Review: Chris Gates ‘Welcome to Gatesville’

The simple joys of domestic sobriety fit Chris Gates like a trucker cap. A former punk-rocker and recovering blues-metal hellion (in the Big Boys and Junkyard, respectively), the Austin singer/songwriter/guitarist now resides in Gatesville where family, glory days and backyard barbecues are all the talk of the town.  “Welcome to Gatesville,” the second album from the…

Pictured Life: Bret Michaels Calls Me Onstage For One Helluva Rockin’ Good Time

Bret said he would invite me onstage in San Antonio to experience the rock-n-roll thrill ride he enjoyed every night. “You’re a KISS fan, right?” he asked over the phone. Sure, I said. “We close the show every night with ‘Rock N Roll All Nite,’” he continued. “I’ll leave passes for you and call you up on stage.” Um, yeah. Whatever, dude!

The Sword Gets Medieval on Your Ass!

By Metal Dave A grinding storm of heavy axes rolls forth from Austin, Texas this evening when sludge-metal thunderlords, The Sword, get medieval on your ass. Besides being Lars Ulrich’s favorite band (he’s asked The Sword to tour with Metallica three times now), The Sword celebrates tomorrow’s official release of its third album, “Warp Riders,”…

Yakking with … Stevie Rachelle of Tuff

By Metal Dave The going was rough for TUFF during Hollywood’s 1980’s hair-metal heyday. Admittedly obsessed with Motley Crue, the band did the whole big-hair/skintight/bandanna thing, but never gained the nationwide audience of second-tier peers like L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and Dangerous Toys. Best-known for the novelty song, “American Hair Band,” in which singer Stevie…

Yakking with … Jason McMaster

By Metal Dave Welcome to the first installment of a new semi-regular 2Fast2Die Q&A feature called “Yakking With …” What better way to debut than with singer Jason McMaster, whose storied careers with Watchtower, Dangerous Toys, Broken Teeth, Ignitor and others has rightfully made him a Texas metal legend (“Can I get a Slayer?”). Jason’s…