Hard Rock Daddy presents Music Discovery Monday – 8/3/15.
Each week, the HRD team shares songs that fly below radio’s radar, ranging from lesser-known artists to deeper cuts from both up-and-coming and established artists.
In addition to exposing the Hard Rock Daddy audience to new music that isn’t getting the attention that it deserves from radio, Music Discovery Monday also features a segment called “Hard Rock Music Time Machine,” which showcases older songs (from the 70s to today) that hard rock music fans may have missed at the time of release.
In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlists beneath each section, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles.
ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)
BUCKCHERRY – “The Madness”
Buckcherry is widely known, but it’s fair to say that they are still underrated. It’s hard to believe that the band formed two decades ago, and has been releasing albums since 1999. After a dark period for hard rock and metal, Buckcherry emerged onto the scene with a gritty, dirty, rock and roll sound in the Guns N’ Roses vein. By all rights, they should be one of the biggest bands in the world today. Aside from a brief hiatus, the band has been going strong for many years, always putting out quality music. Though they have evolved through the years, their signature sound remains intact, largely due to the distinct vocals of frontman, Josh Todd. From the band’s upcoming album, Rock ‘n’ Roll, “The Madness” has an interesting guitar picking intro before kicking in with a heavy Megadeth-esque riff. Like Megadeth’s “Sweating Bullets,” “The Madness” deals with the different sides that live inside us all (albeit in a more subdued, less deranged manner). Great vocals, riffs and drums are held together by the heavy groove of the bass on a song that should be another standout radio track sooner rather than later.
THE DEAD DAISIES – “Mexico”
The Dead Daisies are one of the more fascinating acts in hard rock today. This music collective – which features a veritable who’s who of rock – recently became the first U.S. artists to tour Cuba since travel and trade restrictions were lifted. As guests of the Cuban Ministry of Culture, Cuban Institute of Music and the Cuban Rock Agency, the band spent a week performing electric and acoustic shows. They regularly rotate high profile members, and their sound is probably best described as “classic rock” (even though they were formed in 2012), but The Dead Daisies have the talent and songs to be mentioned in the same breath as the legendary bands that they’ve supported on tour. From their June release, Revolución (the first album with John Corabi fronting the band), “Mexico” is a fun, bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll party song with a big hook that showcases Corabi’s vocals (which are reminiscent of Ian Gillan at times). If you haven’t checked out The Dead Daisies yet, make sure to give “Mexico” a listen.
JON LOVELESS – HRD Music Scout
THE RADIO SUN – “Caught Between Heaven & A Heartbreak”
Hard rock spans a variety of sub-genres and niches, and the past week gives us a notable arrival from what this Australian band calls “melodic heavy rock.” That’s a fair enough description of the first track from their forthcoming second album, but what stands out most to me here is neither the melodic nor the heavy, but rather the exceptional vocal harmony they put on display. Guitarist, Steve Janevski has some nice moments, as does frontman, Jason Old, but it’s the sum of the parts as mixed by Paul Laine (Danger Danger) that make this track really shine.
BRIDGE TO GRACE – “Everything”
When I first saw these Atlanta-area natives in early 2014, I came away gushing about them being “next-gen Active Rock, or “Active Rock 2.0.” There’s been nothing in the nearly two years since to change my mind. As complete a package in a young band that you’ll find: musical ability, writing ability, stage presence…it’s all there, now with another year’s experience crisscrossing the country as they build toward a new album release in late August. This latest single follows a pair of hits, making it clear why they’re getting early radio action weeks ahead of the official add date.
ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout
KELLY KEELING – “Isolated Man”
Singer/songwriter Kelly Keeling has performed with a wide range of artists (Michael Schenker, Carmine Appice, Trans Siberian Orchestra, etc.), but it was a failed reunion attempt with his first band, Baton Rouge, that led to his third solo album, Mind’s Eye. He teams up on the album with Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist, Alessandro del Vecchio, to turn out some memorable and melodic tunes.
SYKOPATH CONDOR – “Senses”
Check out the intense basslines and gripping distortion of this UK band, combining hard rock with stoner metal. This one is from their newly-released second album, Cell 36. Also check out “Elfcrusher,” and not just for the cool title! Mesmerizing, yet powerful stuff.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH – HRD Music Scout
PHOSPHENE – “Scream”
From Phosphene’s eponymous release, “Scream” starts off at a ballad’s pace before kicking it up a few notches to the driving rhythm of the chorus (which sticks around till the end). “The hardest working band in Chicago” (who go by their first names only) is gaining more popularity outside of Illinois. Jeni’s sultry vocals are captivating, leading the way for this talented group that combines melodic rock with a metal edge. The rest of the lineup features: Michael- bass, Andrew-drums and Dan-lead guitar.
KISKE/SOMMERVILLE – “Salvation”
“Salvation” is from City Of Heroes – the second collaboration between Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic, Place Vendome) and American singer Amanda Somerville (Aina, HDK, Trillium, Epica). Kiske and Sommerville play very well off of each other, and are backed by a very talented band. This is really good melodic metal.
SUBMISSIONS
To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com
HARD ROCK MUSIC TIME MACHINE
ADAM WALDMAN
THE LAST VEGAS – “Apologize” (2009)
Like John Corabi (see above), The Last Vegas has ties to Motely Crue and Sixx:A.M. The band’s 2009 album, Whatever Gets You Off, was produced by Nikki Sixx and DJ Ashba. Bluesy glam, sleazy punk. It doesn’t matter how The Last Vegas is categorized, what matters is that they are inexplicably still relative unknowns despite their high profile connections and their immense talent. If “Apologize” was released 20-25 years earlier, it would have been a huge power ballad. Chad Cherry’s raspy, bluesy vocals blend influences like Tom Keifer and Josh Todd into his own style. If you’re a fan of bands like GNR, Motley Crue, Cinderella and Buckcherry, make sure to check out The Last Vegas.
UNION – “Old Man Wise” (1998)
Though he is known mostly for his brief stint as the frontman of Mötley Crüe, John Corabi has been involved with a number of different projects. In 1998, he teamed up with Bruce Kulick (after his departure from KISS) to form Union. Together, the duo embarked upon an acoustic tour to promote their debut album. They were eventually joined by drummer, Brent Fitz (Slash) and bassist, James Hunting (David Lee Roth), to perform some shows as a full band. The chance for Corabi and Kulick to join more well-known acts prevented Union from ever taking off, but their limited body of work was impressive. “Old Man Wise” was one of two singles released from the band’s debut album. Also check out “October Morning Wind” for a taste of their acoustic sound.
JON LOVELESS
CHOIRBOYS – “Run To Paradise” (1987)
The Australian pub rock scene produced a number of bands that remain iconic figures in their homeland (while being less familiar to audiences elsewhere). This track did manage some airplay in the U.S., which is the only such breakthrough these veterans of now more than three decades of rock enjoyed stateside.
AIRBOURNE – “Diamond In The Rough” (2007)
Among the more successful Australian hard rock acts in recent years is this quartet that certainly doesn’t try to hide their roots or their musical influences. While several tracks have received airplay in the U.S., the band has found even more success in North America with Canadian audiences, scoring six top 10 rock radio hits (including three chart toppers). This is actually their least successful radio single in Canada to date, and still, it reached the #13 spot on the rock chart. A solid, straight- ahead hard rock song that certainly deserves another listen.
ROB DELL’AQUILA
CORNERSTONE – “Singing Alone” (2002)
Vocalist Doogie White sang this stirring ballad about the end of his brief stint with Rainbow. The band had reunited in the mid-90s, bringing him in to front on one masterful, but (sadly) final album. It would have been amazing to have more material from that lineup, but at least White was able to go on to another great band, that put out more great music, even if it remains relatively (criminally?) unknown.
GRAND ILLUSION – “Devil’s Advocate” (2004)
Grooving guitars and heavy harmonies rule the day with Swedish AOR band Grand Illusion. You have to appreciate higher registry vocals to really enjoy this opener from their fifth album, but Peter Sundell brings incredible range and volume, and is stirringly supported by layers of backing vocals.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH
WHITE WIDOW – “Tokyo Rain” (2010)
White Widow is a throwback to the iconic 80’s glam metal formula. Lyrics, melody, song structure, wailing guitars – the works… This melodic AOR crew from Melbourne Australia is led by the kickass guitar work of Enzo Almanzi and the strong vocals of Jules Millis. This is the lead track is from their debut back in 2010.
LETTER X – “Falling” (1996)
Out of obscurity comes LETTER X – a prog metal band from Germany who put out three albums back in the 90s. Steffen Lauth (vocals) leads them on this terrific track off their final album, Reflections. The band’s current whereabouts are unknown.
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