Alex Skolnick Trio - Poor David’s Pub, 3/17/08
This St. Patty’s Day, Poor David’s Pub was offering something much more satisfying that green beer - namely jazz versions of rock classics mixed in with some original tunes by the Alex Skolnick Trio. Known for his sensational guitar work with Testament and Trans Siberian Orchestra, Skolnick was joined by two exceptional musicians in Matt Zebroski (drums) and Nathan Peck (double-bass). Together this trio served up jazzed-up instrumental treats like Kiss’ “Detroit Rock City,” in which Nathan showed off his skills on the double-bass and was given credit for the idea to cover Rush’s “Tom Sawyer.” Matt supplied some stellar beats behind the kit on the Trio’s original “Scorch.”
Skolnick’s guitar work was truly amazing and left everyone mesmerized on the standout songs “Still Loving You” (Scorpions), “Mercury Retrograde” and the smoldering, slide-heavy “Western Sabbath Stomp.” If you missed the magic created by the collaboration of these three top-notch musicians, then you obviously weren’t feeling the luck of the Irish. (Travis Tutwiler)

Lowside - O’Riley’s, 3/25/08
Long-time local favorite, Lowside, is a combination of rock, pop and R&B, which creates a special blend of originals like “Allow Me,” “Better” and “Any Day.” Members Ron Taylor (vocals), Darrin DeLattee (guitar), Keith Long (bass) and Michael “Ferg” Ferguson (drums) are strong on stage and put on a top-notch performance.
This night was a special one, as it was Ferg’s farewell performance before moving to Nashville. Of course, the band and fans were teasing him about that! ”Yeah, we’ll next see Ferg playing drums for Rascal Flats or George Strait,” Taylor noted.
The large crowd of loyal Lowside fans rocked out to every song. The band is always a treat and never disappoints. (Kim Polen)

Doom Fest - Across The Street Bar, 3/23/08
The sounds of doom ran deep in the voices of the many metal bands that played this three-day Doom Fest at the Across the Street Bar. Sunday’s hard rockin’ bands came from all over the United States to participate in this dark and sinister-sounding event. Bands like Blood OV, Pillcrusher from San Antonio, Black Market Ministry from Monroe, Louisiana, WOFAT, and Four Days To Burn performed with screaming sounds while breathing the fiery voice of doom metal into the crowd. Club owner, Phillip Leitch, made sure everyone had a great time. Tattoos were everywhere, but the best tattoo award goes to Beer Reebe from the band Pillcrusher for his Lonestar Beer Tattoo .If you missed this one, another is planned for the July 4 weekend. (Scotty Mankoff)

Heirs of Salvation - O’Riley’s, 3/25/08
If you’re looking for a good time, check out Heirs of Salvation. This three piece is a tight, talented group of local musicians, featuring Robert Fortier – aka: Shame (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard), Andrew Flynn (bass/back up vocals) and Robert Rains (drums/back up vocals). Playing all originals like “The Wait,” “Nice” and “Truth be Told,” these inspirational songs with encouraging lyrics rocked. Taking great pride in their music and performance, Heirs made the crowd take notice of their talent. Come check out one of their shows. (Kim Polen)

The Russ Martin Show Band - Nokia, 3/14/08
When 105.3-radio personality Russ Martin created his annual White Trash Party (which raises money for the families of fallen Firefighters and Police Officers), he never dreamed of forming a band and eventually headlining the show. Quite an accomplishment for a group that’s only two years old! The RMS band has improved with every outing and - with new songs, new costumes and a huge new horn section - this was their best show yet.
Highlights included Gavin Spittle’s “Crocodile Rock” (dressed as a giant crocodile), “La Bomba” (giant chicken) and “Time Warp” (Dr. Frankenfurter). Also the huge Big Stacey’s “Proud Mary” (with afro wig and gold lame’ dress), the horn section dressed as The Village People, with Black Eddie singing “YMCA,” while hot backup singers Summer and Shyla took center stage for “You Make My Dreams Come True” and “I Love Rock and Roll.” Another fun show for a great cause. (Andy Laudano)

The Black Hollies, The Lolli Dollies - Club Dada, 03/08/08
The band’s octopus-like drummer, Nicholas Albert Ferrante, furiously keeps the beat, while the psychedelic sounds of Justin Morey, Herbert Wiley and Jon Gonnelli, (who all play through purely vintage instruments) really capture that sixties sound. They’re reminiscent of the early days of Haight/Asbury and hearing them is like a refreshing drink of psychedelic tea. The band, hailing from New Jersey, is described as a “psychedelic comedy.”
Groovy Dallas girls, The Lolli Dollies, accompanied them on stage from the Lollipoppe Shoppe. The Dollies dress to impress in true mod fashion and dancing beside any band adds a whole new level of excitement to the show. The combination of The Black Hollies and the Lolli Dollies was one of the hardest shows ever to rock in smart three-button blazers and patent leather boots. (Scotty Mankoff)

The Moody Blues - Bass Hall, 3/20/08
British progressive/classic rock legends, The Moody Blues played an intimate, sold-out show at Ft. Worth’s Bass Hall. “The Moodies” current lineup features founding member Graeme Edge (drums), Justin Hayward (vocals/guitar), John Lodge (bass/vocals) and a bunch of talented touring musicians. From the classical, psychedelic, progressive sounds of the 60s and 70s to the melodic rock/pop songs from the 80s and beyond, the band had nearly five decades of timeless classics to choose from. The audience got more than their money’s worth, as the band played two full sets and an encore. Hayward’s voice sounded fantastic, and he can still hit all the big high notes. Highlights included “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Question,” “The Voice,” “Your Wildest Dreams,” “The Other Side of Life” and I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.” Signature song “Nights In White Satin” remains one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. (Andy Laudano)

M.O.D. (Method of Destruction) Amorocide - Red Blood Club, 3/21/08
M.O.D.’s show was more of a rant than a metal show. Lead singer Billy Milano is known for his opinions, and this time Dallas was privy to stories about the Mayan Calendar, his encounter with Seinfeld creator Larry David, and several - I emphasize SEVERAL, political satires. Yes, there were a few tunes played… like “Love Boat,” “Hate Tank” and “United Forces. “ And for those who didn’t appease his ego, there was the dreaded “Bubble Butt” tune, which he played as a threat when the audience didn’t cooperate.
Many props go to local openers Amorocide, who slayed and layed it down for those looking for their metal fix. Overall, the general consensus of the crowd was “More Music- - Less Chatter.” Don’t get me wrong, M.O.D. is oozing with talent, and Billy has some interesting perspectives. But If I wanted to hear about politics, I would have stayed home and watched CNN. (Marissa Bruce)

George Thorogood - House of Blues, 3/19/08
This headlining act came on stage at the House of Blues around 9:30, opening the show with “Rock Party:” It was a party, all right, with George Thorogood as host. The crowd was wild, enthusiastically cheering and singing along the entire night. Thorogood was all over the stage, never seeming to tire, relentlessly flirting with the women in the crowd. He thoroughly enjoyed himself, as did everyone else. Highlights of his 13-song set were “I Drink Alone,” “Get a Haircut,” and “Bad to the Bone.” “Talk Too Much” was part of the encore. (Jill Jackson)

Diver Down, Judgment Day, Sea of Madness, Suicide Angels - O’Riley’s, 3/21/08
If you weren’t at this show you missed one of the best lineups - from opener to headliner in the history of the club.
Suicide Angels kicked off the night with an all-star lineup including members of Live Wire, Revengeance, and Valentine Failures. Playing a mix of originals (“Oh Shelia,” “In the Shadows of the Streets:) and 80’s glam covers (Bon Jovi, Pretty Boy Floyd), Suicide Angels reminded us all why we miss the 80’s.
Next up was Sea of Madness with members from Maiden Texxas. With only the slightest of nods if their Maiden Tribute heritage (“Flight of Icarus”), these guys cranked out covers from Ozzy, Judas Priest and Dio with technical perfection.
Whitesnake tribute band Judgment Day made their O’Rileys debut. They performed Whitesnake’s hits and classics in front of a packed house, sounding exactly like the albums.
The newly reformed Van Halen Tribute, Diver Down, closed out the night. Johnny Roth and crew did a great job of looking and sounding more like Roth-era Van Halen than the real thing. The intro music was even in the right key! All the bands on this night gave me at least four good reasons why it’s still a good time to be a metalhead in DFW. (Jim Wright)