By Metal Dave Glessner Heavy metal hearts sank to the deepest depths a year ago today (May 16) when news of Ronnie James Dio’s passing sent shockwaves through the Internet. Who didn’t love this man? In a career that spanned decades, the tiny singer with the gigantic voice displayed a personality and persona that were seemingly…
You’re So Vain: Jesse Forte, Jacki Stone, Nicki Kin and JP White. Vains of Jenna returns to Texas this week. By Metal Dave Glessner The guys in Vains of Jenna made me feel like a crusty relic when they told me they grew up on Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” That album came out in 1991 while I…
By Metal Dave Glessner I damn sure can’t afford this, but if anyone wins the lottery or suddenly finds themselves rolling in granny’s inheritance (God rest her soul), please keep me in mind. I’ll gladly carry your luggage in order to see two of my all-time favorite bands (you know who they are) ……
This is another photo I shot using a borrowed professional camera that was kindly pre-set to “Idiot Mode.” The fact that I framed Eddie so nicely and managed to capture that spotlight glow over his left shoulder was due to my many, many, MANY years of professional … dumb luck!
By Metal Dave When it comes to bulletproof credentials, Chris Gates is rock-n-roll Kevlar. During his early years with the Big Boys, Gates helped pioneer the punk-funk template that was equally pillaged and praised by everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Henry Rollins to the myriad bands that rock Austin’s annual Big Boys-indebted Fun,…
By Metal Dave Glessner So the Shotgun Rebels recently rolled into town from San Angelo to play an Austin gig with two of my favorite bands, Broken Teeth and New Disaster. Knowing that a band on the road always appreciates food, beer and a cool place to hang out before showtime, I invited the Rebels…
By Metal Dave Glessner Back in the day, my birthday parties were the stuff of legend. Think “Animal House” meets Megadeth and you’ll start to envision the wreckage. Most of these black-tie affairs took place in San Antonio or just outside the city limits where we hoped to elude the cops while raising six kinds of hell.…
By Metal Dave Glessner For a guy who burst onto the scene like a Human Resources wrecking ball, Billy Milano is actually a fairly mild-mannered gent (or at least he is to me). Debuting some 25 years ago as the barking-mad, politically incorrect, psycho loudmouth for seminal crossover thrashers, Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.), Billy and his…
ABOVE: Houston and I writing songs together in 2004. The longtime Austin punk rocker celebrates his 39th birthday April 3 and continues to fight cancer. Be sure to wish Houston a Happy Birthday this weekend and make plans to attend one of the upcoming benefit gigs being held in his honor. Do it for Huey! Info below.…
By Metal Dave Glessner As someone who remembers buying “Back in Black” as a brand-new vinyl album when it was released in 1980, I can recall the days when rock magazines were as close as you got to meeting your favorite bands. Before MTV, Google and YouTube, there was Creem, Circus and Hit Parader. Naturally,…
By Metal Dave Glessner When Kim and I drove to the hospital to welcome our son into the world three years ago, the soundtrack to our journey was Jesse Malin’s “Glitter in the Gutter.” As Jesse sings in that album’s opening track, it was indeed a “beautiful day.” As a fan of Jesse’s since his…
By Metal Dave Glessner After years of daydreaming and wishful thinking, I finally landed in Hollywood for the first time around 1997. It was a lifelong goal of mine to party on Sunset Strip and visit the clubs that birthed the likes of Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, Poison, WASP and all the other…