Saturday, May 27, 2023

Whatever Happened To...#24: Scarlet Canary

 Scarlet Canary was a Denver-based rock quartet. I was fortunate enough to see this band play a few times in the Upper Midwest and became friends with the band members. The group ended a few years ago, but they were definitely fun while they lasted. 

The band formed in 2011. Its most recent lineup consisted of husband and wife Allen and Hannah Maddox on guitar and lead vocals, drummer Marcus McGowan and Marcos Gonzales on bass. They released four EPs (Distorted Reality in 2012, To the Heart in 2014, Arise in 2015 and Perspective in 2017) and weren't afraid to drive hundreds of miles for a show. I was impressed when they traveled 12 hours from CO to MN for a sword metal festival. Even though it wasn't exactly their genre, they put on a great set and thoroughly entertained the attendees.

Scarlet Canary called it quits in 2018 as the members pursued other ventures. Hannah and Allen are now fronting a new group named Heartsick Heroine. They are leaving the Denver area but promise to keep their current group afloat. I wish all of the band members well and look forward to welcoming the couple to my home state. 

Well, that's all I have for now. Next time, I'll write about Drain STH, a great European group that I never got to see live. Until then, have a great holiday weekend, everyone!


Thursday, May 18, 2023

Whatever Happened To...#23: Slip Twister

 Slip Twister were fixtures at the Red Carpet Nightclub in downtown St. Cloud, MN for years. I caught quite a few of their shows in the mid-90s to early 2000s. The group is still around but they haven't been nearly as active as they used to be.

The trio consists of Jay O'Donnel on drums, bassist Mike Zeleny, and guitarist Paul "Stretch" Diethelm. Their full-length album Dog Food was released in 1994. Memorable tracks like "Wheels Beneath My Rig," "Fish Me A Line" and "Mall of America" were played regularly during their heyday. I still remember most of those songs fondly. It wasn't uncommon for the band members to switch instruments during their sets. Each person contributes to vocals during their performances as well. Diethelm was in Jonny Lang's touring band for several years and was a performer and songwriter on his Wander This World album. 

All three of the guys in Slip Twister are also in the Fabulous Armadillos, a larger group that plays songs made famous by Pink Floyd, the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, and many other rock groups from the 1960s and 1970s. Those commitments would probably explain why Slip Twister doesn't book as many gigs anymore, although you might see them at a local fundraiser or private performance every once in a while. 

This is the only article I'm writing this week. I'll be taking a much-needed break this weekend. By the time I resume this series, I'll have attended my first concert of 2023 (Cold at First Avenue's 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis). Next time, I'll discuss Scarlet Canary, a Denver-based band that is no more, but the band members are still very much involved in making and performing live music. Until then, have a great week, everyone!

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Whatever Happened To...#22: Red Sun Rising

 Red Sun Rising was an up-and-coming group that had a few trendy radio songs over the last 15 years or so. I was impressed by a bit of their set at Northern Invasion in WI a few summers ago. I didn't get to see them play again, and with their band members now split into other groups, I might not get the chance to hear them in concert again. 

The group began in 2006. Guitarist Ryan Williams and lead singer Mike Priotich were high school classmates and happened to strike up a conversation about music one day. A year later, Red Sun Rising was born and the band started playing concerts in and around Akron, OH. Second guitarist Tyler Valendza joined the group in 2011.

Red Sun Rising released a self-titled album in 2010 and a follow-up, Making of Kings, in 2011 independently. Self-issued EPs The Fix and Into Forever would follow in 2012 and 2013, respectively. They signed with Razor & Tie Records in 2014 and their first major label release, Polyester Zeal, debuted in August 2015. By then, Dave McGarry had replaced Valendza. Ricky Miller had also joined the group as a bass guitarist and Pat Gerasia was now the group's drummer. Songs such as "Amnesia," "The Otherside" and "Emotionless" were top ten radio hits that propelled them to the national rock forefront. 

A second major label effort, Thread, was released in 2018, along with an EP entitled Peel in 2019. In December 2020, Red Sun Rising announced that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. Since then, Gerasia, McGarry, and Priotich launched a new group called The Violent. They are releasing new music under that moniker and touring on a somewhat regular basis. Williams is involved in his new band, New Monarch, which has also been recording songs. 

With the side projects taking off, it seems unlikely that Red Sun Rising will return to prominence any time soon. I wish all of the group members the very best, whether the band that started it all for them resumes or not. I'm thankful that I was along for the ride, at least for a little while anyway.

Well, that's all for this weekend. Next time, I'll discuss Slip Twister, a great local band that doesn't play very much anymore. Until then, have a very happy and safe holiday weekend!

Whatever Happened To...#21: Cinderella

Cinderella was one of the most popular hair metal bands from the Eighties. I'm glad I could see them play live at Halfway Jam, a now-defunct music festival that was only about an hour from my home. After their set, frontman Tom Kiefer looked thoroughly exhausted but happy by the reactions from the crowd. Unfortunately, that would be the only time I'd ever see them live in concert.

Bass guitarist Eric Brittingham and Kiefer formed the group in 1983 in Clifton Heights, PA. Drummer Tony Destra and guitarist Michael Shermick rounded out the original roster. Two years later, they had a recording contract with Mercury/Polygram Records and two new band members, drummer Jim Drnec and guitarist Jeff LaBar. Shermick and Destra had already departed to become founding members of the band Britny Fox.

Cinderella's first studio album, Night Songs, debuted in June 1986 and quickly went triple platinum. They soon toured with fellow hair metallers Poison and opened for Bon Jovi and David Lee Roth. They took on more of a bluesier sound with their sophomore effort, Long Cold Winter, in 1988. They went on to tour in support of that record, sharing stages with acts including Skid Row, the Scorpions, Motley Crue, and Ozzy Osbourne. 

The band continued their blues rock recording with their third album Heartbreak Station which debuted in 1990. Fans would have to wait 4 more years until their fourth album Still Climbing would be released, The delay was partially due to Kiefer's hemorrhage and vocal cyst surgeries. The album was Cinderella's first recording with drummer Kenny Aronoff. Still Climbing didn't chart nearly as well as their previous three albums, and the group was later cut loose by Mercury Records.

Cinderella took a break until 1996. A greatest hits compilation, Once Upon A..., was issued by Mercury Records in 1997, followed by the group's first live record, Live At the Key Club which debuted on Cleopatra Records in 1999. They toured sporadically after their hiatus for the next five years and were even signed by Sony Records at one point. Cinderella never got to record for that label and was embroiled in a legal battle with them for 3 years. 

The band continued to tour with contemporaries such as Quiet Riot and Firehouse until Kiefer needed another surgery in 2008, this time to repair a hemorrhaged vocal cord. By then, Brittingham and Labar were already busy with side projects, so Cinderella didn't resume touring again until 2010.

Cinderella had a heavy national and international touring schedule in the years that followed. They embarked on festival and headlining tours, along with the Monsters of Rock cruise. In 2017, Kiefer announced that problems within the band would likely prevent Cinderella from ever reforming, recording or touring together again. In July 2021, LaBar passed away at the age of 58.

It's too bad that we won't get to see the members of Cinderella rock crowds again. However, Kiefer's solo band is still going strong. I may have to make an effort to see them play sometime. I've heard that their sets are chock full of original compositions and many of the Cinderella classics that I've grown to love. 

Well, that's all for now. Next time, I'll write about Red Sun Rising, a great band that has since splintered off into a few new acts. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!


Saturday, May 6, 2023

Whatever Happened To...#20: Letters from the Fire

 Letters from the Fire was a band that I saw live in concert twice, each time fronted by a different singer. I saw them open for Nonpoint at the Fine Line in Minneapolis and as an opening act for Seether at the Myth in Maplewood MN a few years later. I still have the photos and CDs from both shows.

The group originated in 2012 in San Francisco, CA. They released an EP called Rebirth in 2012 and a self-titled EP 2 years later. Their original lineup consisted of singer Carley Coma, guitarists Cameron Stucky and Mike Keller, and drummer Brian Sumwalt. Coma left the band after only a year and was replaced by Elliot Weber. 

Their first full-length album, Worth the Pain, debuted in 2016. The title cut was the band's first hit single and they toured with Black Stone Cherry, Lacey Sturm, and Adelitas Way. The album was their first recording with vocalist Alexa Kabazie. Music videos were produced for the album tracks "Control" and "Worth the Pain."

Nina Bergman joined Letters from the Fire as the group's fourth singer in 2017, shortly after they made plans to record their second album. Drummer Seth Hostetter had also joined the band by then after Sumwalt departed. The disc was self-titled and debuted in June 2018. The song "Comfort You" was issued as a single and Letters from the Fire toured with Palisades, but they didn't last much longer. Letters from the Fire was dissolved by at least the end of 2019.

Despite the lineup changes, I still thought they were a very enjoyable band. They didn't make it big, but Letters from the Fire had a good stage presence and interacted with their fans and followers regularly. Some members have moved on to other music ventures while others have dropped out of the spotlight completely. I still dig out the discs I bought at their shows when I want to reminisce about those concerts.

Well, that's a wrap for Letters from the Fire. Next time, I'll write about legendary hair metal rockers Cinderella. Until then, have a great weekend and don't forget to be kind to one another. 

Whatever Happened To...#19: Crash Kings

 Crash Kings was an unusual band that I saw perform once at the Myth in Maplewood, MN. They opened for Stone Temple Pilots during their 20th-anniversary tour for their first album, Core. I noticed that this group was the only one I'd seen to date that didn't have at least one band member play an electric or acoustic guitar during their set. They were good, but I don't think they've been very active at all for about a decade.

Bassist Mike Beliveau and his older brother Tony, a singer/keyboardist, were both interested in music at early ages. They grew up in the Boston, MA suburb of Andover. Both brothers would go on to study at the Berklee College of Music. The brothers would eventually relocate to Los Angeles, CA before forming Crash Kings.

Percussionist/drummer Tom Roslak rounded out the trio. Musician and songwriter signed Crash Kings to Custard Records not long after the group began. Their self-titled debut album was released in May 2009. A second disc, entitled Dark of the Daylight, debuted in 2013 after the band had raised enough funds through their Kickstarter campaign to issue the record. 

Not much has been published about Crash Kings since their sophomore album debuted, so I'm led to believe that they're either inactive or have since disbanded. They were unusual but fun to see on stage. Maybe they'll be back on stages again, or not. Time will tell.

Well, that's all for this article. Next up is Letters from the Fire. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!