Best is yet to come

Saw yet another great concert the other night (5/16/2012) at The Rave...P.O.D. and RED with Icon For Hire and Love & Death. It was a last minute decision on my part to go. I bought the tickets yesterday afternoon. I am so glad I did. I last saw P.O.D. at Summerfest in 2006. If I remember correctly, they weren't even a headliner. They played at 8:00pm. At that time, I knew they had a couple of good songs. What I didn't know was how good they were live. Last night was just as great of a performance. P.O.D. is set to release a new album this Summer, their first album since 2008. Here's the recap...

The opening act was Icon for Hire from Decatur, IL. This four-piece band was pretty good. They have a female lead singer. Now normally I have a difficult time getting into rock/metal bands with female singers. Sometimes they seem to try to hard or something and the singing is just terrible.  As I've written in previous blogs, the drummer may be the heartbeat of a band, but the singer can make or break a band altogether. This is especially true for established bands that change their lead singer. It really is a different band with a different singer. Whoa...let me reel myself back in and get back to talking about Icon for Hire... this singer is really good and she was backed by a talented band. It's usually a good sign when the drummer, as well as the rest of the band, has a lot of energy. They only played a short half hour set, but threw in a cover of House of Pain's Jump Around. Nice!

Next up was Love & Death, the new band of former Korn guitarist and co-founder, Brian "head" Welch. Another short set, though they haven't even released a full album yet. I could definitely hear the Korn influences in their music. Near the end of their set, they performed and instrumental cover of Korn's Got the Life and a pretty awesome metal cover of Devo's Whip It!


RED was up next. I've seen this band several times over the last few years and never get tired of them. Great music and always an awesome live band! RED came right out and hit us with song after song and barely stopped in between. Beginning with the opening track off their latest cd, Until We Have Faces, RED performed with tremendous energy.

RED Setlist

Finishing off the night was P.O.D. They played six songs from their upcoming album, opening with the title track Murdered Love. Their set was filled with power and energy and the crowd really go into it. A large mosh pit developed in the middle and P.O.D. provided the fuel for the swirling bodies, especially when they rocked favorites Boom, Youth of the Nation, Southtown, and Alive. During Youth of the Nation, they brought out a young 17 year old Milwaukee kid, whom they met earlier that day, to play drums. The kid did a fantastic job...talented.  Right before the final song, lead singer Sonny's son came out (with assistance) to give his dad a birthday cake. All of the other bands were on side stage to celebrate as well. Sonny told the crowd that he would share the cake after the song. Needless to say, as soon as the cake touched the crowd, you would have thought it exploded...cake everywhere! Happy Birthday Sonny!

P.O.D. Setlist

Great show! So glad I went! Great live music is therapeutic...it's feeds the soul!

Check out the pictures.

"Don't ever let life pass you by"

Great lyrics from a great band...Incubus.  Friends and I saw them last night at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee, WI. Amazing show! I've been wanting to see them for several years, but they haven't been on tour since like 2008. So finally I get my chance.

Tickets were general admission, which I thought was odd considering the Riverside Theater normally is a numbered seat venue. I knew the show was sold out. I just wasn't sure what to expect upon arrival. What I didn't expect was the line waiting to get in to be so long. It wrapped around the building, alongside the river, across the bridge the next street down, and back down alongside the river on the other side. People had been waiting in line since 4:00pm.  We arrived about 6:30. Hey, we weren't the last ones in line. Fortunately there isn't a bad seat in the house.

There was no opening act, just about an hour and a half of great music from Incubus. No frills. No talking. No stories. They just flowed from one great hit to the next. Lead singer, Brandon Boyd's voice is simply amazing. He has such a powerful voice and vocal range. In some ways he is similar to Chris Cornell. Both are outstanding vocalists. Incubus played all of my favorites and even a couple of obscure songs that I wasn't that familiar with, such as Earth to Bella and A Certain Shade of Green. With so many great songs from their albums, the setlist was awesome from the top to the bottom. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Live music has a way to clear your head and feed your soul, especially when it's a great band like Incubus.  Check out the pictures from the show.

Everybody Wants Some!!

I want some too!!  Saw Van Halen last night with my brother at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Awesome show!! To say that my brother and I have a great time every time we get together is an understatement. We always seem to have an awesome time. My brother had purchased two tickets to see Van Halen and had offered me one. So I jumped at the chance to see Van Halen with my brother and make it a rock star weekend. It has certainly been just that. I flew in Thursday and it's been nonstop good times since...pool, casino, tasty beer, family and friends, and more.

Thursday night we played pool and genuinely took it easy, well aside from all the beer we drank. Friday we went down to the casino. We had dinner and did a little bit of gambling. I didn't win though. We were surprised to find out that Filter was playing for free. Sweet deal! I've seen them several times over the last couple of years and they usually put on a good show. This one was a small stage inside the casino. Richard Patrick spent a considerable amount of time walking through the crowd and body surfing, even body surfing right over us. He was obviously high on something. I did get take some good pictures. I met up with an old high school friend who works at the casino. Great to see him.

Saturday was the night of the Van Halen concert. We started the day by heading to the Willimantic Brewing Company to sample their beer. This should be no surprise to those who know me.  The beer was excellent too! We then made our way back to the casino where we chilled, drank beer, and waited for the show, which was awesome!  Apparently this is the only date on their our that Kool & The Gang isn't playing, so we were treated to two full hours of Van Halen. David Lee Roth may not jump and kick like he did in 1984, but he definitely brought the energy. Eddie Van Halen's fingers are still as fast as ever. It was just an outstanding show from beginning to end! Check out the pictures and the setlist.

The party didn't stop after the show either. We made our way back and stopped at a bar called PYZZZ. This bar has been in existence for like 15 years yet I had never heard of it. So much has changed since I moved away. From there we went back to the pool hall where I ran into an old high school friend who I haven't seen in 20+ years. We ended up going to his house for more partying.  It was great to see him. Seems like every time I make my way back to CT, I have a great time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I wish I could meet up with more of my friends, but that will have to wait until next time.

Let the 2012 concert season begin

Granted it's only two months into the year 2012, but my concert season finally got serious this past Saturday. Up until now, I had only seen a couple of cover bands, namely the 5 Card Studs and Choogy, both great and very fun. I did also see The Heroes Lie a few weeks back. These guys are amazing. The Heroes Lie is a great band from right here in Milwaukee, WI and they rock. They are starting to get some serious national exposure. It's pretty exciting to watch it unfold.  Aside from those shows, I am flying to CT to see Van Halen with my brother. I also have tickets waiting for me to see Incubus on May 8 and Nickelback, Bush, My Darkest Days, and Seether on May 25, but those shows are three months away. And don't scoff at the Nickelback concert...did you check out that lineup?! I couldn't wait three months though. I needed my fix. It was finally time to get really serious and kick it into a higher gear. So on Saturday, February 25, I went to see Korn, the perfect band to appease my live music addiction...a definite warm up while I wait for Summerfest to announce its lineups...and a perfect start to my concert season.

Friends and I had attempted to see Korn last year at the inaugural Rock USA, but that turned out to be quite the failure. One, we couldn't get close to the stage. We were probably a 500-600 years away. Two, the sound system that was out near where we were sitting cutout, so we couldn't hear them OR see them. Terrible venue. Feel free to look back at that blog post to read about that show.  Back to Saturday...

When the announcement was made that Korn was coming, it said that J Devil would be performing as well. J Devil is the alter ego of Jonathan Davis, the lead singer of Korn. It didn't matter to me who would be opening, but I thought it would be cool to see J Devil. When the show began, a young almost Justin Bieber-looking dj by the name Maximillion (not sure if that's how you spell his name). I'm not sure if it was because of the way he looked or if the majority of the crowd was not prepared to hear djs mixing up sounds, but most of these metal heads kept flipping him the bird. Most even turned their back to him for most of his performance. He was good spirited about it and even asked the crowd to keep flipping him off while he was up on stage jamming away. What was even more interesting was when the next dj came on stage...none other than J Devil himself. Well of course these metal heads loved him, but he was basically playing the same kind of stuff that Maximillion was playing. Maybe it was that he looked like he was 15. J Devil jammed out for about a half hour or so and then left the stage for the last dj whose name was Sluggo.  This guy was really good...certainly knew what he was doing. Overall, three djs opening up for a metal show was definitely new to me, but I did enjoy it.

At last Korn took the stage. Awesome! Simply Awesome! So much energy! No frills, no talking, no political tirades, no bullshit...just loud, metal music! They opened the show playing some old and rare songs - Predictable, Lies, No Place to Hide, Helmet in the Bush. Then ripped into several off their latest album "The Path of Totality" (a must for any Korn fan) - Narcissistic Cannibal, Chaos Lives in Everything, My Wall, Get Up!, and Way Too Far. Korn then played some of their hits - Here To Stay, Freak On A Leash. Falling Away From Me, and their awesome cover of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall. The encore was pretty sweet as well...three songs beginning with Shoots and Ladders that morphed into a cover of Metallica's One, finishing with Got the Life and Blind.  Great show!! So glad I went!!  I did take pictures...check them out. Until next time, rock on!

The year is starting to shape up

Not a lot happening so far in 2012, though it has been a pretty good year to date. Only one or two small blemishes, but certainly nothing that is going to deter this from being a fantastic year. The 'opportunity' that I had mentioned previously didn't pan out. Yes, it was a job. Turns out they aren't really sure which direction they want to take with the position I had interviewed for and it may take a turn away from technology altogether. A bit of a bummer, but it was great to have people express interest in me, my skills, and the value I could bring to their company. It was a good morale booster, that is for sure.

I'm well on my way toward a personal goal I set for myself involving fitness and nutrition. I signed up with a personal trainer last October to kick my workouts into a new gear and educate myself about exercise and nutrition. I set goals of being fitter, leaner, and stronger by my 40th birthday as well as wanting to knock a couple minutes off my 5k run time. I'm definitely looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead and seeing my progress.

No major concerts yet this year, but I did see a couple of local bands. In January I saw the 5 Card Studs again.  I saw them a couple times last year. They are a lot of fun. They describe themselves as "a unique blend of big-time Las Vegas attitude and ‘70’s TV game show schmaltz, all glossed over with a ‘washed-up lounge/wedding singer’ veneer"...a definite good time!  The other band I saw was called Choogy. A friend knew one of the band members and asked me to join her. They were your typical cover band and decent. Nice variety of music from different decades and genres. They even covered Lady GaGa. The surprise of the night was finding out that I knew one of the guitarists. I thought I recognized him and then it hit me. I met him through a mutual friend about five or six years ago. He said his band was formed in our mutual friend's basement. Interesting. It was good to see him.

The concert scene is starting to shape up. I already have tickets to see Nickelback, Bush, Seether, and My Darkest Days at the Bradley Center in May.  Couldn't pass up that lineup. Third row seats don't hurt either.  The first weekend in March, I am flying to CT to see Van Halen with my brother. That will definitely be a rock star trip! This week it was announced that Incubus is coming to Milwaukee in May as well. I've been wanting to see them for a while now so I'm going to see about scoring tickets for that show. Korn is here this month. I still may go to that one. Jonathan Davis, the lead singer, is debuting his brand new DJ set as his J Devil alter ego. Rock USA announced their lineup...I'm undecided about going to that venue again, but we'll see. I'm still waiting on lineup announcements for Rock Fest and to see if the Verge Music Festival will come back this year. Of course, Summerfest looms as well.  Stay tuned!  Keep on party rockin'!

Another year over. And a new one just begun.

Each year as the days on the calendar go by and the year changes to a new one, I like to recount my experiences of the previous year and look forward to what lies ahead. 2011 was a great year full of music, beer, and lots of good times.

Last year I went to quite a few excellent music concerts. I began the year with My Darkest Days and Three Days Grace. I saw an amazing acoustic performance by Chris Cornell (lead singer of such great bands as Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden, and Audioslave). In April, I saw Cold, Egypt Central, Kopek, and a few other bands. In May 2011, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with my Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems & Technology, an achievement that I am very proud of. My brother came to Milwaukee to help me celebrate my graduation weekend and we had a great time. I took him to see Disturbed and Nonpoint at The Rave. Great weekend! The last weekend in May I saw Godsmack and Sully Erna's performance of his solo album Avalon. The Avalon performance was my all time favorite show of 2011, hands down!! Simply AMAZING!!!

Summerfest saw me attend 10 out of 11 days, unlike all 11 in 2010. Summerfest is always a great time! Among the bands I saw were: Saving Abel, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Rise Against, Sick Puppies, Middle Class Rut, Crash Kings, The Heroes Lie (a great local band), 10 Years, Hollywood Undead, and many more. I attended the inaugural Rock USA festival in Oshkosh, WI, where I saw Dokken, Hollywood Undead, and KISS. Other shows I saw were Five Finger Death Punch, All That Remains, Evans Blue, Pop Evil, Chevelle, and Bush. I met quite of few bands last year as well.

At the tail end of 2010, my brother and I kind of proclaimed that 2011 was going to be a great year for both of us. That turned out to be true for my brother, who landed what he calls is his dream job. While it was a great year for me also, I didn't experience the kind of change that he did. Looking forward to 2012, however, I think there could be some very promising opportunities being presented to me in the early part of the year. Aside of the unknown, I know I can count on plenty more concerts, festivals, and great times with friends and family. I am well on my way to fulfilling some of my personal goals for 2012. I'll let you know how it goes as the days of 2012 go by. Happy New Year everyone!!!

The Twelve Beers of Christmas

Beer aficionados often zestfully look forward to seasonal and special releases from craft breweries everywhere.  These innovative special blends are part of what makes the craft beer industry so great. Breweries experiment with ingredients like fruits, vegetables, spices, and varieties of hops to create beer with so much flavor and uniqueness. There are seasonal brews from Summer, Fall (including Halloween and pumpkin), Winter ales, and special Christmas blends. The Christmas beers can be difficult to find as breweries usually brew a very limited supply and they sell quickly. I wanted to put together a collection of Christmas beers that were named specifically for the Christmas holiday. I specifically did not include Winter ales. To share with you my favorite Christmas beers, here is my adaptation of a Christmas classic.

The Twelve Beers of Christmas

On the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Holiday Spice Lager from Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI. 

A very special lager brewed with honey, oranges, and spices. The spices and hops balance the sweetness of the honey and malt to give this lightly hopped beer its perfect flavor.

On the 2nd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Holiday Porter from Sam Adams and the Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA.

A full-flavored porter with aroma of chocolate and coffee. Very smooth, lots of flavor, and very drinkable.

On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Holiday 'Sucks' Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA.

It's called 'Sucks' because Lagunitas were unable to brew their regular seasonal brew, BrownShugga Ale. Make no mistakes about it though, this is one fine beer. This american strong ale rates a 99 out of 100 on ratebeer.com, consistent with everything Lagunitas makes. I have yet to taste a brew from Lagunitas that I did not love.

On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI.

This malt driven scotch ale is made with 100% Michigan grown barley. In contrast to many other seasonal brews (Winter, pumpkin, etc.), Christmas Ale doesn't contain any spices. Plenty of flavor and very little bitterness.

On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Christmas Ale from Abita Brewing Co., Covington, LA.

Abita changes the recipe on their Christmas Ale, an amber ale, every year. It's not very strong this year...actually pretty weak with not a lot of flavor. I've had better.

On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Christmas Ale from Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, CO.

This american strong ale has rich flavors of caramel and chocolate and at 7% abv, it's definitely a 'Winter warmer'.

On the 7th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Our Special Ale from Anchor Brewing Co., San Francisco, CA.

A very nice and smooth seasonal rated a 95 on ratebeer.com. Just slightly bitter with hints of spices. Excellent!

On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH.

Rated a 93 from ratebeer.com, this fine brew has a cinnamon and ginger spice flavor, a rich copper color, and a medium body that will fit with any holiday meal. Quite possibly the best Christmas Ale I've had so far!

On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Christmas Ale from Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL.

This Christmas Ale is a brown ale and is a deep garnet color and brewed with a generous amount of hops that adds that extra spicy aroma. Another fantastic beer from Goose Island, rated 93 from ratebeer.com.

On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Santa's Private Reserve Ale from Rogue Ales, Newport, OR.

This amber ale, rated 93, is a variation of Rogue's Red Ale, which seems somewhat appropriate. This one has double the hops, including a mystery hop called Rudolph by the head brewer.

On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Alpha Klaus Christmas Porter from Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN.

Rated 100 on ratebeer.com and 7.5% abv, this big American Christmas porter is brewed with chocolate malt, Mexican sugars, and lots of hops. Another absolutely fantastic brew from Three Floyds!

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Delirium Noel from the Huyghe Brewery, Melle, Belgium.

This spicy, crimson brew completes the Delirium trilogy (including Tremens and Nocturnum) of fantastic belgian strong ales and is, by far, my favorite of the seasonal Christmas ales. This ale is rated a 97 on ratebeer.com and is a stout 10% abv.  

Finding and sampling these beers was a lot of fun. I am especially pleased to have found twelve Christmas beers. I even have two more in the fridge that I did not include here. Maybe an addendum?  A friend of mine suggested that I do an advent calendar for next year...a whole month of Christmas/Winter brew.  That could be quite interesting.