One Last Mardi Gras Party!

Wow! What an unbelievable Mardi Gras/Pre St. Patty/Video Release Party hosted by TNT’s over in Clinton Twp this past Saturday Night. What was billed as the “One Last Mardi Gras Party” turned into pure mayhem inside TNT’s with a non stop barrage of thunderous rock & roll from some of Detroit’s best bands along with the highly anticipated release of Critical Bill’s latest video for My Suicide. From the overflowing parking lot, to the overzealous crowd, this party was over the top with a houseful of who’s who, complete with latex painted crazies running around! Moving around TNT’s was quite the trip, even if you found a spot to slide through there’d ultimately be someone there that you knew, rendering movement null & void! Crazy fun times are bound to happen when those bad boys from the south side, Ray Street Park is the “1^st” band up. Coming out swinging, Ray Street Park delivered their monster of a tune, King of Everything FIRST! These guys always bring it tough and loud, making for a great start to the night, even seen some moshing during their set which is always a good sign! Lot’s of action going on everywhere between sets as the buzz was climbing ever higher with Jaeger Girls & My Suicide Girls running around, hell even the Evaline Guitars display was smoking! When Critical Bill throws a party they never hold back, bringing in Broadzilla to keep the party vibes flowing! Fronted by local music columnist Rachael May, Broadzilla is an all female power trio who will blow you away if you’re not hanging on for dear life! Fresh off a successful show during last week’s Blowout in Hamtramck, Broadzilla is quite the treat to catch at such a small venue since they are more accustomed to performing at the area’s more modest sized clubs like The Magic Bag in Ferndale or even The Emerald Theater in Mt. Clemens where they have an upcoming benefit gig for Angelo Ganos featuring Seduce, Broadzilla, Universal Temple of Divine Power and Dangerous Pursuit April 3^rd. Now that’ll blow you away! Well with the “Standing Room Only” crowd elevated to a “Climbing All Over You” status, things started to get pretty heated inside TNT’s, had to be the biggest crowd we’ve there yet, estimated guess of 400-500? Phew, it was hard to even hold a conversation with Nick of Dangerous Pursuit & Chris Honoway who were hanging with Dr2 all night! As big of a night it was for Critical Bill, it was an even bigger night for this next band that hadn’t been up on a stage together in over 3 years, LAST. Hitting the scene hard a few years back, LAST enjoyed regional success with 3 different releases before they parted ways. Lead singer Anton (Tone) Stabley referenced his “warmth of Florida” a number of times throughout night, and I’m sure when he returns south he’ll be referencing the “Heat of Michigan” that this reunion show generated. Wow! is probably the best word to describe what occurred up on stage during their extremely “Hot” set that had this crowd on fire! By the looks of the guys up on stage, they enjoyed the show as much, if not more, than their frenzied fans that couldn’t be contained, clawing & pushing their way to the front of the stage when Powerdise & Michael Scott joined them! Last also includes Wally from the Unheard who even brought his wife Shannon up on stage to join in on the singing! Leave it to the guys in Critical Bill to put together one of the, if not the, hottest show to date this year, a task that no local radio station in Michigan could of matched tonight! The highly secretive filming of the newest video from Critical Bill, My Suicide, was not with out its controversy either as there were numerous (sic) leaks of “unauthorized” (yea right LOL) footage of the shoot leaked on the web. Boy these guys not only have the whole package, they know how to market it too! As the lights went down every video screen in the place flickered to life with the My Suicide Video tag that transcended into a computer screen that starts to flash a bunch of rowdy “My Suicide Girls” groping each band member! The action looked to be hot & heavy as the video continuously jumped from scene to scene, making it an ideal candidate for one of those MTV channels. Oh wait MTV doesn’t play videos anymore do they? Well I’m sure it would fit just as good on Fuse TV, at least they play videos! What an intro as the video ended and the PA came up, Screamin Scott of Wrif could be faintly heard introducing the guys perfectly in sync with Critical Bill launching into the title track off their latest CD Downtown The World! All of a sudden it was like being at a Kid Rock concert or something as the mass of bodies just swarmed the front of the stage, swaying and pumping fists to the quintessential Critical Bill song This Is Critical. Why these guys aren’t all over the radio is beyond me, but Powerdise did pose that very question to Screamin at one point, calling out WRIF with “if you guys can play Linkin Park…..etc…..why won’t you play us?” I guess when you can pull in as many people as they do, you can call out whoever you want! Unbelievable! It didn’t take long before the moshing got out of hand and Powerdise had to settle down a couple of unruly dudes, by getting them in a “group hug”, and telling them not here, not now, before letting them go and continuing the song. It was aprox 3 1/3 seconds later that I see that same guy send this huge left hook into the other guy which sent Powerdise jumping off the stage to get between them to break up the fight! Never quite seen that before, lights popping on, music stopping, and there is the lead singer right there stopping the fight! Crazy shit going down in the city! After that incident it appeared to bring everyone together, lights back off and Critical Bill back together on the stage picking up right where they left off! Ya just got to love that Detroit Rock & Roll. What an amazing night that saw just about everything you’d see at one of those huge over priced Palace shows right in our own back yards for $5! Screw the Nationals; this is where the real music lives! Detroit Rock Review, the ONLY place for Local Music News & Reviews! Support your local musician before they’re all gone!

M;

TNT’s 89X I’m With The Band V2 Week 10

Wow what a close online vote contest it was this past week for the 89X I’m With The Band V2 Week 10 held at TNT’s every Thursday night! Week 10 was probably one of the toughest rounds to date in this highly prized contest. With $10,000 from TNT’s & a 5 song EP from Metro Recordings up for grabs, some pretty high profile local bands have been entering the fray with this week’s version offering up the likes of Dangerous Pursuit, Tripline, Sons Of The Gun, Choking Susan, & AutumA. A pretty damn good line up in itself, let alone having to pick a winner from the group! Dangerous Pursuit won the online portion by 50 votes over Tripline followed by AutumnA, Sons Of The Guns, and finally Choking Susan. With a full house ready to rock, Sons of the Guns were selected to go on first and what a great set. Dr2 had never seen this group before so it was all new to us, but judging from tonight’s performance, we’ll certainly be keeping our eyes on these guys out of Detroit. Playing that straight up rock & roll, Sons of the Guns were a last minute replacement, but came through in fine fashion with a solid set. Catch these in and around Detroit including The Lager House April 19th, check them out on their MySpace page. Hailing from Waterford, AutumnA came to TNT’s to try and steal a win by bringing in one hell of a crowd that let everyone know who they were here to see, “AutumA” shirts were roaming everywhere! Finishing 3^rd in the online vote, AutumnA had a legit chance of winning the night themselves, putting on another awesome set tonight that had their fans swarming the front of the stage. Certainly a surprise up on stage, as Dr2 hadn’t had a chance to catch these guys before, they literally rocked the house with an awesome set themselves in what is quickly becoming a great night of music all around! One thing for sure is these guys bring it hard and they bring it loud check them out next time they’re in town.Winning the On-Line Vote certainly gives you a bit of lead heading into the performance portion, so Dangerous Pursuit came out to TNT’s to try to shut the door on the competition and secure a spot in the semifinals, needing only one win in either the night’s “Door Vote” or “Performance Vote”. Bringing in a respectable crowd tonight, DP took the stage, opening with their heavy hitting cover of Highway Star before ripping out all the favorites including Murder City, and Run Into The Nite. Probably the tightest set Dr2 has seen from these young guys who are gaining in popularity, not only on the local scene, but across the state as they are in the midst of planning a summer tour that will take them across the Midwest & beyond! Hit up their site and find a show near you, ya won’t be disappointed! Veteran’s of Detroit’s world famous “punk” scene, Choking Susan always draws a crowd wherever they go across the nation and even overseas. But also being a last minute addition to the contest left little time to promote themselves and fell short in the online vote. None the less, the “Susan’s” are always up to the challenge and they brought it tonight, slamming us with So Pretty, All Tied Up, and Blackened Lung. If you like punk, then you’ll love Choking Susan, hit up their and you’ll see they’re heading out across the country with shows in Ohio, Indiana, California, and are schedule to perform at the Rebellion Fest over in the UK this summer! So far tonight, I’d have to say that AutumnA had the largest crowd, followed by Dangerous Pursuit, but of course we have yet to see Tripline, and you know what? You couldn’t miss them! From the huge crowd that came around the corner when they hit the stage, you just knew they had won the “Door Vote” portion of tonight’s contest! Man these guys have a following that slide into TNT’s “Rock Room” like a swarm of ants on that piece of candy you dropped at the summer picnic. What’s more, Tripline ain’t no 3pc, nor 4, but a full fledged 6 pc power house of pure balls out rock & roll! Their raw energy is what strikes you first, followed by their thunderous rhythm section before Chris Allan slams it home with his powerful vocal, Tripline has the whole package that leaves you sking, what the hell did I just see! These guys may of finished 2^nd in the on line vote but their live show totally ruled, giving them the win for the night and a chance to record a single at Metro Recordings and a slot in the semi-finals later tis spring. Recently resurrected, Tripline has been popping up on a lot of radar screens lately, and if they’re not on your’s then you need to refocus that thing and get out to one of their shows before it’s too late! Detroit Rock Review, the ONLY place for Local Music News & Reviews! Support Local Music Before There Is None Left!

M:

Riff2 Awards Show @ The Belmont

Hamtramck, Mi-  Friday night brought Detroit’s local music scene players to The Belmont for the 1st Annual Riff2 Awards to celebrate a year’s worth of music coming from Detroit’s Local Rock scene. In the past two-plus years that RIFF2 has been on the air, they've put the spotlight on many of the finest bands, clubs and people that make up the unique musical landscape here in the Motor City. Riff2 decided that it was time to go in depth and honor the very best of the Detroit music scene by your vote!  The inaugural 2007 RIFF2 Music Awards showcases the unmatched talent, diversity, and dedication of Detroit bands, clubs, and the tastemakers that help make it all happen.  The nominees were hand picked by the RIFF2 staff and represent our picks for some of the best of the Detroit music scene. After an online vote by the Riff2 listeners, the winners were announced on February 1st with tonight being the ceremony where the awards were passed out. What a night that unfolded with a houseful of Detroit Rockers running around enjoying their night, giving us that rare opportunity to see bands of different genres actually hanging out and getting to know each other. It was cool introducing some of these members to each other then sitting back and listening in as most have heard of each other, silently admiring one another’s work, but never getting a chance to meet. Got to love having Danny Methric admiring Ian Kirwan’s playing, having Melody Baetens as your bartender, seeing Krakatoa hanging with The Muggs, hell even Detroit’s very own Karaoke extraordinaire “Matt The Millionaire” was mulling about! Great stuff! Seemed like everyone was having a riot, and with the place packed full, Bat on Fire took the stage to start the Festivities for the night. A local band out of Detroit, Bat on Fire rocked the house, setting the Stage for the “Ceremonies” to begin with none other than Ms Suzy Cole as MC. It was clear now why it took so long for these winners to be announced, Riff2 stepped up to the plate and instead of handing out worthless pc generated certificates or something similar, Riff2 offered up some amazing looking awards modeled after those much sought after “platinum albums” that won’t be tossed out in next weeks trash. These awards looked awesome and I’m sure the recipients will be proudly displaying them for years to come. The sad thing was that some of the winners were not present to accept their award, many had good reason with such bands as The Hard Lessons in the middle of a US Tour, The Electric Six finishing up their UK Tour, but there were a  couple of MIA’s that raised Dr2’s eyebrows. Their loss. We must say that Suzy Cole did an outstanding job as MC, coming up with some of her own reasons for the MIA’s that had everyone in an uproar! Even some of the Award Winner’s got in on the fun with Tony Muggs accepting the Riff2 Award for “Best Dance Moves” as Steven Beggars, then Steven Beggars filling in as Tony Muggs during The Muggs acceptance for their “Best Rock Band” Award. With the Awards passed out, it was time for more music as the multiple nominee & Riff2 Award Winner for “Best Underage Band” Dangerous Pursuit took the stage. Not ones to ever hold back, theses young guys took the bull by the horns and proceeded to cement themselves in the Detroit scene, opening up with their huge cover of Highway Star. Coolest thing was watching Danny Methric watching Dangerous Pursuit with an adamant eye on Ian’s guitar playing. From the looks of things, Danny gave Ian a huge thumbs up too as he was playing along with his air guitar and enjoying every minute of it! Dangerous Pursuit not only proceeded to kick ass in Ham-Town with their monstrous DP songs, they pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the night, launching into their version of Chicago’s 25 or 6 to 4. These guys continue to blow Dr2 away with every show we see, I mean these guys weren’t even born when Lyman wrote this song, yet ripped it as if it were their very own! Amazing set from this fast up & coming Rock Band! Well if you’re gonna throw a party in Detroit (in this case Hamtramck), you better bring along these next guys, The Beggars, Winners of the Riff2 Award for “Best Party Band” (ok it was a tie with the Koffin Kats) to assure a good time is had by all. With an arsenal of well crafted “party” tunes, an eclectic front man, and a cast of eccentric party goers, The Beggars will have even the most stout rock fan swaying along to their music. Drawing mainly from their latest disc “Party To The People” (an obvious omen to their style of music), Steven Beggars draws you in with his unique no-holds-barred delivery, spending as much time rolling around the stage (and stealing Suzy’s beer) as he does on his feet. Never a dull moment as they hit up the Riff2 Party with It’s All About Me, Bent, Bending, Broke and Dr2’s favorite Stop, Drop, Rock & Roll! What an absolutely fantastic show to end the night. Hopefully the folks over at the Riff2 will continue this somewhat off the wall “Awards” event next year, as it certainly was a hit over at all those MySpace pages this past December, and from what we just seen tonight, you won’t want to miss next year’s Riff2 Awards Show! Be sure to check out all the nominees listed below with the winner of each category highlighted in Bold. And don't forget to head on over to the  Dr2 MySpace site to see all the photo's from the night's action! Detroit Rock Review, the ONLY place for Local Music News and Reviews. Support Local Music Before It’s Gone!

M:

TNT’s & 89X I’m With The Band Week 7 Results

Wow, what a night over at TNT’s for Week 7 of the 89X I’m With The Band 2.0 $10,000 Battle. It was an extremely packed house with virtually every square inch filled with bodies as this week’s bands came to the club to do their thing on TNT’s new PA system that was installed earlier in the day. What a system too as it appears those big old subs are once again sending sub sonic sound waves through your body while the mids and horns danced through your brain. Looking like a real wall of sound now, they’ve replaced and repaired the entire system, including the monitors, it’s now pushing 18,000 watts and they even threw in a new giant snake that should smooth things out on the backline. After a week full of “online” voting which featured a runaway win for the band from the north, Herd took the first stage of week 7’s competition by a wide margin over Levi Moore & followed by Facture, Head Down, & Uncontrollable Load. Tonight may have been one the best “overall” nights so far heading into the midway point with all 5 bands performing top notch sets. The opening act, Uncontrollable Load out of Detroit set the standard high for the night with their solid performance that included Sadder Still and finished their set with the riveting Load. Surprising Dr2 with their 1^st gig ever tonight was the newcomer Head Down out of Royal Oak who actually brought their own version of the “video wall”, complete with their own set accompanying video takes. Unlike most bands with a set list, these guys had complete songs spread about the entire stage, yet breezed through their songs Perfect, Can You Hear Me, & Broke It All Away. Another solid performance tonight which helped ensure that the bar would stay put up high as Levi Moore took the stage. Based out of Clinton Twp, Levi has a unique sound that stands out among the clutter of mediocrity in music today and tonight was no different as he took his spot sitting on the drum riser, delivering Crowded Room and Controls You. A soulfull singer/songwriter of the first order who's been creating waves around town for some time now appears ready to reach out further as Levi actually had to flee shortly after his set to head to DTW as Nashville was calling for his presence inside a top shelf studio for the Tyler Music Group. Bringing a sizable crowd themselves, Facture hit the stage running as Joe Serra (vox) pumped his fans up with his Super Charged vocal delivery of Across The Line. Straight out of The Clem, Facture is a hard hitting band that delivered the second largest crowd for TNT’s tonight, finishing their set with the balls out I Fear Nothing. Nearing a fever pitch, the last band up hails from Houghton Lake and is known for their “bus trips” across northern Michigan, Herd brings their fans with them wherever they go. Well we definitely noticed the bus in the parking lot, and there was no way you could miss the mass of “Herdlings” who virtually filled all the tables inside TNT’s themselves, creating an instant sea of Herd shirts. Impressive for a band that had to travel nearly 200 miles one way for this gig, showing up with an instant 50 “door votes” at the minimum. What was even more impressive was their set. Straight up amazing rock show! These guys have the whole package, looks, talent, and the ability to play the crowd into their hands. Lead by the quintessential frontman , Jeremiah Cooley, who’s backed by a family of brothers in Mike, Josh & Jason and also includes Scott King on bass. Blazing through a seven song set that included The Abyss, Trails of Smoke before finishing Choose Your Own Herd came to Detroit to be Herd, and Herd they were, loud & clear! Certainly look forward to a chance to catch these guys again, hopefully at the Limberlost in Ho-Town or maybe up near our home away from home at The Badlands in Rose City! At any rate, they’ll be back in town for the Semi-finals as they made the complete sweep of all 3 stages, online vote, door vote, and the performance vote. AT any rate, check them out for yourself over on our MySpace where you’ll find Herd listed in our “Top Friends”. Remember Detroit Rock Review is the ONLY place for Local Music News & Reviews! Support Local Music Before It’s Gone!

Rock on!

M:

This Is Critical !

If you were at the Emerald Theatre last night there can be no doubt in your mind what these three words mean! Critical Bill hosted an intimate evening with 500 or so Critical Crazies and tore the place up leaving all who attended in “Critical” Condition! The night began early with high energy performances by “The New Rebellion” and “Amidst The Fallen”, both bands got the energy ramped up as “the pit” began to fill. “Chaos Theory”, featuring some fresh blood on vocals, continued the assault bringing the house temp up a few more tics on the thermometer. Finally, the last act before Critical Bill took the stage, “Tripline” rampaged through a set that showed this band was one to keep an eye on. Their high energy, charisma and talent finished setting the table for the headliner Critical Bill. Now, with the pit full, temperature high and the crowd at a fever pitch, Powerdise and his crew took over! The show exploded with openers “Downtown The World” & “Brotherhood”. But that was just the beginning, as the guys showed no mercy and continued the attack with a show that lasted well over an hour and featured a slew of “Critical” tracks including, “Get High”, “My Suicide Girl”, “Rock Like That” and “Suffa”. The show was a masterpiece from beginning to end with Powerdise playing the crowd perfectly, slowing the pace in the middle with “Here I Am”, turning the house into a sea of waving arms and bringing Band With No Name frontman, Jeff Gutt, out to sing near the end of the night, igniting the crowd and leading right into an unplanned performance of “Jump Around”. At one point they changed directions during a certain song, and then launched into Amy Whino House’s “Rehab”, garnering a huge response from the fans! This was Detroit music at its best! Now we have written about Critical Bill shows in the past, having been at their CD Release Party for “Downtown The World” , the opening show of their recent tour and then the “End Of Tour” show at TNT’s, but nothing compared to last night. The guys, Powerdise(vocals), Mike Scott(guitar), Mark “C-Bass” Causley(drums), Phil Thacker(Bass), and DJ Tom Sawyer, brought their game to a whole new level and pounded the crowd with their best show we have ever witnessed, leaving their fans spent and exhausted, they definitely left the house in “Critical” condition and on life support! We gotta say that, more than anything else, what continually impresses us at DR2 is Critical Bill’s ability to attend to every detail of the show. They have the stage presence, musical selection, song order, light show, and sound package that make theirs a show that could play as well at The Palace as it does at The Emerald Theatre. Nothing is taken for granted and it is a spectacle to watch. Absolutely unforgettable! If you get to a Critical Bill show, you will be a fan. You can’t help it. Check themo out over in the Dr2 Links, or look for them inside our Top Friends over on our MySpace page! Till next time, Keep on rockin! Detroit Rock Reviw, the ONLY place for Local Music News & Reviews! Support Local Music Before It’s Too Late!

D>

Dismantle @ TNT’s (2-2-08)

Saturday night over @ TNT’s was proof positive that good old rock & roll is still alive and well! After seeing the mass of people assembled inside this eastside rock club, there should be no doubt left as to what is hot today, and that is straight-forward, make-you-move, Rock & Roll! What a mad house!! This was billed as a free show, if you knew the band, and in a new twist on the “list”, you had to have a test message sent to you by Dismantle in order to get in for free! Technology at it’s finest! Starting the night out was a band that we hadn’t seen before, nor did we just "stumble upon them" as we have with many bands before. Instead, we were given a heads up by Mark from MAJ Entertainment about one of his favorites called “Kings In Pieces”. Well tally-ho, this band got up on stage and from about, I’d say, the 3^rd note, we were hooked! An amazing voice was eminating from the stage. It was, none other than, Jimmy "The Knife" Pecor. We knew him from his days with another band, “One Day At A Time”! We always did like that band, and now we see why! Opening the set with I Believe, King’s In Pieces laid down an awesome set that just made you sit up and listen, Pecor’s vocal cut through the air with one of those vocal synthesizer things! Rolling out 11 songs, King’s In Pieces cranked out songs like Fade Away and Wicked Need before slamming it home with Addiction. With Shaun Zisler (guitar), John Larose (bass), and Kyle Mcalpine (drum) rounding out the line-up, Dr2 will be on the look-out for these guys again soon, you can too by heading over to our MySpace page where you’ll find Kings In Pieces listed in our “Top Friends” list! X equals Y was scheduled to be next, then were listed as no shows, but actually did show up in time to play. Taking the stage with a scream and a shout and a lot of noise, X equals Y may have been better off staying home tonight as they literally emptied the place. A real let down after the opening act, Dr2 was a bit disappointed, but with Dismantle looming as headliner in the lineup, you had to stick it out. SyPher was a welcome sight as Shane (vox) and the boys got up on stage to belt out their set. Having caught these guys for the first time during the ‘Dismantling” of the Dawg House, Sypher can rock with the best of them. Also armed with an eleven song set, Sypher kicked it off with Stimulate and even knocked out La Woman before cutting their set short by 5 songs on the fly! Real troopers who are earning respect around this town, SyPher is worth checking out, so head on over to MySpace.com/SyPhermusic, or hit up the Dr2 Links where youir sure to find them listed! What can you say about the last band up tonight except to yell “More Rock N Roll”! Dismantle has quickly become the epitome of what straight up in your face rock & roll is all about, and tonight they showed it once again. Packing TNT’s to the hilt is not an easy task, yet Dismantle had the walls bulging! Previewing a new song to start things off with One Night Stand, Dismantle rattled the roof as they came prepped for a 16 song setlist spreading a few new songs throughout the night. Leading the fun up on stage, Justin (e) Herbert (vox) commands the stage, driving the standing room only crowd into a frenzy with his rock and roll singer persona. A hard rocking bunch, Dismantle is anchored by the hard pounding drums of Eric Brodzik, bass lines of Brad Causley, and the fret shredding leads of Glynn Somma, who deliver some of the most sincere, true-to-life, rock & roll around! Songs like Life At The Top, and Liquor Store will have you singing along to every word whether or not you even know them. Finishing the night out with their anthem More Rock & Roll, the guys had the house nearly out of control. By the end of the song a mass of bodies had swarmed the front of the stage. If you haven’t had the chance to see Dismantle yet, you don’t know what you’re missing, so head on over to the Dr2 Links, or even our Top Friends on the MySpace page. One thing is sure, if you want More Rock & Roll, then get off your arses, and find a Dismantle show near you! As always, remember Detroit Rock Review is the ONLY place for Local Music News & Reviews! Support Local Music Before It’s Gone!

M: