist Michael Anthony asserts that the name originated from initial jam sessions between Hagar, Smith and himself: "there are three talons on a chicken’s foot and there [were] three of us." Later Anthony stated: "it was just supposed to be a bullshit name that we’d used for a while, and then [when] the rumors spread about the band, everybody used that name so we thought, 'fuck it, let’s call it Chickenfoot' - it all comes down to the music anyway." Currently Chickenfoot is writing for their second album." 'Nuff Sed.

(source: Wikipedia.org, Youtube.com. Chickenfoot.us)

Les Paul Electric Guitar Inventor / Rock and Roll Legend Passes Aged 94

Les Paul, one of the most revered guitarists in history and the father of the electric guitar, passed away last night, August 12th, 2009 at the age of 94. The cause of death was due to respiratory failure, and a statement from Gibson indicates Paul was suffering from severe pneumonia and died at a hospital in White Plains, New York.

"An inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame, Paul is credited as the inventor of the electric body guitar and the pioneer of recording techniques like electronic echo and multi-tracking. Paul also had a celebrated career as both a solo artist and with singer Mary Ford, his wife until 1964. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Les Paul to our list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and his influence on guitar greats who followed him is undeniable. “He was one of the most stellar human beings I’ve ever known,” Slash posted on his Twitter today, referring to Paul as his “friend and mentor.” Chickenfoot guitarist Joe Satriani released a statement that reads, “Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero, and the kindest of souls.”
Slash, Tom Morello and more guitarists remember Les Paul.

In the early ’50s, Paul and Ford had a string of hits including Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “How High the Moon,” “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise” and “Vaya Con Dios.” Paul also began experimenting with the electric guitar, building the Les Paul Recording Guitar, an instrument that allowed for “hot” pickups and “fatter” tone than the Fender on the market. Paul linked up with Gibson Guitars and his six-string became one of the guitar maker’s signatures.

Around this time, Paul also made the first-ever eight-track recording, as well as the dual-pickup guitar, the 14-fret guitar, and various types of electronic transducers used both in guitars and recording studios. For his achievements as a technician, Paul was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, joining Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Paul was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, a fact noted in the name of the 1980 Les Paul documentary The Wizard of Waukesha. Last November, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honored Paul with its annual American Music Masters Concert, where Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Richie Sambora and the Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye paid tribute to Paul (watch footage from the event, below). Kaye told the audience, “Before Les, guitars were only amplified. Les made them truly electric.” During his acceptance speech, Paul joked, “Everybody thought I was a guitar until I played here tonight.” One thing is for certain: Les Paul is responsible for changing the way rock & roll sounds and he will be greatly missed."--(source:RollingStoneMagazine)'Nuff Sed.