UK Metal Dragonforce Rocks Amplified Live!

Dragonforce
April 15, 2022
Amplified Live
Dallas, TX

Review by Jeff Dennis
Photos by Ramie Lay

England’s Dragonforce finally made another rare appearance in Dallas Friday Night supporting their 2019 release “Extreme Power Metal” and this overcrowded show of speed, precision and madness was one for the ages. The stage was loaded with a 15ft. dragon behind the drums as well as two 8′ tall arcade video game consoles with stairs in the back on each side of the stage for the band members to stand on during their performance and the screens actually worked and played videos along with CO2 cannons and confetti cannons and tons of smoke and lights to make this performance quite the spectacle.

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New Rock Record Independent Debut Release SIMON!

Simon! Debut CD / Independent

The pandemic did most of us no good, but for musician Simon Sanchez (guitar) it gave him time to write and record a demo and when he found multi-talented Derek Corzine (vocals, drums, bass, guitar) he sent that demo over for Derek to add and polish and presto, you have this 12 song slab or guitar driven rock!

This release has several layers to it, a lot of it sounds like early Foo Fighters, especially ” Pieces Of My Mind” and “Pipe Dream” and other times it reminds of the heavier Pat Travers type stuff like on the songs “Devil’s Trail” and “World On Fire” with catchy riffs and tasty solo’s.  Just when you think you have it all figured out, they throw in a female singer (Chandess Milner) for the ballad “Face To Face” and the poppy “Sunday’s Girl”.

The last song and one of my favorites is “Black Days” which develops slowly and delivers in the end, the groove on “Down And Out” is another highlight, overall, this is an impressive disc considering it was mostly done with none of them in the same room, let’s hope they figure out how to get this to live stage soon! 

by Jeff Dennis

Stream Simon! Debut CD »

Queensryche Returns With New Tour And New LP The Verdict!

Queensryche
January 25, 2020
House of Blues
Dallas, TX

Review and Photos by David Gonzalez

Queensryche Returns With New Tour And New LP The Verdict!

Washington’s hard rock outfit Queensryche is currently on the road with “The Verdict Tour” in support of their latest 2019 studio offering “The Verdict”.

For those that might be unaware, Queensryche formed in 1980 out of Bellevue, WA with the original lineup that consisted of guitarists Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo, drummer Scott Rockenfield, bassist Eddie Jackson, and lead vocalist Geoff Tate. Now, 40 years later in 2020, one might question their ability to perform, well, have no fear, the band is still as solid as they were back in their younger days. Read more »

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Santana Shines In Texas

Santana
July 6, 2019
Dos Equis Pavilion
Dallas, TX

Review by Michelle Johnson
Photos by Michael Beers

Carlos Santana brought his A game to the Dallas Dos Equis Pavilion, July 6th with the legendary Doobie Brothers opening the sho. It was truly a great pairing of bands that had the whole house shaking their hips and singing the words to to every son. The hi-light of the show was when all members of the Doobie Brothers came out on stage with Santana in a groovy All Star Jam that had the packed crowd on their feet screaming for more. What can you say when you’ve been graced by the presence of a shining star? He wished the sold out show “Love and Wonderment”! Read more »

THE BOXMASTERS Latest Album, SPECK, Makes A Big Mark!

JAM Magazine Speaks With Billy Bob Thorton and J.D. Andrew of The Boxmasters

By Vernon L. Gowdy III

The Boxmasters are an American rock and roll band founded in Bellflower, California in 2007 by Billy Bob Thorton (Bud) and J.D. Andrew. The Boxmasters have released eight albums which are focused on their love of music from the 1960’s with influences from The Beatles, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Big Star (rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee by former singer/songwriter of the band The Box Tops) and more. Previous albums have also had some darker music inspired by Johnny Cash and John Prine. Read more »

DIO Returns With Disciples On Both Sides!

DIO Returns
June 21, 2019
The Bomb Factory
Dallas, TX

Review by Michael Insuaste
Photos by Stephanie Cabral

I will say the DIO Returns concert was one of the most anticipated shows this year simply because fans were either excited to see it live or wishing it would go over like a led balloon. After seeing it live for myself, I believe most will agree, it was good entertainment but came with flaws and some disappointment. Read more »

Rival Sons Kick Off Feral Roots Tour In Dallas Texas!

Rival Sons
April 4, 2019
Trees
Dallas, Texas
Review by Tim Taylor
Photos by Terry Walsh

Earlier this year, Rival Sons released Feral Roots, which is the best rock release by any band in at least a decade. Their brilliant songwriting, electrifying guitar work, and thunderous rhythms have finally started resonating with American audiences, which has led to their first #1 single in the US and several sold out shows on their current tour of North America. The tour opened with a sold out night at the legendary Trees in Dallas, and it was rock n’ roll perfection.

The show opened with a bang, as Michael Miley pounded out the drum intro to “Back in the Woods”, and the entire room erupted as the rest of the band kicked in. The Sons then kicked our asses with a raucous “Sugar on the Bone”, older favorites “Pressure and Time” and “Electric Man”, and a sultry version of “Too Bad” before pumping the brakes a little bit for the most emotional part of the evening. Read more »

Kara Grainger Delivers The Blues In Style!

Kara Grainger
February 8, 2019
Guitar Sanctuary
McKinney, TX

Review by David Simers
Photos by Kerry Langford

As the crowd fills in on a cold night at The Guitar Sanctuary in McKinney, several old friends gather to talk about seeing and hearing Kara Grainger for the first time. Others chime in and tell how they have followed the career path of the young blues artist originally from Sydney, Australia.

Grainger soon comes on stage and immediately wows the crowd with her slide playing on her acoustic guitar. The folksy blues beat picks up and her soulful voice seduces the audience on “The Sky Is Falling.” Her left hand becomes a blur on the fret for the guitar solo on the first blues song the talented artist ever wrote.

Kara continues on slide acoustic with J.J. Cale’s “I’ll Make Love To You Anytime.” Drummer Brian Austin keeps a heavy back-beat going during the song, especially during Kara’s solo. The percussion shows how important a good drummer is to a blues band. Read more »

Rival Sons Return With New LP Feral Roots

Rival Sons
Feral Roots
Low Country Sound/Atlantic

Review by Tim Taylor

Powerful New LP By California Sons!

We live in a time when many music fans, critics, and artists are making the claim that Rock music is dead. I’d like to round up all of those people, and slap them across the face with a copy of Feral Roots, the latest masterpiece from Rival Sons. This record has all the brilliant fuzzy guitar riffs and thunderous drums that we’ve come to expect from this band on songs like the album opener “Do Your Worst”, “Back in the Woods”, and the heavy “End of Forever”, but the true beauty of Feral Roots lies in its unexpected intricacies.

The subtle female backing vocals on “Too Bad” are the perfect compliment to Jay Buchanan’s powerhouse vocals. The switch by Scott Holiday to a clean riff, instead of his signature fuzz-tone, on “Stood By Me” blends magnificently with his energetic slide-guitar solo. The surprise of the soft melody on “All Directions” connecting to its epic rock n’ roll ending with Buchanan’s strongest howl of the album will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Michael Miley’s percussion, most notably his quiet cymbal work, during the title track is masterful.

The most surprising moment of Feral Roots is the closing song, “Shooting Stars”. It starts with Buchanan singing with a choir, and when the rest of the band kicks in, it turns into an anthem of positivity and love saying, “We move through the world like shooting stars across the sky/spinning through the darkness putting the light into their eyes”.

This record takes you on a journey from beginning to end. It has all of the guitar tricks, otherworldly drumming, and superior vocals that Rival Sons fans have fallen in love with over the years, but it shows so many new sides of the band as well. You won’t want to pick a song or two from Feral Roots for a Spotify playlist. It’s not that kind of album. It’s an album to absorb and experience, like the great rock albums of the 70’s. There isn’t another rock band this good on the planet right now, so blind your eyes, still your tongue, and lose yourself in the best record in recent memory.

Metallica’s WorldWired Tour 2019!

Metallica
January 18, 2019
BOK Center
Tulsa, OK

Metallica’s WorldWired Tour Delivers High Energy Show And A Record Attendance!

Review by Vernon L. Gowdy III
Photos by Vernon L. Gowdy III

American stand-up comedian Jim Breuer opened the show with a set of heavy metal jokes and crowd interaction – singling out the youngest and the oldest Metallica members in the audience.

Metallica played to a record attending crowd of 19,228 fans of all ages, playing for well over two hours through an 18 song setlist. Metallica opened with two of the newer songs, “Hardwired” and “Atlas, Rise!,” from their latest album, Hardwired…to Self-Destruct.

Metallica’s stage design consisted of a square mainstage equipped with several prop lifts located in the center of the arena and overhead 52 LED video cubes would ascend and descend while displaying vivid, colorful and flashing images. And of course no Metallica show would be complete without the use of pyrotechnics, which were skillfully used in the later part of the show. Read more »