PLAYLIST – Dec 21 – Dec 27, 2009

PLAYLIST December 21, 2009 – December 27, 2009

• GUNS N’ ROSES   Nightrain
• CINDERELLA   Shake Me
• QUEENSRYCHE   Queen of the Reich
• QUIET RIOT   Let’s Go Crazy (live)
• RAINBOW   Long Live Rock N’ Roll
• RATT   The Morning After
• ACCEPT   Balls To The Wall
• AC/DC    That’s The Way I Wanna Rock N’ Roll
• TUFF   American Hair Band
• WARRANT   Cherry Pie
• W.A.S.P.   Blind In Texas
• VAN HALEN   And The Cradle Will Rock
• MOTLEY CRUE   Piece of Your Action
• AUTOGRAPH   Turn Up The Radio
• BON JOVI   Livin’ On A Prayer
•  
• RARE HAIR
• DANGEROUS TOYS   Sport’n A Woody
•  
• GREAT WHITE   Rock Me
• IRON MAIDEN   Hallowed Be Thy Name
• L.A. GUNS   Never Enough
•  
• HAIR PAIR
• DEF LEPPARD   Rock Brigade
• DEF LEPPARD   Pour Some Sugar On Me
•  
• TESLA   Rock Me To The Top
• SCORPIONS   Dynamite
• METALLICA   Enter Sandman
• PAT TRAVERS   Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)
• TWISTED SISTER   I Wanna Rock
• SAXON   Rock The Nations
• TORA TORA   Walkin’ Shoes
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK
• EUROPE   The Final Countdown
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK
•  
• Hey metal master,
  This long time thrashin’ fan is stuck WAY too late at work tallying food orders for a retirement home. Please play the epic tune “Final Countdown” from Europe so I can headbang my way to the punchout clock!
  

  PS: You rock, man
  
  –Ryan in Nashua, NH, listening to Rock 101.1 WGIR

What’s New – Week of Dec. 28, 2009

Happy Holidays Headbangers! You’ve gotta admit: every week is a party on the House of Hair. But when I’m standing here on the edge of 2009 and turning one heavily mascara-ed eye to the new year…it’s a freakin’ knock down, drag out, old school, heavy metal party in the streets!

So grab your aqua net and your noisemakers…The House of Hair’s new year’s party is headin’ your way!

PLAYLIST – Dec 14 – Dec 20, 2009

PLAYLIST December 14, 2009 – December 20, 2009

• TWISTED SISTER   We Wish You A Twisted Christmas
• TWISTED SISTER   White Christmas
• AC/DC    Mistress For Christmas
• BON JOVI   Please Come Home For Christmas
• ROB HALFORD   Get Into The Spirit
• WARRANT   Father Christmas
• SKID ROW   Jingle Bells
• OXX GANG   Santa’s Back In Town
• BILLY SQUIER   Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You
• STEPHEN PEARCY, TRACII GUNS, BOB KULICK, BILLY SHEEHAN, GREG BISSONETTE   Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
• NORTHERN LIGHT ORCHESTRA   Celebrate Christmas
• GEORGE LYNCH, BILLY SHEEHAN, SIMON PHILLILPS, DUG PINNICK   Little Drummer Boy
• TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA   Christmas Eve – Sarajevo
• TED NUGENT   Deck The Halls
• LEMMY   Run Rudolph Run
• STEVE “LIPS” KUDLOW   FrostyThe Snowman
• ALICE COOPER, JOHN 5, BILLY SHEEHAN, VINNY APPICE    Santa Claws Is Coming To Town
• TUFF   Jingle Bell Rock
• TWISTED SISTER (with Lita Ford)   I’ll Be Home For Christmas
• TIM “RIPPER” OWENS, STEVE MORSE, MARCO MENDOZA,VINNY APPICE   Santa Claus Is Back In Town
• GILBY CLARKE   I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
• EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE   Won’t Be Home For Christmas
• ROB HALFORD   Oh Come Oh Come Emanuel
• QUEENSRYCHE   White Christmas
•  
• HAIR PAIR
• TWISTED SISTER   Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
• TWISTED SISTER   Let It Snow
•  
• DORO, MICHAEL SCHENKER, FRANKIE BANALI, TONY FRANKLIN   O Christmas Tree
• DANGER DANGER   Naughty Naughty Christmas
• DOKKEN   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
• NORTHERN LIGHT ORCHESTRA   Away In A Manger
• ENUFF Z’NUFF   Happy Holiday
• TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA   O Holy Night, O Come All Ye Faithful
• WINGER   Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
• GIRLSCHOOL   Auld Lang Syne

What’s New – Week of Dec 20, 2009

Happy Holidays Headbangers! You’ve gotta admit: every week is a party on the House of Hair. But when I’m standing here on the edge of 2009 and turning one heavily mascara-ed eye to the new year…it’s a freakin’ knock down, drag out, old school, heavy metal party in the streets!

I’m gonna pop the corks and tear into 2010 with Cinderella, Ratt, Accept, Twisted Sister and more. So shake it up with uncle Dee, metal minions! The House of Hair’s new year’s pre-party is headin’ your way!

Get some good “Karma” from Winger and The House of Hair!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!

Congrats to the following lucky winners…you’ve all scored Winger’s brand new CD, Karma. Our grand prize winner (Harry B.) has scored himself the CD plus a pair of Kip Winger’s boots (!) and an autographed drum head from Rod Morgenstein.

Grand Prize Winner:

Harry Barbee
Morganton, NC
WTMT 105.9 The Mountain

CD Winners:

Tammy Bartz
Kearns, UT – KLZX 95.9

Edward Beaver
Kenner, LA – WKBU 95.7 The Bayou

Rob Burton
Beaver Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada – CJYC 98.9 Big John

Michael Garnatz
Romulus, MI – WRIF – 101.1 FM

Mike Drexler
Baltimore, MD – WIYY 98-Rock

Don Gitautis
State Center, IA – KAZR 103.3 The Lazer

Lenny Manns
Dupont, PA – WEZX Rock 107

Bobby Brogdon
Panama City, FL – WRBA 95.9 The Arrow

Ed Dinges
Merrill, WI – WMZK Z-10

Prizes should arrive within 3 weeks of posted winner names.

Thanks to ALL the HOH and Metal Fans who entered the contest!
- Dee and the House of Hair Team!

Our buddy Kip Winger has graciously sent us copies of his band’s new CD “Karma”, along with his drummer Rod’s autographed drumhead and something from Kip’s own wardrobe – his worn and autographed boots! Why the boots you may ask? We have no idea! But, they’re sure to be a great addition to someone’s rock n roll collection!

For More Info:

wingertheband.com
http://www.frontiers.it

ENTER TO WIN: Contest Entry Form

WINGER reunited after more than a decade in 2006 for the release of the successful comeback album entitled IV –  a record that pushed the boundaries of the WINGER classic sound to new heights. Dealing with the concept of the military life and what it was like to be a soldier, from a soldier’s perspective, it left politics at the door. “After Winger IV we toured the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan and made a live record” says Kip Winger. “When the chance came up to do a new Winger record, I envisioned an upbeat totally rocking record that was a cross between the 1st Winger album and Pull. So, Reb and I sat down and wrote all the music in a month or so. I worked for 6 months to finish it in the classic Winger style”.

The result is an amazing new record where the four band members: Kip Winger (bass and vocals), Reb Beach (guitars now also in Whitesnake), Rod Morgenstein and John Roth shine with an incredible instrumental and vocal prowess at the service of superb Hard Rock songs, but with an uncanny sense of melody. The title “Karma” represents Winger completing its full musical circle.  As Kip explains, “We were discussing the very interesting path the band has had and we have all been through so much together. So we went for “Karma” as this is a word that truly sums up the experience of being in the band”.

The WINGER debut album in 1988 on Atlantic achieved platinum status in the United States, and gold in Japan and Canada sporting such hits as “Madalaine”, “Seventeen” and “Headed For A Heartbreak”. In 1990, the band was nominated for an American Music Award for “Best New Heavy Metal Band”. Shortly after, WINGER released its second album “In the Heart of the Young”, which went platinum in the U.S. and gold in Japan. The album included WINGER’s biggest hit “Miles Away”, which topped the Billboard charts at #12  in the USA. Their third studio album, “Pull”, produced by Mike Shipley, was recorded in 1992/93 as a three-piece band, following the original keyboard/guitar player Paul Taylor’s departure. On the following tour John Roth was called in to replace Paul Taylor.

“Usually Winger fans don’t ‘expect’ anything because they know we do what we feel like doing artistically.” explains Kip. “It is not a commercially driven band. I can say that the songs are very upbeat.” Reb Beach adds, “It’s a very up-tempo, riff driven, rocking record. It has the elements of vintage Winger from ‘89 but has the blood, sweat and tears of 20 years of writing, recording and touring!”

“Karma” includes the following songs:

Deal with the Devil
Stone Cold Killer
Big World Away
Come A Little Closer
Pull Me Under
Supernova
Always Within Me
Feeding Frenzy
After All This Time
Witness
First Ending (Bonus Track)

ENTER TO WIN: Contest Entry Form

What do you win?

10 Winners each get:

One (1) copy of the new Winger CD “Karma”.

1 Grand Prize Winner also gets:

1 pair of Kip Winger’s autographed and worn boots, and 1 autographed drumhead from Winger’s Rod Morgenstein.

How to Enter:

Fill in the Entry Form. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON ONLY, please. Incomplete entries will be tossed out – all address fields, station (or how you heard about the contest) field, and name fields must be 100% complete!

How we choose the winner:

Only entries received by 1/13/10 will be considered. The HOH staff will choose the winners in a random drawing.

Contest Start Date: Monday, December 28, 2009

Contest End Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at midnight

Did I win? Winners will be announced FIRST in the HOH newsletter and then on the website.

The contest is open to residents of the USA and CANADA only.
Register for our weekly spam-free HOH Newsletter

Questions? Email us at info@houseofhaironline.com

See the Contest Rules

PLAYLIST – Dec 7 – Dec 13, 2009

PLAYLIST December 07, 2009 – December 13, 2009

• WHITESNAKE   Still of the Night
• WINGER   Seventeen
• NORTHERN LIGHT ORCHESTRA   Joy To The World
• TOM KEIFER   Blue Christmas
• UFO   Too Hot To Handle
• LOUDNESS   Crazy Nights
•  
• RARE HAIR & SONG FROM THE VAULT
• KIX   She Dropped Me The Bomb
•  
• YNGWIE MALMSTEEN   Heaven Tonight
• DOKKEN   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
• GEOFF TATE, CARLOS CAVAZO, JAMES LOMENZO, RAY LUZIER   Silver Bells
•  
• 3RD DEE-GREE & KILLER CLONES
• W.A.S.P.   Somebody To Love
• SCORPIONS   I Can’t Explain
• MOTLEY CRUE   Jailhouse Rock
•  
• GUNS N’ ROSES   Estranged
• BON JOVI   Runaway
• ROB HALFORD   Christmas For Everyone
• TWISTED SISTER   Heavy Metal Christmas
•  
• GREASY ROOTS OF METAL
• IRON MAIDEN   Iron Maiden
•  
• METALLICA   Ride The Lightning
•  
• HAIR PAIR
• AC/DC    Shot Down In Flames
• AC/DC    Whole Lotta Rosie
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK
•  
• AUTOGRAPH   My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend Isn’t Me
•  
• AEROSMITH   Come Together
• ROB HALFORD   Oh Come Oh Come Emanuel
• BON JOVI   Back Door Santa
• JUNKYARD   Simple Man
• SHOOTING STAR   Breakout
• NORTHERN LIGHT ORCHESTRA   Celebrate Christmas
• TWISTED SISTER   Deck The Halls
• XYZ   Inside Out
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK
•  
• Dear Dee,
  I was wondering if you could play something from Autograph besides “Turn Up The Radio.” It seems that that’s the only song from Autograph that gets any airtime. I agree that it’s a great song, but I think they had many others as well and it’s too bad they were not as popular as they should’ve been. Thanks, Dee, for the best rock show on the airwaves. If it ain’t metal, it’s crap!
  
  –Chad in Rocheport, MO, listening to 96.7 KCMQ

What’s New – Week of Dec. 14, 2009

Ho, ho, freakin’ ho…ya freakin’ hoes! I’m your official nightmare before Christmas, Dee Snider, inviting you to my holiday edition of the House of Hair!

My sack is stuffed with holiday music from Twisted Sister, Queensryche and Dokken–sounds like a personal problem–and I’ve also got a stack of new XMAS music from Rob Halford and Northern Light Orchestra to give away and get your bells a’ jinglin’. I’m gonna deck your halls so hard you’re not gonna know if it’s Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan or Groundhog Day, so prepare to see your shadow, the House of Hair is on the way!

Iron Maiden have announced details of their only UK appearance of 2010 — headlining Sonisphere Festival Knebworth!

Having established itself as the ‘Best New Festival’ at the 2009 UK Festival Awards, Sonisphere will be a three day event over July 30, 31 and August 1st.

Prior to playing a few selected dates next summer, Maiden are currently working on a new album expected to be released late next year. Bruce Dickinson took time out to comment:

“Knebworth has been the home of so many legendary concerts going back many years it really will be a privilege to play there. We enjoy the camaraderie of playing great festivals and are very much looking forward to getting back out to do some shows next summer and, as it will be over two years since we played the UK, we will certainly be looking to deliver a memorable and spectacular night for our fans!”

Sonisphere Knebworth tickets are on sale now – for more information, hit www.ironmaiden.com

Sweden & Finland Sonisphere just announced!

Hot off the press – Maiden will also headline Sonisphere Finland and Sonisphere Sweden next summer. Tickets go on sale next week so check www.ironmaiden.com for info and links.

Just over 2 weeks till Christmas and we’ve got lots of new stuff in the Iron Maiden Shop to help you find that perfect gift.

Go check out some very cool new clothing (including an exclusive embroidered jacket, stage and a stunning selection of new T’s) and some great goodies including the 2010 calendar, keyring bottle opener and stickers.

Or if want the perfect gift yourself – drop large hints for the Maiden ‘Gold Disc’ gift card that can be purchased through the shop.

Remember – full fan club members get a discount on most items in the Official Iron Maiden Shop!

Bruce Kulick of KISS, Interview for House of Hair Online

Interview With Bruce Kulick of KISS for House of Hair Online

By Ray Van Horn, Jr.

House of Hair Online: You were, of course, a part of the Big ‘80s resurrection of Kiss. It’s one thing Kiss was able to come back strong in the decade, but you all were a part of that Big ‘80s thing of rock and entertainment. I saw a different and larger stage presentation than Kiss during the ‘70s since I was in the front row for the Crazy Nights tour, but put us up there with you during this timeframe on those massive stages.

Bruce Kulick: We definitely had some really huge stage shows. People would always think of Kiss during the seventies as being the biggest shows around, but for Hot in the Shade there was the sphinx and laser beams right down to the Revenge tour with the giant Statue of Liberty/Terminator thing. It was always very, very cool stuff. Although I loved it when we were doing the club tour; a little weird being in clubs with them, but it wasn’t weird blowing everyone away!

HOH: You came in during a hot transition period of guitarists for Kiss with Vinnie Vincent and Mark St. John preceding you. How intimidated were you—if at all—first coming into the gig? The story goes your brother Bob introduced you to the band, is that correct? Naturally you made the position stick for more than a decade.

BK: Yeah, that’s how I met them. It was unusual how I walked into the band. My brother always did tell Gene and Paul about me and I got to meet them a few times, but it took the hardship with Mark St. John and then Paul was having some health problems. They hired my brother before as the ghost guitar guy and instead they wound up asking me, which was really cool. I didn’t realize at the time they said ‘Don’t cut your hair,’ that there was going to be the opportunity for me to fill in. At first it was something for them to maybe take me for a couple weeks, but it turned into 12 years, so that’s quite exciting.

HOH: For me, one of the most meaningful moments as a Kiss fan was the MTV Unplugged reunion show. Just to have a chance to see Eric (Singer) play next to Peter (Criss), then you next to Ace (Frehley), for me, it didn’t get any better than that! It was cool watching that show again on Kissology Volume 3 since there’s now the opportunity to see the entire performance versus what MTV had to previously cut. How do you remember that show going from your experience?

BK: There’s no doubt that MTV would shoot it really beautiful, and it was. It came off very, very attractive. At the time it was a real honor to be involved with one of their Unplugged shows. It was a little awkward with the Ace and Peter thing, but I was so proud of the fact that the band—which was Gene, Paul, Eric Singer and myself as a non-makeup band—it gave us a chance to showcase what we were able to do playing those Kiss songs acoustically, which is a challenge enough. We held our own in a big way. We were getting some comments from the diehard people like Scott Ian of Anthrax, who was much more a fan of the makeup era; here he is watching the show because there was an event happening—which was the reunion—and he was like, ‘You guys played great!’ So I really enjoyed that. I didn’t realize it would be my last gig with the band (laughs), but ultimately it gave a certain exposure and it certainly was also the catalyst to the reunion tour, but it still had its place and I was proud to be a part of it.

HOH: I rank that show as high as anything as the ‘70s spectacles largely for the craft of the playing. You know, I don’t know which album I would pick from your era in Kiss as the best, but I always think Asylum or Revengeis my favorite. What rings happiest to your ears if you go back and listen to the albums you played on?

BK: Well, there are highlights on all of them, but I’ll still always feel like Revenge was the best record. Everything on it was really strong, but if you look at Asylum, “Tears Are Falling” stands out to me. If you look at Crazy Nights, there’s a couple songs that are really cool on there; they mixed my guitar playing where it was out there, forward, and really sounding great. Certainly by the time you get into Hot in the Shade, there was “Forever” and “Hide Your Heart,” which were very popular. There’s highlights on each record, no doubt. Of course Revenge has killer tracks from top-to-bottom, and I’m still proud of Carnival of Souls. It’s considered a little bit of an odd Kiss record in some ways since it’s heavier than the others. I’m really proud of all the stuff I did through the Kiss years. Certain songs feature me more, but I really did have a great opportunity to be showcased in that band.

HOH: I was on your website taking a look at those pictures of you backstage at a recent Kiss show, and listening to your new solo album BK3, you have Gene and Eric contributing. I’d say it’s safe to assume you’re still a part of the brotherhood, no matter the paths that unfolded after your tenure in the band.

BK: Yeah, it was great to get the overall access pass and that’s why I wanted to share that with the fans. You know, here’s me holding Paul’s guitar backstage and Gene’s. It was really fun, it was wonderful. I even got to catch some of the sound check, which was a lot of fun. Those guys have always been really cool to me. You know, I miss being in the band and all, but the truth is it makes sense for Tommy (Thayer) to do the Ace stuff. Honestly, they know what I contributed to the band. It’s not a case of was I good enough or smart enough to be in the band; they wanted to do the makeup thing and that’s certainly a very comfortable role for Tommy to be Ace. I had my own era to be proud of.

HOH: In the event that things were different and you were asked to be the Spaceman, would you have done it?

BK: Well, look, I don’t want to lie and say absolutely not, no way, but everybody has a price sometimes! (laughs) I’m kind of relieved I didn’t have the choice. It just made sense for me to represent my era of Kiss. I’m very proud of the guys to get the new music out there because of the fact the band acted like they would never do it; why bother spending the time do that, you know? Still, I think it’s very cool.

HOH: I want to touch on Northern Lights Orchestra a minute. To me, this is one of the biggest gatherings of eighties rockers and metal artists since Hear ‘n Aid! How’d you get involved with this project?

BK: It was Chuck Wright who threw me into the mix. I’ve known Chuck a long time and he was the bass player on most of the tracks. Next thing I know, Ken Mary, the drummer guy, sent me some tracks and said ‘Hey, here’s these couple of songs we’d like you to play on.’ You know, any session I do I take very seriously. I took them into the studio and really worked hard on them. I used Jeremy (Rubolino), my producer for BK3, and we banged it out. I’m really happy with it. The tracks came out great and they were a bit of a challenge; they were symphonic in nature, these songs.

HOH: I think that element might’ve spilled over just a bit into the last song of BK3, “Life.” That finale, man, wow…

BK: You know, the ending on that song is supposed to be a celebration of life. That’s why I bring in all of those instruments played together. It had a very cool vibe.

HOH: To me, it was almost a Beatles vibe…

BK: Yeah, I was certainly going for a Beatles sort of thing, so I’ll say thank you.

HOH: (laughs) Nice! Back to Northern Lights for a second, naturally there are comparables to Trans-Siberian Orchestra with the holiday slant and big theater aspect. From your perspective of the Northern Lights group, what does this ensemble bring to the table the other group might not?

BK: The holiday time is a good time for people to celebrate, and if you’re going to rock out, there’s no harm in rocking out to some songs that are inspired by the season, you know? I think there’s a place for both bands. Trans-Siberian has been around for quite awhile; it’s very huge and they put on an unbelievable show. Northern Lights, I know they did a show and a DVD of it. I was busy overseas, so that’s why I wasn’t involved with it, though of course I played on the regular CD, so it’s hard for me to do an exact comparison, but the real point of it—especially with the NLO—is there’s a charity involved with it. It’s for people who have had drug issues and stuff like that, to help them stay on the right path. I was proud to be a part of it in that way.

HOH: Moving into BK3, I feel one of the album’s big highlights is all the guests you have on it. You have John Carabi, Tobias Sommet, of course Eric Singer plus Gene and Nick Simmons. I would imagine this was something of like throwing your own private party in the studio having these guests come on board for the album.

BK: Well, I’d like to be candid and say it wasn’t always a party because it was very hard to schedule everybody as you can imagine. Ultimately everybody did a really wonderful job and I think each song that fell in their laps fit them well. I think they really did them justice. I was actually very proud of everyone’s contributions.

HOH: You know, I have to give Gene a ton of credit on “Ain’t Gonna Die.” He really saved some of his best vocals for you!

BK: When Jeremy and I heard him open up his mouth we were like, ‘Oh shit, this is great!’ Look, he’s pro in the studio and it didn’t take him long. We knew what we had and what it could sound like, which is why I hired a real string section to do the bridge parts and the ending. It was quite an interesting day. I had a wonderful time.

HOH: He’s definitely a large part of the groove on that track, and it sounds to me like Nick is working out to be a mirror of Gene, judging by his vocals on “Hand of the King.”

BK: Yeah, he was like a mini-Gene there; in his own way, though.

HOH: I like this generation bridge you got between Gene, yourself and Nick! Nice unity.

BK: Yeah, that track worked out really well. I loved the whole vibe that Nick created. He comes from a more sci-fi, comic book world type of thing. Those lyrics were really, really inspiring once I read them and saw how creative he was. He just handled it. I mean, the studio was new to him, of course, but he’s a smart guy, he’s a classy kid and he’s very talented. He could probably do whatever he wants, you know?

HOH: I especially love the variety of BK3. You have the feelgood toe-tappers like “And I Know” and “Dirty Girl,” you have the heavy stuff like “I’m the Animal” and you have some Hendrix funk on “Between the Lines.” How much does diversity trigger your songwriting through three solo albums to this point?

BK: I do like a lot of different styles of stuff. It really wasn’t that hard to keep the diversity. Jeremy and I changed the formula a bit once we realized that we had the Gene track finished, and we had some heavy stuff; we needed things to compliment those, if you get what I’m saying. There has to be that recipe for the record you’re making and I feel really comfortable with the way we had to keep evolving along with it. It was all for the right reasons, you know? I like that the record has a lot of different elements. There’s no way you’ll get bored with it, that’s for sure!

HOH: (laughs) Going back to “Dirty Girl,” you have Doug Fieger from The Knack on what I thought was a very appropriate idling-away kind of jam. I’ve heard a lot of groups covering “My Sharona” over the years, but there were a lot of cool songs by The Knack such as “Good Girls Don’t” or “Let Me Out.” Was it your intention to bring a little more attention to The Knack by bringing Doug in for “Dirty Girl?”

BK: You know, what happened with that song is, it’s a power pop tune. I knew I wouldn’t sing it, that it wasn’t going to be strong enough for me. “And I Know” would be a better power pop song for me to sing. Jeremy and I had to look at the choices, you know? It was like, ‘Alright, who could do this well?’ Then it just turned out that I met Doug at a fantasy camp about a year prior to the track being ready. It was that point where I was very excited and I thought, ‘You know what? He’d be great for it!’ I went ahead and asked him and sure enough he loved the track and he did a killer job on it.

HOH: I think “Fate” is one of my favorite songs on BK3 because it has such a great grinding rock sound to it. Just looking at your schedule these days, “Fate” is kind of reflective of what’s going in your life. You have Grand Funk, the Eric Singer Project, Northern Lights, the rock clinics, and of course BK3. Is that basic drive of “Fate” symbolic of the rapid pace Bruce Kulick’s been keeping 2009 and ’10?

BK: Yeah, I guess I have been keeping the rapid pace! You know, I just do what I do and I’m very fortunate that I’ve had this career keeping me busy as heck. I don’t over-think it, if you know what I mean. It’s hard to keep it all together thinking about it too much. Ultimately I like to just do as much quality work as I can and I do feel that this record is a real testament to what I think is part of my goals in my career. This record is taking me there, which I’m really happy about. I can’t wait for all the fans to really dig into it!

HOH: (laughs) Right on. What’re you listening to these days?

BK: You know, I just got that Crooked Vultures album. I like some unusual stuff you wouldn’t think I like. I do like Coldplay, Muse and Radiohead, but I was told I need to check out the new Wolfmother! I really like them; I have their first record. From what I hear, the new record is good. I’m always looking for interesting things, but I’ve got a lot of long plane flights and I’ll end up listening to Hendrix or The Beatles, stuff that’s almost like comfort food. It like when you go back to Led Zeppelin. I’ll also take a little left turn and listen to some Stevie Wonder or Steely Dan or something. Music’s great to pass the time with!

Queensryche Cabaret to make debut in February 2010

Ladies and Gentleman and “kids” of only adult ages, welcome to what promises to be the spectacle of all spectacles better known as the Queensryche Cabaret.

On Thursday, February 4th and Friday, February 5th, Queensryche — Geoff Tate, Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Parker Lundgren — will invade the Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom near the band’s hometown of Seattle to perform a show-of-shows with a bunch of their friends who have a tendency to only come out late at night.

The Queensryche Cabaret — heralded as “the first adults only rock show” (21 and over) — will be Teatro ZinZanni meets Cirque du Soleil with the band performing their hits and never-heard-before selections accompanied by Go-Go dancers, burlesque dancers, drag queens, a juggler, ballet dancer, trapeze artist, a contortionist and others.

Definitely a fun-filled evening like no other full of freaks and shrieks!

What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play!

Those who attend the Queensryche Cabaret will have the option of just sitting back and enjoying the music and theatrics or actually being a part of the elaborate stage show! Prior written consent will be required as it won’t be for the faint of heart…

It’ll be sights and sounds coming at you from all angles like never before!

See some evil, hear some evil, speak some evil and have some fun.

Prior to each performance, Geoff Tate along with Three Rivers Winery, will be jump-starting the Cabaret festivities by having a wine-tasting event that will officially launch Geoff’s new white wine blend of “Insania.”

Life is a Queensryche Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret!

For the past eight months, Queensryche has performed over 75 dates in support of their most recent CD release, American Soldier, that came out on March 31st via Rhino/Atco Records.

While on tour, the band made stops at several military bases across the United States, speaking with (and sometimes performing for) those who serve our country every chance they had… “The whole tour was amazing for us. We met real people with real stories. It was an experience we will never forget,” says Geoff Tate.

The American Soldier tour featured three suites of music from the band’s Rage For Order, American Soldier and Empire releases and recently included a special guest appearance by The Queen of Heavy Metal, Lita Ford.

Fans who witnessed this year’s shows were, once again, able to see Queensryche present their music in unique, dramatic fashion.

Known for their excellent stage shows, Cabaret will certainly be no exception to the Queensryche “rule.”

It’ll be things you thought you’d never see brought to you by people who can’t wait to show it to you.

Be prepared… be very prepared.

For additional show and ticket information, please visit the band’s official website at www.queensryche.com.

Queensryche’s Geoff Tate Announces New White Wine Blend of Insania

Hot on the barrels of his sold out “Insania” red wine signature blend, Queensryche front man Geoff Tate has announced a new collaboration with Walla Walla, Washington-based Three Rivers Winery (www.threeriverswinery.com) for a white wine blend of the same name.

The new “Insania” — an artfully balanced offering that shines with honeydew melon, pear and apricot — is a classic blend of Sauvignon Blanc (78%) and Semllion (22%) that will be available early next year for an anticipated price of $25 per bottle.

The initial tasting and launch of the new blend will take place at the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington on Thursday, February 4th and Friday, February 5th, 2010 in conjunction with Queensryche’s forthcoming performances of the highly anticipated “Queensryche Cabaret.” (heralded as “The First Adults Only Rock Show!”).

Crisp and lively, the finish of the “Insania” white lends itself to an encore performance with its bright, crisp acidity, leaving you wanting more…

“Insania” (a Latin word meaning insanity, irrationality, madness) has become a labor of love for Geoff Tate, who remains deeply involved with its development and looks forward to further collaborations with Three Rivers Winery in the future.

“Wine has been an important part of my life and the creation of Insania is yet another avenue to express my creativity and give my fans something more they can enjoy,” states Geoff. “I hope to keep producing wine as long as I enjoy drinking it… and that’s likely going to be for a very long time. May everyone enjoy this new white blend.”

“Insania” is certainly off to a good start as Geoff and his red wine signature blend were prominently featured in the March 31, 2009 issue of Wine Spectator (online version available at http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/Wine-Talk-Geoff-Tate_4436).

Cheers to “Insania” for years to come!

PLAYLIST – Nov. 30 – December 6, 2009

PLAYLIST November 30, 2009 – December 06, 2009

• OZZY OSBOURNE   Crazy Train
• MONTROSE   Rock Candy
• NORTHERN LIGHTS   We Worship You
• ONI LOGAN, CRAIG GOLDY, TONY FRANKLIN, JOHN TEMPESTA   Deck The Halls
•  
• KILLER CLONE
• ROB HALFORD   We Three Kings
•  
• SKID ROW   Youth Gone Wild
• MOTLEY CRUE   Home Sweet Home
• KINGDOM COME   Living Out of Touch
• TWISTED SISTER (with Lita Ford)   I’ll Be Home For Christmas
• MSG   On And On
•  
• 3RD DEE-GREE
• DIO + Others   God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
• MARK SLAUGHTER + Others   Back In The Saddle
• QUIET RIOT   Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
•  
• TESLA   Heaven’s Trail/No Way Out
• WARRANT   Sometimes She Cries
• RATT   Lay It Down
• SLAUGHTER   Up All Night
•  
• GREASY ROOTS OF METAL
• VAN HALEN   Running With The Devil
•  
• KROKUS   Long Stick Goes Boom
• POISON   Unskinny Bop
•  
• HAIR PAIR
• ROB HALFORD   Get Into The Spirit
• JUDAS PRIEST   You’ve Got Another Thing Coming
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK & RARE HAIR
• TNT   10,000 Lovers
•  
• LYNCH MOB   Wicked Sensation
• KISS   Rock And Roll All Nite
• QUEENSRYCHE   Take Hold Of The Flame
• NORTHERN LIGHTS   Bye Bye Bethlehem
• TED NUGENT   Cat Scratch Fever
• SAIGON KICK   Love Is On The Way
•  
• KILLER CLONE
• METAL CHURCH   Highway Star
•  
• REQUEST OF THE WEEK
• Dear Dee,
  
  I’m requesting TNT’s “10,000 Lovers.” I listen to your show every chance I get…I live for this stuff! If only you could play it Monday through Friday, that would be a killer work week. I’m wondering and waiting to see if all the guys in Dokken are going to get back together again. If they don’t do it soon, Don won’t have a voice to sing with. All I’m saying is this: stop fighting and make another album for the fans!
  

  –Andrew in Leavenworth, KS, listening to KQRC 98.9 The Rock

What’s New – Week of Dec. 7, 2009

Hey all you heavy metal hair balls and hair farmers! I’m strappin’ on the spandex Santa hat, stuffing my yule log — that’s what my wife calls it — into some leather and firing up the old school, heavy metal Christmas pre-party machine…wanna join in?

This week on the House of Hair, I’ll be spiking your nog with some Kix, Twisted Sister, Dokken and more, plus I’ve got some brand new Christmas music and free stuff from Rob Halford and Northern Light Orchestra. It’s all headed your way on this week’s House of Hair — see you there!

SHOCK ROCKER ALICE COOPER’S 9TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING – DEC. 18

Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding is set to return for it’s 9th annual holiday season. The Christmas-themed variety show famous for being an entertaining blend of comedy, music, dance and surprise performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 18 at Dodge Theatre. More than 3,500 people are expected to attend.

This year’s acts include Alice Cooper, Warrant, Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, Dee Snider ( from Twisted Sister), Lita Ford, American Idol contestant and valley native Scott MacIntyre, Gary Mule Deer, Runaway Phoenix, TV personality Brad Perry’s aptly titled band the Brad Perry Band, and River of Life Choir.

Additionally, the 9th annual Christmas Pudding will include performances from the winners of this year’s Proof is in the Pudding contest, Cooper’s version of “American Idol.”

Interview With Corey Glover of Living Colour

Interview With Corey Glover of Living Colour for House of Hair Online

By Ray Van Horn, Jr.

House of Hair: Tell us a little bit about this show you’ve got going on in Washington, DC tonight. Living Colour are guest performers on the “Afro Punk” show. I guess it’s been awhile since you guys were the openers instead of headliners, eh?

Corey Glover: This is what we need to do. We’ve got to get out there and play in front of different people. They need to see it, you know? A lot of folks don’t even know we’re back together! We’ve been together for a very long time, and we’ve been playing mostly in Europe and South America lately, so we have to re-establish ourselves. If it means we have to go down to DC and do a 40-minute set, we’re going to do it.

HOH: How about your experience of late playing Judas in the road ensemble of Jesus Christ Superstar? What drew you to this traveling production and how much different would you say it is being in that type of road show versus being in a band on the road?

CG: This is a show I really wanted to do. Jesus Christ Superstar has been an inspiration to me, literally, to keep doing what I do. When I got the opportunity to do the show, I said, ‘Aww, I’ve really got to do this!’ It was really great. It’s like being in a band, sort of. It is and it isn’t. You’re on the road, you’re working constantly, but the difference is, with a traveling show like Superstar, you’re working eight days a week! Not so with a band, where you’re working Thursday, Friday, Saturday and maybe Sunday. This is Monday through Sunday and two extra shows on the weekend! So, it’s a lot more work! (laughs) It’s maybe the same work spread out over a longer period, but it’s a lot more work.

HOH: Did being in Superstar give you a bit more preparation for Living Colour’s latest album, The Chair in the Doorway in your opinion? I think your chops on this album are as polished as they were coming out of the late eighties, man.

CG: Superstar did help me because I was constantly singing, though I wasn’t singing as much as I do in the band. It’s just spread out over the same period of time, so I have to keep my chops up to a certain degree. What it really did to me was give me inspiration plus aspiration too. I had all these ideas on the road for songs because I’m singing constantly and I’m hearing my own voice. It was like, ‘What would work here may work in the other!’ That was very, very helpful.

HOH: I want to touch on Collideoscope for a second. I know a lot of journalists are asking what you think might’ve gone right or wrong with that album, since we’re mostly unified in thought it’s a real solid album. I’m wondering if the climate in which Collideoscopewas released was still sensitive in a post 9/11 existence. The album certainly touches hard on the subject. Do you think that was the right time for Living Colour to come back or were you guys mainly victims of circumstance?

CG: I think it was time for us to do something. We’re a band from New York and September 11th and the days subsequent to that affected us very deeply. It was something that needed to be said. We needed to say something. It so happened we were in the middle of being on the road when 9/11 occurred, and we kind of got numbness having been off for so long by the time we made this record. We made the record in 2002, which was a year after the attacks and all of those things were still fresh in our minds, so we wanted to talk about that.

HOH: Do you feel the album was treated fairly by the label, the critics or the listeners?

CG: I don’t think anybody got a chance to hear that record. I think if anybody really got the chance to hear that record, they’d appreciate it on its own merits. There’s no way you can gauge what somebody’s going to like or what they’re not going to like, really. We knew there wasn’t going to be a hit song, but we knew it was going to be special. It was going to do what it would do but we knew it wasn’t going to last us for 20 years.

HOH: The first three albums you guys did really challenged the rock and metal scenes by introducing funk, soul, hip hop and blues into this style of music, but Living Colour’s social awareness I think has always been your calling card. We’re now in a slightly more progressive society with a change in presidency, but do you still feel that raw angst instigating your performance in Living Colour today?

CG: Absolutely! You know, don’t think just because things have changed in the White House that things have changed. Don’t think that there aren’t injustices in the world just because Obama’s in the White House. That’s not going to change anything, and there’s others things that need to be talked about. It’s been four years since Katrina; what’s changed there? What normal society is there? What’s really changing? What’s really going on? Not to say there haven’t been some changes; it’s been absolutely amazing to watch those changes going on the world. We’ve always tried to put the mirror up front to the life and times that we’re in, and as long as we have that perspective, that’s what we’re going to do.

HOH: I have to touch on the Bad Brains a second. These guys are one of my all-time favorite bands, and you guys have always been well-known for your Bad Brains covers. I remember when I heard I Against I for the first time, I literally fell to my knees! I was so shattered when I heard that album. They rightly get their due in the punk and sometimes reggae scenes, but from an overall rock perspective, do you think they’ve been slighted over the years?

CG: I think they’re like a hidden gem. It’s almost as if in secret people know about them. It’s like ‘Oh that’s really good, but I’ve got this in my secret little box I keep in the back and pull out on special occasions.’ I don’t know what there would be if everybody knew about the Bad Brains. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing, but that’s what makes it special, as far as I’m concerned. It’s hard, because I don’t really listen to a lot of new music. I listen to some new music, but even if I think something is new, it’s already two years old! I always turn back to that older stuff. I always turn back to (King’s X’s) Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, I always turn back to the old (Bad Brains) ROIR tapes and listen to that stuff. King’s X, Bad Brains and Fishbone, they’re all my comfort zone. I love that stuff!

HOH: Getting into The Chair in the Doorway, I want to start off with “Burned Bridges.” I just love the anticipatory build-up structures you guys have on this song. It just layers itself until Vernon (Reid) pulls off a tempered solo then goes berserk. It climaxes so good! There’s also a confessional feel to those brilliant lyrics. What do you feel was the motivating factor prompting Living Colour to write this one?

CG: It really came out of a conversation Vernon and I had where the questions were What do you want to say? What do you want to talk about? What do you think about things right now? He said ‘I’ve had this line in my head forever since the band broke up in the nineties where I’ve never had anywhere to put it: ‘I toss my keys in the river, now I can’t go home again.’ I said, ‘Alright, that’s a great starting point! Let’s go from there.’ In the way he and I and the band wrote it, we sort of just piled things on top of each other and that’s just how the production went as well. We’d come up with something and then all of sudden things would start to pile on top of each other. That’s sort of the way the song structured itself.

HOH: “The Chair” and “DecaDance” are two your band’s toughest songs since the Stain album, yet there’s nowhere near the amount of pure anger in these songs as on Stain. That was one angry album! How do you differentiate the songwriting mindset between Stain and these songs in terms of conveying aggression?

CG: Hmm, I don’t know. These are all moments in time. Our songs happen as they occur. That’s the cool thing about The Chair in the Doorway in general; that the title of the record came up first. We knew that was the title and we kept writing songs coming up a step until it congealed on its own.

HOH: What presented the hypothetical chair in the doorway that motivated this album?

CG: As the story goes, Vernon and I were talking during the making of Collideoscope, and we were waging over what was going on about this, that and the other thing, what was going on, who wasn’t doing what, typical band shit. I said to him, ‘The problem is, the chair’s in the doorway!’ He gave me a quizzical look and I tried to explain to him what I meant by the chair in the doorway. I don’t think he really got it at first, but after awhile things went by, we finished Collideoscope, and then we’re talking again about a new album and he was like, ‘You know what we should call the new album? The Chair in the Doorway!’ I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever, alright, let’s move on.’ When it came time to make the new record, he again said, ‘Let’s call it The Chair in the Doorway! Let’s do it!’ The songs sort of formed a marriage out of that. A song like “The Chair” was us trying to deal with the emotional aspect of what the song was, and it came about. “DecaDance” was a song about excess. While we were making this record, we were writing the songs and we were watching television and talking about the downturn and the economic crash that was happening. What we were thinking about was, it all came about because of greed, because you all wanted more! It was never enough for anybody. The sky was the limit! From that idea, the emotional aspect came about from it, and that’s why the song is as hard as it is.

HOH: I want to touch on “Method.” I know it probably wasn’t written to be a James Bond theme, but man, I’ll tell you what; it really ought to be one! Let’s have your mindset on how you wrote “Method.”

CG: We tried to do something very atmospheric. All of these songs came out of grooves that we made up during sound check or if we happened to pop into a studio or something. We’d had these grooves which Doug (Wimbish) held onto and kept recording. Out of one of these grooves we said ‘Let’s try to do something real atmospheric and very airy.’ Other times we’ve tried to do something light and it never works. Hats off to one of the guys, Milan Cimfe, who helped engineer this thing in the Czech Republic. He heard certain things and he sort of tweaked certain things in the studio and then a song emerged! It terms of writing lyrics, we tried to do a social commentary thing where it sort of connects to the next thing then the next thing then the next. It’s that connect-connect thing by the lyrics and then the melody came about.

HOH: I’m sure that was something recording this album in Prague. Did it make things tenser or more relaxed being in such a different environment?

CG: I think it was a little more relaxed. Maybe a little more relaxed and a little tenser because we couldn’t go home until we finished it! (laughs) It was like, ‘You want to go home? You want to see your family? You want to eat some real food?’ At the same time, it was a lot more relaxed. It wasn’t really in Prague; it was like Exit 14 on the Jersey Turnpike! It was near Prague, but it wasn’t inPrague. It was even a trek just to go into a simple town. We were pretty much holed up in this place but we had the luxury of waking up and the studio was right there! If you had an idea, you could get to it immediately. It wasn’t like you went home and fussed over it and thought about it and tweaked it and then it turns into something you don’t like after all that. What it was is the raw idea as it turned out and as it came out of your head. You put it down and recorded it conveniently.

HOH: I’m sure that’s a lot more refreshing to work with than say, your traditional studio where you might have time constraints to battle.

CG: Right. It was a great studio, an amazing studio. We had some amazing engineers;Milanis an amazing engineer. He really had an ear for songs and he heard a lot of stuff in our music before we actually heard it. It was great.

HOH: I really dig the Robert Johnson/Leadbelly trad blues you guys have with “Not Tomorrow” and “Bless Those (Annie’s Prayer).” Vernon’s insane on “Bless Those” but I also like the way he lays back on “Not Tomorrow” and lets the rest of the band become a rhythm section unto itself as he plays quietly in the background. Savvy stuff!

CG: Right, right, right! “Bless Those” is the only song on this record which we would consider a cover, because it was originally recorded by Doug as “Little Annie” and all that stuff, but it gave us a chance to do the barroom stuff that we do, since that’s who we are. In a real interesting sort of way, we’re like a barroom band in clubs all around the world. This is our chance to play some real bluesy stuff and really get back into our comfort zone.

HOH: Sounds like a vibe very much like your CBGB’s live album that came out not too long ago. Would you say you took that vibe into the recording of The Chair in the Doorway?

CG: Yeah, I think we did and that’s what we wanted to do. We changed that song several times. Sometimes we do all kinds of different things with a song, but it always works as just what it is: a raw, gutbucket, woodchip sawdust on the floor vibe. This is stomp blues sort of thing and that’s the way it works.

HOH: “Young Man” really cracked me up with your sarcastic step-calling amidst the funk rhythm. To me it comes off as a song about the zombies shuffling around in our dead society.

CG: Yeah, I see that with the call and response thing. We just thought it’s about us. Everybody keeps talking about this is such a young society of individuals, but is it really? Everybody wants to be the same thing!

HOH: Does that make “Young Man” your “Glamour Boys” for this generation, then?

CG: I guess, yeah!

HOH: You know, I caught you guys on the Time’s Up tour, one of my favorite tours of the time, but what I saw then and what I see on your New Morning: The Paris Concert DVD is you guys have become a real jam-based group now. You guys look so relaxed up there versus the flashpoint intensity of your late eighties gigs.

CG: Yeah, that show in Paris, at that point in the tour we were really trying to stretch out the songs. We’ve had these songs for 20 years, so now it’s time to see where they go, and we were afforded the luxury of doing that. That’s what you’re seeing on that DVD.

HOH: I just have to commend you guys for never selling out. You guys could’ve tried to replicate “Cult of Personality,” but you guys have always stuck to your guns doing what you want to do. Whether that has played into your scheme or not or whether it’s benefitted you or not, I think it’s been a fabulous part of your existence. Still did you at one point ever think, ‘Maybe we should’ve tried for something else big like that?’ Or is it the fact we’re in a society where today’s rock band simply can’t do “the big hit” anymore with current public tastes?

CG: Well, yeah, because then you become a victim of the songs you sing, and then you become ‘Oh, you’re that band that does that song!’ We’ve tried really hard not to be the band that does that song. “Cult of Personality” was one song of many songs that we’ve done. You can’t stop people from feeling that way; we’re never not going to live down “Cult of Personality.” It’s never going to happen, but when you come to a show and see us live, what’s interesting is you forget you remembered some of the stuff! I was talking to a friend of mine and he was like, ‘Dude, I forgot you guys did “Glamour Boys!” I forgot you did “Open Letter to a Landlord!”’ They might not have been “hits,” but they’re still part of the consciousness to our band. When you listen to them and you’re getting a new idea of what Living Colour is, you can go back and say, ‘You know, there’s a lot more diversity to this band than just “Cult of Personality.”’ Yeah, it’s a hard rock tune, and that’s great, but if you listen to something like “Broken Hearts,” it’s the same thing! It may not be exactly the same, but it’s still the same band. Or “Solace of You” or “This is the Life,” and your whole perspective on what you’re listening to changes. The whole idea of this band was to never be pigeonholed. We never wanted to be pigeonholed and we never tried to be pigeonholed. That was most important to us.