Rocklanta (Day II)
April 30, 2019
Atlanta, GA
Center Stage Theater
So just what is Rocklanta? Think ProgPower but instead of snooty D&D playing cosplayers it’s a bunch of dirtbags hugging each other over cheap beers and stories of “the good ol’ days.” Just upon entering the venue I felt this amazing, welcoming vibe wash over me.
I know it sounds cheesy but it’s true. Before I could even get 100 feet into the venue I had people coming to me asking me, “Aren’t you The Great Southern Brainfart?” and hugging me. One guy even put a beer in my hand right away and said, “Drink with me brother.” I knew right away this was going to be a long but fun day.
I was looking forward to hearing some new bands that I’ve never heard before and looking forward even more to seeing bands that I haven’t seen in 20+ years. It was definitely going to be a fun day so I got my first beer, ate my Cliff bar and geared up for what would be a fucking insane night of classic glam/sleazy rock & roll both new and old!
Denman
As I entered the venue stage area, a band called Denman was on stage. Their singer/guitarist Ben Denman had the most insane hairdo I’ve seen in years. They all looked really young and trying not to be the cranky old fuck that I am, I opened my mind and my ears and I have to say I was really surprised.
Denman is a fine mix of old school sleaze metal and even a touch of NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal). The band put on a high energy show and to sweeten the deal they closed their set with a blazing cover of the Metallica classic “Battery.” They actually played this song better than Metallica has in 20 years. I gave their music a listen on Spotify and I have to say that the albums don’t do them justice. You have to see this band live to really get just how fucking great they are.
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The East Side Gamblers
The next band up was The East Side Gamblers and honestly, I was way less than impressed. I don’t think I could be less impressed. It’s not that they were a bad band or anything but their songs just all sounded the same to me and they just didn’t have that “wow factor.” Maybe it was following Denman that made it hard for me to dig them but they were just another mediocre band with mediocre songs.
The East Side Gamblers were also the band that I heard next to nobody talking about. There was no buzz about the venue about them and I didn’t really see anyone sporting their shirts so I’m not quite sure if these guys even have much of a fanbase. I could be wrong but I never even heard of them until Rocklanta. They should’ve opened the show and paved the way for Denman but honestly, maybe it’s best that Denman opened because it really got everyone pumped up for a long and rocking night.
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Roxy Blue
Roxy Blue is a band that I only saw once in their heyday. I remember it very clearly. They opened up for Babylon AD at the Masquerade along with Wildside who do this day I consider one of the worst bands of the era. Ok, that said, I was really pumped to see Roxy Blue but there were some issues. I was backstage waiting for them to go on and it turns out their drummer was stuck in traffic. This delayed the band’s set which sadly meant that their set was cut short.
Roxy Blue hit the stage and opened with “Loves Got a Hold on Me” just like they did back in the ‘90s. Lead vocalist Todd Poole’s voice has definitely experienced some wear and tear over the years but the grit of his voice really put a heavier feel to the songs. Going into “It’s So Easy” was awesome to hear and again, the band sounded great. Todd still has that energy as a frontman but I couldn’t help but feel like there was a lack of chemistry in the band.
I remember when Sid Fletcher was their guitarist, the band seemed so connected and full of energy and they were so much fun to watch. This lineup just seemed to look and feel a bit depleted with the exception of Todd Poole. Now I’m not sure if this was because of the stress of running late but I was just a little disappointed in the lack of energy from the rest of the band. I also didn’t love that they closed with “Times Are Changin’.” This seemed to kind of kill the “boom” of “Rob the Cradle” which would have served as a much better closer.
Roxy Blue was a great addition to Rocklanta but honestly, I expected more from them. What was once a band full of energy and fun seemed to be somewhat stiff with their lead singer carrying the load for the bulk of the set. I can only hope that this was just an off night for them because if this is how they are generally, I just don’t think I could dig seeing them again.
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Tora Tora
The last time I saw Tora Tora was in this very same room back in 1992. They were touring in support of their 2nd album Wild America with T-Ride opening the show. I was absolutely beside myself to get the opportunity to see them again after so long. Tora Tora was appearing with all the original members and they have also just put out a new album this year called Bastards of Beale. Based on this album I knew they still had it but what would it be like seeing them live again after so long?
Tora Tora took the stage loud and ecstatic audience as they kicked things off with “Love’s a Bitch” from the band’s debut album, Surprise Attack. Corder’s voice sounds as strong as it did back in the day and the band as a whole was as tight as you could possibly get. Bassist Patrick Francis and drummer John Patterson mastered that Memphis swing that acted as a foundation while Corder wailed through crowd favorites like “28 Days,” “Amnesia,” and “Guilty.” “Guilty” was where I felt that guitarist Keith Douglas shined making it look like they’ve never stopped playing these songs.
Tora Tora played two new songs (“Son of a Prodigal Son” and “Rose of Jericho”) from the new album which was both fucking fantastic and they blended with the older material so well. The highlight of the set was “Phantom Rider.” Corder’s vocals and acoustic playing gave me chills and the crowd waited with fingers crossed to see if he would nail the signature scream right as the song kicks in. Well, Corder nailed the fuck out of it and the crowd went nuts.
Tora Tora closed out with “Walkin’ Shoes” and left the stage to a roaring crowd. It felt so good to see Tora Tora again and doing as good if not better than ever. Tora Tora, much like bands such as Tesla and Cinderella, has music that doesn’t age. It’s that timeless southern swagger and boogie sleazy rock and roll that is not only nostalgic but still feels and sounds like it could’ve come out this year (which it did with their new Bastards of Beale album). It’s great to have y’all back. Now just keep it goin’.
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Lillian Axe
I last saw Lillian Axe at the Masquerade back in 1994 on the Psychoschizophrenia tour. Over the years I have kept up with the Axe as they are my New Orleans homeboys. Throughout all of their lineup changes over the years, Lillian Axe seems to be in a really happy place especially with longtime friend and original Lillian Axe bassist Mike Maxx back in the band. I just hopelessly continued to wish that they would eventually make it back to Atlanta and thanks to Rocklanta, another dream came true.
This was my first time seeing them with new-ish vocalist Brian Jones and I was beyond excited. I really loved The Days Before Tomorrow album but I hadn’t heard him sing the old stuff live. There were a lot more people than I thought that would be as pumped as I was. This reminded me just what a cult band Lillian Axe has become. The band took the stage with no fanfare and opened with “Misery Loves Company.” The crowd went nuts and this just added to the excitement. To see my boys getting such a great reaction made me feel so proud to have been a fan of this band for so many years.
After doing my job in the photo pit, I took a seat in the balcony to just take it all in and hear them in all their glory. Lillian Axe’s set was way too short but they made the most of it by delivering classics like “Crucified,” “True Believer,” and “Deepfreeze.” Brian Jones sang these songs like he’s been singing them since their inception but it was “Ghost of Winter” from the debut album that absolutely melted me down. This was my favorite song when the album came out and to hear it sung with so much emotion and passion literally had me in tears.
Axe closed things out with “Show a Little Love” which absolutely brought the house down and then all of a sudden it was over. Lillian Axe was definitely one of the buzz bands of the day and after their set the merch booth was packed with people buying shirts and other Lillian Axe swag. Lillian Axe is a very important band to me and has been a huge part of my life for many years. Seeing them on that stage getting such a great response truly filled my heart and had me feeling all emo. Thank you Lillian Axe for braving the tumultuous waters and an even bigger thanks to Brian Jones. You did it and you know it.
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Kickin’ Valentina
Ok. So me and Kickin’ Valentina have a long history. I mean, LONG history of me totally not liking them and constantly poking them with a stick on my blog. I actually thought they were shite. I thought they looked stupid, sounded stupid, and I just didn’t like their songs but there was a problem; I actually liked them as guys (except for the singer who never gave me the time of day). I tried and even tried again but I just could never get into them at all. Eventually, we made our peace and I decided to stop poking the sleazy bear and we would just be pals… but then something happened.
I got wind that KV had a new singer, some cat by the name DK Revelle. Being the kind of person I am, I decided to give them another chance. Honestly, I didn’t know or remember a single KV song or their titles but what I could tell was that these guys are definitely growing at a rapid pace. The crowd (being their hometown) was apeshit and when they came out fists flying and nuts swinging with “Sweat,” I have to say that right away I was impressed.
What I realized all this time was that it wasn’t the band or their songs I didn’t like. I didn’t like their fucking singer. He had the worst stage moves, kind of like the Riverdance on speed, and while he had a great voice, he was not engaging. This kind of hogged the scope of things and made me not like them. With DK however, this is a fucking band and a great one at that. They have toned the image down just a tad which I have to say I dig because they actually look like the fucking dirtbags that I love. Song after song I was just blown away at how great they are. Bassist Chris Taylor and drummer Jimmy Bernadine were tight as fuck holding shit town and Heber Papillion absolutely kills it as a lead guitarist.
The most impressive thing to me was just how these guys can really work a crowd. They’ve obviously done their homework and this isn’t their first rodeo. DK is an amazing frontman and spent about 75% of the show in the crowd getting people to sing along with songs. I had such a blast watching them and I had some much fun watching the crowd just love them. I can openly and very proudly say that I am a Kickin’ Valentina fan and I cannot wait to see what these guys have in the reserves for us because if Saturday night’s show is any indication, I can say that it’ll fucking fantastic.
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Tyketto
Ok. So I have two questions. 1. How the fuck did they get such high billing on this show. 2. What the fuck did they even sing? Tyketto was literally one of those bands whose name I heard a zillion times as a teenager. They were in Metal Edge magazine so frequently that I swore that the singer was fucking the mag’s editor Jeri Miller or something. What I do remember hearing of them I forgot. Does that make sense? In other words, just another forgettable ‘90s band that got a lot of press and had a singer with really pretty hair.
I went back and did some research and it seems that these guys had a minor MTV/Headbanger’s Ball hit with a song called “Forever Young” and that they were currently touring for the 25th Anniversary for their album Strength in Numbers. Again, huh? What? Anyways, Tyketto took the stage, all six of them and honestly they had a great sized crowd that seemed to really dig them. Lead singer Danny Vaughn still has really pretty hair and a great voice but honestly, nothing they did was memorable. As a matter of fact it was so forgettable that I almost forgot to include them in this review.
I watched probably five songs of their set and I was so bored that I ended up leaving and walking around the lobby, looking at t-shirts, taking a leak, still being able to hear them loud and clear. Nothing made me want to go running back in to hear what they were doing. Obviously, they have fans but this is a true testament to how subjective music can be. Whatever they were doing was moving these folks but all it did for me was move me to the restroom and to the bar to get a beer.
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Dangerous Toys
Now, THIS is what I had been waiting for. Dangerous Toys has been one of my favorite bands since 1990 and to get to see them live again was something I was anticipating so much. Much like Tora Tora, only in 1990, Dangerous Toys played this very venue with Junkyard which today is considered to be a legendary show in its own right. Getting to see them here once again 29 years later made it full circle. The last time I actually saw Dangerous Toys was back in ’94 on the Pissed tour so to say I was ecstatic is an understatement.
From what I could tell, Dangerous Toys had the biggest crowd of the day/night and people were ready to rage. The band took the stage to a huge roar from the crowd and kicked right into “Outlaw” and right away I was whipped back to 1990. All the original members (sans guitarist Danny Aaron) were present with the amazing Paul Lidel replacing Aaron since 1994. Going right into “Take Me Drunk” everyone was just grooving along with the Toys’ signature Texas swagger. Vocalist Jason McMaster sounded absolutely amazing and the band as a whole were having a fucking blast.
“Queen of the Nile” was a highlight for and McMaster really shined on this one. The band was very playful on stage and McMaster was, as usual, engaging and worked the crowd with humorous banter. He was also encouraging crowd participation and had everyone singing along like every fucking song was a radio hit. “Pissed” sounded absolutely awesome and we even got treated to a new song called “Hold Your Horses” which sounded so fucking great alogn with all the other classic material.
It was really fucking exciting getting to hear McMaster tell my story about my mom not letting me wear my “Sportn A Woody” shirt to school that I had shared with him before the show. The set consisted of other classics such as “Sugar, Leather, & The Nail,” “Ten Boots (Stompin),” and “Bones in the Gutter.” Dangerous Toys closed with a one-two punch of “Teas’n, Pleas’n” and “Scared” which is where I feel guitarist Scott Dalhover really ripped shit up in a huge way. The crowd sang along to the closing chorus and was so loud that McMaster just turned over the mic to the audience before closing the song out.
Dangerous Toys were without a doubt the MVPs of the evening and brought the fucking house down. The band played with so much energy, enthusiasm, and fun that it was like seeing them in 1990 all over again. Time has been good to Dangerous Toys and the songs are as fun as they’ve always and musically the band sounds completely untouched by time at all. I wish they would be more active so I could see more of them but even if this was the last Dangerous Toys show I’ll ever see, I can honestly say that I’d die a happy mother fucking knowing that one of my favorite bands still reigns supreme.
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Warrant
Ok. So I know Warrant was a bigger band back in the day but it was kind of funny to see that a good chunk of the crowd left the venue after Dangerous Toys set. I mean, I’m sorry but there are very few, if any bands, of their genre/era that can follow Dangerous Toys. The last time I saw Warrant was on the Dog Eat Dog tour back in ’92 at the Masquerade and it was easily one of my favorite shows. They were so good and even though they were on their way out, they played with so much energy and passion that I was absolutely blown away. So how would Warrant fair in 2019 with a new vocalist after the death of Jani Lane? Well, I was about to find out.
First off, as trivial as it is, I had to laugh at Warrant’s backdrop. It literally looked like it was done on a huge camping tarp and you could see the fold creases and everything, not to mention that the artwork on said backdrop was also mirrored which was pretty funny. I hope they got a discount on that shit because as a whole their whole stage set up looked more like Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Cheap. That being said, I kept an open mind and decided to let their show do the talking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as much talking as it was a whisper because these guys had zero gusto. Opening with “32 Pennies” from the DRFSR album actually sounded great but watching them it was so disappointing. Guitarist Joey Allen looked like he was having an absolute blast, Robert Mason looked like he did all the cocaine, and the other three were and their deadpan faces looked like they were forced to be there at gunpoint.
“Down Boys” and “Big Talk” followed and again, they sounded great but there’s nothing worse than watching a band just look absolutely depleted and lifeless. Again, if the band was as engaged as Allen and Mason were, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it more but it was just kind of sad honestly. Certain songs sounded better than others but for the most part, Warrant’s songs don’t sound timeless. They sound dated and again, 3/5 of the band looked just as bored as I was.
The set was mostly made up of songs from the debut. They were celebrating the 30th anniversary of Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and it sounded like it was 30 years old to be honest. I don’t know if they just knew that Dangerous Toys had killed it in a huge way or that a lot of the crowd left but they just looked miserable. I made it probably seven songs into “DRFSR” and I just couldn’t take it. This band that was once riding high in their heyday was now reduced to looking tired and playing their tired songs to a minimal audience of people who honestly didn’t seem that excited.
Warrant is a prime example of a nostalgic band who is just phoning it in with two guys in the band who are really enjoying themselves. Maybe Joey Allen and Robert Mason should do a project together. Allen is a great guitarist and Mason is a very good vocalist but again, Warrant is just tired, dated, and honestly should just hang it up. Warrant = Warraint.
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As a whole, I have to say that Day II of Rocklanta, even with a couple of lame bands, was a shitload of fun. Meeting lots of really cool people and hanging out with friends both old and new was a really great thing. There was definitely a family, all is welcome kind of vibe and that’s the kind of shit that creates magic. That’s the kind of thing that makes these festival shows fun and worth the money and time to attend. Brad Lee and Co. did an amazing job putting this together and I can only hope that this will be the first of many!
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