Amanda Nagurney - So Full Of Country

Amanda's newest CD "So Full Of Country".

Here's my review of Amanda's 1st CD "Gettin Out Of This Town".

Up and Coming Country Music Star Amanda Nagurney's 1st Release

I recently had the pleasure of witnessing Amanda Nagurney and Joe Childs perform live and in color at The Irishman Pub & Eatery, it was a fun night, highlighted by the fact that Amanda and Joe were gracious enough to let me sit in on a couple of songs, Thank You Amanda and Joe!
Being a big local music supporter I picked up this CD along with Amanda's newest release "So Full Of Country" at the Irishman.
This review will be of Amanda's debut CD "Gettin Out Of This Town" from 2008.
This CD establishes and confirms the fact that Amanda's music should be, if it isn't already, played on country music radio all across the U.S.A.

OK on with the review...

"Gettin Out Of This Town" sounds like and reminds me of a Garth Brooks song complete with country fiddle and rockin' guitar sounds. I must say I enjoy the country twang of Amanda's vocals and vocal harmonies. The lyrics of this song sound like a description of Amanda's busy career.

Track 2 "Never Break My Heart" is a mellow country ballad that features some really nice sounding pedal steel guitar behind Amanda's sweet vocals.

"Don't Ask Me To Love You" is a very catchy upbeat song. Amanda's voice and phrasing on this melancholy laced song remind me of Sarah Evans.

Track 4 "Just For A Moment" has a real good melancholy feel and sound. This track features an excellently orchestrated classical music backing track.

"Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever" is another great country ballad that let's Amanda's soaring vocals shine through. This track also features some amazing pedal steel guitar work.

The closing track "Rock That Country" is a perfect example of a "new country" song that you might hear on WYRK FM. This track has an uplifting, spirited rock sound, topped off with a killer lead guitar solo, but the rock edge doesnt rock too hard, the guitar has the perfect amount of twang on it to keep it country.

Of course, above and beyond all the music, all the vocal performances on "Gettin Out Of This Town" sound great and are quite impressive and putting all comparisons aside, Amada's singing style has a unique quality all it's own.
On top of all that, Amanda writes and performs her own songs! A complete musical package. The session players on "Gettin Out Of This Town" are all A1 top notch players. This CD sounds like it could be and should be played on WYRK along with all the other "new country" musical talent currently on it's playlist.

Any fan of "new country" or old school country for that matter, should make a serious effort to check out Amanda's live performances where she has both of her CDs readily available for purchase.

Amanda's local performance schedule is a busy one, she currently performs with Joe Childs in an acoustic duo setting and Amanda also performs locally with her full band, Mason Dixon. On top of all her local appearances, Amanda also finds the time to travel out of state to promote her original music in various music venues across the U.S.A., most notably in Nashville and California.
Any recognition Amanda's recieves is well deserved because she is a hard working major musical talent who is seemingly destined for major recognition. Keep up the Good Work Amanda! Rock that Country Music All Night!

Test Tube Rhino "InVitro" CD Review

Joe Pinnavaia is a Guitarist, Composer and Instructor from the Western New York area whose musical style ranges from progressive rock with elements of orchestration and electronica to melodic instrumental rock.
Joe completed his musical education at Villa Maria College of Buffalo and at the University at Buffalo where he studied with Joanne Castellani from the world renowned Castellani/Andriaccio Duo and also studied locally with guitar virtuoso Tony Scozzaro. He has also performed with James Kurzdorfer (original bassist for Spyro Gyra) as well as Cosmic Stepping Stones and the duo BREAKERBOX who have worked with Corey Lowery of Dark New Day, as producer, releasing the single "Soul to Life". After being in mostly vocal orientated projects Joe decided to go into a new direction and focus more on his composition and released his first solo effort entitled "InVitro" under the name Test Tune Rhino. This experimental project has now turned into a fulfilling venture and the follow up release "Fragile X" is to be released early 2010. A track from this upcoming release titled "Night at the Carnival" will feature a guest performance by Art Kalenda of Soul Release - Joe's first guitar instructor that inspired him to become the guitar player that he is today.
Check Joe out online @ http://www.rhinoguitar.topcities.com/

Test Tube Rhino is the guitar oriented musical adventure of skilled local guitarist Joe Pinnavaia, Joe has played with many Buffalo based musical projects, but this is Joe going off and doing his own thing, creating his own "guitar world" if you will. Skillfully and masterfully using the guitar to create his own sonic instrumental masterpieces without the restrictions and conventional boundaries that a band-like song structure usually requires.
Track 1, "Test Tube Fantasy" sounds menacingingly melodic with its metallic guitar tones, cleany executed tight rhythms and fast soloing.
"E.B.E" features some sharp, classical Spanish guitar playing that flows nicely into a melodic guitar line, some sweet fluid electric guitar soloing compliments the acoustic guitar playing.
Track 3, "Caucacious" has some Joe Satriani-like melodic guitar melodies and some great upfront bass playing, I wish the ending with the distorted wah soloing and uptempo drums would have continued just a bit longer...
I enjoyed the melancholy feel of Track 4 "I'm Not Doing Anything To Feel Sorry".
The guitar sounds and soloing of "Nimicus Namicus" remind me of Vai/Satriani, I like the guitar tapped soloing and the stereorific solo panning at the end.
The minimalistic approach and overall mix of "High" is sonically refreshing being different from the rest of the tracks. I really enjoyed the soloing and the 2nd digitally delayed solo section.
"High" is my favorite track on "InVitro".
I like the melodic sustaining return line on "Vitamin Salt" and the tasty fast soloing reminded me of Vai/Satriani/Van Halen and Jeff Beck.
Joes playing has been compared to these modern guitar masters: Joe Satriani/Buckethead/Paul Gilbert/Robert Fripp and Terje Rypdal.
I highly recommend the "InVitro" CD to any fan of guitar driven instrumental music.
Visit http://www.rhinoguitar.topcities.com/, www.reverbnation/testtuberhino and www.myspace.com/testtuberhino to find out how you can pick up your very own copy of Test Tube Rhinos "InVitro" today.
"InVitro" is also available digitally on ITunes, Amazon Mp3, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster and on every online store through the Favored Nations label.
Thank You Joe!

Fans of Joes talented guitar playing can visit these other band sites to hear his multi-faceted musical talents at play...
Cosmic Stepping Stones www.myspace.com/cosmicsteppingstones
Toxic Love www.myspace.com/therealtoxiclove
Breakerbox www.myspace.com/breakerbox

Commando The Autobiography Of Johnny Ramone, Tommy Ramone

Commando, The Autobiography Of Johnny Ramone

written by Johnny Ramone

Anybody who's a fan of Punk Rock and/or The Ramones needs to read this book.
...one of my fave pics from the book...with the 3 late and greatest members of The Ramones

Back cover of Commando.

www.abramsimage.com

www.johnnyramone.com

Morrissey

Another interesting book which gives me a reason to read...






















some recent press covering featuring the  mizerable moz...

One night in Wellsville, NY

Update 2014: I am no longer a member of the KISS THIS! band. The band is still together and continues to play in and around Buffalo NY. My tenure was kinda fun while it lasted, it was like Halloween every gig, but surprisingly required alot of time and effort to pull it off. Reflecting back on this specific incident I should have left the band after I got home to my wife and family safe and sound. This post may seem like an attempt by me to brag or be "cool" but isn't. I needed to write this post to remind myself of the important lessons I learned from the entire experience. I can't speak for the other members of the band but it definitely was not just another out of town gig for me.

Original post: Time for a new "blogless blog" posting...Yer fave music blogger, Joe Tell had an interesting and eventful weekend recently. After you read this story you might call it a "rock and roll" weekend that may have ended up with some tragic consequences.

As you may or may not know I entered the unique world of the tribute band recently, something I wasn't really interested in until the opportunity arose last year. One of the reasons why I joined the band is because I literally grew up on the music of KISS as a pre-teen. I used to borrow Beatles albums from my Aunt Pat and my mom bought me all the classic KISS albums along with all the Bay City Rollers records. When I wasn't playing street hockey I often listened to KISS or The Beatles on my record player my grandmother bought for me. Special thanks to my Aunt Pat, my mom and my grandmother.

The tribute band I joined is KISS THIS! The band wears full KISS makeup and KISS costumes.
The first wig I bought was a cheap halloween wig that I wore at a couple of shows. This wig proved to be useless so after taking some advice, I bought a full Gene Simmons Halloween mask and a fellow band member prepped the mask by cutting off the face so I could just use the hair. That was the easy part, the hard part was figuring out how to secure the wig to my hair so it wouldn't move or fall off for the show coming up. We figured that if I bought a nylon skull cap we could use wig glue to glue the masks' hair to the skull cap so it wouldn't move after it was on my head. I was advised to buy wig glue remover in the lotion and shampoo form but not thinking it was a big deal, I didn't buy the shampoo. So we now had the solution for how to secure the wig to my head. Having no prior experience with hair pins I thought buying wig glue would be the easiest and quickest way to secure the wig to my head.

Now here's a couple of things I must explain. Being in cover band is one thing. Being in a tribute band is another thing apart from being in a cover band. As a member of a tribute band you need to think, feel and act like the band did along with playing the music exactly as the band did, with little or no variations. If you can't think, feel and play like the band you're trying to pay tribute to it's not going to go over with an audience. But being in a KISS tribute band is all that and more, it really is a entirely different experience altogether from any other type of tribute band. A KISS tribute band needs special makeup, costumes and instruments to "become" KISS and learn the art of putting on a show just like KISS. It really takes alot of time and hard work if you want to do it right. Trying to look like KISS creates extra pre-show prep time to apply the makeup and get into the costumes. It may seem easy but applying the makeup properly is really an art form in itself and takes time to learn. All of these factors compound together create a unique kind of stress to "get it right" and meet fairly rigid time frames to try to get in a good sound check at any venue. A sound check is necessary because all 4 members of KISS sing lead vocals. Questions arise at shows like, Exactly how much time will it take before the entire band is ready to play? Is there a spot in the venue for the entire band to put on the make-up? If so where? Should we put the make-up on before or after soundcheck? Many things have to be dealt with and taken into consideration, things that most bands don't have to think about before they play.

I believe all of these these factors created a slight problem for me on this particular day as the band prepared for a show and an overnight stay in a hotel room provided by the venue.
First off I must explain that I am supposed to take daily medication for a thyroid condition and I should not be smoking due to my asthma but I was smoking and I did not take my thyroid medication. I also took an over the counter asthma medication to help me breathe easier because I was smoking along with using my inhaler and taking ibuprofen to help calm me down.
I believe the factors mentioned above and the "hurry up and wait" of sitting around waiting to get my makeup done by the one person who could do it at the time created a problem.
I was the first to get into costume and after having (too much!) wig glue applied to my head I put on my wig. Not having the makeup routine down I had to wait around for my makeup to be applied and completed. I wasn't comfortable being in the wig and the full costume is heavy, so I was very hot and sweaty after wearing both for at least 3 hours before the show. Needless to say waiting around before the gig with nothing to do (no radio or TV!) was not relaxing.
After going outside to smoke I came back into our room in an attempt to have my makeup finished.
I can't explain exactly what happened but I started feeling dizzy and I completely blacked out after a makeup brush was poked directly into the corner of my eye. I never blacked out before or since that day. I came back to consciousness completely soaked in a cold sweat and I believe a combination of stress, not taking my daily required medications, smoking, having a makeup brush stuck into my eye and taking a over the counter asthma pill ended up causing my blackout. Maybe all those factors and a allergic reaction to the wig glue caused me to black out? I know what you may be thinking and I must say in complete honesty that no other chemicals, legal or illegal, were consumed by me before I blacked out. I truly Thank God! that I did not take any other chemicals! I may have ended up dead dressed as Gene Simmons! How sad and pathetic would that have been?!... I was not relaxed at all and there was nothing to occupy my mind before I blacked out, music tends to relax me when I'm preoccupied with any thoughts.
I need to say that I could have backed out of the gig or insisted on going to a hospital when the paramedics showed up but I knew I had to perform with the band, any hospital visits would have to wait. The paramedics insisted that I go to the hospital to get fully checked out, in full KISS makeup and costume! Can you imagine the reaction of the doctors and the patients in the hospital as a guy dressed as Gene Simmons walked in to get treated?! I was not going to any hospital with full KISS makeup and costume on with a show to do later that night. No way. Imagine seeing an ambulance pull up to a hospital with a fake Gene Simmons being rolled out? You can write a story about that in itself, maybe Gene could use that idea as a publicity stunt to promote the next KISS record?...
After coming to and feeling much better I decided that the show was important. I had to fulfill my commitment to the band and the venue or we would not get paid. Needless to say, after recovering I steered away smoking and drinking during the gig. I relaxed between sets, sat down whenever I could and sipped water all night long, little did I know my stressful night was only halfway over...

After the show was over I tried to remove my wig at the venue to no avail, this is when I knew I had another big problem. The wig was literally glued to my hair and scalp. So after blacking out and waking up in a cold sweat now I was sweating because I was hot. I was sick of the wig and I wanted it off my head to cool off and relax. 2 of the other guys in the band wore wigs but they didn't not glue them on, they just took theirs off. I didn't have that option and my stress level rose.
After going back to the hotel and applying the wig glue remover lotion I became frustrated and angry because it did remove the wig glue so I could remove my wig. A combination of too much wig glue and no wig glue remover shampoo became a huge problem. I could not sleep in the wig and I didn't want to wait to get back home to remove it. It was making me sweat and I wanted it off my head so I could cool down and rest.
Thinking ahead and bringing a pair of scissors was a good idea because the wig had to be cut off my head. Along with all the hair on my head because too much wig glue was applied and I did not buy the shampoo that would have removed the wig glue. I was in pain as the wig was cut off my head because my hair was being pulled and cut off along with the wig. It took quite awhile to cut through all the glue to remove the wig off of my head and I was relieved to finally have it off my head.
After cutting the wig off my scalp I looked like a mental patient and I needed to wear a hat on the way home. My ordeal was the topic of much laughter on the long way home.
Needless to say, I will never, ever glue a wig to my head, ever again and I don't recommend the process to anyone who doesn't have any prior experience with wig glue and wig glue remover.

I can't speak for the rest of the band but I think my "rock and roll" weekend makes for some pretty interesting reading. It's really scary to think that I could've died in full KISS regalia that day! The experience really taught me alot and led to my departure from the band. It's a true story and I thought it interesting enough to be written about on my blog.
If only someone had brought along a video recorder, it would have made a great youtube video...
Any questions or comments can be sent directly to jtellfotos@yahoo.com.

Radio 9 - Buffalo, NY

After years of creating and performing music with numerous artists, Patsy Silver, Mike Biddlecom, Joey Cristofanilli, and Frank Cristofanilli, decided in 2013 it was the right time to collaborate their own musical talents of hard rock to create the band Radio 9; a hard driving mix of blues and metal.
The Buffalo based band recorded their debut EP, self-titled, Radio 9, at GCR Audio, owned by Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls, with producer Justin Rose. The first single off the album is ‘Mr. Imagination’.
Youtube link https://youtu.be/c7n5XGzmv8g?list=UUKKmbgFggqatQIuohA_lM9A
The other notable heavy hitting songs off their debut album are ‘Little Black Book’,
https://youtu.be/g0EmxC1WOAA?list=UUKKmbgFggqatQIuohA_lM9A
 ‘Lightning Strikes’,
https://youtu.be/6SCn9p4i2ow?list=UUKKmbgFggqatQIuohA_lM9A
  ‘Run for Cover’
https://youtu.be/QKRY1KYxquo?list=UUKKmbgFggqatQIuohA_lM9A
and the rockin’ ballad, “Without You,”
https://youtu.be/G0Bo-8qqC0Q?list=UUKKmbgFggqatQIuohA_lM9A
which hints at Patsy’s gospel, blues roots.
Radio 9 has a long and impressive list of talents they respectfully worked with over the years. Lead singer and hard hitting raspy voiced, Patsy Silver, shared the stage with such legendary acts as The Beach Boys, The Beaver Brown Band, Tommy Shaw, Jefferson Starship, Grand Funk Railroad, and sang back-up vocals for the late Lou Rawls. Not only has Patsy fronted Las Vegas based bands, International Fox, who toured the country with standing dates in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, NYC and Lake Tahoe, she has also recorded an album in Nashville for RLA Coastal Records.
Bassist Joey Cristofanilli, performed with Los Angeles based band, Ratt, in which he recorded one song for the Ratt EP, and co-wrote the song “Wanted Man” for the Atlantic release, “Out of the Cellar.” Joey has also recorded two songs with LA based band, Rough Cutt, for the LA’s Hottest Unsigned Bands Compilation album. He also toured and recorded one album with LA based band, Jagwire.
Guitarist Mike Biddlecom played and toured with LA based band, Caustic Cause. Mike also played with Buffalo based band, Vicious Circle, and recorded an EP which was chosen best original rock band. He has three original solo albums, “Mystic Compass,” “Strange Therapy” and “Sonic Battalion”.
Drummer Frank Cristofanilli played with Buffalo based bands, Curtis Loew, Pretty Poison, Actor, and Tyrant. Frank has also recorded an album with the band, Watchers.

4/7/14: Originating the originals
A big thanks to Ed Honeck and David Sherrer for joining us for another fun filled show promoting the Original Blues Reunion. A special thanks to Radio 9 for breaking out their first interview; Mike Biddlecom, Frank Cristofanilli, Joe Cristofanilli and on lead vocals our very own, WNY's very seasoned female vocalist Patsy Silver! Listen for the shout outs....you know who you are! Take a listen, and enjoy the show! Click hear to listen to Radio 9 on the Patsy Silver and Dottie Kenney Variety Show http://www.thinktwiceradio.com/patsy-dottie/audio/140407a.mp3

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan will always be loved by his fans and his musical peers, he continues to be an inspiration to kids who want to play guitar, highly influential to guitarists' who want to play better and his sharp, expert guitar playing and singing/songwriting skills will always be respected and revered by his musical peers. Even years after his untimely death his influence is still felt in the guitar playing world. Stevie's guitar playing has been described as virtuoistic, intensely focused, artistic, inspirational and real. His early recordings as well as his popular recordings, are highly sought after and his recordings continue to be on many a Rock and Roll AND Blues radio playlist across the world. Stevie not only achieved success in the blues music realm, he was fortunate enough to cross-over and achieve mainstream success as well. Stevie's master recordings are being obsessively sifted through, much like Jimi Hendrix's, seeking out rare, unreleased hidden jems. On top of Stevie's 6 Studio albums, 4 Live albums, 3 Best Of collections and 1 CD/DVD box set the guitar community continues to be interested in hearing all the music S.R.V. played and recorded throughout his career and as long as interest continues new SRV music will continue to be released. Let's hope the master tapes stay in good hands.
After learning to play guitar from listening to blues records, Stevie often cited B.B. King as a major influence and later in his career Stevie had an oppurtunity to play with B.B. King live in concert during the taping of "B.B. King & Friends". Alongside Stevie and B.B. members of the band included Albert King and Paul Butterfield.
Stevie also showed his respect for Albert King by calling him "Mr. Albert King!" during his intro.

Before and after his famous studio stint with David Bowie on Bowie's highly successful 1983 release "Let's Dance", Stevie's skills were highly sought after by many an artist seeking to "jazz up" their records with some top notch lead guitar playing. Stevie made several guest appearances on many a blues artists' studio albums.
Marcia Ball's 1984 release "Soulful Dress" features a intense solo from Stevie on the title track.
Johnny Copeland's "Don't Stop By The Creek, Son" features some tasty, clean playing from Stevie.
Saxophonist A.C. Reed recruited Stevie for his "I'm In The Wrong Business" release.

Stevie also had the opportunity to tour with many a great band and musician during his career, among them is Jeff Beck and his former band The Yardbirds, whom Stevie Ray also cited as a major influence early in his career. Stevie learned, mastered and played "Goin' Down", "Jeff's Boogie" and "Over Under Sideways Down" for many a smoke filled bar in Dallas Texas.

"The first record I ever bought was "Wham!" (in 1963) by Lonnie Mack." Stevie claims that his Dad broke that very same record because he played it repeatedly day and night. After going out and buying that record again and cranking it up through a Shure P.A. system, many years later Stevie had the opportunity to co-produce and play some guitar on Lonnie Mack's "Strike Like Lightning" 1985 release.

One of the highlights of Stevie's career is when Stevie played the 1988 New Orleans Jazz Festival, Stevie was fortunated enough to share the stage with swamp boggie great, Katie Webster and one of Stevie's most absolute favorite guitar players Albert Collins, the Master of the Telecaster.

In 1985 Stevie, with his band Double Trouble appeared along side his brother Jimmie on "Saturday Night Live" to promote their CD "Soul To Soul". Jimmie Vaughn, Stevies brother is also a living blues legend in his own right, Jimmie achieved worldwide recognition with his former band The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Jimmie and Stevie often played the song "Pipeline" by the Chantays live, with a doubleneck guitar...simultaneously...
In 1987 Stevie Ray recorded the very same tune with surf guitar legend, Dick Dale for the movie "Back To The Beach". Stevie and Jimmie recorded a brilliant duet album "Family Style".

Stevie's drummer from Double Trouble Chris Layton reveals "Stevie was that thing that people identify with, that thing they can hear in his music, he touched people in such a way that it was irrelevant that he played the guitar, or that he played the blues. It was something that is mystical to me, because Stevie tapped into the thing that people feel, but cannot express themselves. Stevie was able to do that for them."

Nearly 25 years after his untimely death Stevie Ray Vaughan's music still remains as vibrant, exciting, soulful and spirited as when it was first released.

Buffalo NY Sports Curse

Curse or Not No Buffalo Team Has Ever Won the Big Game

The Buffalo NY Sports Curse. Fact or Fiction?...
I was recently told by a co-worker of mine that there was a curse placed on all Buffalo NY based Major League (currently NHL & NFL) Sports teams. This is why the Buffalo Bills have never won a Super Bowl and this is also why the Buffalo Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup. Consider the championship history our 2 teams have had and this curse legend seems to make sense, at least it does to me. I think the fact that Buffalo once had a NBA team here and lost it applies to this curse as well. I dont consider indoor lacrosse, football, soccer or triple A baseball to be major league sports teams.
Supposedly this curse was initiated by a lone Indian runner who was participating in a sanctioned foot race in the Buffalo area. This race was held in the early part of the 20th century,
somewhere around the 20's and 30's.
Legend has it that this lone Indian runner, who was racing against a field of white/caucasian competitors, was purposely tripped and couldnt finish the race. Upon being tripped the Indian immediately placed a curse upon on all the major league sports teams in the Buffalo area stating that they would never win a championship unless they were Indian owned and operated.

This story may come off as rascist or racially biased so I feel that I must state that Im not a rascist in any way, shape or form.
I thought this was an interesting story to post considering Im a major NHL hockey fan, NFL football not so much considering the way the Bills have been playing lately.
When you consider the history the Bills and Sabres have had in losing championship games it seems like we need an excuse as to why we lost, someone or something to blame besides our beloved players, this legend seems to fit that reasoning perfectly.
So for me at least, this story will always be in the back of my mind until we win the big one.
Besides the fact that weve lost every time, consider the Sabres '75 fog game, 99's No Goal! and our 4 consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Our championship history is interesting to say the least and can be spun in any number of ways so I guess you can say Im putting my own little twist on the stories to make them seem that much more interesting.
If anybody has any solid facts supporting this legend, please comment, or if you feel the urge just comment.
Thank You, Ryan.

NWA, WWE, Dusty Rhodes, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Classy Freddie Blassie, Mil Mascaras, Filmfax

Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat

N.W.A. Mid-Atlantic Wrestling

Richard Blood (Ricky Steamboat) was once a talented young wrestler but that all changed once he was bartered for in a trade arranged by famed wrestling promoters Jim Crockett and Jim Barnett.

Once Ric Flair met Steamboat in the Mid-Atlantic wrestling territory he had a ingenious plan, he knew exactly what to do to make Steamboat and himself a pair of wrestling headliners, this was in 1977, before Flair's numerous title reigns and the classic World title match between Flair and Steamboat, that some fans have called" The Greatest Wrestling Match Of All Time".

Steamboat's first appearance on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling TV established the fued that Flair and Steamboat continued on for, basically, their entire active wrestling careers. Flair was cleanly pinned by Steamboat for Flair's coveted Mid-Atlantic TV title in the middle of the ring.

Flair recognized Steamboat's potential as a headlining wrestling attraction and World Champion, so with consent from George Scott, Flair and Steamboat began fueding and exchanging the U.S. title in some headlining matches in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Wanting to elevate their fued to a new level and further advance their wrestling careers, Flair offered up his newly won, from Steamboat of course, coveted U.S. title belt in a match against Steamboat live on TV in 1978. Flair reacted violently to Steamboat's positive reply to his challenge, rubbing Steamboat's face on the ring mat and upon throwing Steamboat out of the ring, proceeded to rub little Ricky's face on the concrete studio floor. 

Calling Ricky a " pretty boy" Flair then scraped the gold plate of his title belt into Steamboat's face and eye.

Steamboat got a genuine dose of wrestling reality after the match. World Champion Harley Race proceeded to rub some hardware store bought sandpaper on Ricky's face to make it appear bruised and battered. After cutting Ricky's face with the sandpaper Race poured iodine into the wounds and further rubbed sandpaper across the scars. All this came about after a brief discussion with Race, Wahoo McDaniel and Flair in which Race wanted to actually punch Steamboat in the face to cause an actual cut, the proposal was turned down and the "variety pack" sandpaper was used instead. Steamboat's face was still discolored 6 months after the cuts healed.

Even after all that a final creative angle by Flair put the fued over with the fans and established a "Flair vs. Steamboat" wrestling match as a must have match if you wanted to sell out your arena on any given night on any wrestling card around the world.

Flair pulled up in a limo to the Mid-Atlantic wrestling TV studios for a scheduled interview in 1978. Dressed to the nine's, toting a beautiful girl on each arm, Flair purposely berated Steamboat on live TV. Steamboat angrily appeared on set and proceded to slap Flair in the face and drag him into the ring by his suit and tie. After continually beating on Flair the fans shouted in disbelief as Steamboat proceeded to tear Flair's entire suit off piece by piece.

Flair and Steamboat went back out on the road to continue their hot fued. 

Wanting to give the fans the best possible wrestling match they could, the 2 combatants often wrestled 60 minute matches, to sold out, standing room only, young, rabid Mid-Atlantic wrestling fans. These matches established and solidfied Steamboat and Flair as World Champion caliber wrestlers. 

This is exactly what Flair had in mind when he first laid eyes on a young, talented Richard Blood way back in 1977. Check out the "WrestleWar 1989" NWA World title match to witness the magic Flair and Steamboat had in the ring, live and in color on the WWE's "The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection".

The "Nature Boy" Ric Flair's Performance at Wrestlemania 8

Ric Flair is the Greatest World Heavyweight Wrestling Title Holder of All Time

The memorable '92 Wrestlemania World Title match that featured the Champion Flair vs. the Challenger Savage at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana was attended by 62,167 rabid rasslin' fans.

The match was expertly promoted by mixing up a unique blend of fantasy and reality that made all the hype believable and had the fans chomping at the bit to see this match. Ric made some very public comments regarding Randy Savage's manager (and wife at the time) Miss Elizabeth, one of the WWF's most beloved superstars of the 80's wrestling boom. Ric suggested that Liz was secretly attracted to the "Nature Boy". Upon hearing of this Savage was enraged and foaming at the mouth to get a piece of the "Nature Boy" in the squared circle.

Ric Flair was, and will always be, a master of promoting his upcoming matches no matter who he wrestled against, he always knows exactly what to say to get under his opponents skin. His loud, arrogant persona led to some great over-the-top promos and legendary bad-guy performances in the ring. Ric's bad guy persona reaked of all that was bad in corporate America, dressed to the nines in 3 piece business suits and speaking down to the fans and his opponents made Ric a unique and interesting bad-guy. His long blond hair, in sharp contrast to Hogans shiny bald head, added to his sex appeal. A pre-match interview had Ric promising all the fans in the arena a nude pic of Liz appearing on the big-screen after he defeated Savage.

Ric's technical skill in the ring was honed to a razor sharp edge in the NWA where he beat all the top guys winning their version of the Heavyweight Title several times, now he was in the WWF holding their version of the World Title going up against 1 of the best wrestlers the WWF had to offer in the grandest wrestling event of all time, Vince McMahon's Wrestlemania.

Against Savage, Ric gave as good as he got, willing to take all the punishment Savage dished out, Ric delivered his knife edge chops taunting Savage to hit him even harder, the sound of Ric's chops echoed throughout the Hoosier Dome the entire match. After being busted open by Savage, Ric attempted to pin Savage after using a foreign object, which Savage recovered from. As you may or may not already know the climax had Savage holding the World Title pinning Flair by holding his tights to keep him down.

After the match ended a pier 6 brawl ensued between Flair and Savage, which involved Curt Henning, Miss Elizabeth, several referees and quite a few ring attendees. Flair managed to steal a kiss from Liz during the melee' which further enraged Savage, who could barely stand up as a result of Flair's perfectly executed signature move the figure four leglock which Flair slapped on Savage during the match.

Ric's popularity was peaking during his run in the WWF, he could wrestle, talk and was an expert at in-ring and out-of-the-ring psychology. This match, along with his win at the previous Royal Rumble defined his career in the WWF and set up his return to WCW, WWE and his current stint at TNA.

Diamonds are forever and so is Ric Flair! WOOO!!!

Here's a recent WWE mag that compares WWE wrestlers to super-heroes inside...

I can't see John Cena as Captain America but I think CM Punk would make an awesome Nightwing.

1 of the greatest masked wrestlers of all time, Mil Mascaras is still starring in feature films. Mil was recently featured on the cover of Filmfax magazine. If you've never read this magazine it's great if you're into retro-pop culture no matter who's on the cover.


Ah...Dusty Rhodes, one of the best wrestler's of all time...starring in his own 3 disc set...great action!
Dusty bled, 99.99% of the time when he wrestled. Dusty vs. Race or Flair is a must see for any true wrestling fan.

Of course Ric Flair has, not 1, but 2 3-DVD collections, here's the 1st one from 2003.

Dusty Reflections Of An American Dream is a great wrestling book that also contains a forward by the late great George Steinbrenner. After Gorgeous George and before Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes was wrestling's greatest and most popular attraction, his matches with Superstar Billy Graham from Madison Square Garden are legendary. Dusty sold out arenas all over the world.

After the WWF "yellow finger" era started in the 80's, the very heated fued between Dusty and Ric Flair in the NWA was the only feud that mattered! Forget about Hogan vs. whomever...Dusty vs. Flair was "the" must see match in the 80's.

R.I.P. Dusty Rhodes.

Legends Of Wrestling WWE "Classy" Freddie Blassie's wrestling book, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks" has got to be 1 of the most entertaining of all the post-kayfabe wrestling books I've ever read. Blatantly honest Blassie holds nothing back, it also sheds alot of light on the beginnings of the wrestling business as we know it today. Read the back cover and you'll see what I mean. This book also explains the meaning of the word "kay-fabe" in Chapter 1. This book was released in 2003 right after Freddie passed away and it's a great tribute to a true wrestling legend.

Terry Funk's 2005 wrestling bio book is called "More Than Just Hardcore". Terry Funk is a former NWA World Champion who is credited for started the whole hardcore wrestling boom of the 90's with Ric Flair. Their series of violent matches from 1989 are well remebered for violence and brutality. It all started with Terry pile-driving Ric Flair through a ringside table. This brutal incident occurred right after a NWA title match between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat that many hardcore wrestling fans call "The Greatest Wrestling Match Of All Time". I would have to agree.

R.I.P Terry Funk

Here's the cover of Ric Flair's wrestling book, To Be The Man, which I snapped up as soon as it hit the book store shelves in 2004.

The cover of Mick Foley's 2001 wrestling book, Foley Is Good, speaks for itself.
Ric Flair's comments aimed at Mick Foley in his book and Mick's comments on Ric in his books, have led to quite a few memorable I Quit matches between the 2 competitors.

Raw Is War classic WWF game ad.
In tribute to Yokozuna, Luna Vachon & Owen Hart.

Hell In A Cell DVD set ad.

I've always been a wrestling fan. I used to watch Mid-Atlantic Wrestling back in the early 80's, and the seed was securely planted after I went to a few NWA live events at the old Aud. I saw Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Blackjack Mulligan etc. etc. in thier pre-WWF days... "Live and in color" "In pulic if you will". I've always been curious on the how's and why's of the "toughest sport in the world". The book covers that are in this particular blog posting are books that I have bought and read and they shed light on the inner workings of the sport of professional wrestling. All of the books shatter kayfabe and reveal every aspect of the sport in and out of the ring. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair is my fave wrestler and I've never been a big fan of the WWF "Hulk Hogan" watered down family-friendly product. Pop in a WWE DVD of an old school cage match featuring Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair and you can't get much better than that.

Out To Lunch - No One Left Behind CD review

Out to Lunch - No One Left Behind CD Review

NYC's Out to Lunch Creates a Jazz Masterpiece with No One Left Behind

NYC's Out To Lunch creates a jazz masterpiece with No One Left Behind. No One Left Behind is funky, groovy, improvisational, jazz fusion. Add some hip hop beats and a little dash of dub reggae and you have Out To Lunch.
Out To Lunch can be compared to Miles Davis, James Brown, Weather Report and John McLaughlin. Jazz and Jazz Fusion fans will enjoy No One Left Behind.

Out To Lunch is comprised of David Levy - Bass Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone, Bansuri Flute and Ableton Live. Josiah Woodson - Trumpet, Guitar and Flute. Walter Fischbacher - Keyboards and Hammond Organ. Zack Lober - Electric and Upright Bass and Turntables. Jason Kruk plays Drums.

Standout tracks include It's A Jungle Out There with it's uptempo drums and percussion. There's A New Seby In Town includes sone funky, hip hop beats. Spaced out avant-garde jazz dominates Ostrava. Damon Scott improvises some great lyrics on the dub reggae sounds of the title track.

You can find out more about Out To Lunch on www.outtolunchmusic.com and www.mesabluemoon.com.

Thank You Out To Lunch!

Steelhorse - Buffalo NY

Here's a couple of Steelhorse flyers for a couple of upcoming gigs.

 

This is the latest line up of Steelhorse. Gary, Brian, Richie and Dan.

Richie Fountain Lead Vocals/Lead Guitar.

(Thanks for letting the wife & I sit in!)

Richie playing beer bottle slide.

Gary Pokrzyk on Rhythm/Lead Guitar and Vocals.

Tony Laforte on Electric Bass.
(Thanks for letting me sit in Tony!)

Jake Klimchuck on Drums.

Fozzy

Los Angeles, CA - June 4, 2014 - Fozzy have announced they will release their highly anticipated, new full-length studio album Do You Wanna Start A War (Century Media Records) on July 22^nd! Fans can now pre-order the 12-track album at iTunes and receive an instant download of the song "One Crazed Anarchist." Preview the track now and watch the new lyric video premiering exclusively at Revolver. Recently, the band unveiled a new lyric video for the debut single impacting at radio now "Lights Go Out," that can also be viewed online. Wrapping a spring tour that had them performing at festivals across the country including Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, Rockfest along with many other shows throughout the U.S., Fozzy will be performing June 14^th in the U.K. on the main stage of the Download Festival. 

Fozzy confirmed tour dates with Theory of a Deadman:

* Fozzy only

DATE                                        CITY/STATE                       VENUE

July 24  Los Angeles, CA   The Whisky* (record release show!)

August 2  Syracuse, NY        New York State Fairgrounds*

September 13  Janesville, WI        Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport*

September 17  Tempe, AZ            The Marquee

September 19  San Antonio, TX     Backstage Live
September 23  Atlanta, GA           Center Stage
September 24  Charlotte, NC         The Fillmore
September 26  Columbus, OH        Newport Music Hall
September 27  Winston-Salem, NC  Ziggy's   

October 2         Baltimore, MD        Rams Head Live
October 3         Knoxville, TN          The International

October 6         Lancaster, PA        Chameleon Club

October 7        Boston, MA           House of Blues
October 8       Sayreville, NJ         Starland Ballroom
October 11      Cleveland, OH        House of Blues

 

Led by the inimitable duo of guitarist Rich Ward, co-founder of the influential underground band Stuck Mojo, and vocalist Chris Jericho, famed WWE superstar and media personality, the band Fozzy has really always been about one thing: having fun. Produced by Ward, Do You Wanna Start A War is the bands follow-up to their acclaimed 2012 release Sin and Bones, and sixth studio effort since 2000. Featuring 12-tracks, the new album includes the debut single "Lights Go Out," alongside the title track and the return of the Theremin in "Bad Tattoo." As described by Corey Taylor of Slipknot and and Stone Sour, "Do You Wanna Start A War is dark, dense and sharp. Sonically and lyrically, this feels like it's going somewhere big. I love it!" 

What started out for guitarist Rich Ward as a weekend cover band, called Fozzy Osbourne, soon became an internationally signed act with the biggest star in professional wrestling, Chris Jericho, as its lead singer. With adopted stage names and an elaborate backstory written for the movies, the band's early recordings consisted mainly of cover songs ranging from Black Sabbath and Dio, to Iron Maiden and Mötley Crüe.Jericho's singing ability and overall passion for music makes one wonder just how he is able to find the time to excel in pretty much everything he does, while Ward counting Zakk Wylde and Synyster Gates of Avenged Sevenfold as fans, is probably one of the greatest, and unjustly so, underrated guitarists in rock and metal today. It was these qualities that pushed the band to drop alter egos, get rid of the backstory and write original music. 

Chris Jericho WWE Schedule
 

DATE                              CITY/STATE                      VENUE

July 12   New York, NY                     Madison Square Garden (WWE Live)
July 13   Wildwood, NJ                      Wildwoods Convention Center (WWE Live)
July 14   Richmond, VA                    The Richmond Coliseum (WWE RAW)
July 15   Fayetteville, NC                  Crown Coliseum (WWE Smackdown)
July 20   Tampa, FL                   Tampa Bay Times Front (WWE Battleground PPV)

July 26   Edmonton, AB                     Rexall Place (WWE Live)
July 27   Calgary, AB                         Scotiabank Saddledome
July 28   Houston, TX                         Toyota Center (WWE RAW)
July 29   Corpus Christi, TX                 American Bank Center (WWE Smackdown)   

August 3  San Antonio, TX                   Freeman Coliseum (WWE Live)
August 4  Austin, TX                            Frank Erwin Center (WWE RAW)
August 5  Laredo, TX                           Laredo Energy Center (WWE Smackdown)
August 7  Melbourne, Australia             Rod Laver Arena (WWE Live)
August 8  Sydney, Australia                 Allphones Arena (WWE Live)

August 9  Perth, Australia                   Perth Arena (WWE Live)
August 11  Portland, OR                       Moda Center (WWE RAW)
August 12  Seattle, WA                         Key Arena (WWE Smackdown)
August 16  San Jose, CA                       Sap Center (WWE Live)
August 17  Los Angeles, CA                  Staples Center (WWE Summer Slam PPC)
August 18  Las Vegas, NV                     Thomas and Mack Center (WWE RAW)
August 19  Phoenix, AZ                        US Airways Center (WWE Smackdown)
August 25  Anaheim, CA                       Honda Center (WWE RAW)
August 26  Ontario, CA                          Citizens Business Bank Arena (WWE Smackdown)

Over the course of the next seven years, the band did just that; three albums worth to be exact. The records were fit in between Jericho's wrestling, TV and writing career. It wasn't until their last release Sin and Bones though that the band really started to hit their stride. Jericho was winding down his involvement with sports, the band was touring more than ever before and their live show was as strong as ever sharing the stage with such music luminaries as Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Steel Panther, Shinedown, and many others. The entertainment, the fun factor, the showmanship were all there and in full force. More so than any point in the bands' career.

By the time Do You Wanna Start A War is released, a horde of seasoned and newfound fans will have seen Fozzy live and heard new tracks off the album. They will have witnessed one of the greatest performances they've ever seen, they will have witnessed one of the best frontman in any genre of music sing some of the catchiest songs they've heard in ages and most importantly, they will have had the best time in their lives doing it.

Fozzy is Chris Jericho on vocals, Rich Ward on guitars and vocals, Frank Fontsere on drums, Billy Grey on guitars, and Paul Di Leo on bass.