Mike Tramp at the Square Room

Call me super-sappy, but one thing I miss from the '80s is the rock ballads (or power ballads). Back then, it was almost predictable that every rock band, in all their big hair and leather pants glory, would, after at least one upbeat hit song, follow that with a slower song. The pendulum swang from one end to another as to what the theme would be: It would be either about such a deep love for a woman with pretty blue eyes whom they promise to love forever or such deep heartache over love gone wrong, to the point of (literally?) dying.

There was something about the extremes of wearing their hearts on their sleeves that only compelled me to listen to them. I still do that to this day. One of my absolute all-time favorites is "Wait" by White Lion. Even after all these years (and decades), the one line that still stands out is, "I never had a chance to love you." Looking back on it, I didn't know that was only the beginning of the way with words Mike Tramp had, enhanced by his voice that is simultaneously raw and smooth.

White Lion disbanded in late 1991, Mike immediately started his solo career. He has made seventeen albums. He is currently on tour for his most recent album, Stray From the Flock, which was released March 1.

It is in hearing Mike's songs, all of which for the first time for me, in which I noticed something deeper and more personal than the palpable desperation in "Wait." I heard the volume of his heart turned up even more in such songs as "Broken Home", "Homesick," and "Lady of the Valley."

Though his solo career has been longer than his reign with White Lion, he didn't forget where he came from. He minded how his fans from the very beginning will always know him. True to his word, he played White Lion favorites, such as "Wait," "When the Children Cry," "Tell Me," and "Going Home Tonight."

It's in this medley of songs Mike told us about now-funny things he experienced when he was with White Lion. If you get a chance to see him, I hope he'll talk about the advice Steve Tyler of Aerosmith gave him around 1987, when White Lion was on tour to support their well-known album Pride. The funniest story he told was about the typical layout of all issues of Circus magazine (yes, I'm certainly dating myself). The typical hair band back in the day was one part blond (often the lead singer) and three parts dark hair. If the band was of a mind to have someone play keys, he had long curly hair and was in the shadows of the band's stardom.

All told, it was a great night of humor and the best time I had ever had in remembering the late '80s. It may not have made sense to me or anyone else at that time, but, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.