When I walked into Reggie's Rock House last week to see my good friends, from NYC, The Casualties perform, I was amazed. First, because is was sold out. And, second, the amount of punk rockers still roaming the streets of Chicago. Sure, a lot of them were young, but, I haven't seen a gathering like this in my hometown since i was a big part of the scene in the late 90's/early 00's.

The first two bands that performed were both very metal influenced Thrash. Because this show was co-headlined by early 80's Metal/Punk cross-over band, the English Dogs, the pairing was perfect. Havok from Colorado and Toxic Holocaust from Portland delighted the fans with two rowdy fast sets. After this tour, Havok will immediately hook up with Sepultura to do a run with them across the states. Seeing a packed crowd of kids with mohawks and leather jackets circle pit to metal was a pretty cool sight.

Next up was the Casualties. Punk Rock pioneers that started in 1990. With 22 years under their belt, they proved that Punk is certainly not dead. The Casualties have been actively touring since 1992. They released arguably the most classic and important Street Punk album of all time, For the Punx, in 1997. In the late 90's through the early 00's, their shows were known for being the most violent around. In Chicago, they were banned from the legendary, Fireside Bowl, due to the amount of fights and damage caused by the crowd. While, they did have a booking agent back in the day, if you knew the band directly, they would forgo their agent and play a show for a few cases of beer and a cut of the door. To say they were one of the most important underground punk bands of all time would be an understatement. Than, in 2002, they toured on the Warped Tour for the first time, and just like that, almost all their street cred was gone. Their shirts became available at Hot Topic and their 2004 release, On the Front Line, was the first (and only) Street Punk album to reach 100,000 sales. The shows became crowded more with 15 year old mall punks, than the underground rowdy adults. They were called "sell-outs" by many and disappointed the older folks.

But, one thing was different with the Casualties, than other underground punk acts that sought out fame (such as Anti-Flag and Against Me!). The music NEVER changed. Sure, the recording quality got better over the years, but the intense Street Punk sound remained on every single release. Lead singer, Jorge Herrera, could've done some songs with clean vocals, instead of his classic screaming, to make a song more catchy, but, he never did. The 4/4 timing 2 minute verse/chorus/verse songs stayed the same. The shouting in the chorus' never changed. The Hardcore/Punk image never changed. So, how can a band be considered "sell-outs" just because more people started listening to them? That question may never be answered. But, had The Casualties not done that Warped Tour in 2002, (and 4 more times to follow), would they still be a band today? Likely, no. Every other underground Street Punk band from that era have dissolved due to not making any money. So, we are lucky to even have these guys still on the road. The older folks have started coming back around over the years, but, the majority of the fans at the shows that support the band and buy the merch are still kids. But, these kids allow the band to stay on the road.

The show opened with two newer tunes from their latest two albums. "Under Attack", and "War is Business", got the crowd in a rage, and it never slowed down. Instead of relying on newer songs to fill the entire set, the band represented everyone of their 7 albums pretty evenly throughout the 45 minute rampage.

Before starting the classic "Chaos Punx", Guitarist, Jake Kolatis, half-jokingly asked the crowd "Who was alive when The Casualties started in 1990?, this one is for you!"

Before "Brain Washed", Bassist, Rick Lopez said "This stage is not our stage, it is OUR stage. Being Punk Rockers, you all have the right to jump on the stage and stage dive" After that, 15-20 people per song jumped on stage, screamed a few words in the mic, and quickly jumped into the crowd. The Reggie's staff handled it well, making sure the equipment was not harmed, while allowing the kids to have fun. It looked like something straight out of 1998.

The set ended with "Made in NYC", The bands tribute to the Ramones and their latest single "We are all We Have". It was a great ending to a solid set.

Talking with the band after the show, Jake said the crowds on this tour have been the wildest since the 94-97 days, and from what I saw tonight, I would have to agree.

They may be the last of the classic bands, but, The Casualties are certainly still relevant and alive. Jorge summed it up best after the show "As long as the kids come out, and I can continue to support my family, The Casualties will never die. I have been doing this for over 20 years, and the love is still their. I still get the same feeling singing to the crowd every night. If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't"

Punk is NOT dead!

Find tour dates here.

The Casualties Latest Video: "We are all We Have"

When I was a kid, I had to hide things under my bed so my mother would not find them. Believe it or not, I am not talking about nudie magazines, but, my collection of Guns N' Roses cassettes. Appetite for Destruction came out when I was six years old, and I was lucky enough to have an older cousin that would play it for me and copy it to a Maxwell tape. Gn'R Lies came out shortly after, and by seven, I had heard the N-word, fuck, and faggot so many times, and unfortunately, my mother must have heard a song or lyric, but from than on, I was forbidden to listen to the Gunners. She scorned my cousin, threw away my Maxwell's and forbid me to listen to my favorite band. Of course, the tapes were replaced the next time I saw my cousin, and that is when I put them under my mattress and only listened on my headphones.

To say I am a die hard Guns N' Roses fan is an understatement. I have been listening to them for 25 years and the songs are just as great to me today as they were when I was a kid. I never got the chance to see the classic lineup (thanks mom), so when they started touring again in 2002 with the new lineup, I haven't missed a Chicago show since.

It seems that Axl and the guys have only gotten negative media attention since the 2002 re-birth. Whether it was the god awful 02 VMA appearance or the recent Rock in Rio off night, the press is all over it. But, what we rarely see reported is the good nights, and in this case in Chicago, a great night.

The night started off for me and my buddy Josh at the casino down the road from the venue as we decided to forgo the opening band Aldelitas Way. Reverend Horton Heat had done a few dates leading up to Chicago, but unfortunately for us, was not a part of our show. Instead we got some modern rock band I never heard of.

This is my third time seeing GnR, so I know the drill. Ticket time is 9PM, which means stage time for the guys will be 11 or shortly there after, so we had time to kill. Well, we timed it just right, arriving to the parking lot around 10:45, slammed a few beers, and walked into the venue just past 11 and got to the floor as the lights went out. Perfect. I had heard of some shows of the tour being half full or closing the balcony. This was not the case in Chicago, as the venue was at, or very near, capacity.The crowd was a nice mix of original fans and some younger faces as well out for a good time. Most were die hards, but there were some casuals there that had no idea what they were getting into.

The show opened with new guitarist DJ Ashba standing on a platform over the drums to strum the opening chords to "Chinese Democracy". Pyro was insane and it was on. The band came out full force, utilizing the entire stage and running wild the entire song, and it certainly did not stop there. After "Chinese", the band went right into "Welcome to the Jungle", which of course got the crowd going. A few more songs off Appetite followed and the band was in full force. Rumors of Axl's weight gain were greatly exaggerated, as he looked his best since his hey-day in the nineties. At 49, he ran back and forth across the large stage the entire night, with the rest of the band right behind him. Along with DJ Ashba, the other members included longtime keyboardist, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson on bass, Frank Ferrea on drums, second keyboardist Chris Pittman, guitar virtuoso Bumblefoot and third guitarist Richard Fortus.

High points were hearing "Estranged" and "Don't Cry" live for the first time with the new lineup. "Estranged" is a 9 minute epic with scorching guitar solo's and some of Axl's best vocals ever. Whether or not that DJ Ashba and Bumblefoot, wrote these solo's and leads is not the question, they nailed every note to every song with ease and it was intense.

The show went for just over three hours hitting every era of the band. "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Out ta get Me", "Rocket Queen", were highlights of the Appetite days, while, along with the above mentioned from Illusions, they also whipped out "Live and Let Die", "You Could be Mine", and others.

As the set was coming to the 2 hour mark, many people, obviously unaware of the Gn'R reputation of performing all night headed for the door. Some people tired and others unaware that Slash was not there (really people? It has been 14 years since he left). Unfortunately for those few, the best was yet to come.

Around 1:30AM, Axl got behind the piano for a massive solo portion of the show, starting out with two Elton John classics, "Someone Saved my Life Tonight", and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", before leading into a perfect version of "November Rain". Bumblefoot followed with his solo of the Pink Panther theme, than the band covered AC/DC with "Whole Lotta Rosie", and Appetite's "Nighttrain" capped off the set.

The band only made the crowd wait 5 minutes before coming back for the encore starting with "Madagascar" and "Shackler's Revenge" from Chinese before hitting the crowd with "Patience" and the closing "Paradise City" accompanied with even more pyro and so much confetti that after the floor was cleared of fans, was covered with yellow and red pieces of shredded paper.

The show ended around 2:15am, and those remaining were all completely satisfied. After seeing the new Guns in 02 and 06, I can say this is, far and above, the best they have ever sounded, and Axl finally looks and seems happy on stage. He has not missed a single show on this tour, and is even granting interviews now. With 50 quickly approaching, I really hope that Axl keeps on touring for the next few years while he still is on the top of his game.

Those who wont go see this band because the original boys are not backing Axl should give up the dream and catch a gig, it is worth the late night and the money. I can't imaging the original lineup sounding this great anyways. Duff's new band, Loaded, will be opening the tail end of this tour, and that is likely the closest anyone will come to seeing the original band, as I am sure he will take the stage to jam with Gn'R for a few tunes.

With talks of Guns possibly being inducted to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 and Axl not denying them all being there for the induction, we may get a chance to see Slash and Axl on stage one last time, but a tour is not likely. Axl is perfectly content with the current lineup of players, and for good reason, and Slash doesn't seem all to concerned about not being a part of Axl's life.

So, if you want to see a true Rock N' Roll show with amazing lights, more pyrotechnics than a Motley Crue performance, and 3 hours on non-stop music, get off your asses, and get a ticket to this concert. If you don't want to take my word for it, read any local newspaper write-up from this US tour, and you wont find one negative review.

This past week I had the pleasure of getting to see my first Hank 3 show.  Up until now, as a lot of you may know, there has been a long-running feud between Hank Williams III and myself.  The feud was started by Hank himself and he carried it on for almost ten years.  From what I gather, it started from the fact that my debut album was titled 'Put The O Back In Country', which he felt I had plagiarized from is fairly well-known but unreleased song 'Dick In Dixie'.  For the record, I was aware of Hank's two released albums and had a major affinity for 'Lovesick, Broke & Driftin'' but I was completely unaware of this song's existence.  Had I know, I surely would have stayed far away from this type of wordplay, only out of my own desire to be progressive and original. I would have never ripped off another artist in such a manor.  Besides, at the end of the day, Carlene Carter's phrase "I Put The Cunt Back In County" is where it all began anyways.

Either way, the feud kept going, mainly kept up by Hank and his fans for years... Until recently.  I had read a transcribed interview JahshieP had done with Hank back when Outlaw Radio Chicago was still at SavingCountryMusic.com.  In the interview Hank hinted at the fact that he was done keeping the feud going.  Then through a series of other interviews that was confirmed.  A friend passed me his cell phone number, and I felt it was time I extended the olive branch.  I didn't care about any of the shit talking, if anything it kept us both relevant and on the tips of folks tongues, for better or for worse.  In that way, maybe Hank was a genius.  Maybe he thought by keeping this feud going, at some point we'd break it and elevate ourselves to another level.  Who knows...

About three months ago, I reached out to Hank and he reached back.  He kindly asked for my address, which I supplied to him, and a few months later I had vinyl and CD copies of all three of his new records (Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town, Attention Deficit Domination and 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin') as well as a rebel-flag Zippo which was stuck nicely in the personalized box.  As far as I am concerned, this was one of the classiest moves I've ever seen by another artist, regardless of any feud or anything.

All that aside, let's fast-forward to November 15th, 2011.  I had just returned to New York from a long business trip to Florida.  I got a call from The Rigrocker over at SiriusXM's Outlaw Country station that he was going to see Hank 3 and the Williamsburg Hall of Music in Brooklyn, NY.  He had a +1 and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him.  It was too important for me to miss this.

We went to the show and got settled in right before Hank took the stage.  In a funny turn of events, The Rigrocker and I ran right into Hank on his way to the stage.  We smiled, shook hands, and in a magical wave of history's wand, the feud was over, and Hank took the stage in Brooklyn, NY.

He began the show with a 90-minute set of his country-fashioned tunes.  His band was comprised of Hank on Acoustic guitar, Andy Gibson on Steel, Zach Shedd on Stand-Up Bass, David Mac on Fiddle, Sean McWilliams on Drums and Daniel Mason on Banjo.  They slaughtered song after song, with enough energy to fight one side of a multi-country war.  With little banter between songs besides just announcing the song title itself, Hank showed no signs of wearing down any time soon.  He played song after song from all his releases, as well as a Wayne "The Train" Hancock cover.  Personally I really enjoyed the first disc of 'Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town', and the live renditions "Day by Day" "Gutter Town" and "Trooper's Hollar" slayed it.  Also mixing in several cuts from the Cajun-influenced B-disc of the album created a very eerie feel among the foot-stomping train that was most of the country set.

Following this, Hank immediately strapped on an electric guitar and began a short, but powerful Hellbilly set, playing mostly tracks from his long-time-bootlegged-but-recently-released-despite-his-wishes "Hillbilly Joker" album.  After this the band took a break and folks hit the bar.

As much as I truly enjoyed the country portion of the show, nothing could have prepared me for what was Attention Deficit Domination.  A paused image was projected on the screen behind the band setup, building the anticipation for what was to come.  After the break, Hank and Sean McWilliams took the stage together.  What ensued was one of the most powerful stoner-rock style shows I've ever seen.  Hank displayed an insane control, rhythm and swagger during this part of the set.  Lit only by a projector shuffling disturbing images of war, aliens, and pretty much anything esoteric and conspiratorial, and a single light pointed right at Hank's hands on his guitar, the band proceeded to play most-if-not-all of the A.D.D. record.  Hank's guitar playing was top notch, taking solos in very tasteful moments, and powering the entire sound of the band with his slow, steady and laser-precise rhythm playing.  Folks, this band was like watching the upper echelon of Doom rock (Sabbath, Sleep, Wino) being performed in their prime.  I enjoyed this part of the show so much, I hated even having to take a piss or get another beer.  Hank's voice was haunting yet destructive and there wasn't a single dropped note or beat in the show.  During the A.D.D. section, Hank turned around and took a drink, immediately pointing out his "first sip" of the entire night.  I walked away from the A.D.D. part of the show with an immense respect for Hank's dedication to his musical taste, his professionalism and his far superior-to-most musical ability.

Following this segment of the show a now cowboy-hatted, masked Hank and Anthony Walker of Dallas, TX on Drums (*thanks metalblastgrind) were joined by an also-masked-and-hatted David Mac with an additional electric guitar for the Cattle Callin' part of the show.  As far as the three records go, 3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin', although a mad-scientist style masterpiece mashup of Cattle Auctioneers and Speed Metal, had been the album least likely for me to put on when I just wanted to sit down and enjoy music.  This night changed this about that record for me.  Ya know how sometimes a video for a song can make you have a different appreciation for the song?  The Cattle Callin' part of the show was fucking insane!  I loved it!  I watched one of the best, most professional and precisely executed Speed Metal round-ups I'd ever seen!  Hank, Anthony and David played together with absurd tightness and prowess.  As the auctioneer voices boomed over the speakers while they performed these crazy complex musical arrangements, I realized I was watching a very dark and futuristic version of classical music.  These were no amateur arrangements, this was music acrobatics being performed perfectly in front of a willing and eager crowd!  I stayed until the very last note was played, in which Hank removed his mask and hat and shook the hands of the few people left in the front row for the entire extravaganza.

After three-and-a-half hours of music, I walked away from this show with two very clear images in my mind:

1. Shelton Hank Williams III is an athlete of music.  He has stood by his values, taste and spirit for over ten years, and has gathered an insanely devoted fan base to watch him do what he does best: Exactly what he wants.  His professionalism, talent and ability reach far beyond that of most bands and if nothing else, he should be applauded and remembered for this.

2. Metal music BELONGS to Hank 3.  There is NO ONE cooler doing metal ANY cooler than Hank 3.  A.D.D. & Cattle Callin' proved the "Doom Rock"  and "Speed Metal" genres NEED Hank 3.  There are probably millions of bands in both of these sub-generes out there trying their best to carry on the work of the heroes that came before them, but Hank 3's way of doing it is the coolest, hands down.  It's like the way Jack White took the blues and created something new and fresh from it, Hank has done this with both of these areas of music.  No 3 or 4 piece band is going to carry the power the A.D.D. did, or Cattle Callin' did.  In fact, I'll go as far as to say that I think the genres would die if it weren't for his injection into the gene pool.

Needless to say, I had a great time at the show, and I'm very thankful that we have become friends to some degree.  Maybe at one point we'll even get to play together.  But in closing: Hank 3 is a very important piece in music history, but especially when it comes to Metal, Hank 3 is the crown prince.  As far as my money goes.