30th Anniversary of To Hell With the Devil

It was the fall of 1987.  I was watching DIAL MTV.  A video was featured for the first time of a glam rock band--one of many I was to have a lifetime love for.  The name of the band was Stryper, their video for a power ballad called "Honestly."  This was one of many beautiful songs written by the young hard rock superstars at the time.  The credits at the beginning and end of the video listed To Hell With the Devil as the name of the album it was on.  

In my naivete at thirteen years old, I had no idea what this album would mean to me and many I would meet.  

This past Saturday, I went to the to the Forum in Hazard, KY, to support the tour of the 30th Anniversary of that album.  The band, and Michael Sweet, himself, had recently rocked this town, maybe even put it on the map as a destination concert venue for hard rockers from the South and Midwest.

I consider it almost funny the timing of the 30th anniversary tour for that album.  In addition to my 29 years since the night I "met" Stryper via television, the weather had finally changed to real fall temperatures, daylight savings time was going to end, and the biggest and most important Presidential election was only days away,

Opening up for Stryper was Forsaken Hero, from Marion, Virginia.  They had opened up for Stryper back in June for their Fallen tour, and were honored to do the same for this one. Though I regret not paying much attention to them then, I did this time.  My friends and I will agree they sounded better the other night.  Just a handful of songs into their set, and I could tell they were heavily influenced by Stryper's heavenly heavy music:  no hindrances in the lyrics, or their sound--I heard some grunge from time to time--and most of all, their great attempts to rock as hard and loud as Michael, Oz, Tim, and Robert, combined.  They were a six-person band with a Stryper attitude...dressed in red and black.

What I appreciate about this band was their shamelessness in covering 80s anthems "I Love Rock and Roll" and Genesis' "Land of Confusion."  I'm sure Stryper was backstage applauding them for this.  Backup vocalist Emily Price took the lead in the former.  The latter was about the "confusion" about this election, that will take place at this writing in just a matter of hours.

I can't remember the last time I heard a fully instrumental rock or pop song; that is rare these days, maybe even a lost art, worse yet, obsolete.  To prove me wrong on that extinction was Alan Robinson .  He and his band had no words; neither do I except....WOW!  This is something all music lovers, even guitarists of all skill levels, should check out.  Great for all occasions, including but not limited to birthday parties, weddings, and any venue known to man.

Then...to set the stage (literally) for what was ahead:

What followed was a great video of the band, how they got started, as Roxx Regime, and how they were the trailblazers of Christian hard rock.  Through all the ups and downs they have experienced as a band, they are still together...and still rockin' for the Rock.  And that they did...in two sets.  The first set was To Hell With the Devil, song by song from the album and in order.  

Never in my life had I been so excited about and gotten goosebumps as a result of hearing "Abyss," knowing what song would follow.  I don't need to mention it; it is eternally synonymous with the name of the band.  The same goes for all of the other hit songs on it, not the least of which is "Honestly," "Free," "The Way," and "Calling on You."

By the way, I should let you know this is all in the context of someone who didn't see them back in the day.  Hence, my above-mentioned reaction to "Abyss."

The second set was even better.  It had the same kind of start, with "Yahweh."  Like Forsaken Hero, they covered songs like KISS' "Shout it Out Loud." That was an awesome tribute:  If it hadn't been for KISS, we wouldn't have Stryper.  To that end, I say, "Stryper, continue rocking on for the Rock."

Styx at Tennessee Valley Fair September 2016

Styx at the Tennessee Valley Fair

The third time is always the charm!

Such is the case in my attempts to see Styx for the past fifteen years.  I tried once in the fall of 2010, when they were on tour with REO Speedwagon, Survivor, and Journey.  The show got cancelled.  I tried again about a year ago when they were with Tesla and Def Leppard. But some other plans I had made a few months beforehand took priority.

Then, I heard Styx would be in my neck of the woods...at the Tennessee Valley Fair. I needed to go, that's all there was to it.



And I went.

I don't consider it an accident that this show was outside on a night before a full moon.



Was the full moon the reason this legendary band was graced with a sold-out show that only dedicated lifetime classic rockers from Tennessee could give? If so, I was glad to be a part of this. 




The band expressed their gratitude by giving us a show that took us back to the 70s, when things were simpler, and hard rock music was king.  Timeless classics like "Sail Away," "Blue-Collared Man," "Grand Illusion," "Crystal Ball," and "Renegade" were just a few songs that made the crowd go wild.  

That is only mildly describing what the band was like, not for one moment letting up.  It was as if they showed us the past few decade hadn't done them in.  The same could be said about the ever-brilliant light show!  The designs seemed to change by the song.









In addition to them playing some of the best songs ever, at one point, they left the stage for a long few minutes.  I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought the show was over, with no chance of an encore. 

And they came back to give us some more!

They can do that again in Knoxville.

Kirra, Run Away

If I had to take an educated guess about what inspired Kirra-Jesse Williamson, lead vocals; Daxton Page, lead guitar; Ryne McNeill, bass; and Zach Stafford, drums-to write the lyrics to the songs of their CD, Run Away, I would say it was from watching a favorite horror movie after a nasty breakup with a girlfriend.  Which movie, I won't attempt to guess.  What really happened in the relationship, I won't pry.

It must have been a horrible breakup and the writer's emotions so high it took him a short amount of time to come up with a 12-song CD.  For what it's worth, if we didn't have strong emotions or conflict in our lives, we wouldn't have "Barracuda," by Heart.  That hit song took the Wilson sisters only about twenty minutes to write.

Kirra's music is solid, rich.  And this statement doesn't necessitate any debate.  It's a combination of Cobain-esque vocals and solid music, an important and valuable aspect of rock music. The music is a healthy balance of classic rock, heavy metal, and thrash.  Best of all, I have almost no problem understanding the lyrics nor the meaning of them.  Those two things in and of themselves are very rare.  Therefore, if I read an article about some misunderstood lyrics, I'll be happy to know their music is not being criticized.

There are two (of many) common ways of reacting to hard rock music:  head-bobbing or -banging. The overall, general feeling I get from the music is the former, and a vote of confidence from yours truly.  Whether it's in time to the drums or the lead guitar, to feel it as closely as possible, this is great music to do that to.  This is the kind of rock I can foresee many young people wanting to imitate, to learn how to play the guitar or drum patterns to. It's as if they're inviting listeners to feel what they felt in putting together the music.  And it makes me wonder if any young kid has taken up playing as instrument as a result of listening to them.

I felt the Kirra pulse in the songs with one-worded titles, like "Chemicals," "Drown," and "Fly,"  As a follower of Love and Death, led by Korn's Brian "Head" Welch, I have heard Between Here and Lost. Three of the best songs have only one word to their titles:  "Chemicals," "Meltdown," and "Abandoning."  Kirra's and Head's mutual song title, though two different contexts, are the ones where I felt the depth, the heartache.

If I had to made one ever-so-slightly critical comment about the lyrics, notwithstanding my being conservative, it's how most of these songs have no foul language, or at least none that I heard.  That's why it surprised me that Williamson held out to the very end of "Lay You Down" to say, "F*** me."  Yes, given the context of the song, it's for all intents and purposes, appropriate.  However, if I had it in me to write a song like this, I'd use the f-bomb a few times throughout the song.

With a random lyrical surprise, and uncompromising palpable solid hard rock,  Kirra has gotten a great start to their music career.  I look forward to more power, heartache,and depth in their songs...and disciples.

https://www.reverbnation.com/KirraMusic

Sinful Lilly at The New Vintage

You've got to see them live.

I don't know if anyone had told me this about any other band...until there was Sinful Lilly. For the past six months, my only options of listening to this band were Moment of Clarity, Volume 1, their debut CD, their many videos on YouTube, or the links on Reverbnation or Sound Cloud, all of which I played many times.

This past Saturday night, I finally had my chance to see them live in Louisville, KY, at the New Vintage.  You may think my experience was lackluster from seeing the live videos on YouTube. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Quite honestly, it felt surreal.

The band wasn't the only ones making the noise.  Both Nikki (bass/backup vocals) and Fredi (lead guitar/lead vocals) got everyone excited.  Nikki stood up on a speaker,shouting "LET ME HEAR YA!..."COME ON, MAKE SOME NOISE!" as the long intro to "Wait Your Turn" built.

What followed was some of the best rock music I had ever heard, richly accompanied by lights, fog, and many fans screaming, cheering, and shouting.  The humidity had nothing on the succulent, steamy music the band played, and the easily enthusiastic audience.

The audience got a great taste of Sinful Lilly in a mere six-song repertoire.  Starting with "Wait Your Turn," which, if knowledge serves me correctly, they debuted at a "Halfway to Halloween" show at the Thompson House in Newport, KY, in May.  Following that was a cover of "Foxy Lady." Right in the middle was a song they debuted the Tuesday before at an after-party show in Covington called "Devil Music and the Record Machine."  A few songs from Moment of Clarity, "Truth or Consequence" and "Guilty,"put a bow on a show replete with an equal amount of enthusiasm and passion from the band and fans alike.

Don't be mistaken-this isn't a band that stays in one place on stage, moving around occasionally.  In fact, it is the exact opposite, and adds life...action...passion.  Some things include but are not limited to: Fredi and Nikki bumping into each other and Nikki getting down on the floor, both on stage and in the audience.  Lesson learned:  When Nikki is standing up on an amp, clear the way, because he is about to jump down to the audience.

One more thing that stood out to me:  What either Fredi or Nikki said in every transition of songs.  I'm sure you won't be surprised when I say it wasn't the typical "Are you having fun?" or the like. One thing that stood out was, "Rock's not dead."  Sinful Lilly outdid themselves in proving that.

Devil Music and the Record Machine

Devil Music & the Record Machine

What a catchy title, right?!

I thought so, too, and wanted to know more about another great Sinful Lilly song.

Sinful Lilly debuted this song at an after-party show earlier this month. Their music is saturated with rock influences spanning the entire history of rock, and include but are not limited to KISS, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, and Rob Zombie.



In a phone conversation with Fredi, he gave me a detailed account of how he thought of this song.

Unlike most songwriting developments, Fredi thought of the title before the lyrics, writing "around the title." He had in mind some similar to W.A.S.P.'s "Love Machine"   He wanted something with a "groove" and a Zombie-esque sound. The result: Record Machine.

Ah!  The thrilling days of yesteryear, the days when you had a record player and rock & roll music was king, with apologies to ELO.  And parents of young teenagers were afraid they would be corrupted by "devil's music."

{Gasp}

That's when Fredi came up with the entire title "Devil Music and the Record Machine"-before the lyrics.  Furthermore, he thought of an idea for a music video before any words were on paper.

The setting is in the 1960s-"Way down by the hollow tree"-and a girl plays a Beatles record.  Note the song Fredi refers to.

A flashback of the most revolutionary time in music history, brought to you by Sinful Lilly.

https://youtu.be/oVshTfgLDXU