Pizza Pie Do or Die with Redbait

Redbait

From my hometown comes a similarly minded group of individuals called Redbait. They've got a blaster of a 7" coming out soon on NEW AGE RECORDS.

When you're someone who's blessed with the gift of gab and the compunction to utilize words on a more immense scale, it's never difficult to find others.

In that sense, we tend to gravitate towards those who view the world the same way... And who choose to describe their surroundings with slightly more grandiose language. Due to these reasons, Redbait has come to my attention.

Midwestern Proletarian Crust.

So let's talk crust with them.

Concert Review: September Mourning at Fubar in St. Louis February 28, 2019 - pictures and words by Danny Nichols

It is always exciting, and very rare, when a band decides to kick off their tour in St. Louis.  It is moreso, when the band is theatrical goth rockers September Mourning.  They were completely unknown to me, when I first saw them as the opening act for Huntress back in 2016.  Not only did I enjoy the theatrics and concept of this performance, but their music was powerful and anthemic.  I had to see them again.  

Concert Review: Metallica at Busch Stadium in St. Louis June 4, 2017 -Words and Photos by Danny Nichols

In August 1986, when I was nine years old,  my family took a summer trip to Fox Springs Resort in central Missouri.  While there I made friends with an older kid named Doug Shirley who had brought some cassettes with him which were considerably different than the Olivia Newton John and Barry Manilow my mother had subjected me too.   Principal among this stack was Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”.    Before the opening track "Battery" had finished a paradigm shift in my musical interest occurred which would severely impact the rest of my life. 

Concert Review: Gene Simmons at the Pageant in St. Louis April 8, 2017 -photos and words by Danny Nichols

Gene Simmons came to town for the systemic price gouging event known as Wizard World. Even though I had already had the privilege of interviewing Gene by telephone in February, I ponied up the exorbitant fee to briefly stand beside him in person and have him sign an album.  Here was the KISS demon, a man who exudes cool and dominates a room like no one I had ever observed.  A man who confidently walked into the football stadium where the convention was held, and asked the staff about its capacity, knowing he had filled venues of this size before, and could do so again with a few phone calls.  Still, as much as I enjoyed observing him in the element of celebrity and businessman, it paled in comparison to watching him in his true element of the stage.  The lower levels of the Pageant Theater were mostly filled for a much more fairly priced performance by his solo band.

When I had interviewed Gene in February about his upcoming solo tour I asked him about the set list.  He was tight lipped about the details at the time, but indicated it would feature several selections from the roots of rock-n-roll, such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Roy Head, and might not be as many KISS songs as the audience would think. A solo tour is a perfect opportunity for a rock innovator such as Simmons to pay homage to his influences.  It might also be true the audience, having seen many KISS shows, would enjoy seeing Simmons open a set with something other than “Deuce”.  This was fine by me, as I purchased a ticket fully expecting half the songs to be covers.  However, when Simmons and his band did indeed storm the stage with a thunderous rendition of “Deuce” I discovered it was exactly what I wanted to hear.  It did not let up from there, as the set was almost entirely glorious and mighty KISS songs.  The lone exception being when the band covered “Johnny Be Goode” in tribute to the recently deceased Chuck Berry. Simmons  attended Berry’s funeral the following day.

Stream/Music Giveaway: St. Louis's Own, Spacetrucker

It's rare that I get to talk about my home and native land, The City of St. Louis, MO.

Though we're called villagers by the bigger places. Our scrappy something is still great, but let's have a beer, eat a provel topped pizza, and dip those toasted ravs.

Now, here's some music.

Check out this TWEET to win free tunes.

Concert Photography: Clutch at Pop's in Sauget, IL October 16, 2015 -photos by Danny Nichols

Clutch rocks Pop's in Sauget, Illinois

Vocalist Neil Fallon

Concert Review: Steve Vai at the Pageant in St. Louis December 7, 2016 - words and pictures by Danny Nichols

Steve Vai is perhaps the most iconic axe man from the bygone era of the guitar hero.  No time in music has been more closely associated with the prodigy guitarist than were the eighties, and no album more standard bearing and proof of this than Vai’s Passion and Warfare.  After making a name for himself in band’s such as Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, Vai began releasing instrumental albums showcasing his immense talents.  

Concert Review and Photos: Stryper at the Ready Room in St. Louis November 8, 2016 - Photos and words by Danny Nichols

Guitarist and vocalist Michael Sweet

Thirty years ago Stryper were three albums into a career of producing glam metal with a considerably different ideological slant than their Sunset Strip peers. Their first two albums The Yellow and Black Attack and Soldiers Under Command had sold extremely well.  Clearly there was a market of metal fans who loved the power chords, searing guitar solos and the thundering crack of a snare drum, but weren’t interested in hearing songs about the devil or hedonism.  There was a place for Christianity in the hallowed halls of metal. Still, they had not really achieved mainstream success until their legions of devoted fans latched onto their third album To Hell With The Devil and flooded MTV with demands it be put into heavy rotation.   

Guitarist Oz Fox

This was a band made for MTV with their vibrant yellow and black stripped costumes, choreographed stage antics and a bombastic drummer who plays with his elevated kit sideways, so the audience can appreciate his every move.  The third album went double platinum.  The 2016 tour is a 30th anniversary celebration of Stryper at their loftiest heights.  The album was played in its entirety in order.  The old 1986 stage costumes were dusted off and trotted out.  Robert Sweet pointed his drums stage right and gave us 110% again.

Vinyl Review: "The Face of Collapse" by Dazzling Killmen

Face of Collapse

Welcome to the vinyl review column. As described here, these reviews are special because the music is heard as the way Jimi, Bonzo, and Jack Bruce intended.

Straight from the glorious grooves on wax platters as pierced by a needle.

It's only fitting that the first Vinyl Review start off with a band and a label from St. Louis, Missouri, or thereabouts.

About 24 years ago, I went to my first two concerts in the span of three days. The first was Iron Maiden, Testament, and Corrosion of Conformity and the second was Agnostic Front being supported by local act, Crucible.

For a scant $14, I walked out of Metal's Edge with both a cassette tape and a t-shirt from Crucible. It was my introduction to a wider world of music. That was the day I learned that independent music could exist, along with the idea that people from St. Louis could also make music.

Concert Photos: Avenged Sevenfold at Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights October 11, 2013 -photos by Danny Nichols

Avenged Sevenfold rock Riverport in Maryland Heights, Missouri

Zacky Vengeance and Synester Gates

M. Shadows

Concert Review: Ghost at the Pageant in St. Louis, September 28, 2016 - Words and Pictures by Danny Nichols

My definition of a metal elitist is one who declares any band they do not like as being "not metal" and /or asserting any such band should not exist.  In the age of the internet it is a popular metal elitist activity to declare Ghost as being not metal.  I disagree.

Concert Review: Slayer at the Pageant in St. Louis September 22, 2016 -photos and words by Danny Nichols

Slayer guitarist Kerry King

After a thirty five year career which has included twelve albums (four of them gold), achieving legend status among the thrash metal scene, being a principal influence for the death metal scene, inciting constant controversy and enduring the recent loss of two of their founding members (one through death and one through departure), Slayer still show no signs of slowing down.





Their rabid fanbase shows no sign of letting them. This bombastic celebration of all which is brutal rolled into a sold out Pageant Theater in St. Louis, Missouri.

Slayer delivered twenty relentless songs, with barely a moment for one to catch their breath.  The violence of their lyrics was matched, to some degree, by the spontaneous mosh pits which kept forming during their songs.  The band didn't waste too much time between songs, excepting when bassist/singer Tom Arraya paused to inform us the next song was going to be a love song, before hurling full steam into the decidedly unromantic "Dead Skin Mask".   The attack was fierce and fast, exactly as we wanted it.

Slayer bassist and vocalist Tom Araya

The most noticeable thing about Slayer's sonic onslaught was the volume of Tom Araya's bass guitar.  It rattled your bones and shook the rafters. Periodically, a strip of confetti left over from some previous show at the venue would shake loose and float down into the crowd.

The following week I was back at the Pageant for a show by Ghost and saw one final piece of confetti float down during their performance and wondered how it could have possibly survived the Slayer show.

Concert Review: Anthrax at the Pageant in St. Louis September 22, 2016 -photos and words by Danny Nichols

Frank Bello and Joey Belladonna of Anthrax

On a Thursday night in September St. Louis, Missouri witnessed two of the Big Four of thrash metal, Anthrax and Slayer, on a night which both celebrated the long tradition of the genre and showcased the newest material from these legendary bands.  

This was the fifth time I had seen Anthrax, and once again they delivered with authority.  Anthrax are touring in support of their new album and the set list reflected this, with four of the nines songs they played coming from "For All Kings".  

A fifth song came from the also recently released "Worship Music".  By the time they played the two covers they made famous, "Got the Time" and "Antisocial", this left only two songs left from which to represent their massive catalogue of influential and beloved music.   Yet in many ways this was exactly the point.  Anthrax is more than their epic backstory. They continue to be relevant,writing and performing songs as well as at any point in their history. 

Scott Ian

Concert Review and Photos: Death Angel at The Pageant in St. Louis September 22, 2016

Death Angel's Rob Cavestany

With the evening's lineup featuring three champions of thrash metal; Death Angel, Anthrax and Slayer, the Pageant was sold out. Befitting their place among the heavyweights of the genre, the venue was nearly at capacity in time for the first notes of the opening act.

Death Angel were treated like conquering heroes by an audience who does not get to hear this band nearly often enough. The set list was blistering, furious and intense, but tragically only six songs long.  

Death Angel took the stage with an abbreviated version of "The Ultra-Violence" from their debut album of the same name. This segued into a pummeling rendition of "Evil Priest", also off the first album.  

Vocalist Mark Osegueda

Concert Review: September Mourning at Fubar in St. Louis September 14, 2016 -Photos and words by Danny Nichols

Rock music has a long and proud tradition of being a visual medium as much a sonic one.  The Alice Cooper Band became as notorious for the drama unfolding on stage as they were their songs.  KISS took over the world by taking this to the next level.  King Diamond, Slipknot, Gwar, WASP, and a billion other bands soon followed the blue print.  

A band can, and maybe should, look different than their audience, be surrounded in mystique and offer a show beyond just the notes they play.  Music is entertainment and any steps taken to enhance this entertainment are welcome.

At some point, most notably during the emergence of grunge in the early 90s, the idea gained currency if a band had any sort of costumes or a stage show, it was to be viewed as a gimmick intended to distract the audience from the band’s lack of quality.  To many, rock-n-roll was either music or theater, but could not be both.

Concert Review: Huntress at Fubar in St. Louis September 14, 2016 -photos and review by Danny Nichols

A lot has changed since I first heard “Eight of Swords” in early 2012 and instantly fell head over heels in love with the band Huntress.  Their debut album Spell Eater is a masterpiece of dark pagan metal, which is very reminiscent of classic Mercyful Fate.  

Jill Janus had somehow mastered the four octave vocal style of the previously believed inimitable King Diamond.  The riffs carry all the precision and power of thrash metal, with a clear black metal influence. The subject matter drew heavily from Janus’ deep connection with and knowledge of witchcraft. 

Subsequent albums Starbound Beast and Static have moved a little away from the Mercyful Fate sound, and closer to a darkened power metal.  Comparisons in their sound now could be drawn to bands like Hammerfall and Helloween, except still uniquely harkening back to classic first wave black metal and early thrash metal.  Lyrically, while still maintaining a foothold in the world of the occult, Huntress shifted focus first to a metaphorical fascination with celestial matters and then with an exploration of mental distress.  

Concert Photos: Nile at Fubar in St. Louis January 25, 2016 -photos by Danny Nichols

Dallas Toler-Wade

Karl Sanders

Concert Photos: TESLA February 4, 2015 at The Pageant, St. Louis , Missouri -photos by Danny Nichols

Jeff Keith of Tesla rocks the Pageant in St. Louis

Concert Photos: Amon Amarth at the Pageant in St. Louis May 4, 2016 -Photos by Danny Nichols

Vocalist Johan Hegg of Amon Amarth rocks the Pageant in St. Louis

Concert Photos: Entombed A.D. at the Pageant in St. Louis May 4, 2016 -Photos by Danny Nichols

Lars-Goran Petrov and Entombed A.D. play the Pageant in St. Louis