This Monday Sucks!

I Woke Up To Some Terrible News

I wasn’t expecting to get hit by a brick while waking up this morning. My alarm went off and like any good social media zombie, I checked Facebook for any crucial updates. What I saw almost killed me:

*****ANNOUNCEMENT – PART ONE*****

Now, we’ve had quite a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes at Amorettes HQ, and you might have noticed we’ve been a little quieter than usual lately. Whilst there is a lot of good news to unveil to you in a couple of hours time, and there are a HELLUVA lot of exciting things coming up, I’m afraid that there has got to be an unhappy announcement first, and one that I’d hoped we’d never have to make.

After 10 fantastic years together, it is with great sadness that we must announce the departures of Heather and Hannah Mckay from the band. We have shared some of the most incredible times together, and what we’ve been able to achieve so far has surpassed all of our expectations.

Here’s a statement from the girls;

“Our time in the Amorettes turned into way more than we ever imagined. The people we met, the places we saw, the opportunities we were given, we will never forget. From carrying our gear to gigs in bin bags in the early days to walking onstage at Shepherd’s Bush empire, to getting an album in the charts, or witnessing the angel of darkness Marilyn Manson tackling a salad bar, to playing in a town centre where not even the grannies stopped to have a listen. Its been a wild old time and we have worn out that many pairs of converse that we kept sports direct in business.
A decade on, we feel the time is right to move onto pastures new so we want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of our amazing fans, everyone that’s supported us throughout the years, everyone that’s worked their arses off behind the scenes, Martin Jarvis and our bad ass ‘Rettes road crew.
Last but not least big respect to Gill for continuing to fly the Ammies flag and haul ass in first class.
We love you all “

Of course, I am obviously gutted to lose the girls as bandmates, as we had the best times, tackling the world together and raising hell. Life on the road with them will be sorely missed! However, we are all still the best of friends, and I wish them all the love and luck in the world for whatever their next chapters have in store for them.

I also want to take this moment to thank Martin Jarvis for everything – he has worked tirelessly for so long, and the three of us really do owe him an enormous amount.
And mostly, every one of you so far who’s supported us, we couldn’t have done it without you! You mean the world to us.

Now, get yourself a brew, and check back at 12 for Part 2..

Gill x

(taken directly from the official Amorettes Facebook page)

I couldn’t believe my eyes. One of my favorite bands just announced that they would be splitting up. Granted, they aren’t the first and will definitely not be the last band that I love to lose or change personnel, but these young ladies were riding a surging wave of success. I don’t know exactly what caused the split and, in all honesty, it’s none of my business, but I do hope that they will at least occasionally perform together for a reunion or two.

• 

Two hours after posting about the split, Gill returned to the fan page and made this post followed by the photo below:

*****ANNOUNCEMENT PART 2*****

ACTION STATIONS!!

To lose Heather and Hannah from the band is of course absolutely devastating – The girls are my sisters, and we’ve been through so much together. Whilst I must admit that there have been times over the past couple of months where I’ve thought about putting The Amorettes to bed, I feel there’s so much more to come, and we’re not going down without a fight! The Amorettes WILL carry on! But how? Well..

I have some rather AWESOME ladies coming to joining me on Team Amorette. They have some large shoes to fill but are definitely up for the job! I can’t reveal ALL to you quite yet, however please stay very tuned!

CHIN UP! And If life gives you lemons, you can either bugger off or make a Gin and Tonic!

Once again, I am so grateful for all of your support and kind words, it really does mean the world to me.

Gill xxx

At least we know that the band will continue in some form with Gill. The rumor mill has already started to churn out possible members but one thing is for sure: Whoever steps in for Heather and Hannah have got some big shoes to fill. I wish nothing but the best of luck to all three of the original band members and expect nothing but the best from the new crew. I’ll still be listening, Amorettes, but I’m going to miss Hannah and Heather.

If you are a fan of the band, let me know in the comments. I’m really going to miss this trio working together. In my opinion they were one of the best recent young bands to take the stage. I truly hope that all three of these young ladies continue with their success.

Tunes: Vixen Is Back!

The late 1980’s

Vixen first rose to fame in the late 80’s with their self-titled debut album that featured the hits Edge of a Broken Heart and Cryin.  They followed up that album with Rev It Up.  Despite a solid track list that included How Much Love and Love is a Killer, the album failed to meet expectations for the band’s label at the time and Vixen was soon dropped.

As was the case with most glam and hair bands of the time, Vixen attempted to change their sound with their third album, Tangerine.  With a sound leaning towards grunge, the album failed to make a mark.  Also, neither bassist Share Pedersen nor guitarist Jan Kuehnemund played on the album.  More ups and downs would follow, including a legal battle for the band’s name and another ill-received album, Live & Learn, which had no participation from drummer Roxy Petrucci, vocalist Janet Gardner, or Pedersen.

In 2012, things started to look promising as Kuehnemund, Pedersen, Petrucci, and Gardner started gearing up for a reunion tour.  Sadly, Kuehnemund would fight and lose a battle with cancer, ending any chance for a reunion of the classic lineup.  Gine Stile, who played guitar on Tangerine, was brought in to fill the void left by Jan and the band started regularly touring once again.  As a fan of the band, it was great to see them back together and on tour again, but I wanted more.  I wanted a new album.

In March of 2017, it was announced that Stile was no longer a part of the band.  She was replaced by Jaded guitarist, Britt Lightning and the band continued successfully touring.  It was during this time that the group made a live recording of their performance at the Arcada Theater opening for Slaughter.  That recording became their most recent album, Live Fire.

Released on July 6, fans of the band were given the opportunity to pre-order the album on CD, as a digital download, on vinyl, or even cassette.  There were multiple options to purchase the album including an autographed CD pack (the one that I purchased) featuring an autographed CD sleeve, stickers, a pick, and a limited release print.  Other options included t-shirts, larger prints, and even a thank you call from Janet Gardner.

The album features songs primarily culled from the group’s two most successful albums, but it also includes the previously unreleased Big Brother, and a cover of I Don’t Need No Doctor with Share Ross (formerly Pedersen) taking on the vocals for the song.  It was originally recorded by Nick Ashford in 1966, but has been covered by numerous artists including Ray Charles, Humble Pie, and Joan Osborne.

The album also features a new studio recording of You Ought To Know By Now and a slow acoustic version of Edge of a Broken Heart.  You Ought To Know By Now, if memory serves me correctly, was never released on a studio album but was a track that the band would play at live shows.  The acoustic take on Edge sounds wonderful.  It’s stripped down and played at a slower pace and despite the slower groove, the song is still just as singable as the original.

The album’s sound quality is a little sketchy at the beginning in my opinion, but before the opening track, Rev It Up, really gets rolling, the sound greatly improves and is excellent for the rest of the disc.  Since this is essentially a greatest hits album recorded live, you already know just how great these tunes are and there’s really no need to go into a deep discussion about them.  Still, there are a couple of things that I can talk about before ending this post.

For starters, the band sounds great.  The harmonies are tight and Janet’s voice sounds as strong as ever despite recently having surgery.  Roxy and Share provide excellent rhythm and a heavy bottom end that punches along with each song.  Britt Lightning tackles the lead guitar with a gritty touch that fits in perfectly with Vixen’s sound.  Also, be sure to listen for a little Purple Haze thrown into one of the band’s tunes by Britt.

The autographed slipcover, pick, stickers, and print were a nice touch.  The band is also having a drawing to give out classic goodies from the band’s history (autographed photos, vinyl, posters, CDs from the band’s solo efforts, etc.) for all of those that pre-ordered Live Fire.

The band is currently on tour and there are rumors floating around that they might head back to the studio to record a new album.  I truly hope that they release some new music and tour in support of it.  I also hope that they come to Louisiana or southeast Texas.  I’ve never seen Vixen live, but would love to see them in concert.  I would definitely take advantage of any Meet and Greet package that they offer, as I’ve always wanted to meet the band.

I’m excited to see that Vixen is back and stronger than ever.  Live Fire does a great job of catching their spirit on stage, and it feels like 1990 again in my forty-plus year old mind.  If you love Vixen (and ya know you do), pick up Live Fire.  Relive a few old memories that you made while listening to the songs that Janet, Roxy, Share, and Britt are belting out for you on the disc and make plans to attend a live show if they come to your town.  Support your favorite acts no matter how long it has been since they released any content.  Show them some love on social media as well.

Finally, I want to say that the loss of Jan was pretty big to me.  I was so excited when the group announced that they were getting back together and immediately crushed when I heard that she was diagnosed with cancer.  She is missed by myself and other Vixen fans across the world.

Thanks for reading this post.  Technically it’s a review of Vixen’s new album, but it’s really just a love letter to a band that I’ve enjoyed listening to for many years. I plan on doing a few more album reviews in the near future, including a look at The Amorettes’ latest effort, Born To Break.

Keep rockin’, ya big nerds!

Ten Burning Questions

On Fire!

Welcome, fine readers, to the first ever Ten Burning Questions post!  This post will be the first of what I hope will be many to cover ten hardcore questions that range from the serious to the silly.  I’ll be asking questions to friends, cosplayers, authors, convention goers, convention runners, volunteers, etc.  Hopefully I will also get a celeb interview here and there as well!

So, without further ado, here are Ten Burning Questions!!!!

Our first guest is JJ Shipman of RedTop Cosplay.  Let’s pick his brain with Ten Burning Questions!!!!

1. What comic titles and/or television shows are you currently following?

Preacher and Gotham

2. Which character is your favorite to cosplay and why?

Joker.  It’s my favorite villain, specifically Suicide Squad Joker.

3. Which conventions are your favorites? Why?

New Orleans Wizard World.  Big and lots of guests!

4. Who has better hair, Thor or Chewbacca? Explain your answer.

Thor.  He uses Thoreal because Hemsworth it!

5. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years as a cosplayer?

Where I am now.  I’m 100% satisfied.

6. What is your earliest nerdy or geeky memory?

My first episode of Doctor Who.  I was sold.

7. Favorite band or solo artist?

Need To Breathe, great band!

8. If you were stranded on an island, would you rather be stranded with Natalie Portman or Felicia Day?

Natalie Portman

9. When cosplaying, do you take on all aspects of the character, or just the look?

All aspects.

10. Favorite movie monster?

Alien Queen

Super Mega Bonus Question 11: Do you have any websites, social media pages, or contact info that you’d like to share with my readers?

RedTop Cosplay on Facebook.  Click the link to be taken to JJ’s page!

I want to thank JJ Shipman for being the first guest on Ten Burning Questions.  Each time I post about this particular topic, the questions will change!  I hope you, good reader, enjoyed this as well.  I’ll still be posting my standard posts like I always have, but I’ll try to have the Ten Burning Questions segment biweekly.
Thanks for reading!

Southern Geek Fest!!!

Hattiesburg, MS

Over the weekend I took a road trip to Hattiesburg, MS for the first ever Southern Geek Fest.  It was an excellent event put on by Rafe White, Tim Nicholas, and a wonderful group of local and not-so local volunteers.  There was an excellent mix of vendors, authors, comic artists, celebrities, and cosplayers.

The event prior to opening.

The convention was very laid back.  Since many of the attendees were part of Southern Geek’s Facebook group, the convention felt more like a family reunion or a get-together of good friends (many of which were meeting for the first time) than an actual convention.  That, in my opinion, is a good thing.  The Forrest County Multipurpose Center served as an adequate venue to hold the convention at, allowing for plenty of floor space and two nice panel rooms that were actually in a building adjacent to the main facility.

Fan groups from Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, and other fandoms were on site, as well as a few local groups as well.  Many of them were having raffles or special events (like shooting a Dalek) to raise money for various charities.  Miss Southern Magnolia, Alexis Carter, was also present, raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network.  She was posing for photos, signing autographs, and seemed to be a genuinely sweet young lady.  Myself and a friend talked with her briefly and she was kind enough to pose for photos with us.

Alexis Carter autograph.

Captain ‘Murica, Alexis, and DDK.

There were many excellent celebrities on hand as well, including Tim Russ of Star Trek:  Voyager, Anne Mahoney of The Walking Dead, Jeremy London of Mallrats, and John Mangus of Jurassic World and many other films.  I visited with Mr. Russ and picked up an autograph from him.  I also sat in on his panel.  I’ve known John Mangus for a few years now, and he’s always a treat to visit with whenever we see each other at conventions.

John Mangus and myself.

Tim Russ autograph.

I also got to meet Scotty Whitehurst, a member of the cast and crew of Star Trek Continues.  I can honestly say that this is one of the best shows around and every single member of the cast and crew that I’ve met or interacted with online has been cordial.

Autographed Scotty Whitehurst photo.

SGF featured a number of excellent cosplayers including Alice Infinity, Kimberly Battista, Angie Starr, and Shane Dison.  I’ve known Shane for awhile now and he’s one of the coolest people that you could ever meet.  He gets what I’m doing with DDK and demanded that I keep my left ear cocked like I did with my previous costume.  I also visited with Angie Starr.  She also gets the whole DDK thing and thought that it was very cool.  All of the cosplayers were very nice, and I hope that SGF brings some of them back next year.

DDK with Angie Starr as Harley Quinn.

With Shane Dison as a Toaster…..er, Cylon.

I also got to meet a few new people and catch up with old friends.  Many of my friends and myself were either volunteering or involved with groups at the convention.  Will still managed to get a reasonable amount of time to hang out with each other.  I also got to eat that evening with a few friends.

My favorite costume at the convention.

Don’t blink? Why not?

Doom Metal CDs from Cave Moran!

As the convention started to wind down a bit, I snagged a few Doom Metal CDs from Cave Moran, who’s also an artist (just check out his work on the album covers).  I managed to listen to all of them on my long ride back home.  Driving to and from the convention was crazy.  I had to deal with bad rain throughout most of Louisiana and typical terrible Baton Rouge traffic on my drive to Hattiesburg and beautiful skies and a road raging lunatic on my way home.  With that said, though, I’d do it all over again to go back to Southern Geek Fest.

This was a very fun event, and I hope that it was a success as well.  Attendance appeared to be steady and strong, and I heard of very few complaints.  Hopefully Rafe, Tim, and the core staff of this event will keep what worked and change whatever they feel needs to be changed.

As I stated in a previous post, this event looked to be an excellent first timer.  It definitely was.  If SGF returns next year, I hope to see YOU there!

Heck, even DDK was sad to see the event end!

As always, thanks for reading.  If you attended this event, let me know what you thought about it and if you plan on returning next year!!!!

End Of The Year Review

Adios, 2015

This post is going to be long, so be prepared.  It won’t bother me one bit if you jump ahead to the stuff that interests you the most.  Feel free to do so.

2015 was a pretty good year for me.  I met a myriad of awesome people (celebs and plain janes like myself), lived to see another great entry into the Star Wars saga, celebrated my birthday with friends and Jurassic World, discovered some wonderful new bands, and attended some great conventions.

That Star Wars Flick

Let’s start things off with the long-awaited Star Wars:  The Force Awakens opening in December of this year.  Fans of all ages flocked to see this film, and I was right there with them (on an early Saturday morning with my kids in tow).  My family and I arrived early enough to pick out some great seats and I was instantly a kid again when “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” popped on to the screen.  My eldest child (who only saw Star Wars films on DVD or Blu-ray) finally saw a Star Wars film on the big screen.  My youngest saw The Phantom Menace during its 3D release a few years ago.  It was so great to share something with my children that had literally been a part of my entire life.

I’ll post a review of the film later (because spoilers will be included), and I want to give those who are waiting for crowds to die down a bit before going a chance to see the film.  I may or may not have purchased a few action figures and/or shirts and other cool things emblazoned with the Star Wars logo on them.

Briefly, though, this film is awesome!  If you enjoy the SW saga at all, you’ll want to check out this film.

Dinosaurs!

Another epic film that was released this year was Jurassic World.  It was heavy on popcorn action and fun, and it was highly enjoyable.  It held a lot of box office records until Star Wars came to town, and deservedly so.  I reviewed the film earlier this year and if you’d like to check it out, hop back to my June posts and you’ll find it in there.

Marvel, DC, and TMNT!

Marvel and DC ramped things up this year.  Marvel fired the first shot with Avengers:  Age of Ultron, and kept things going with the excellent Ant-Man flick that, at least in my opinion, surprised a lot of people with just how wonderful it really was.  Paul Rudd convinced me that he deserved to put on Hank Pym’s suit and for this reason, Ant-Man is easily in my top five of Marvel film favorites.

Of course, shows like Agent Carter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, and Jessica Jones also helped out Marvel’s power grab, but television remains the domain of DC in my opinion.  Sure, everybody is talking about Batman Vs. Superman:  Dawn of Justice, but Arrow, Gotham, The Flash, and Supergirl had everyone talking this year.  The Flash is one of my favorite shows at the moment, and I love how the writers have managed to present the Scarlett Speedster and his enemies in a way that is a lot more lighthearted than Arrow and Gotham.

Legends of Tomorrow looks to be another hit for DC early next year, and Supergirl is continuing to pick up the pace.  Gotham keeps getting better as well!

I’m particularly interested in which direction Gotham will be going when it returns from its midseason break.  They’ve loaded up on villains this year (and promise to bring an even colder one into the fray after the break with Mr. Freeze), and I love how the writers have managed to intertwine all of the baddies together.  Here’s hoping that they will keep up the pace!

Conventions, Conventions, Conventions!

Harley Quinn, DDK, and Poison Ivy.

Anybody that knows me knows that I love going to conventions.  This year was particularly excellent because I got to attend more events than usual.  To start off this year, I headed to Bossier City, LA, for Louisiana Comic Con.  This was a brand new event and it was extremely crowded.  Still, I got to hang out with some great friends and made a few new ones as well.

A few weeks later I ventured to Biloxi, MS, for my grand return to CoastCon!  It’s one of the biggest little conventions that I’ve ever been to and I simply love attending it whenever funds and time allow.

After CoastCon, I headed home to Lake Charles, LA, for CyPhaCon, the best convention in southwest Louisiana.  There I got to meet Vic Mignogna and Chuck Huber from Star Trek Continues, and made a few new friends as well.

Once the summer heat turned up, I headed to Sulphur, LA, for Bayoucon.  I got to meet Todd Haberkorn, also of Star Trek Continues, at this local event, and it was the place where the Just Us League made their debut.  For those of you who don’t know, the Just Us League is a group of cosplayers that are just out to have fun with silly costumes based off of superheroes.  If any of us happen to be attending a convention near you, come say hello!

Space City Comic Con was next on my list, and there I got to meet the wonderful Michele Specht (of Star Trek Continues, do ya notice a pattern here?).  Not only is she one of the nicest celebs I’ve ever met, she was a blast to hang out with as well!  She showed the Just Us League some love and even sent a photo of myself and her giving the Vulcan “LLAP” sign to be a part of a large photo of Leonard Nimoy after his passing!  It was such an honor to be a part of this wonderful print that William Shatner helped come to fruition.

The last convention for me this year was Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette, LA.  There, the Just Us League made another appearance.  I also got to hang out with Orion’s Envy and made some new friends.  I met Donald Fullilove and Lew Temple as well!

Music

Guns n’ Roses

On the music scene, I picked up Game On from The Amorettes.  They’re my new favorite band right now, and I just helped fund their next album that’s going to be recorded and released next year.  Be sure to check them out if you haven’t done so already.

I also found Dark Sarah, a solo project by the former frontwoman for Amberian Dawn.  I also picked up the newest project from Leaves’ Eyes, which was just as rocking as every other thing they’ve put out so far.

The year in music ended up and down for me, as rumors of a Guns N Roses reunion hit the web and the death of Lemmy from Motorhead landed just a few days later.

 Downers

Including the aforementioned death of Lemmy, a lot of people passed away this year that have had some type of influence in my life.  For starters, let’s talk about a few that made me laugh.  New York Yankee great Yogi Berra was the epitome of a hard working and hard loving man.  He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest baseball players in history.  He’s known more for his “Yogiisms” now than he is for his excellent athletic ability, but I believe that it was his heart that was truly his greatest gift to mankind.

Dick Van Patten is another person that made me smile over the years.  I watched Eight Is Enough in syndication and really enjoyed it.  Donna Douglas, of The Beverly Hillbillies, was another person that I loved to watch on television.  Watching her in syndication, Douglas quickly became an early crush for me.

We also lost some greats in film like the master of horror, Wes Craven, and one of the most prolific actors and renaissance men of all time, Christopher Lee.  Lee made a great impact on my life, as his work in horror and fantasy was a huge part of my life.

Wrestling greats Dusty Rhodes and Rowdy Roddy Piper left us, as did legendary bluesman, B.B. King.

We also lost Leonard Nimoy.  You all know and love him as Spock.  Of all of the celebrities that we lost this year, his death had the biggest impact on me.  I’ve wept for many celebrities over the years, especially Robin Williams, even though my only interaction with these people was through television, books, or films.  In the case of Nimoy, however, I felt as if I was losing a great friend.  Spock was and still is a huge part of my life, and Nimoy’s portrayal of the great character will be sorely missed.

 

The End Of It All

So, that’s a quick rundown of my year.  I hope that 2016 is just as awesome, and I hope that all of you have a great year as well.  As Mr. Spock would say, “Live long and prosper.”  Happy New Year to all of you, and as always, thanks for reading.

Louisiana Comic Con (The Lafayette Version), Cosplay Bullies, And More!!

Lafayette, LA

In just over a month from now, Lafayette, LA will be getting a big dose of geekdom when the Louisiana Comic Con takes place October 17th and 18th.  I have plans to be there and you should too.  Why?  Because this is the first pop culture event to hit Lafayette in a long time.  Yes, there have been conventions here in the past (MechaCon and LouisiAnime, for example), but those conventions have been fairly anime-centric (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and have also moved on to a larger city, New Orleans.  Louisiana Comic Con, which is being put on by the same group that hosted an event in Bossier City earlier this year under the same name, appears to be bringing something to the table for everyone.

Lafayette is a really cool town in south central Louisiana, and I’m glad that they are finally getting a convention that offers a little bit for every fandom out there.  For more info (and a few more cool photos taken by Leslie Westbrook like the featured image), check out the article on The Advocate’s website here.

If you do plan on attending this event, be sure to look for me on Saturday as Charlie Brown and on Sunday as the Discount Dark Knight.  I’ll be hanging around with the JustUs League on Sunday as well, so if you want to have a good time, just look for us!

In other news, I recently watched a video that you can see here, that really touched me.  It appears that the young lady in the video, who goes by the name Oppai Queen (she’s on Facebook, by the way), was bullied on social media for her cosplay, specifically her body size.  She was called “Shamu” and a few other not-so-nice names and has apparently been picked at before both on social media and in person.

I can’t tolerate this sort of BS.  Why do people feel the need to pick on others just because a person doesn’t fit their particular concept of beauty or their definition of a certain character?  The young lady in the video is very attractive in my opinion and shows a ton of courage for the costumes that she wears.  If you don’t like her costume or her body type, avert your eyes and keep your opinion to yourself!  If you believe that she or any other person is too tall, short, skinny, fat, pretty, ugly, or any other adjective that comes to mind for a specific cosplay, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!!!!!  If a person is bold enough to wear something like a Slave Leia costume or a skintight Spider-Man costume, show them a little respect for putting themselves out there and taking a chance!

With that said, I want to challenge each and every person reading this post.  If you see somebody at a convention in a costume, compliment them.  Tell them that you really like whatever it is that they are wearing or ask them how they created a certain piece of their costume.  Not only will it make them feel good about themselves, it might even be the start of a great friendship.  In short, don’t be a jerk to anybody!!!!!  It’s that simple!

Now we’ve arrived at the “more” portion of my post.  This weekend I am bringing some of my family out to see a live Ninja Turtles production on, oddly enough considering the previous topic, bullying.  I’ll be sure to post photos and give a brief write up after the event this weekend.  I really hope that it’s a good show, as certain members of my family really love TMNT.

I’ve also fallen in love with the album Behind The Black Veil by Dark Sarah.  I’ve been listening to a lot of Beauty and the Beast Metal lately and Dark Sarah was a band that was suggested to me.  While it’s not Beauty and the Beast Metal, it definitely has the Beauty element with the wonderful operatic voice of Heidi Parviainien (formerly of Amberian Dawn) who portrays Dark Sarah as the character spins into darkness as she is left at the altar by her would-be husband.  The album is steeped in theatrical metal and has hints of Danny Elfman scattered throughout, particularly in the song Violent Roses.  I love this album and can’t get enough of it!

I recently watched the second episode of Fear The Walking Dead and while it’s a definite improvement over the first episode, the show is still lacking.  I still don’t care about any of the characters and I don’t make a mad dash to the television set to watch it like I do whenever The Walking Dead is about to come on.  I still have hope that this show will find its footing and win over audiences, but it better do so quickly, or it will end up just as dead as a walker with a tire wrench through its brain.

Last but not least, I want to touch on the whole Force Friday business that happened on September 4.  I read a ton of posts whining about the lack of selection, the limits set on customers, and the long hours in line only to get to the shelves and see that all of the Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma figures were gone.  You know what?  It’s not that big of a deal!  Yes, I hate it when scalpers go in and buy up all of a certain figure only to resale it for a crazy price, but as long as people are willing to pay that price, scalpers will exist.  If fans and collectors would simply wait until more figures are released (and they almost always will be), they’ll get that sacred Kylo Ren or Captain Phasma that they just gotta have!  Sure, you miss out on a few exclusives every now and then but nobody has to have absolutely every single item that is released!

I didn’t go out on Friday to pick up any Star Wars items.  Nope, I went on Saturday to a local Wal-Mart that (luckily for me) is in an area where collectors are almost non-existent.  I picked up a Kylo and a Phasma in 3.75″ size and paid retail for it.  I left a ton of Black Series 6″ figures on the shelf because I just didn’t feel like getting them and, yes, there were two Kylo Rens on the shelf!

Collecting is supposed to be fun, not a Black Friday bar fight!  Be patient, refuse to pay scalper prices, and eventually you’ll get your hands on whatever must-have you are tracking down.

Well, that’s all of my ranting for now, folks.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for reading!!!!

Your Next Favorite Band, The Amorettes!

Listening To Their Newest CD

I usually post about nerdy topics in this blog.  Comics and science fiction are the primary focus for me, but if you know me a bit better than casual readers, though, you know that I love listening to music, particularly bands like KISS, Motley Crue, Dio, and others.

In the last few weeks I’ve been listening to the blistering tunes that emit from Game On, the second album by the entirely too awesome trio of Gill Montgomery (vocals, guitars) and sisters Hannah (drums, backing vocals) and Heather McKay (bass, backing vocals), collectively known as The Amorettes.

The Amorettes. L to R: Gill Montgomery, Hannah McKay, and Heather McKay. Photo Credit: I totally stole this from a Google Image Search.

My immediate reaction to this band was to label them as the second coming of The Runaways (who gave us the dynamic forces known as Joan Jett and Lita Ford), but listening to their tracks a bit deeper, I feel that while the comparison to that legendary group of ladies is warranted, there’s something a tad more polished about this group (and when I say “polished,” I mean it as a good thing).  I can hear the influence of bands like AC/DC and the Ramones.  I also sense a trio that is on the cusp of worldwide fame.  There’s something special about these ladies that makes them stand out from the recent influx of rock groups that lean heavy on old school rock n’ roll and punk influences.

What that something is evades me for now, but I do know that whenever I put Game On into my car’s stereo, it doesn’t leave until I’ve listened to the entire album.  I don’t skip any songs on the album and I wish that it had more tunes on it.

Hannah’s driving drums carry tunes like Get What’s Coming and Bull By The Horns to levels of rock that force the listener to tap their foot and sing along.  Heartbreaker and Son of a Gun get a nice injection of attitude from Gill’s vocals and guitar work, and Heather’s bass keeps everything in line on songs like Give’Em Hell and Daddy’s Got Money.

There isn’t a bad track on the entire album, and I can only hope that these ladies make a trip stateside (specifically Louisiana or Texas).  They’ve pumped up audiences for established rockers like Europe and Black Star Riders, and hopefully they will do the same for bands in the United States.

Heather, Gill, and Hannah (my current crush)! Photo Credit: Again, I stole this from a Google Image Search.

Take a listen to the tune below and let me know what you think. Bands like The Amorettes excite me because as long as these types of bands exist, I know that real rock n’ roll will never die.  They bring a fresh new take on classic rock n’ roll.  Keep rocking, ladies!

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope to add more coverage of current and up-and-coming bands in the very near future.

P.S.  I believe I have a crush on Hannah!