I Opened my own Salon in Salt Lake City!!!

It's called Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlour. It's at 1549 South and 1100 East in Sugar House. I have 7 other talented stylists that will be working with me there! Check it out!

Click HERE for the Absinthe Hair and Grooming Parlour Website!

Heavy Metal

I just got a sword. I've wanted one for a while. I purchased a couple decorative pieces at a pawn shop for $15 each. They are not real though and all it did was make me want an actual sword that can do actual battle. I began looking around and as I expected, a real sword is CRAZY expensive. A bit dismayed, I kind of gave up the search.

A week or so later, I couldn't sleep so I decided to cruise the web for more info and swords. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a web site called: The Sword Buyers Guide. This site is AWESOME! They have some excellent information on various styles of swords as well as a ton of info on the various armories. Even more important to me was that the site has lots of sword reviews with some impressive YouTube videos as well showing the guys putting the various swords through the ringer. It was great to be able to read all the specs on a specific blade and then see it in action against different strength and durability challenges.

After some intense research, I decided to order the Norman Sword from Dark Sword Armory. Oh, and did I mention that most all of the swords featured on the Sword Buyers Guide as well their very own sword store are $350 and under?!!!! Pretty cool. It's a great way to get some brutally durable blade to add to or start up a decent collection. Dark Sword Armory also had a really cool site and a great product! A select few of them are available for purchase @ the SBG Sword Store. The customer service was great and the Sword is solid and sexy! Click on any of the links to see the sites!

New Album from Slash

The new album from Slash isn't really that new anymore, but I just picked it up for kicks and it's not half bad.

Released April 2010, the album features guest artists ranging from Ozzy Osbourne to Fergie. In between are some great cuts with a star-studded line-up.

Track List:

Ghost (feat. Ian Astbury)

Crucify the Dead (feat. Ozzy Osbourne)

Beautiful Dangerous (feat. Fergie)

Back from Cali (feat. Myles Kennedy)

Promise (feat. Chris Cornell)

By the Sword (feat. Andrew Stockdale)

Gotten (feat. Adam Levine)

Doctor Alibi (feat. Lemmy Kilmeister)

Watch This (feat. Dave Grohl / Duff McKagan)

I Hold On (feat. Kid Rock)

Nothing to Say (feat. M Shadows)

Starlight (feat. Myles Kennedy)

Saint Is a Sinner Too (feat. Rocco DeLuca)

We're All Gonna Die (feat. Iggy Pop)

Mother Maria (feat. Beth Hart)

My Favorite Track from the album Featuring Ian Astbury from The Cult.

Ha!!! I found it!!!!!

For years! And YEARS! I have had this damn song stuck in my head! I used to hear it when I was in first and second grade when the creepy Ice Cream Man would come by. I was afraid of him but I loved that Pied Piper's sweet melody. For years, it would pop into my head and I had NO way of finding out what the tune is called. Of course, today we have our "shazaam"s and our "soundhound"s to help out. So, one day for whatever reason I was tuned into Salt Lake City's Light FM 100.3 and it began to play!!!!!

Thank god for my SoundHound application on the iPhone because HERE IT IS:

Operator-Soulcrusher

Operator is an American post-grunge band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The band features former Puddle of Mudd guitarist Paul Phillips and vocalist Johnny Strong, a part-time actor who has appeared in movies such as Black Hawk Down and The Fast and the Furious.

-Wikipedia.com

Honestly, I didn't even remember downloading this song ever. One day I was out in the yard doing some work when this track started playing in my headphones. At first, I just figured it was a Chris Cornell song that I was familiar with... until the chorus. I was impressed so I pulled out my pod to see who it was. Operator.

Check out the Music Video for Soulcrusher HERE

Brainstorm

Brainstorm is a German power metal band, formed in 1989 by guitarists Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric, and drummer Dieter Bernert, ^[1] The band features lead singer Andy B. Franck, who is also famous for his other band, Symphorce. They are known to play a somewhat darker style of music than most power metal groups.

- from Wikipedia.com

I bought this track on a whim while I was beefing up my Metal Playlist for the gym. I was impressed and I've since picked up a few more tracks from these guys. Enjoy

Brainstorm Track: Fire Walk With Me

Sons of Anarchy

So you've probably heard of the FX series "Sons of Anarchy." If not, check it out, it's pretty good. Basically, the show follows the activities of an outlaw motorcycle club in a fictional city in California. The music featured in the show is solid and it's fun to download a song or two that I heard on the show.

For whatever reason, having watched the first 2 seasons and now getting into the 3rd, I have developed a renewed appreciation for Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society. Which is funny since, to my knowledge, their music has not been featured on the show. I guess it's no surprise that getting into a Harley Davidson mood in conducive to listening to BLS cause that's what I've been doing. If it's been a while since you've given 'em a listen.... do it

Below is the the track "The Blessed Hellride." One of my favorites.

RED: Death of Me

I've spent way too long being one of those metal brats that thinks that nothing cool has been written since Queensryche's Empire. Well, this song does it for me on several levels. The video is not bad either. I don't remember where or when I heard this song for the first time. I don't even remember buying/downloading it but Cleaning up my metal, I found this song and I dig it.

Artist: RED

Album: Innocence and Instinct

Track: Death of Me

RED is actually a Christian Rock Band from Nashville, Tennessee. They are relatively new on the scene having been established in 2004.

KSE: My Curse

Love this video! This is one of my "Get Up" songs for monday mornings.

Artist: Kill Switch Engage

Album: As Daylight Dies

Track: My Curse

I call it: "Sex Metal"

I can't really put my finger on why this song is so intriguing to me. But the first time I heard it on the radio, I was hooked. Deftones+Maynard?! Yeah, sign me up! So, dirty/sexy/nasty. So good!

Artist: deftones featuring Maynard James Keenan (Tool)

Album: White Pony

Track: Passenger

Cavo: Pleasant Surprise!!!

Cavo is an American post-grunge/hard rock band from St. Louis, Missouri, created 2000-2001.

Members:

Chris Hobbs- Lead Guitar

Chad La Roy- Drums

Brian Smith- Bass

Casey Walker- Lead Vocals

So, just driving around in my car with my iPhone music recognition app, I stumble upon a song or two from time to time that I really like. Well, over the course of about a month, I had stumbled upon about 3 songs I really liked and to my surprise, they were all by this band called Cavo that I had never heard of! Well, I dig 'em.

Lighten Up

Just a video of me playing my drums to one of my favorite songs for cruising around with my girls and eating chocolate in the VW Cabrio on our way to rent Sex in the City. NOT! Haha

You just Can't Win them all

Decent Video... Ok song... Makeup Fail.

Better and Better! I'm hooked

Perhaps my Favorite dredg Song/Video so far:

Here's a little more dredg...

It's like Indie Prog or something... I love it!

Dark, Creepy, Spacey, Love it

Great Vocals, Killer Drums. I'm impressed.

dredg: American Progressive/Alternative Rock Band from Los Gatos, California.

Formed in 1993.

Band Members:

Gavin Hayes- Vocals, Guitar

Drew Roulette- Bass Guitar, Synthesizer

Mark Engles- Guitar

Dino Campanella- Drums, Piano, Organ

Some of my favorite Porcupine Tree Songs!

Porcupine Tree has a million and a half different sounds. These are some of the more mellow.

Their Hard stuff is just as awesome.

Pink Floyd-Porcupine Tree

My friend Sam who is one of the only people I know that likes Porcupine Tree more than me, once told me that Steven Wilson of PT gets feisty when people compare them to Pink Floyd. Well sorry Steven. Maybe you shouldn't sound so much like them. Haha. In a good way. When I heard the song: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun by PF... I was blown away how similar the two bands can be. But I love it. And it helps me appreciate how pioneering PF was and how awesome PT is. Here is just one of PT's Floydness.

Australian Pink Floyd Experience

I love Pink Floyd. But for some reason I always forget HOW MUCH I love them. I forget how many albums they have and how Rad they ALL are. It is crazy to think of some of the things they were able to accomplish musically. There are so many different sounds that I forget that so many of my favorite songs cam from one band.

My dad, being the man he is, took me to see the Australian Pink Floyd show @ the Usana Amphitheater here in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was amazing. I loved it. In fact, like most rock shows, it made me tear up a bit. If you have the chance to check 'em out in your area, I highly recommend it.

For one reason or another, I had never heard this song before the show. But, it was one of the highlights of the performance.

A little Guilty Pleasure New Metal

For the longest time, I have maintained as the Metal Brat that I am, that all new Metal sucks. Obviously this is not the case and there is quite a bit of great music being released. Well, here are a few songs that I really dig from a few bands that I've spent my fair share of time resisting.