Taken from the new album ‘I Live To Fast To Die Young’ – still drinking from the fountain of youth Monroe and his awesome band deliver this fantastic new video for ‘Derelict Palace’.
Seconds out round two how about this spooky banger from Swedens The Dahmers ‘On Halloween’ is the second spooktacular tune for this Tuesdays offerings.
The Dahmers, are a Swedish rock ‘n’ roll horror sensation that’s creeping up on you. With a tornado of influences like garage punk, classic rock and 60’s pop this band truly is a Frankenstein’s monster of music. This is a band who’s going their own way with colorful contrasts and still keeping the main essence of what they are all about. With their catchy tunes that get stuck to your brain like a leech, The Dahmers sucks you into their music and to a world filled with darkness. Their lyrics and aesthetics have a big inspiration from classic horror movies but you also find emotional exposures about frustration, solitude and alienation amongst other things in their songs. They are skeletons with attitude and put as much effort into the visual experience as in their music.
Spaghetty Town Records (USA) along with Ghost Highway Recordings (Spain) will be releasing “On Halloween” as a vinyl single in 2023.
The sun is out and the smell of hairspray is in the air, we can only be in one place? 1985 on the Sunset Strip you say? Nah we’re in present day Sheffield and the Rock gods are smiling on us with the weather this weekend (although we are principally indoors). The venue is packed and backcombed to the rafters and has a bountiful amount of Sleaze, snakebites and hotdogs on offer for the masses. Let’s get stuck in!
First up for me is Gypsy Pistoleros on the main stage. An intriguing mix of sleazy riffs, singalong choruses and some fantastic moments where you feel like you’re listening to a Spaghetti Western score. Overall they’re frenetic and anthemic but dreadful in between song ‘banter’. Props to the excellent drummer though.
Next up over on the 2nd stage, it’s Rock ‘n’ Roll stalwarts Paradise Alley. A much-needed shot in the arm of Glam Punk for the day’s proceedings! Frontman Steve Vincent certainly has the voice of the weekend, serenading the audience and throwing in a few stories for good measure. At times the band’s performance is a bit shambolic, at other times good, but overall shambolically good. Which is a winner for me! Will definitely be checking them out on tour in the future.
Back over to the main stage to check out Kickin Valentina. Clearly a crowd favourite here at Sleaze this weekend, the audience has swelled in size with anticipation. This is a band that has never clicked with me on record but they definitely win you over with their swagger and workmanship. It’s nothing I’ve not heard before but they serve it up confidently and bolster their fans into a frenzy.
Heading further into the evening of day 1 we are treated to headliner-worthy Hardcore Superstar. A force so commanding it’s like they just turned the House PA up to 11! The atmosphere in the venue is electric, the band hitting the crowd with sonic blunt force blows with every note played. Fan favourites are supplied in abundance in the form of ‘wild boys’, ‘we don’t celebrate sundays anymore’, ‘last call for alcohol’ and early career classic ‘liberation’. Those assembled are all but won over, the point is truly hammered home with anthemic closer ‘you can’t kill my rock ‘n roll’.
It would be fair to wonder how Michael Monroe would compare after following Hardcore Superstar on the bill. As soon as the band hit full pelt into the first number, all doubts are cast aside and seem ludicrous in retrospect. With a set consisting of Monroe’s superb solo album offerings, choice numbers from Hanoi Rocks and Demolition 23, plus a few covers thrown in for good measure. Tonight’s set is certainly the showstopper everyone has been hoping for. With a band that must be one of the best in the business (Sami Yaffa, Steve Conte, Rich Jones & Karl Rockfist) they burst into a non-stop Rock ‘n Roll show, expertly led by Monroe, an awe-inspiring performance packed with boundless energy.
Stand-out tracks for me today would have to be ‘last train to Tokyo’ and the recent single ‘everybody’s nobody’. Not only does Michael rock your socks off, he has the lovable charisma to charm your sock off also. I find myself literally unable to stop smiling throughout the entire performance, I genuinely feel sorry for anybody unable to find joy in watching the show tonight.
With Day 1 over, everybody is leaving happy and appetites are satisfied with equal amounts of Sleaze and Hooch.
The gang are back, just in time for summer. Perhaps ironically, it all kicks off with lead single ‘Murder The Summer Of Love’, a typically punchy but slick opener. ‘Young Drunks, Old Alcoholics’ if anything, would have been a better choice, hook-laden with a sleazy solo.
‘Derelict Palace’ is reminiscent of a mid-paced Lords song, especially the bass line and hanging chords. Here, Monroe has never sounded better, I have to wonder if he was thinking of Stiv at the time of recording. ‘All Fighter’ starts off like The Damned’s ‘Ignite’, no bad thing, obviously. “Sing it all for the hopeless and rejected”, there’s no resting on laurels just yet.
‘Everybody’s Nobody’ is the story of a “Coulda been a contender” musician. Hmm, I think a lot of us know the feeling. ‘Antisocialite’ is the inevitable, piano-led ballad, but, to his credit, cheesy cliches are avoided and it sounds like he means it.
You might already have heard ‘Can’t Stop Falling Apart’ via the video, another fine singalong number. ‘Pagan Prayer’ is a timely, full-speed-ahead rocker, bound to be great live.
The title track comes with a guest solo from Slash. I guess that will appeal to some, and I understand it helps shift units, but the band is great regardless of guest appearances, as is the song. ‘Dearly Departed’ A somber note to end on, but remains moving, nonetheless. It’s unlike anything else on the album, and a brave choice.
Since ‘Sensory Overdrive’, all Monroe’s albums have been solid, some more exciting than others and all have some real belters. This album shows the band’s strengths to good effect. I have a preference for the rockers, but you’ve got to respect his canon of work. And I look forward to seeing them take the roof off a venue somewhere soon.
With I Live Too Fast To Die Young, it is clear Michael Monroe is striding into the summer with a triumphant roar to offer you the real rock ‘n’ roll escape of 2022. It’s been way too long. Besides Nobody does sleazy Rock and Roll better than Michael Monroe that’s a fact!
I Live Too Fast To Die Young’ will be available on CD Digipak, 12” Red Vinyl, Signed Limited Edition 12” Vinyl with Alternative Artwork, Digital Download, Streaming and special D2C bundles. Available to pre-order Here
‘Murder The Summer Of Love’ is the first new video from Michael Monroe due for release this summer 2022 after an extended hiatus but the wait is gonna be worth it as pre sales go up for vinyl, Cassette and CD bundles with UK postage for those on plague island Pick up a copy Here
Sami Yaffa has had a unique career as a musician both in Finland and around the world. First in Finland in the band Pelle Miljoona Oy and then as a founding member of the band Hanoi Rocks, with whom Yaffa lived the life of an international rock musician with all its spices. Fortunately for the man, there have been enough callers since Hanoi to keep him busy: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts and Hanoi Rocks’ big influence, the New York Dolls, to name a few were Yaffa’s bands for years before forming a new band with his old Hanoi Rocks partner Michael Monroe in 2009. This collaboration continues, but now Yaffa is also releasing music under his own name.
The second single from Sami Yaffa’s solo album ‘The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind’ will be released. A song called ‘Down at St. Joe’s’ had been sitting in Yaffa’s desk drawer for a long time as a finished composition, but the lyrics were not coming together. Fortunately, Sami’s bandmate from the Monroe band, Rich Jones, came to the rescue.
“Rich had already written some lyrics for my album when I decided to send this song to him. I definitely wanted this song to be included on the album because it differs from the electronic world of the other songs on the album with its down-home acoustic approach. I wanted to raise a glass with the song to thank The Faces, Stones and Dylan for their brilliance and innovation. Eventually, the theme of the lyrics was found to be the king alcohol, its pros and cons and especially how close to a complete collapse one can get if it gets to take a stranglehold on your life. Richie’s ingenious lyrics brought this song to life, and it became one of my favourite songs on the album,” says Sami Yaffa.
Sami Yaffa: The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind album will be released on September 3, 2021, in Finland by Vallila Music House and internationally by Cargo Records
SAMI YAFFA, best known for his work with New York Dolls, Michael Monroe Band and Hanoi Rocks has released “The Last Time”, it’s the first single taken from his first solo album “The Innermost Journey to Your Outermost Mind”, out on September 22nd, 2021 via Livewire/Cargo Records. ‘The Last Time‘ can be streamed on Spotify
“The Last Time is one of the first songs I wrote for this album when still living in Brooklyn NY back in 2015. It’s a story about two people whose communication is stuck. How hard it is to change one’s habits, no matter how much one wants it. It’s about the frustration and distress of addiction” – Sami Yaffa
Line Up:
Sami Yaffa – Vocals, Bass Guitar (Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe, New York Dolls)
Rich Jones – Guitars (Michael Monroe Band)
Christian Martucci – Guitars (Stone Sour)
Rane Raitsikka – Guitars (Smack)
Timo Kaltio – Guitars (Izzy Stradlin, Cheap And Nasty)
Janne Haavisto – Drums
Produced by Sam Yaffa. Mixed by Erno Laitinen. Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen At Finnvox Studios. Recorded by Erno Laitinen / Sam Yaffa / Janne Haavisto / Jose “Puter” Puigserve.
Sami Yaffa has had a unique career as a musician. He joined the punk band Pelle Miljoona Oy at the tender age of 16 and played on the bands now legendary album Moottoritie On Kuuma. Pelle Miljoona Oy was Finland’s number one band at the time, but Yaffa and his future cohorts were aiming higher: as an original member of the band Hanoi Rocks, he spent the first half of the 80’s as an international rock musician with all its ups, downs and trappings. The band influenced many of the acts that would later become huge in the world of Rock n’ Roll – including Guns n` Roses.
After the break-up of Hanoi Rocks, Yaffa was asked to join some of the most notable artists in R’n’R history such as Joan Jett and The Blackhearts 2002-04, as well as one of Hanoi Rocks’ major influences, the New York Dolls 2004-10. In 2009 he started a band with the Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe. This collaboration continues to this day, but now Yaffa is also releasing music under his own name.
“The idea for the solo album started to take shape a few years back. Previously I had written music for the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe Band, but now some of the songs that I was writing and had written, started to sound more and more like my own stuff instead of what I would write for those bands.”
What kind of music does Yaffa release under his own name then? Versatile. “I’ve always loved bands like The Clash and Rolling Stones. They could write country, funk, reggae, rock`n`roll or jazz without fear and make it their own. I wanted to have that same kind of versatility and freedom for my own record.”
The album has wide influences, but that is hardly surprising to those who have followed Yaffa’s career: in addition to his own musical career, he has been getting to know the musical traditions from different parts of the world as the host and co-creator for the Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker TV series. “However, my roots are deeply in punk and rock`n`roll. I don’t shy away from that.”
Even though it’s a solo record, Sami has always been a member of bands and because of that, a team player. Yaffa mentions a couple of names without whom the record would not have come to completion – at least the way it finally became. The first to mention is a childhood friend, drummer Janne Haavisto with whom Sami made his first forays into the world of music. Sami and Janne created the basic tracks together and invited valued friends and musicians to collaborate on the album. Rich Jones, the guitarist from the Michael Monroe band helped pull together a lot of the songs lyrically, Christian Martucci from the band Stone Sour played guitar on half of the album, the other half was played by another old friend Rane from the cult band Smack and Sami’s old bro from the Hanoi days, Timo Kaltio.
A guy who needs no introduction around these parts is SAMI YAFFA, best known for his work with New York Dolls, Michael Monroe Band and Hanoi Rocks has announced the release of his first solo album “The Innermost Journey to Your Outermost Mind”, out on September 22nd, 2021. The first single “The Last Time” will be released on June 11th via Livewire/Cargo Records.
“The Last Time is one of the first songs I wrote for this album when still living in Brooklyn NY back in 2015. It’s a story about two people whose communication is stuck. How hard it is to change one’s habits, no matter how much one wants it. It’s about the frustration and distress of addiction” – Sami Yaffa
Produced by Sam Yaffa. Mixed by Erno Laitinen. Mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen At Finnvox Studios. Recorded by Erno Laitinen / Sam Yaffa / Janne Haavisto / Jose “Puter” Puigserve.
Sami Yaffa has had a unique career as a musician. He joined the punk band Pelle Miljoona Oy at the tender age of 16 and played on the band’s now-legendary album Moottoritie On Kuuma. Pelle Miljoona Oy was Finland’s number one band at the time, but Yaffa and his future cohorts were aiming higher: as an original member of the band Hanoi Rocks, he spent the first half of the ’80s as an international rock musician with all its ups, downs and trappings. The band influenced many of the acts that would later become huge in the world of Rock n’ Roll – including Guns n` Roses.
After the break-up of Hanoi Rocks, Yaffa was asked to join some of the most notable artists in R’n’R history such as Joan Jett and The Blackhearts 2002-04, as well as one of Hanoi Rocks’ major influences, the New York Dolls 2004-10. In 2009 he started a band with the Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe. This collaboration continues to this day, but now Yaffa is also releasing music under his own name.
“The idea for the solo album started to take shape a few years back. Previously I had written music for the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe Band, but now some of the songs that I was writing and had written started to sound more and more like my own stuff instead of what I would write for those bands.”
What kind of music does Yaffa release under his own name then? Versatile. “I’ve always loved bands like The Clash and Rolling Stones. They could write country, funk, reggae, rock`n`roll or jazz without fear and make it their own. I wanted to have that same kind of versatility and freedom for my own record.”
The album has wide influences, but that is hardly surprising to those who have followed Yaffa’s career: in addition to his own musical career, he has been getting to know the musical traditions from different parts of the world as the host and co-creator for the Sami Yaffa: Sound Tracker TV series. “However, my roots are deeply in punk and rock`n`roll. I don’t shy away from that.”
Even though it’s a solo record, Sami has always been a member of bands and because of that, a team player. Yaffa mentions a couple of names without whom the record would not have come to completion – at least the way it finally became. The first to mention is a childhood friend, drummer Janne Haavisto with whom Sami made his first forays into the world of music. Sami and Janne created the basic tracks together and invited valued friends and musicians to collaborate on the album. Rich Jones, the guitarist from the Michael Monroe band helped pull together a lot of the songs lyrically, Christian Martucci from the band Stone Sour played guitar on half of the album, the other half was played by another old friend Rane from the cult band Smack and Sami’s old bro from the Hanoi days, Timo Kaltio.
A boundless ball of energy and chaos. Live they’ll put a smile on yer face as they cover every inch of the stage (and the rig and audience given half the chance) This Bristolian quartet is anything but conventional. Their first album is a live one for gawds sake which should tell you that they are comfortable in that environment it’s their turf and they can rock it up on that stage so why not sling out an unpolished set of rockers as your first foray into the big bad world of rock music.
with a sound described as blues-punk, their frantic attack is exciting and bristling with energy. they’ve recorded at Rockfield and Abbey road so stick that in yer pipe and smoke it. Georgi Valentine: Vocals, Brodie Maguire: Guitar/Backing Vocals, Chris Simpson: Bass/Backing Vocals, Matt West: Drums make up this exciting band. You can pick up that super limited record Here but be quick they will sell out!
So Who the heck are Mother Vulture?
Mother Vulture are hectic rock n roll with a punk twist. Quiet off stage, lunatics on stage. We want people to come to a show, laugh and say “look at those idiots”.
Where are the band from?
Simply, wherever the van (Rigby) takes us. Although, I think it’s fair to say that Cornwall is our spiritual home.
How did the band come together?
We started writing music, in uni, but only really became a band last year when we finally started playing shows. The final piece of the puzzle was getting Matt on the drums. He bought the van so we have to say that…
What about recordings?
We’ve got 5 tracks on Spotify that we recorded in 2018/19
Post-Pandemic/Lockdown plans?
Our plans post-pandemic are tour tour tour. And then, maybe we’ll record a real album! But for now, we’ll be shoving the live album down everyone’s throats (out July 24th)
Former Tiny Monroe and The Snakes guitar slinger Richard Davies takes centre stage for the first time as principal songwriter and singer with the Dissidents, a band who include Mega City Four/The Snakes drummer Chris Cannon and Last Great Dreamers bassist Tim Emery.
As well as playing guitar for indie band Tiny Monroe in the 90’s, and recording 3 albums with alt country collective The Snakes, Richard Davies has also worked with the likes of Glen Matlock and Peter Perritt as a hired gun, which sure ain’t a bad place to be.
An album that has been a long time coming, ‘Human Traffic’ was recorded last year and deals in retrospective songs of life, love and human nature.
If you like your rock ‘n’ roll from the shady side of town, where the nights are so long and starry-eyed girls have that certain shake appeal, then ‘Human Traffic’ will be right up your ally.
The title track gets things off to a power pop start. This is high energy rock ‘n’ roll, with guitars slung low and lyrics from the heart. A stripped-back, ramshackle sound can’t hide Davies’ knack for a catchy melody and ‘Human Traffic’ is first of several tunes to channel Ian Hunter in his prime.
The material is mostly originals from the heart and soul of the main man, with a few choice covers thrown in for good measure. ‘Lay Me Low’ is a traditional Shaker hymn re-worked with ‘Dissident’ style to sound like an outtake from Michael Monroe’s first solo offering. ‘Heartbeat Smile’ is a cover of an Alejandro Escovedo tune, and in the hands of The Dissidents, it’s a rollicking, Stonesy ride with solid beats, Keef style riffs and Mick-like hollerin’. Richard Davies also recalls his past with a new take on the Tiny Monroe song ‘Under The Skin’.
Of the originals on offer, it is hard to pick a favourite, as they are all pretty strong to be fair. Latest single ‘21st Century Man’ is power pop perfection to the max. With hooks you’ll swear you’ve heard before, the chorus is as catchy as the verses are cool. Think Elvis Costello meets The Replacements here, tinny guitars and cowbell give that added retro 80’s alternative feel. It’s a theme that reappears throughout the album. A tinkling of the ivories and spaghetti western guitar twang give ‘Way Of The Wild’ a certain anthemic feel, like The Alarm meets The Psychedelic Furs. A memorable, driving chorus only adds to the appeal for me. And is that Rick Richards jamming with Tom Petty on the ‘(Long Road) To Your Heart’? No, it’s only Richard Davies & The Dissidents jamming it out and putting their heart and soul into their rock ‘n’ roll music. What a tune! It has classic stamped all over it, as guitars riff loosely over a ramshackle beat that builds to a killer chorus.
In cool hat, dark shades and brandishing a guitar, Richard Davies emerges from the shadows with an accomplished debut album, choc-a-bloc with rootsy rock ‘n’ roll to soothe the soul.
Why it’s taken him so long to get an album out is anyone’s guess. But hopefully, this is the start of something long and productive, as Richard Davies & The Dissidents have released an album that harks back to simpler times, but still has the tunes and the staying power to match any of the other great rock records released so far this year.
A collection of songs that brothers John and Steve Conte have been sitting on for a long time in hopes of doing some sort of “box set” for their band Crown Jewels – but there has never been a better time to release new music than now when people are isolating at home and need some joy & diversion in their lives.
Steve had this to say, “So – today I will be releasing this collection of songs on bandcamp.com (Here) entitled the Bootleg Rarities EP. It contains 6 well-recorded songs spanning the years 1992 – 1999 when we were most active in our writing & recording as the band Crown Jewels.
The important thing is that Bandcamp.com is waving all commision fees from artists today between 12 noon and 12 midnight EST so if you purchase it between those hours, my brother and I will get 100% of the money to split between us. This is important for us & our families since we are out of work for the for seeable future and could use all the income we can get right now.Please consider going to bandcamp and purchasing the EP…and don’t be fooled by the photo, this ain’t no jazz album – it’s pure rock ‘n roll, with soul – and pop melodies! (As per usual…)”.
Recent Comments