He put on an amazing show that night.  He played several of my favorites by Hanoi Rocks, which included "Taxi Driver," "Motorvatin'," and "Malibu Beach Nightmare," along with "Hammersmith Palais" and "Nothing's All Right" from his Demolition 23 days, along with some new songs that were also pretty good.  I have to say, he is probably the only front man who comes close to Iggy Pop in terms of his onstage energy and sense of theatrics.  

 

I posted a few pictures, if anyone is interested.

 

The next event on my calendar is Ian Hunter. :) 

Damn, that's good value for money but I'd be screwed for trains! 

Powertrane released two albums, two singles and that's about it. Scott's not playing much now. Chris formed a great band called 'Blue Snaggletooth' doing stoner stuff, Deniz is concentrating with the Radio Birdman re-issue box set (they found some old reels somewhere in the old studio!), I don't know what the drummer is doing but Robert's good playing with the Daggers and they're really really special. 

 

I was born in 1982 so I've only heard of Robert via Scott from The Hellacopters, there's a lot of bands I heard from their influences, I tend to pick up records of influences and look at their influences and encompass as much as possible.

 

Robert stopped playing with Mitch a while back. I think it's a good time for Robert to do a big tour with his band but I think they need a singer and a good manager. Getting both is tough. Someone with a lot of soul and whom can commit. 

 

Powertrane was later than that. Scott was still working in his solo band during the 1990s. He cut a recording for his Medium Rare Album with Robert on guitar and that smokes. He went to do work with the Hydromatics and guested on a lot of Hellacopters' shows before choosing to do Powertrane.

 

The Hydromatics are worth buying although now virtually impossible as the cds and lps are deleted and the labels they worked, one stopped releasing and the other I'm not sure about.

 

I've got some old Thunders videos on dvd from the 1980's, I can't think of anyone more perfect than Cheetah with his aggressive style. Johnny had the spirit and when Cheetah is healthy he can emulate that. Lure is an excellent play but I'd like to have  Cheetah; Lure and Sylvian in the same tour. That would be great. 

 

The Batusis were supposed to be playing in London. I bought a ticket but their show got cancelled. I was bummed at missing Cheetah. He has a lot of soul and still cuts it. I don't know Sonny Burgess, another one to find out about. 

 

Steve Conte has done some work in Japan for commercial stuff. He's worked with Suzi Quatro (who lives not far from me,. Chuck Berry, Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, Willie Nile and played with Eric Burdon and The Animals. http://www.thecontes.com/biosteve.asp A biography on his website. He, like Robert, is extremely approachable and honest, up front. He hangs around at gigs, signed my album for me. 

 

Thomas , Yes , you can be GUARANTEED a 4 Hour show , maybe 3 hours if they're jet lagged , HA HA . THAT'S ANOTHER REASON THEY PICKED UP THE BATON WHEN THE GRATEFUL DEAD RETIRED (But , of course , returned . At least MOST , not  all , the Deadheads in my neighborhood dispersed when Garcia died.), sometiimes , i hear , they play longer !  

 I've seen Powertrane twice , once with Deniz Tek , and I have a couple of their CDs , so it may be , that I already have the one you're talking about (?). What's it called ? Both shows were sparsely attended , I hate to say.

The first  time , Robert had some very young people talking to him after they played. I went up and said , Hey , Robert , I used to see you play with Mitch Ryder all the time. Then I realized , none of these people were even old enough to go to clubs that last time Ryder had played in Chicago proper . AND , they may not have even known who Mitch Ryder is , which is sad....Robert's a very nice guy . We sort of knew each other, back when , in the Late 80's , but, when I saw him with Powertrane , it must have been 10 or 12 years later .

Boy , The Batusis , Cheetah and Syl. I saw them once , about A YEAR AND A HALF ,  two years ago. Great show , but Cheetah had very bad Laryngitis , and had to keep the Dead Boys songs to a minimum.

THEN , they came back , last summer , and Sonny Burgess was playing the same night. Burgess had announced that he was retiring from touring , and , as the last few times I'd seen him , he had all guns a - blazin' , I felt I had to see him and pay my respects.   WHAT A MISTAKE !!!!! IT WAS HORRIBLE !!! People were leaving In droves. It was too late to get to the other venue and try to make it to The Batusis' show.

Their label , Smog Veil, is based here , so , I'm sure they'll be back within a year , maybe sooner.

 

I was'nt aware Steve Conte was so much on the Japanese tip. The only info I ever saw about him was in an old Rock Scene magazine , but I guess he has a website.
When did he work with The Animals ? When they were called "Animals II " IN THE 90's? I know Hilton Valentine moved to New York. They played here , as just "The Animals" about 15 years ago (BUT tHE MARQUEE READ "ANIMALS II " , LEST ANY OVER ANXIOUS LAWYERS SHOW UP , ha ha.). The singer in that lineup went on to Dr. Feelgood a few years after Lee Brilleaux died. But , the guitarist was a Klaus Meine lookalike !           JOHN.
Thomas Marshall said:

Thanks for the advise on Funkadelic. I definitely can't risk a four hour show with trains. I know the venue they are playing in normally gets cramped out pretty quickly. 

 

Hanoi Rocks have officially split up. They called it a  day. Michael went solo straight after and has been finding great guitarests to compliment his sound. Ginger was an excellent player too but has started doing his solo work again and is playing live as solo. 

 

Walter Lure would be ideal for the NYD, so would Cheetah Chrome, someone whom understood how Johnny played and also a great live sound. Cheetah would be more appropriate actually with his recent work with Sylvian. 

 

Robert's trying to shift copies of his recent studio album with Powertrane, if you want to get one send me an e-mail. His work with Scott Morgan is awesome. He is currently doing gigs with the Detroit Daggers. An insanely technically proficient garage instrumental band doing circuits around Michigan.

 

I advise checking out Steve's work. If you like the Beatles; Japanese pop music, glam-rock, blues and hard rock then you would probably like his sound. He's eclectic and has played with so many amazing musicians from the Animals to Raimundo Amador.

 

cheers for the response

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advise on Funkadelic. I definitely can't risk a four hour show with trains. I know the venue they are playing in normally gets cramped out pretty quickly. 

 

Hanoi Rocks have officially split up. They called it a  day. Michael went solo straight after and has been finding great guitarests to compliment his sound. Ginger was an excellent player too but has started doing his solo work again and is playing live as solo. 

 

Walter Lure would be ideal for the NYD, so would Cheetah Chrome, someone whom understood how Johnny played and also a great live sound. Cheetah would be more appropriate actually with his recent work with Sylvian. 

 

Robert's trying to shift copies of his recent studio album with Powertrane, if you want to get one send me an e-mail. His work with Scott Morgan is awesome. He is currently doing gigs with the Detroit Daggers. An insanely technically proficient garage instrumental band doing circuits around Michigan.

 

I advise checking out Steve's work. If you like the Beatles; Japanese pop music, glam-rock, blues and hard rock then you would probably like his sound. He's eclectic and has played with so many amazing musicians from the Animals to Raimundo Amador.

 

cheers for the response

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas , Are Hanoi Rocks still playing ? I thought Michael and Andy had finally called it a day. I bought their
first two reunion CDs out of curiosity , and because I saw them affordably , a few years after they were released , and I thought they were GOOD , and I could tell , by listening , they'd be really good live (Which was confirmed by a VERY finicky friend who saw them in Berlin.) , but , Monroe's new CD is SO much better....I have'nt heard of Conte playing , solo ,in Chicago , but , I'd go see him , no questions asked....You're right about what he did for Syl and for The Dolls. They did not need a Thunders clone , they needed somebody who could lift that stuff up , make it sound fresh , and do the old school guitar attack with Sylvain. I did'nt see them , last time , it was $30, in a real crap venue. ....But , I hear EARL SLICK is playing with them , now (?).   A friend and I were talking , last night , about who would be our first draft pick for The Dolls on Guitar. We both agreed on Walter Lure. He has the history with the band , even before joining The Heartbreakers , he was a close associate of the original Dolls. In fact , I seem to remember reading he was being considered at some point. Maybe not , but they were friends , and as all of you know , he has that SOUND . But , he's busy tripping over protesters , as we speak...

Good call , comparing Conte to Gillespie. I know some people may not know the latter very well , unless they own some of Mitch Ryder's later albums (Only seemingly very popular in Germany.) or have seen him with Ryder or Scott Morgan. But , he kills. Mitch used to play the small clubs in Chicago all the time with Gillespie and Johnny "B" Badanjek from the original Detroit Wheels on drums. Now , when he comes thru , it's at a Fair Circuit/Oldies  show in the suburbs. I know he needs the money , but , I'd like to see him play somewhere he'd be taken seriously ( I did try to play middleman for such a proposition once, but , I should'nt elaborate on that, here.).

One night , I think in '93 , Iggy and Mitch were both playing at venues only about 5 or 6 miles apart from each other , and several hours apart ( Iggy's show being the earlier one.) . Rumors ran rampant , even appearing in the Chicago Tribune , that Iggy might come by and sit in with Mitch and his band. Did'nt happen , but , hey , I saw Two Mofo City legends in one night. 

   Last time I saw George Clinton and The P-Funk All Stars (They may just be billed as Funkadelic or Parliament/Funkadelic in Europe. I don't know.) , Clinton had good musicians , he always does , though he appeared on stage for about 10 minutes of a 4 Hour show.   But , at least in America , they've been pandering to the Deadhead crowd , and doing LONG jams that don't go anywhere....Not all their long jams are pointless , but , it was the second time I'd seen them (The first time was great , even though they only did a handful of the classic early 70's Westbound stuff.) , I did'nt feel a nagging , overbearing need too see them again , though I have heard good things about some of their recent shows.

 
Thomas Marshall said:

Thanks, John. Steve Conte and The Crazy Truth has been one of the album highlights of the last couple of years for me. His solo shows are normally cheap to get into and I've never seen him play a bad gig. He's got stunning technique, plays similarly to Robert Gillespie.

 

When I saw him play with the New York Dolls I thought he was fantastic. He lifted Sylvian, that guitar attack was incredibly sonic. 

 

He's one of those musicians I find every now and then and wonder why they're not more famous than they actually are. In my opinion he is the best guitarest in Michael Monroe band and I've been following Dregen since 1996.

 

For gig listings I buy tickets online and then subscribe to their e-lists. Funkadelic are playing in London and I will miss them. Dogs D'Amour are also touring, Steve Conte solo and Hanoi Rocks and hopefully Ginger too in December. 

 

John Battles said:

Thomas , I can believe that. I thought Conte was great with The Dolls , but , I think he's able to stretch out a bit more in Monroe's band. They play it like a band. Sure , Monroe is THEE Frontman , and you've got to have an ego to be as driven as he is , but he's also just a great Entertainer. He works his balls off , up there , but , the whole band does. They're all on the same page , and they really enjoy what they're doing , you can tell. Anyone that does'nt like it hard - hittin' and high energy should take their dead ass home. Enjoy the London show. I'm sure it'll be a highlight of the whole transcontinental tour .  

Thomas Marshall said:

Seeing him in December in London. Steve Conte is also worth catching solo.

Thanks, John. Steve Conte and The Crazy Truth has been one of the album highlights of the last couple of years for me. His solo shows are normally cheap to get into and I've never seen him play a bad gig. He's got stunning technique, plays similarly to Robert Gillespie.

 

When I saw him play with the New York Dolls I thought he was fantastic. He lifted Sylvian, that guitar attack was incredibly sonic. 

 

He's one of those musicians I find every now and then and wonder why they're not more famous than they actually are. In my opinion he is the best guitarest in Michael Monroe band and I've been following Dregen since 1996.

 

For gig listings I buy tickets online and then subscribe to their e-lists. Funkadelic are playing in London and I will miss them. Dogs D'Amour are also touring, Steve Conte solo and Hanoi Rocks and hopefully Ginger too in December. 

 

John Battles said:

Thomas , I can believe that. I thought Conte was great with The Dolls , but , I think he's able to stretch out a bit more in Monroe's band. They play it like a band. Sure , Monroe is THEE Frontman , and you've got to have an ego to be as driven as he is , but he's also just a great Entertainer. He works his balls off , up there , but , the whole band does. They're all on the same page , and they really enjoy what they're doing , you can tell. Anyone that does'nt like it hard - hittin' and high energy should take their dead ass home. Enjoy the London show. I'm sure it'll be a highlight of the whole transcontinental tour .  

Thomas Marshall said:

Seeing him in December in London. Steve Conte is also worth catching solo.

I greatly regret missing this tour. It makes me wonder how many others Im missing. Its weird that this stuff being my main interest I remain outside from any social circle with mutual interests

Anybody know of any current rock mags with tour lists, that leave out all the suckee bands?.

John Battles said:

Duke of Earl , I don't know. I would suggest looking up some of your favorite (Still active) bands' websites , and see if any other , related sites turn up that might have more information. It was pretty lowkey when that tour came to Chicago. It was billed , alternately, as Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks , Hanoi Rocks , and even Honoi Rocks (!) with Michael's name second billed , as if it were a Hanoi Rocks reunion. It was as close as we're going to get , I hate to tell ya. It was that good.

 

Thomas , I can believe that. I thought Conte was great with The Dolls , but , I think he's able to stretch out a bit more in Monroe's band. They play it like a band. Sure , Monroe is THEE Frontman , and you've got to have an ego to be as driven as he is , but he's also just a great Entertainer. He works his balls off , up there , but , the whole band does. They're all on the same page , and they really enjoy what they're doing , you can tell. Anyone that does'nt like it hard - hittin' and high energy should take their dead ass home. Enjoy the London show. I'm sure it'll be a highlight of the whole transcontinental tour .  

Thomas Marshall said:

Seeing him in December in London. Steve Conte is also worth catching solo.

Seeing him in December in London. Steve Conte is also worth catching solo.

Duke of Earl , I don't know. I would suggest looking up some of your favorite (Still active) bands' websites , and see if any other , related sites turn up that might have more information. It was pretty lowkey when that tour came to Chicago. It was billed , alternately, as Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks , Hanoi Rocks , and even Honoi Rocks (!) with Michael's name second billed , as if it were a Hanoi Rocks reunion. It was as close as we're going to get , I hate to tell ya. It was that good.

 

Ergh, I wish I had heard about this tour. Anybody know of any online sites that list just the good rocknroll tours? I find it hard to keep up with what bands are touring, and when I read calendars of dates for specific venues I'm overwhelmed by useless info. Im more interested in seeing the vintage rock acts. I would have loved to see MichaelMonroe do the Hanoi songs.

 

Mikel .....I'd love to see some pictures. I did'nt think they were going to allow cameras , so I only got a few on my cell phone. There are a few songs from the Chicago show on YouBoob. 

....And when he finished doing that , he came to Chicago the next evening , and did the very same thing !

    He was GOOD when I saw him in 1989 , but , 1000 times better , now. Of course , having a band like THAT makes all the difference in the world. You can see my further comments on my page , and drop off a friend request while you're there.

I like that song too:)

Nick X said:

11th Street Kids is my personal favorite...still looking to see them play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_rjYMc7jI

 

11th Street Kids is my personal favorite...still looking to see them play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_rjYMc7jI