MR. JULIANO MALLON (AOR WATCHTOWER)

Name: Juliano Mallon

 

Country: Brazil

 

Age: 41

 

Name (and link if present) of your website/magazine:  AORWatchTower – http://aorwatchtower.blogspot.com

 

Position in your website/magazine: Managing Editor

 

Online since (year when your website went online): April 2009

 

Introduce you as editor and your website with a little bio  (year and how you started to write reviews, possible previous versions and/or name of the website, more you want do add):  Hello there. I’m Juliano Mallon, Managing Editor of the AORWatchTower.blogspot.com. The AORWatchTower rose up from the ashes of the now defunct AORShrine, my first blog dedicated to AOR/Melodic Rock. It was back in 2007 when I brought the Shrine to an end, but due to the constant messages trying to convince me to bring it back to life, I ended cabving in, but not without changing some details first. With that done, the AORWatchTower debuted on April 13th 2009 and it’s been online since then.

 

Many people ask me why the AORWatchTower is written in Portuguese instead of English, and the answer is quite simple: there are very few spaces dedicated to AOR/Melodic Rock here in Brazil, and I opted for bringing information on those genres in Portuguese, so I could reach a wider reading audience in Brazil, first and foremost. Also, with the thousands of great AOR websites in English, I’d be another one lost at sea.

 

When I started it all, I never tought I’d ended having the privilege to interview so many great names from the AOR universe like Steve Overland and Pete Jupp (FM), Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Robin Beck, Mark Spiro, Fiona, Leigh Matty (Romeo’s Daughter), John Parr, Ted Poley (Danger Danger),  Jimi Jamison (Survivor),  Mitch Malloy, Kevin Chalfant (The Storm),  Marcie Free (Unruly Child),  Stan Bush,  Hal Marabel (Bad Habit), Mikael Erlandsson (Last Autumn’s Dream, Lover Under Cover), Robert Säll (Work Of Art, W.E.T.), Bruno Kraller (Laneslide, Brunorock) and many more. But even better was having the opportunity to keep in touch wth most of these guys Who so kindly contribute with news and interviews to the AORWatchTower.

 

Favorite rock styles (AOR, Melodic Rock, Hard-Rock, Westcoast, Glam, Sleaze or so on): I think they’re all linked to one another in some level, but I can honestly say that AOR has a special place in my heart and if I ever had to choose only ONE genre among them all, it’d be AOR for sure.

 

Other music styles you like:  I’m really into rock and whatever comes from it, but I also like 80’s music in general, some stuff from the 90’s (with no restriction on genres whatosever), but keeping my eyes and ears open to whatever’s new that’s worth having in my collection.

 

"THE" band / artist that fully embraces your tastes in music: Hummm... that’s a though one. Though I have a whole lot of Journey material, I also have a ton of Toto, Foreigner and Survivor albums/singles/bootlegs. Hard to pick one, but if I had to, I’d go with Survivor.

 

Your personal TOP 5 of all times:  Survivor, Journey, Giant, The Storm, Bad English

 

Your personal FLOP 5 of all times: Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Queensrÿche, Survivor (with either Jeff Scott Soto or Robin McAuley, despite being excellent vocalists, they just didn’t fit the bill) and anything Lita Ford  and BoN Jovi put out after 1992.

 

Your biggest delusion in music (a crap album, a missed interview, a bad concert you've attended, etc): I never understood all the hoopla about Guns N’ Roses. Despite having excellent musicians – and a crappy vocalist – they didn’t do anything Aerosmith hadn’t already done in the 70’s

 

•     Some bands that keep re-recording old hits trying to re-live some glorious time, instead of coming up with new music that’s just as good.

 

•    The shameless use of autotune. C’mon, we’re not idiots...

 

 

Your highest point reached in music (a long awaited interview, a meeting with one of your idols, results reached with your webiste, etc): Though I already had the opportunity of interviewing some of the artists I like the most, there’s always someone new to go after. I think “the best” is yet to come.

 

Your most successful / favorite review: Some of the interviews that are really meaningful to me, due to the admiration I have for their work were the ones with Steve Overland and Pete Jupp (FM), the always kind Robin Beck, the one and only Leigh Matty (of Romeo’s Daughter), Jimi Jamison (one of my favorite vocalists ever) and the legendary Mark Spiro.

 

Your bitter regret about one of your reviews / interviews: For me, the worst thing is when an artist confirms the interview and then disappears. It’s happened sometimes and with some pretty big people, who shall remain nameless. It’s sad, but true L

 

Your 5 most promising acts / artists of the "new" generation: Well, there are many people releasing good albums now, but most of them sound quite the same. And it’s because most of these bands use the same songwriters and, sometimes, even the same musicians. I try not to hold my breath at first, but if a band/artist puts out two great album in a row, then a change of mind occurs. There are hundreds of bands/artists that suffer from the “first album syndrome”, where they put out a great effort, just to release a weak follow-up.

 

Your vision for the next year about the music biz of our music styles (possible death of the cd format, thoughts about digital releases, evolution of rock labels, etc.): It’s a fact that piracy had a huge effect on the market. And also the digital mídia, but in a different context, of course. I can’t really see the end of piracy in a short term. Nobody was ready for that – as the years proved true – and to this day neither the industry nor the artist community have a plausable solution. But as piracy came up, there must be something on the way to afefct the market once again, but this time in favor of the artists. We’ll have to wait for that, whatever that is...

 

Your personal suggestions for today's labels and artists: Quality is a must, for sure. A shiny smile and a pretty face don’t fool anyone. Invest in quality and you’ll build not only a strong name for yourself, but also a solid reputation of putting out albums by genuine artists.

 

As for artists, remember this: people are looking for the real deal. And we’re not stupid!!! Invest in your work, perfect your material and the results will come. There’s a huge market out there needy for true artists because there are one too many wannabes aout there.

 

Anything you want to add: Just a sincere THANK YOU for the time and attention, mate. It meant a lot to me to be able to share a few words about music with so many other enthusiasts. Hope to hear from you soon. Best regards from Brazil to you all J

 

Rock on...

 

 

YOUR LIFE IN ROCK SONGS! (name one song for a particular moment of your life)

 

The one that changed your life: "Breaking All The Rules", by Peter Frampton.  I was about 10 years old when I listened to that guitar intro and was never the same again... LOL

The one for your birthday: "Don't Give Up", by The Storm

The one for the love of your life: "Without Your Love", by Toto

The one for your beloved ones: Heaven Help My Heart – Tina Arena

The one for the best moment in your life: Don't have a specific one... LOL

The one for your worst enemy: Don't think I have one, but if I do, he doesn't deserve a song... LOL

The one which represents you and your vision of life: "Alive Again", by Strangeways, is just one of them. But I love this song...

The one which helped you in your saddest moments: Too many to mention... LOL

The "Rock Music Manifesto": It would be Peter Frampton's "Breaking All The Rules" again, for sure.

The one to say goodbye: "I Will Remember You", by Amy Grant. A very beautiful and emotional song...

The one for your funeral: "Going Home", by Corey Hart

 

MR. THOMAS SCHWARZKOPF (ROCK & METAL 4 YOU, MYGLOBALMIND)

 

Name: Thomas Schwarzkopf

Country: Germany

Age: 26

Name (and link if present) of your website/magazine/radio:

Rock & Metal 4 You (http://rock-and-metal-4-you.blogspot.com/)

MyGlobalMind (http://www.myglobalmind.com/)

Position in your website/magazine/radio: Reviewer/ Interviewer/Live Gig Reporter … simply the man for everything on my Blog “Rock & Metal 4 You”.

Online since (year when your website went online): Rock & Metal 4 You started in November 2012 … so it's quite new.

Introduce you as editor and your website/radio with a little bio (year and how you started to write reviews, possible previous versions and/or name of the website, more you want do add):  I think I have always been a writer. I always wanted to be creative and so I was writing for a newspaper in my school, I wrote short stories and screenplays for myself.  Some years later I founded a Facebook-Page, called “Rockaholic” with a friend of mine. It was for Rock and Metal fans, but in the end our tastes were too different, so I started my own thing and that was my blog “Rock & Metal 4 You”. Here I got the opportunity to be creative when it comes to writing combined with my passion for Melodic (Hard) Rock and Metal. So I did that and it turned out very well. I started this page to give people recommendations and news of bands I'm interested in. So the website hasn't the approach to cover the entire range of Rock and Metal, it is just about my tastes and the bands I like to listen to. Later I did some Reviews and I got very good response from the readers. Many people said I'm a skilled writer  … hopefully they are right :) So I focused more on the review thing that also includes live reviews. By the way I'm always writing in English, although I'm from Germany, because I think music is a global thing and I wanted to reach as much people as possible.
In February 2013 the CEO from the international acclaimed Webzine MyGlobalMind asked me if I'd like to write for them. That opened many doors to promo releases, so I did it. Most of my stuff is also published on MyGlobalMind Webzine, but they have a bigger range of musical styles than my blog – it's a pretty cool site and I'm very happy to write for them.
Finally I discovered my passion for doing interviews. I mean, each musician I talked to is one of my heroes and I do all that stuff on my site from a fans point of view and I hope people will recognize this. That's the whole story so far.

Favorite rock sytles (AOR, Melodic Rock, Hard-Rock, Westcoast, Glam, Sleaze or so on): I'm very into Melodic Rock and Metal, that includes all the sub-genres: Hard Rock, AOR, Glam Rock, Sleaze Metal, Symphonic Metal, Heavy Metal and so on. The most important thing to me is a good melody, tight musicianship and a unique voice. I hate growls or something like that.

Other music styles you like: That's easy: I don't like other music styles. For sure, I accept them, because it's all a matter of taste, but I only feel comfortable when it comes to Rock'n'Roll! I really live that. It's not just music. Everyday I need my dose of Rock, otherwise I'm not happy. There are so many great bands out there … so I wouldn't have the time to listen to other music styles ;)

"THE" band / artist that fully embraces your tastes in music: Mh that has to be Bon Jovi – and I'm talking about their music in the 80's/90's, not that crap they do nowadays. Jon Bon Jovi had a very charismatic voice and Richie Sambora is still my guitar hero number one. Everything fit together in this band when they were young: great songs with amazing melodies, lyrics from the heart with a positive vibe and of course enough “rawness”. They really rocked, sadly many people forgot that.

But there are also many other bands out there which sound different from Bon Jovi and nevertheless I like them very much, for example Avantasia.

Your personal TOP 5 of all times:

This is hard to choose, but at the moment it's like that:

Bon Jovi - “New Jersey”

Avantasia - “The Mystery Of Time”

Sonata Arctica - “Stones Grow Her Name”

Gotthard - “Need To Believe”

Bad City - “Welcome To The Wasteland”

Your personal FLOP 5 of all times:

Aerosmith - “Music From Another Dimension”

Stala & So. - “Play Another Round”

The Poodles - “Tour De Force”

Bon Jovi - “What About Now”

Shakra - “Fall”

Your biggest delusion in music (a crap album, a missed interview, a bad concert you've attended, etc): Biggest delusion in music is the fact that it isn't just about the passion for music. To many people it's all about money and business. Sometimes the creativity remains on track just to be attractive for the mainstream. That destroyed many good bands. Some of our heroes aren't that what they seem to be and you recognize this even more if you speak with others in music business.

Your highest point reached in music (a long awaited interview, a meeting with one of your idols, results reached with your website, etc): My highest point I reached in music so far is to do what I like to do with my blog. No one can tell me what to do and what to write, I'm my own master and I get positive response from fans and musicians for the work I'm doing and this is something that makes me very proud.

One moment I'll never forget is my Meet & Greet with the guys of GOTTHARD. I had the chance to attend their video shoot to “Starlight” in April 2012 and it was so much fun to be there, to talk to them and to many other fans. They spend the whole evening with us. Great guys, there is nothing more to say. I'm very looking forward to meet them again one day.

Your most successful / favorite review/interview: That's a hard question, because I can't judge if my writing is better or more worse from time to time. The readers have to decide if they like it or not. When I take a look at the views of each post the most successful thing is my review to the new Pretty Maids album “Motherland”.

Personally I liked my interview with former Europe guitar player Kee Marcello very much. I appreciate it if musicians are open-minded and tell us something about their lifes, not just only promo talk about their new album. Kee was really personal. This interview had lot of substance. It's the same with the interview I did with Robin Beck. She is also a very kind person.

Your bitter regret about one of your reviews / interviews: Mh … it's always hard to write fair reviews, because I won't damage the artist (most of the time I just want to support them), but at the same time I want to be honest to the readers. I'm a person, who critically analyzes many things and sometimes some ratings might sound a bit too hard. But I just write what I'm thinking.

Your 5 most promising acts / artists of the "new" generation:

Mh … when begins the “new generation”?
Beautiful Beast
Delain
Kissin' Dynamite
Elvenking
ToxicRose

Your vision for the next years about the music biz of our music styles (possible death of the cd format, thoughts about digital releases, evolution of rock labels, etc.): Mh, I think in the future you won't need music labels anymore. At a certain point it won't be necessary to have a deal with them, because the musicians can do everything on their own. Musicians are not only musicians anymore. They are also distributors, managers and marketing people – they will take care of everything that has to do with their music. Probably all that stuff what a label did for them. You can see this development right now. The digital progress allows it. Anyway I hope the CD will survive. I don't like MP3s very much. I want to hold a booklet in my hands or having a nice digipak/limited edition at home. In my opinion many people in our genre think that way so the sales of CD's won't decrease so much.
Speaking about our Melodic Rock/Metal genre I'm very sure that it stood the test of time and that won't change. You can't kill Rock'n'Roll – it's too much fun and energy, you can't ignore it. Even next generations will try to be a part of it.

Your personal suggestions for today's labels and artists: Today we see that music industry is changing very much. Like I said I think in the future you won't nee a label and this course is set right now, because music labels lose their influence more and more. This is due to one reason only:  most labels don't take care of their musicians. For them the artist is just a product, a cash cow – not a person. They make use of them till they burn out. This is sad, but major labels are much under pressure because of illegal downloads and that kind of stuff. I would wish they focused more on the creative process and help the artist to fulfil his vision.
Speaking of the artists themselves I can only say I like it that so many old bands are back on track, playing again Melodic Rock/Metal and many young bands are addicted to that style, too. They save our genre and keep it quiet fresh. You could say this genre lives its second spring right now. It's very popular again and I hope this will last forever.

Anything you want to add: Yeah, first of all I'd like to thank all my readers out there for supporting “Rock & Metal 4 You”. You keep the whole thing rolling. And of course I'd like to thank all the musicians I worked with as well as every people, who appreciate my work. Music connects people all over the world. I experienced this in the last few months and it feels great. This is my motivation to carry on. Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview! Don't stop the Rock!

YOUR LIFE IN ROCK SONGS! (name one song for a particular moment of your life)

There are so many. I've so much memories with special songs, I can't mention every single song here, but I'll do my best.

The one that changed your life: Bon Jovi – It's My Life (because it brought me to Rock music when I was 12 years old!)

The one for your birthday: Kissin' Dynamite – I Will Be King
The one for the love of your life: Bon Jovi – I'll Be There For You
The one for your beloved ones: Europe – Let The Good Times Rock
The one for the best moment in your life: Avantasia – The Story Ain't Over
The one for your worst enemy: Gotthard – Fist In Your Face
The one which represents you and your vision of life: Richie Sambora – Seven Years Gone
The one which helped you in your saddest moments: Alice Cooper – Only My Heart Talkin'
The "Rock Music Manifesto": Steel Panther – Party All Day (F*ck All Night)
The one to say goodbye: Guardian – Never Say Goodbye
The one for your funeral: Sonata Arctica – Alone In Heaven

MR. PAUL CHESWORTH (CRR / ROOM THIRTEEN)

 

Name (and link if present) of your website/magazine/radio:
CRR www.chesyrockreviews.com own blog!

Also write for www.roomthirteen.com

And about to start writing for Midland Rocks!!

 

Position in your website/magazine/radio: Reviewer / Interviewer / and pesterer of many a PR company

 

Online since (year when your website went online): Chesy Rock Reviews – Feb 2011

 

Introduce you as editor and your website/radio with a little bio (year and how you started to write reviews, possible previous versions and/or name of the website, more you want do add):

Well it all started about by accident when my good friend was writing for Roomthirteen. He knew I was (and still am) a lover of Classic Rock, and he had a Whitesnake album to review. I loved it and it was so easy to write about a band I’ve loved for 30-odd years so I asked to be considered. It’s been great writing for R13 but some of the albums in the past have been out of my musical depth. That’s what you get when it’s mainly run by young whippersnappers! (I’m 46! So there’s a bit of an age divide).

I got the idea for my own blog when bands, PR etc were starting to write back thanking me for my reviews. I’ve always loved Classic/AOR and some Technical Metal/Prog, and I thought that there’s nowhere near enough coverage for some of the bands I’ve loved for years, and just wanted to assist and get the good word of the bands out there.

With R13 it’s sometimes a chore as they specify a min number of words for an album review (400). When it’s a struggle I can tell you I’m counting every single word. With my own blog (as long as I am not taking too much of the piss etc, I have a bit more freedom and time to do a better job of the reviews – more pics, links to FB, where to buy the album etc.) Plus I want to support the music and bands I love, as I hate to see Simon Cowell’s faceless and talentless bastards taking over the World.

 

Favorite rock styles (AOR, Melodic Rock, Hard-Rock, Westcoast, Glam, Sleaze or so on): Most of the aforementioned list to be honest. But more of the Melodic/AOR banner. My first love was Rainbow/Purple/Lizzy/Rush etc, and loved a lot of Hair Metal bands (Autograph, Joshua, Crue, Stryper, Dokken) which is still Melodic Rock as far as I’m concerned. I’m definitely a sucker for 3, 4 and 5 part harmonies. The current oldies of British AOR, FM, Romeo’s Daughter, and Moritz who are still showing the new wave of youngsters how to do it!! I have more than a soft spot for female fronted Melodic Rock bands.

 

Other music styles you like: I like a lot of modern Prog – bands like Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater, Symphony X. I cannot stand growling/grunting, I just don’t get it. Although for some strange reason I do quite like Opeth. I was brought up in a musical household. My parents couldn’t play a note, but we used to listen to music all the time. I was brought up on Rock n Roll, so 70s Classic Rock and beyond was a very natural step.

I do have a couple of guilty pleasures - Sarah McLachlan, a bit of Country Rock (shudders) and the gorgeous and extremely talented Grace Potter.

 

"THE" band / artist that fully embraces your tastes in music: Only one definitive answer here – anything Dio related – Rainbow / Sabbath / Dio. He is one of the few artistes that have written/performed on at least 4 ‘World Class’ albums – Rising / LLRNR / Heaven & Hell and Holy Diver. Not exactly AOR but the bloke was a genius!

 

Your personal TOP 5 of all times: Top Five! Not Enough. I’ve just named 4 Dio albums FFS. I have to give you a minimum of 10!!!! Trying to mix it up a bit…….(not in any particular order)

 

Rainbow – Rising

Dio – Holy Diver

Dokken – Under Lock & Key

Romeo’s Daughter - ST

Rush – Moving Pictures

Deep Purple – Burn

Queensryche – Operation Mindcrime

Coheed & Cambria – Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV (etc)

Icon – Night Of The Crime

FM – Indiscreet

 

I haven’t even mentioned Lizzy, Priest, Whitesnake, Maiden, Shinedown, ‘DC etc. I need a top 50!

 

Your personal FLOP 5 of all times:

Bon Jovi – Anything in the last 10-15 years. That should cover 5!

Your biggest delusion in music (a crap album, a missed interview, a bad concert you've attended, etc): Thankfully it is very rare to have bad memories. There’s not that many in 30-odd years which is a testament to the music I love. There’s been a couple of shite albums, one by a band called SEKS seems to jump to the head of the queue, but I always try to look at the positives in anything I review.

Gigs have their moments. I tend to go to about 40 gigs a year with my son, 95% of which are paid for. If my wife found out how much it cost me I’d be living on my own! I prefer to buy gig tickets – mainly to support the artists/bands, but also to secure the fact of seeing bands I totally adore.

I’ve had a few mishaps from PR, turning up at a gig when you’ve travelled 50 miles and your name isn’t on the door??

My disappointing gigs have come in recent years. Firstly was the Thunder/Whitesnake/Leppard gig at Liverpool Echo arena about 5 or 6 yrs ago. David Coverdale was very poor. More recently the Thunder/Whitesnake/Journey gig a few weeks ago. Thankfully Coverdale was on much better form, but Journey were as exciting as watching shit harden. Very corporate, and apart from Arnel Pineda, the others looked as if they were counting the money and awaiting for the whole thing to finish.

 

Your highest point reached in music (a long awaited interview, a meeting with one of your idols, results reached with your website, etc): I love doing what I’m doing, but it’s a bit difficult as a one man band and I’m trying to get thru 20-30 reviews at a time, so there’s some cherry-picking that needs to be done. Or if anyone would like to help out, I have more than a few albums to share the load with!!

CRR is only a small site (about 4000 people a month) and I’m happy for it not to get much bigger to be honest with you. Otherwise my main employers may have something to say about it

My real day job is as a Sales Manager so I have no issue corresponding with Bands, PR etc. If you don’t ask, you never get. I’ve not wanted to interview too many people as there’s a lot of work involved. So over the last 18 months I have ditched the voice recorder and drafted in my son, and we record interviews.

The definite highlight was meeting Satchel and Michael Starr of Steel Panther last year. We really fell lucky as the interview was comedy gold. It wasn’t exactly an interview, more like stand up. Funny as anything, but also really nice blokes.

One of the really nicest people I’ve ever met in any walk of life, and was lucky to interview, was Lawrence Gowan not long after he joined Styx. He even valued my opinion which is rather nice. Daniel Gildenlow of Pain Of Salvation was really interesting, and a 20 min interview lasted nearly an hour! I’d have loved to have interviewed Ronnie James Dio, but I think I’d have needed 10 minutes to compose myself. Ritchie Blackmore would be great as would Coverdale, but I’m nowhere near that level of site/organisation to get anywhere near them. Hell, if Joe Lynn Turner and the like cant even get to speak to Ritchie, I’ve got no chance.

I’ve met some great people (not interviewed) who were just happy to chat – JLT, FM, Romeos Daughter, Moritz, and many others, and I think me and Harry are unique in being the only people to poke Jimi Jamison awake when he was resting in a golf cart and didn’t even mind when asked for his autograph and picture taken, now that’s a star of a bloke.

The only ones I’m desperate to interview and I’ve been stalking them for over a year, is my beloved FM (So if you are reading this Steve…..!). I do have a long list of bands I’ve loved for years – Romeo’s Daughter, Stryper, Rush, Coheed, Foreigner that I’d love to get into a conversation. Hopefully I have Queensryche lined up for October. What with the recent history it should make for a very interesting interview with the guys

The great thing is, everyone I’ve met have been genuinely nice, with no heirs and graces, which says a lot for the industry.

 

Your most successful / favorite review/interview:  I don’t know if any have been unsuccessful, unless you count interviewing Ben Wells of Black Stone Cherry whilst their fecking drum tech kicked off in the background. Apart from that annoyance I’ve loved chatting with Gowan, Steel Panther, Barry Kerch of Shinedown, Daniel Gildenlow of Pain Of Salvation, and Brian Marshall of Alter Bridge, and all of Symphony X. All concerned have all been interesting and engaging in their own way.  I’m not sure what has been my most successful review, but quite a few thousand have seen my Steel Panther interview, and it’s definitely my fave of all completed so far. I know its going well when a 10 minute slot expands to 45-50 mins, and in the case of Panther, they told their road manager to get lost. That’s the benefit of buying them gifts for the interview!

 

Your bitter regret about one of your reviews / interviews: I’ve only ever really laid into one band (SEKS) and it was just a poor album. I always look for the positives but in this instance there was nothing to like for me personally. That said I almost wrote a whole review about a Venom album that made no reference to the actual album, I’m surprised I didn’t get my ass kicked by the site and the PR. I don’t wish to upset anyone, and honestly try to help than be a hindrance.

 

Your 5 most promising acts / artists of the "new" generation:

Serpentine, Vega, Summers, The Treatment (not exactly Melodic Rock, but brilliant in their own way), and Gene The Werewolf! Again, I can name even more that deserve a mention…..but definitely watch out for Three Lions later in the year.

Your vision for the next years about the music biz of our music styles (possible death of the cd format, thoughts about digital releases, evolution of rock labels, etc.): Whilst it’s on its last legs, I’m not sure it will die out completely. Just as vinyl has hung on and seems to be making a bit of a resurgence.  I’m from the old school; I used to love saving up my pennies for the new vinyl from whoever, and then spending days treating it like Gollums ‘precious’ dwelling over the lyrics, pictures, credits, and more importantly the cover! I can’t think of the number of I albums bought in the 80s just because I like the album cover. CDs diminished this a bit as all the info is condensed, but still an enjoyable experience as the booklets can be very fancy indeed. The younger download generation don’t get this enjoyable experience like we did.

The itunes generation has taken over, which isn’t the best reproduction of bands blood, sweat and tears, but it is a godsend when you’re constantly on the road like me and I can just stick my ipod on ‘random’ and enjoy the eclecticness of my collection.

The record labels have set themselves up for their own failure with regards to illegal downloads. Its not that long ago when cd’s in the UK were costing a standard €20-25, so their greed has kicked them in the nuts and then some. No doubt there’s lots of people who do it as a matter of cost in these difficult financial times. It’s not a negative against the bands I’m sure, as I know lots of people who download and still buy the albums. Real fans will still buy the music. I think it’s a nightmare for a lot of bands to make a living in the 21^st Century, and they need all the help in getting the word out there as possible. That’s where we come in!

Gigging costs a fortune, for the fans and the bands themselves. There are some incredibly greedy bastards out there in the industry. I don’t begrudge anyone trying to make money, but bands need to reflect on what they and the promoters are doing. Whats the point in selling tickets for £65 (nearly £90 by the time the robbing ticketing agencies have had their way), when the venue is nowhere near full. Rush tickets for their recent tour went on sale a year ago and the Manchester Arena still wasn’t full. Why not charge 40 quid, and get more people into the venue who will spend more on merchandise.

Bands themselves also need to get a grip. I like the idea of Pledge Music where the fans can pay for all or part of the costs for a future album. But at the same time they need to realize who is paying for this. Too many bands now charge extras like meet and greet, signed albums, VIP passes, when it’s already expensive enough. Last year I saw a band that were charging £15 I think for a VIP meet and greet. 20 mins later they were in the bar signing stuff for free for those who were hanging around. Having loyal fans is a privilege not a right and its wrong for bands to exploit them in this way

The positive sign is that bands are now taking more control of their destiny. It’s not hugely expensive to make albums with many computer programs more than adequate to record your own music. Bands don’t even need to be in the same country due to the digital age. More money goes to the bands and not just a small percentage as in the past, which can only be a good thing.

 

Your personal suggestions for today's labels and artists: If Im talking purely AOR/Melodic here its great that there are people out there with enough vision and balls to support the genre. Avenue Of Allies, Frontiers, AOR Heaven, (and the numerous specialist PR companies) all do a great, great job, along with the dedicated websites and magazines. Plus the yearly festival gatherings of Firefest, HRH AOR, and now Skyfest amongst other European ‘gems’.

Some bands have a great gift for self promotion which sets them apart, but some smaller/newer bands need a chance to get on the road. It can’t just be all about 4 or 5 festivals a year. But it is great that a newly organized event like HRH AOR can set up a festival and sell it out at the first attempt. AOR whilst never the most popular genre, has a great and very loyal fan base.

Probably 90% of the current crop of AOR have day jobs, I wish it were the other way around! The genre is over saturated but the good bands will always get a fair crack of the whip, but more needs to be done to get them out on the road. It could get like football where some clubs are run by the fans, where similar to Pledge, I can see bands and fans getting more involved with the touring costs also.

 

Basically – DON’T GIVE UP! If you are committed, then the websites, mags, etc are all there to help in getting the word out. I’ve never met a more dedicated bunch of people than fans of all genres of rock music. We all want you to do well

 

Anything you want to add: Thank you to everyone that reads the reviews and enjoys them. I don’t think I’m your normal professional journo. I write exactly how I would talk in the pub and that can lead to some strange reviews. Whilst its still fun, I intend to carry on while people still and to read them.

 

 

YOUR LIFE IN ROCK SONGS! (name one song for a particular moment of your life)

 

 

The one that changed your life: Rainbow - Stargazer

The one for your birthday: Dio – Stand Up and Shout
The one for the love of your life: Romeo’s Daughter – Hymn (our wedding song)
The one for your beloved ones: Alter Bridge – Watch Over You
The one for the best moment in your life: Same as above, Romeos Daughter

The one for your worst enemy: Anything Death Metal. If it annoys me, Id hope it would destroy the fuck out of them if played on constant repeat!
The one which represents you and your vision of life: Romeos Daughter – Alive (available now at all good record shops, and some bad ones!)

The one which helped you in your saddest moments: Anything I can crank up and sing along to, to cheer me up. In my own head I sound like Dio! Most of FMs anthems hit the spot nicely
The "Rock Music Manifesto": Rainbow – Long Live Rock N Roll

The one to say goodbye: Night Ranger – Goodbye!!!

The one for your funeral: It was going to be an Alter Bridge sad song, but I want to be cremated, so it has to be Deep Purple – Burn!!