Hot Ash - O’Riley’s, 5/30/08
With such talented veteran musicians, you’d expect Hot Ash to be good. And they are. Members are Kevin Dell Greer (vocals), Brad Wiley (guitar), Mike Stahl (bass), Rick Fulton (keyboards - which add a wonderful touch to the band) and Mike Pritchett (drums). This night they performed originals “From A Darken Hall” and “Know No Fear” along with covers of Mr. Crowley (Ozzy), “Behind Blue Eyes’” (The Who) and “Kashmir” and “All My Love” (Led Zeppelin). Hot Ash has a fantastic stage presence, and fans loved every moment of their show, making for a fantastic night of old school rock. (Kim Polen)

Kevin’s Head - O’Riley’s, 5/03/08
This band full of energy and showmanship, features Kevin Edwards (lead vocals/guitar - with his ripping guitar solos and a remarkable resemblance to Charles Manson), Zane Lynch (bass /vocals - who’s wild on stage with non stop movement and attitude) and last, but not least, Clay Reeves (vocals and thundering drums). They mixed originals “Life will F#ck You Up” and “Inside My Head” with covers of “She Hates Me” (Puddle of Mudd) and “Man in the Box” (Alice In Chains, putting on a show that’s pure entertainment. The best way to describe Kevin’s Head is pure, fun, energetic American rock n roll, which is not to be missed. (Kim Polen)

Hellgoat - Vampire Lounge 5/10/08
Before their many fans, Hellgoat put on one hell of a show this night at the Vampire Lounge. Alapeno’s menacing lead vocals and screaming guitar licks are legendary, and the seasoned metal veteran knows how to get the crowd involved while showing everyone a good time. With Reagan on opposite guitar, Mikey P on bass and Mike on drums, this metal machine grinds hard with melody-driven guitar grooves and pounding lows. Set highlights were “Raisin Hell,” “Whisky Bender” and “Early Mourning.” The crowd at this gig was a veritable who’s who in today’s Dallas metal music scene.
Formed in July 2007, Hellgoat is sure to take the local metal music scene by storm. Go see them to feed your metal head and hear some of the best lead guitar riffs around. (Scotty Mankoff)
Final Cry - Skillman Street Bar, 5/17/08
Three-part metal bands seem to be limited editions, but Final Cry has been hiding out right underneath our noses, Dallas! These monsters play their three-piece set-up with orchestral proportions. While strumming his guitar, Shred (also vocals), embodied the shark tooth sharpness of the early Metallica years. Madman drummer Gabe played with refined precision and stealthness. He captured mannerisms of “Animal,” but his beats were a thousand light-years better than the red furry puppet. Bassist Zach, aka Ogre, swam through swampy foggy bottoms that kept the bands adhesiveness working. Another part of that stickiness was front man Shred’s funny and witty jabs between songs, that and had the audience laughing out loud. Even the lyrics were comical at times, especially in “Real Men Don’t Wear Make-Up.” A few other magically delicious tunes were “Self-Inflicted Again” and “Scavenger.” Recordings heard on-line don’t do justice to the science of a live Final Cry show. (Misty Johnson)

ChalkLign - The Max, 05/23/08
ChalkLign plowed over The Max, leaving only rubble. With songs from most recent album Cains Theory and new ones from a forthcoming e.p., the band played as if the place was packed. Note: The Max [part of Max Media Recording] could do a better job of promoting. It’s an amazing place with great lighting and sound, but nobody knows it’s there. [Trivia note: Years ago, this building was Robert Tilton’s massive television recording center.]
ChalkLign’s live show has more power and color than their recordings let on, if that is possible. Cains Theory may be an amazing mix mash of mosh pit inducing rockers and soaring melodic mid-tempo numbers but, in a live setting, guitarist Manny Romo paints these songs with a wide brush stroke of crunch and trippy effects. As heard on 102.1 The Edge, “Alone” and “How Could You” proved to be the highlights of the evening with vocalist Chase Hemingway going from chilling screams to a haunting wail in a single breath. Mike Hayes (bass) and Matt Pfiffner (drums) were tighter than a pair of emo jeans to form an all-encompassing passionate wall of sound. (D.J. Ivie)

Back in the Day - O’Riley’s, 5/30/08
Back in the Day is good time rock n roll performed by Steve Giglio (vocals), Chris Rawlings (guitar, vocals), Gary Luther (guitar, vocals), Jesse McCall (bass) and the ever-present “Beaker” Willingham (drums). Cover tunes from the 80’s and 90’s included “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (Def Leppard), “Look’s That Kill” (Motley Crue), “Everything About You” (Ugly Kid Joe) and even “Keep Away” (Godsmack). With over 50 songs in their song list, there’s something for everyone to like. You can tell these guys love every minute on stage, especially with fans singing along to all their favorites. Check them out soon at a club near you. (Kim Polen)

Lynyrd Skynyrd/Hank Williams, Jr. - CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, 4/26/08
Lynyrd Skynyrd played to a sold-out house at their Bossier City stop during the Rowdy Frynds Tour. They played one hit after another for nearly two hours, with the crowd singing right along with them. Highlights were “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” and, of course “Free Bird.”
Hank Williams, Jr. made up the other half of the Rowdy Tour. Along with his well-known hits, Hank shared childhood memories of growing up surrounded by music legends. Everyone in the packed venue stood throughout the entire show, with no one budging until the house lights came on. (Jill Jackson)

The Steve Miller Band - Superpages.com Center, 5/30/08
After a nine-year absence, Dallas’ own Stevie “Guitar” Miller finally returned home to the Metroplex. He opened strong with “Swingtown” and the huge hit “Abracadabra,” before showcasing his blues roots. Special guest vocalist, the entertaining Sonny Charles (who also did backing vocals onstage all night), sang lead on some Bo Diddley and T-Bone Walker standards. While many in the crowd ate that up, it was obvious others were just waiting for the greatest hits catalog to be opened. Miller obliged by playing a long, extended jam version of “Fly Like an Eagle,” but left fans scratching their heads when the keyboardist grabbed a mic and started to rap in the middle of the song. After a few select deep album cuts, Miller gave the people what they paid to see. “Take the Money and Run,” “Jet Airliner,” “Rockin’ Me” and, of course, “The Joker” sent everyone home happy. (Andy Laudano)

Bret Michaels/Firehouse - Galatyn Park, 5/17/08
The City of Richardson knows how to party! For 16 years the Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival has been THE big summer kick-off. This year featured two giant main stages for national acts, an acoustic singer/songwriter cafe and a mind-blowing Pink Floyd laser light show that alone was worth the $15 admission.
Bret Michaels’ Rock of Love tour headlined Saturday’s festivities. The huge crowd was a mix of old-school Poison diehards and teenage fans of Bret’s hit VH1 reality series. Michaels kept both happy, playing a slew of Poison hits, a few songs from his upcoming new album and fun covers of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door”

Sting of The Police Photo: Randy Bookout

The Police - Superpages.com, 5/21/08
Do-Do-Do…Bla-Bla-Bla…Very disappointing. Stewart Copeland’s performance (on drums) was excellent. However, it was overshadowed by lackadaisical performances from Summers and Sting making for a poor show. Summers was just unable to engage, or perhaps didn’t care to. Sting, with a couple weeks of beard on, looked and played as if he was well over the tour. I’m ok with changing up a few songs. Unfortunately, I was unable to determine weather Sting stuck his finger in it intentionally, or if it was just the fat finger of laziness. Either way, the show was boring and sloppy. (Randy Bookout)