We're All His Rock 'N' Roll Children

What a tragedy to have lost one of the great rock and metal singers/artists of all time.  Ronnie James Dio, having lost the battle with stomach cancer, will be sorely missed.  From www.ronniejamesdio.com:

Message from Wendy Dio

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.
- Wendy Dio 

I was a late-arrival when it comes to really discovering RJD.  It wasn't until I was around 24 years old that I picked up my first Dio album, "The Very Beast of Dio".  I didn't know that much of his music, but I was really liking "Holy Diver" and "Man on the Silver Mountain" at the time, so I decided to pick it up.  As soon as "Stand Up and Shout" kicked in, I knew that I had made a good purchase and would enjoy more of RJD's music.

Whether with Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Elf (which I don't know much about), Heaven and Hell, or solo, Ronnie James Dio embodied the spirit of heavy metal.  Hell, for being the guy who popularizing the devil horns hand gesture, you almost have to bow down and acknowledge him as the King of Rock and Roll.  The world has lost a musical pioneer and legend, and according to many who knew him, one hell of a human being.  Rest in peace, Ronnie James Dio.  And thank you.  \m/

What's This Ringing In My Ears?

It's coming up on that time of year again when summer concert tours start getting into full swing.  I'm always on the lookout for value concerts such as county fairs, since I think the whole Ticketmaster/Live Nation this is a bunch of bullshit, but some acts would be worth seeing regardless.

I think the Scorpions would be great to see this year, since they're promoting a new album and have openers such as Ratt, Cinderella and Tesla.  Normally, hearing lots of new music might sour some people on new album tours, but this album, "Sting in the Tail", fucking rocks!  I can't get enough of it since I bought it.  I've only listened to one song from the new Ratt album, but I thought it was pretty decent.

Alice is out again doing his Theater of Death tour which I saw last year and posted a review on.  I wouldn't mind seeing it again, especially if the price is similar to the $6 it cost last year.  I really hope he comes out with a concert DVD for these tours.  I'll never forget it.

Lastly, one concert I would really love to see (I'd love to see Tom Petty & ZZ Top as well, but I don't have much to say about it) is Rush.  This is probably the least likely, as they'll command higher ticket prices.  I know that bitching about $50+ for grass seats is probably being a cheap son-of-a-bitch, but hey, it's me.  On this tour, Rush is playing "Moving Pictures" in its entirety.  That would be pretty awesome, as I don't know if they've ever done something like that before.

Anyways, check out what's coming to your area, look for some smaller venues with great classic acts, and enjoy the show.  Rock on!

I'm a Loser... I Know.

I never thought I would succomb to it.  I thought that it was the stupidest damn thing.  I mean, if you're going to put that much time and effort into something, why not do it for real?  Of course, I'm talking about Guitar Hero.  A bit before Christmas, I got Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii, and I instantly loved it.  Here's my testimonial.

I've owned a bass guitar for many years now, but have never formally or seriously set out to learn how to play it.  It's not that I don't like it - I think that it's primarily that I don't have anyone to jam with.  That, and having a young son monopolizes a lot of time.  Sure it's fun to play along with songs, but it gets old after a while and can be kind of a pain in the ass.  So there's my excuse.  Now let me tell you why I love Guitar Hero.

In Guitar Hero, everything is a bit simplified so that anyone with a little bit of musical talent can pick it up and enjoy themselves for a while.  The music is laid out and synced up for you and you know that you're playing roughly what should be played.  You get instant feedback on how you're doing, and can really feel a sense of accomplishment once you start mastering more difficult parts.

One problem I always had with my bass is that I wasn't trained to be very agile with my left hand on the neck of the guitar, and I think that Guitar Hero may actually help with that when I do pick up the real thing.  Sure, there aren't four (or six) strings on the controller, and I rarely play bass on the game, but it should help train my fingers to move a bit faster in a similar position.

All that aside, I was starting to do really well with updating my posts, until I got Guitar Hero.  It's just addictive and a blast.  Add in the drums and microphone (which I also got for Christmas), and you've just tripled the amount of content in the game.  I think most people have dilusions of grandeur, but are seldom able to follow through.  Well, even if it's just pretend, let me have the illusion for an hour every few nights that I actually DO rock (even if I don't have my cock out).  Don't ruin this for me!  Try it for yourself, and tell me it's not extremely entertaining.