The Story of Rock and Roll Radio Show

Episode 35 of Season 4 went out live at 7 pm on 2 September 2021.  The show featured a number of albums released in 2021 including one by a guy called Ayron Jones.  I am quite blown away by this album titled Child of the State.  He has a voice that reminds me of Prince in places, with shades of Terrence Trent D'Arby and Gary Clarke Jr.  He also plays a mean guitar, his track 'My Love Remains' should raise some goosebumps.  Mason Hill's album Against the Wall  is another new one I am enjoying. We took a listen to 'Broken Son'.   

I am also going through a Samantha Fish phase so we heard from her and rounded out the blues with some Jonny Lang.  The heavy lifting was handled by Onslaught, Bullet For My Vallentine and, Sunken State.  The latest Rob Zombie was pretty cool and so was a track off Serj Tankian's latest EP called Elasticity, we took a listen to a track called 'Your Mom' which is proudly flying the System of a Down flag.  I had a little rant about the state of the government and the local municipality, as we have been without water for 24 hours, it felt appropriate to take a track off Give 'Em Enough Rope' by The Clash and 'Fire & Gasoline' by Steve Jones.  The music and lyrics punctuated a number of disparaging remarks about the state of things in general.  They were unplanned but heartfelt.

The South African stuff came from Valiant Swart, The Burning, The Uninvited, and Sunken Stae as well as newcomers Imagine&Nation who have released an excellent EP titled  Never Be Quiet which could be a mantra for TSORR.     

Artists featured:  Herman Frank, Monster Truck, Seasick Steve, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, The Sweet, Mötley Crüe, Steelheart, Vain, Onslaught, Q5, Queensrÿche, Running Wild, Wolfmother, Grandfunk Railroad, Ayron Jones, Mick Jagger, Serj Tankian, Mason Hill, Samatha Fish, Jonny Lang, Imagine&Nation, Valiant Swart, The Burning, Bullet For My Vallentine, Massive Wagons, Mammoth WVH, Rose Tattoo, The Clash, Steve Jones, Accept, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Windowpane, Mr Big, The Uninvited, Sunken State.   

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 34 of Season 4 went live on Rebel Rock Radio on 26 August 2021.  It was a great episode, one of my favorites, mainly because there is so much going on in life and with Rebel Rock Radio that I didn't even have time to think about this show.  The station is growing and we have some seriously good shows being added to the line-up.  Ep 34 flowed because of the number of new bands I have been listening too and the sad passing of Charlie Watts.  The amount of love being handed out on social media for the passing of this rock star is unprecedented.  I played a few Rolling stones songs that really highlighted his drumming and helped to make the point about how Charlie was always in the pocket and very much the backbone of The Stones. 

I had a number of bands that, while not new to the world, were new to me.  These included The L.A. Maybe and a South African band out of Cape Town called Imagine&Nation.  There were new releases from Iron Maiden and KK's Priest.  I spiced the show with Killswitch Engage, Gojira, & Annihilator and we covered the Punky / New Wave stuff with Green Day, Titus Andronicus & Talking Heads.  It was great to hear 'Burning Down the House Again'.  We had more Chrome Division and more Greta Van Fleet.

The usual heavyweights, Guns'n' Roses, Joe Bonamassa, Kid Rock, Dio, and Motörhead were featured.  I found a Motörhead song I had never heard called ' God Was Never on Your Side', I do not know how I missed the album, Kiss of Death.  The track actually reminds me of The Kinks 'I'm Not Like Everybody Else' which you can find on the website www.thestoryofrockandroll.com.  It is on the blog page and features an incredibly powerful video from The Sopranos.  The show closed out with a final goodbye to Charlie Watts and a few tracks that help us to realise that we are living the times discussed on page 185 of The Story of Rock and Roll.  "These heroes may die but their music lives on".  

Artists featured:  Guns 'n' Roses, Kid Rock, Kris Barras Band, Dokken, The L.A. Maybe, Annihilator, Myles Kennedy, Edguy, Grateful Dead, Billy Talent, Alice In Chains, Killswitch Engage, Dio, Royal Blood, The Raven Age, The Rolling Stones, Greta Van Fleet, Kadaver, Image&Nation, Chrome Division, Iron Maiden, KK's Priest, Green day, Titus Andronicus, Talking Heads, Joe Bonamassa, Rory Gallagher, Pebbleman, Piet Botha and Jack Hammer, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers,  Hinder, Gojira, Motorhead, Linkin Park, Fokofpolisiekar.

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

This Rock review is on SA legend Piet Botha and his band Jack Hammer.  Piet passed away on 2 June 2019 and he is loved and remembered by a legion of rock fans in SA and around the world.  Some of the happiest times of my life were spent watching Jack Hammer and experiencing the magic of Piet Botha and his incredible songs.  

This Rock Review went out on 17 and 19 August 2021 and due to popular demand, it is included here so that those who missed it can kick back for an hour and experience the music of Piet Botha and Jack Hammer.  

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 33 of Season 4 aired on 19 August 2021.  We kicked off with my current favorites Chrome Division and then spent some time in the '70s with Grand Funk Railroad and Kiss.  From there we got right back to the present day with Seether's new EP Wasteland - The Purgatory.   In general, it was a pretty balanced show we checked out John Mellencamp and Kid Rock and got as heavy as Anthrax and King Diamond.  The Punk came from Die Toten Hosen, The Jam, and The Clash.

Aussie was represented by ACDC and Airbourne and SA by Wonderboom, Government Car, The Uninvited, and Lithium.  We also risked the wrath of a world of haters by playing Nickelback and we countered the sexism of the song with an equally sexist viewpoint from the ladies in the form of The Donnas and 'Take Me To The Back Seat'.  

The highlight of the show for me was back-to-back Led Zeppelin and The Cult with 'Tangerine' and 'Edie (Caio Baby)' respectively as well as Cold Chisel's live long-form version of 'Bow River' featuring the very underrated Ian Moss on guitar and vocals.  

Artists featured:  Chrome Division, Grand Funk Railroad, Kiss, Seether, Soundgarden, Airbourne, Trouble, Philip Sayce, The Lazys, Led Zeppelin, The Cult, Nashville Pussy, ACDC, Greta Van Fleet, System of a Down, Blink 182, Shinedown, Cold Chisel, Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Die Toten Hosen, the Jam, the Clash, Anthrax, Coheed & Cambria, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Uninvited, Government Car, Kid Rock, John Mellencamp, Clutch, Judas Priest, Last In Line, Y&T, The Offspring, Wonderboom, Lithium, Nickelback, The Donna's, Hell Fire.   

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 32 of Season 4 aired on 12 August 2021.  It was a pretty mixed show with a healthy dose of bands that don't get a lot of airtime.  I am talking about bands like Chrome Division, The Hitchers, Hell Fire, and The Gaslight Anthem.  There were more live recordings than usual, The Rolling Stones, Volbeat, Alter Bridge, and Slade were all live recordings.

There were also more new releases than usual, we checked out Dee Snider, Seether, Springbok Nude Girls, and Guns 'n' Roses.  Rock is alive and well even if Absurd by G 'n' R isn't quite what I had hoped for,  It's a grower.  The highlight of the show for me was 3 levels of heavy where we started with Skid Row's power ballad '18 and Life', moved into 3rd gear with Hell Fire, my new love affair our of San Francisco,  and ended in overdrive with SA metal monsters Sunken State.  Note that Hell Fire is not new, I just found 2 more albums I didn't have and I am Hell Fire befok.  

The punk-ish stuff came courtesy of The Clash, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Sex Pistols.  We were light on Aussie and Germany and light on SA as well.  I am not sure quite how we ended up with a show so different from normal.  Anyway to quote Jack Hammer, "Thats how we roll".   Check it out, see what you think, comments welcome as always, 'til next time, have a jol.  

Artists featured:  Joe Bonamassa, Brides of Destruction, Sixx AM, Mötley Crüe, Wolfmother, Ratt, Poison, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Gaslight Anthem, Chrome Division, Nevada Beach, Slade, The Rolling Stones, Gary Moore, Seether, MDFMK, The Hitchers, Led Zeppelin, ACDC, Guns 'n' Roses, Volbeat, Alter Bridge, Buckcherry, The Clash, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Sex Pistols, Smith/Kotzen, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Springbok Nude Girls, Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver, Skid Row, Hell Fire, Sunken State, Zakk Wylde, Judas Priest, Foo Fighters, Faster Pussycat

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 31 went out live on Rebel Rock Radio at 7 pm on 5 August.  We kicked it off with ACDC and ' Kicked in the Teeth', the finest song ever started by vocals alone.  with the vocals before the band kick in.    Just to check that we took a listen to another vocal-only start in the form of Led Zeppelin's Black Dog.  Some of you might say that there is some instrumentation before Rober Plant starts singing but the answer to that is it has nothing to do with the song, it is just the sound of a band waiting for their singer to start.

The show was a lot more upbeat than last week for obvious reasons and we covered a huge variety of rock.  everything from Ballads by Boston with 'Let Me You Home Tonight' to Slayer with 'Divine Intervention'.  In fact, we even got as chilled as Rodriguez and 'Forget It'.  The Jam with 'David Watts was a breath of fresh air as was  Pat Travis with his amazing track 'Snortin' Whisky'.  A highlight of the show was checking out two new releases.  Dee Sniders' 'I Gotta Rock (Again),  and Seether with ' Feast or Famine'  which is a real return to form.  I am starting to think a 4 track EP with some really good tracks every year is better than waiting for a new album with 4 good tracks and 11 tracks of filler every 4 to 6 years. 

The local stuff was a bit different this week and very Rebel Rock Radio presenter-centric.  We checked out another track from Before The Hindsight by The Fismits.  Mark Biagio, who presents The Crooked Beat on Rebel Rock Radio is the main man behind The Fismits and writes the songs and does guitar and vocals.  We also checked out a demo by a band called Fire Horses with a track called Porsche Roller.  It was a song I wrote in Cape Town and never got a chance to record so together with Adam Thomas (the legend) and Jack King Lawless we recorded it one Saturday afternoon a few years ago.  It is here for posterity.  We closed out with Ozzy and 'See You on The Other Side'.   

Artists featured:  ACDC, Led Zeppelin, Night Ranger, Rush, Todd La Torre, Boston, The Eagles, Pat Travis Band, Seven Thorns, At The Gates, Loverboy, Sebastian Bach, WASP, The Pretty Reckless, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, Grand Funk Railroad, Reef, Dee Snider, Seether, The Jam, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Rodriguez, Slayer, Killswitch Engaged, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sammy Hagar, The Fismits, Fire Horses, Judas Priest, U.D.O., Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

This Rock Review went out live on Rebel Rock Radio on 27 and 29 July 2021.   As always in 60 minutes it barely scratched the surface, it does, however, scratch a very rich vein.  Bowie was amazing, he was unique and I am grateful to have had his music during very important phases of my life.  

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 30 of Season 4 went out live on 29 July 2021 at 7 pm.  It was a tough show for me in many ways.  My father passed away on 24 July and it was the first show since his passing.  Inevitably his memory permeated the show although he wasn't a big music guy his influence on me was profound.  I tried to keep the show about life and death in general rather than getting too deep.  With so many loved ones passing in these troubled times my sense is that many people will be able to relate to certain tracks and get some comfort out of the music and its ability to both hurt and heal.  We kicked off with Metallica and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. 

The first hour was pretty up-tempo with bands like Edguy, Krokus, W.A.SP., and Skid Row.  I paid tribute to Dusty Hill, bass guitarist for ZZ Top, who passed away last night age  72.  He apparently died in his sleep which is about as good as it gets I guess.  We took a listen to Tush as he does lead vocals on that classic track.  the mood changed a bit once we hit the Springsteen and took in Atlantic City off his masterpiece Nebraska.   Zakk Wylde, Neil Young, and Windowpane with 'The More I Run' kept the mood where it was.  

The show moved along with typical TSORR fare, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, ACDC, Lynyrd Skynyrd all delivered the goods and in the last hour, I played a couple of tracks that I dedicated to Dad before taking us out with the only really heavy track of the show in the form of Machine Head's 'Davidian'.  Anyway, it is what it is, I hope you get something out of it, it was a difficult show for me and I let Lemmy have the last word with 'Till the End'.  

Artists featured:  Metallica, Edguy, Skid Row, Krokus, W.A.S.P., ZZ Top, My Chemical Romance, Bruce Springsteen, Zakk Wylde, Neil Young, Live, Windowpane, Richie Kotzen, Scorpions, Foo Fighters, Scorpions, Foo Fighters, Billy Idol, The Four Horsemen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackstone Cherry, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Theory of a Deadman, Linkin Park, Jimmy Barnes, Brian Fallon, ACDC, Gotthard, Johnny Cash, Valiant Swart, Roan Ash, Mammoth WVH, Aerosmith, Oasis, Jack Hammer, Black Sabbath, Machine Head, Motörhead.   

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

I was sad to hear of the passing of Dusty Hill on 29 July 2021.  I was expecting a new album so the news that he had died in his sleep at the age of 72 came as a surprise.  Here is the Rock Review I did of ZZ Top about 6 months back.  Check it out and pay extra special attention to the bass guitar.  Adios and RIP Dusty, you are already missed.  

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock

Episode 29 of season 4 aired at 7 pm on Thursday 22 July 2021.  It was a difficult show to be honest, as you may well know there is a lot of trouble specific to South Africa at the moment, and like everyone, we are battling Covid.  This insidious virus claimed the life of Leon Economides on Monday this week.  Leon was a mentor to all of us on Rebel Rock Radio, it was Leon who got me on to Mix 93.8 FM and you can say that without Leon you may not be listening to this podcast.  Leon was respected throughout the world for his knowledge and passion for the music we love.  He genuinely was a walking rock encyclopedia and I say a few words about him during this episode.  

The airwaves were very quiet for the first 90 min of the show which always makes it hard to choose the music.  It felt a bit disjointed at the time but the end result is fine I believe, you can be the judge.  Kicking off with some lesser-known bands like Resurrection Kings and Devils Train, we moved through the usual ACDC, Motörhead, Kiss, Whitesnake type fare interspersed with heavy stuff like Pantera, Slayer, and Five Finger Death Punch.  The new stuff came from KK's Priest and Iron Maiden and a band of youngsters called AMH.  AMH stands for Adam and the Metal Hawks which is what the album is called.  This is going to confuse the shit out of everyone, people are not going to know what to call them.  But the music is great.  I buffered it with Greta Van Fleet and a band of youngsters out of the UK called Equator, all three bands showing that rock music is in good hands and very, very far from dead.  

I said a few words about Leon and paid tribute to his contribution to my development, the formation of Rebel Rock Radio and the amount of effort he put into pumping SA music.  He was one of a kind and he will be missed.  The highlight of the show for me was playing a band called Sun Fish who were around in Cape Town in the late ' 90s early '00s and put out a cracker of a track called 'Dawn of Clay'.  Other SA music came from Jasper Dan and Van Coke Kartel.  I let Black Label Society sum it all up with a track called 'Sick of it All'. 

Artists featured:  Dropkick Murphys, Devil's Train, Ressurection Kings, ACDC, Drowning Pool, The Temperance Movement, Powderfinger, Hell Yeah, Texas Hippie Coalition, Pantera, Sinner, The Dead Daisies, The Four Horsemen, Five Finger Death Punch, Motörhead, Black Label Society, Buckcherry, Blue Cheer, Jethro Tull, Iron Maiden, KK's Priest, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Stranglers, Sham 69, Kiss, Jasper Dan, Foreigner, Sun Fish, Van Coke Kartel, Whitesnake, Greta Van Fleet, Adam & the Metal Hawks, Equator, Slayer, Scorpions, The Rolling Stones, Gary Moore.   

The Story of Rock and Roll.  TSORR - Your one-stop shop for Rock