Q and A With The Bass Player (Daisy Dead) Of The Dead Deads

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a question and answer interview via email with the bass player in the Dead Deads. We joked "who the hell wants to hear what the bass player has to say?"

Being a bass player myself, I do. So if you are interested in what the bass player has to say (and you should be), what follows is my interview with Daisy Dead, bassist for the Dead Deads.

What got you started into this musical journey that you're on? Not necessarily your current band, but what influences did you have that made you want to pick up an instrument and play?
I've been playing music since I got a little Casio keyboard for Christmas when I was 7 or 8 years old, then got into playing piano and then trumpet in the school band. But I grew up listening to the college station in Nashville and all the different stuff they'd play, from local punk bands to industrial to surf guitar to metal to Velvet Underground to house music to 80's pop to 90's alternative to world music. My parents also listened to a lot of pop and rock music, and we'd play it loud and us kids would dance around the house. In the case of the electric bass, Meta told me to pick it up and try to see if I could play it, and lo and behold I could! So just worked on it from there. For me, when you plug in and turn the volume up, rock is just what wants to come out, so I feel as inspired by the gear - bass and amp - as I do by any particular style of music.

Artist Spotlight: Kara Clark

If you like any combination of Saraya, Cinderella, Miranda Lambert, Molly Hatchet, Halestorm, Whiskey Myers, 4 Non Blondes, Lita Ford and Alice Cooper, then I have the artist for you. And if you have to google or youtube any of the artists mentioned, thank me later and you're welcome.

Her name is Kara Clark and she will kick your ass. Musically, that is. And maybe physically. I don't know.

I have known this for a long time, but it's really become apparent while writing this blog: I don't really like a genre of music as much as I like a style of music. It needs to have real instruments played by real people. It needs to be gritty, dirty, swampy; not too slick, not too polished.

There should be more of Kara Clark here. But in the interim, enjoy this from her 2013 self titled album:



You can purchase music, including her new EP at and hear new music at KaraClark.com.

New Single From Jessica Meuse - "Rio Grande"

I have been following the career of Jessica Meuse ever since she was on some season of some music competition show. Enough being coy, Jessica Meuse finished fourth on American Idol and was the only finalist to perform an original song in the finals.

"Rio Grande" is her second single release post Idol following "Done" in the summer of 2015. "Rio Grande" shows another step in the progression of this singer/songwriter. Listen to the song she did on American Idol, "Blue Eyed Lie", and then "Done". Both decent songs and you can hear the growth. Then listen to "Rio Grande". Jessica Meuse is coming into her own as a viable artist.

Lyrically and musically, this is her best effort yet. While "Rio Grande" should fit comfortably into the country genre, it doesn't have near enough EDM beats, pseudo rap sequences, 80's rock guitar or shallow lyrics to be played on country radio.

Here is an acoustic live version. Judge for yourself.



You can get the studio version on itunes here.

Guns N' Roses

Given that Appetite For Destruction is one my favorite albums of all time, the Guns N' Roses "reunion" should excite me much more than it does. But I just get a big feeling of meh.

A little history first.

The first Guns song I heard was "Paradise City" on Z-Rock. This was before Guns N' Roses was a thing. I bought the cassette (yes, the cassette) and took it back to college with me. I played it for everyone I knew. Most didn't get it until......"Sweet Child O' Mine" hit MTV. Then, boom! Guns N' Roses was everywhere.

From start to finish, Appetite is one of the best hard rock albums of all time. You can argue it's placement, but not that is belongs.

The five people that made that record - Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler - are what Guns N' Roses will always be to me. Those five guys made magic on that album.

Rumors swirl. Who's in, who's out. So far, from what I've heard, it's Axl, Slash and Duff confirmed. Which is great, but I'm just really not interested unless Izzy and Adler are there. And no one else. No offense to Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, Dizzy Reed or any of the numerous musicians to play in whatever version of Guns N' Roses Axl chose to put together, but those five are Guns N' Roses.

Personally, I wouldn't want to see a Guns N' Roses all-star cast. It's those five original members or nothing for me.

Anyone who chooses to go to the shows, more power to you. Especially those of you who never knew the original Guns. It will be great. And you'll enjoy it. Just not for me.

Now, if in the next few days/weeks/months it turns out that it is Axl, Slash, Duff, Izzy and Adler? I'm all in. But until that is confirmed.......

Now let's enjoy something from Appetite For Destruction:

New Discovery: The Amorettes

The Amorettes are a Scottish three piece rock and roll outfit that has cut out everything extraneous and just plain rocks. Just the basics: guitar, bass, drums and attitude.

Stripped down, raw, loud, no frills rock. They remind me of early 80's Fastway with their second record Game On that came out early in 2015.

The Amorettes are Gill Montgomery on guitar and lead vocals, and sisters Heather and Hannah McKay on bass/backing vocals and drums/backing vocals respectively.

Here is "Fire At Will" from Game On:

New Discovery - Crimson Calamity

Self-described as an Alt Country/Americana duo, Crimson Calamity showed up on my radar late in 2015 despite releasing their debut EP All In The Cards in March of 2015.

Here is "Dead Man's Hand":

2015 Spotify Playlist

Here's a Spotify playlist featuring songs from all of the albums in my Top 10 and Honorable Mentions lists plus a few extras.

Enjoy.

My Top Ten Albums of 2015

At this point, I'm sure everyone has been inundated with top whatever lists for any and everything. Mine is about...music. Imagine that. My list is different than any other list you've read. That doesn't make it better (or worse), right or wrong, just different.

Music is subjective and personal. To me there are only two types of music: music I like and music I don't. And just because I don't like it, doesn't mean it's not good, just not to my taste. Conversely, just because I like it doesn't necessarily mean it's good. I'll be the first to admit that I like a lot of crap.

If you've read this blog before, thank you, and you know that I'm not genre-specific. That would make things so much easier. You also know that I am mainstream-phobic, so there are not going to be any mega hits on my list.

This is by no means a "Best of" list. It is not a comprehensive list. I'm sure there are several albums that were released in 2015 that would make my list had I heard them. These are the albums that I have listened to numerous times. Albums I would and have listened to again and again. Music that has resonated with me. Music that I will be listening to in 2016 and beyond.

I listen to albums, not songs. I'm not immune to making playlists of songs, but I'm happier when I can put on an album and listen from start to finish without having to skip songs. That's what my list is about.

Here is my top ten with my favorite song from the album (where available, where not, just a song from the album). Links in artist's names are to my posts explaining my picks. Other links are obvious.

10) Brandy Zdan - Brandy Zdan

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9) Delta Rae - After It All

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8) Chaser Eight - Chaser Eight

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7) William Clark Green - Ringling Road

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6) Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight

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5) Halestorm - Into The Wildlife

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4) Elle King - Love Stuff

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3) Chris Stapleton - Traveller

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2) Blackberry Smoke - Holding All The Roses

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1) Black Star Riders - The Killer Instinct

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Hope something there resonates with you. If not, oh well, it's my list. Here's to a fantastic 2016.

Number One Album of the Year

I will post a full top 10 list at the end. In the meantime, I am going to explore each record in my top 10 and why I selected them. Again, this is not a "Best of". It is the albums that I've heard and resonated with me personally. There is some really good stuff out there that doesn't make my list because, well, it's my list. There's a lot of stuff I haven't even heard. Maybe you'll like some of it.

When I was listening to my list of 2015 albums, my number one surprised even me. By July I was pretty sure I had my top three. This was not one of them.

I grew up listening to classic rock and southern rock. I grew up during the popularity of hair metal/80s hard rock. The music that you grew up listening to stays with you to varying extents, no matter who you are. Though as I've gotten older and expanded my musical horizons, I still love guitar driven, melodic hard rock.

Black Star Riders grew out of the band touring as the remnants of Thin Lizzy. Out of respect for Phil Lynott and the other original members, when they decided to record new material, they chose to do it under a new name.

2015's The Killer Instinct is pure rock gold. It's what you would hope Thin Lizzy would sound like today. Classic without sounding dated.

Hope your Christmas was merry and your new year will be happy. There will be a post containing the full top ten list coming out before the new year.

Number Two Album of the Year

I will post a full top 10 list at the end. In the meantime, I am going to explore each record in my top 10 and why I selected them. Again, this is not a "Best of". It is the albums that I've heard and resonated with me personally. There is some really good stuff out there that doesn't make my list because, well, it's my list. There's a lot of stuff I haven't even heard. Maybe you'll like some of it.

There's just something about Southern Rock that I've always loved. I guess it's just comfort music to me. Real music with real songs about real things. From the myriad of 70s stuff including Skynyrd, The Allmans, Marshall Tucker, etc., to right now with bands like Whiskey Myers and Blackberry Smoke, I always like it if it's done well.

Holding All The Roses by Blackberry Smoke is done well.

I know it's not groundbreaking. It covers familiar territory. It's nowhere near the second best record released in 2015. This series has never been about a "Best of" list. It's about my favorite albums. Albums being the key word. Holding All The Roses is one you can put on and just listen, whether in your car or on your patio or on the beach. Just push play.