Music Discovery Monday shines a light on artists that are not getting the radio attention that they deserve, while also showcasing new singles by established bands that are likely to get airplay in the future.
This week, in a Hard Rock Daddy exclusive, Beasto Blanco’s Chuck Garric and Calico Cooper discuss covering the Alice Cooper classic, “Feed My Frankenstein.”
In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlist below, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to individually by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles above each review.
ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)
BEASTO BLANCO – “Feed My Frankenstein”
Showcasing a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Feed My Frankenstein” is high praise any day, but to do so on Halloween? You know that this is no ordinary cover! Cooper himself has given this version his seal of approval. He may be a little biased given that the band was formed by his longtime bassist, Chuck Garric, and features backing vocals by Cooper’s daughter, Calico. However, I am not at all biased, and I couldn’t agree with him more.
Beasto Blanco knocked it out of the park with their interpretation of “Feed My Frankenstein,” perfectly threading the needle of staying true to the original while making it their own. You can sum up this song as “beauty and the beast.” Calico Cooper adds a seductive quality to the song that you wouldn’t think possible. Her soft beauty sets the stage for Garric’s beastly vocals to grab you by the throat. The “beauty and the beast” theme isn’t limited to just the vocals. The beauty of the acoustic guitars offers a brilliant contrast to the beastly riffs of Chris Latham and the dark, pulsating rhythms of Jan LeGrow and Tim Husing.
“Feed My Frankenstein” is the song that introduced me to Beasto Blanco recently, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Look for much more from this kickass band in the near future on Hard Rock Daddy.
In an exclusive interview with Hard Rock Daddy, Chuck Garric shared his thoughts on covering “Feed My Frankenstein”…
“When Beasto Blanco thought about doing a cover song, there were several that came across the table. We actually recorded more than just ‘Feed My Frankenstein.’ There are several different songs out there that have meaning or significance to the band, but I’ve always wanted to record our own version of an Alice Cooper song. Obviously, it makes sense with me being his band for as long as I have, and having the relationship with Calico as well.
We wanted to pick something that we could make sound like our own. We had three or four different versions of the song that we came up with, and focused on how to make my interaction with Calico interesting for the listeners.
There’s a certain dynamic that Calico and I have on stage, sort of these Bonnie & Clyde villain type characters. We kind of play off of each other on stage, and you can see that in the video for ‘Feed My Frankenstein.’ We wanted to approach our version lyrically as well, so it’s sort of like Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf. That was the thought process behind the verses of the song.
Most people would think that the song is called ‘Feed My Frankenstein,’ so why would you think of the big bad wolf? But, there’s so much in the lyrics, and what are they really talking about? It’s not necessarily the actual Frankenstein monster. There’s innuendos as well, so it’s up to the listener.
Calico has already proven that she can scream, but she sang the main verse with the cleaner vocals. Everything started to take shape around the harmonies between us. She added that sort of sensual way of singing, a teasing if you will. When my part comes in, it’s like the beast, and they’re starting to interact, and then…BAM! Here comes the chorus of us together.
This is the band’s second album, and this song really helped us to discover who we are as a band.
On Alice Cooper’s thoughts about the song…
“He loves it! I remember the first time that I played it for Alice. His jaw hit the ground. He told me that he never thought that the song could sound sexy, and that we just killed it.”
Calico Cooper shared her thoughts with Hard Rock Daddy…
“I was wary (at first) to do a cover of my dad’s song, but when the guys played me the music, I barely recognized it. It was so creative and inspired. It’s so Beasto. So, I put down vocals the way it made me feel, kinda creepy and sexy. I love the cover, and I’m glad we did it.”
ANTHRAX – “Monster At The End”
In a day and age when album sales are far less than they once were, a true testament to the greatness of For All Kings (Anthrax’s latest album) is the recent strongest one-week sales performance since 1993’s Sound Of White Noise. It almost seems like sacrilege when artists have a number of classic albums to call their latest release their best, but Anthrax has arguably delivered the best album of their career with For All Kings.
“Breathing Lightning,” the previous single from the album, enjoyed radio success, but not nearly as much as it deserved. “Monster At The End” is likely to be underappreciated as well. Of “The Big Four,” Metallica and Megadeth get the most love at radio. Slayer gets the least, but then again, they are simply too heavy for a lot of mainstream rock stations. Anthrax, on the other hand, has captured a radio-friendly sound with tracks like “Monster At The End,” and should be getting as much (if not more) attention from radio. Don’t wait for radio to give Anthrax their just due. Make sure to check out “Monster At The End” if you haven’t already. It’s a perfect song for Halloween (and the rest of the year for that matter).
ANDY CHEUNG – HRD Music Scout
LAMB OF GOD – “The Duke”
Even though Lamb Of God doesn’t have a new full-length album, I’ll take what I can get. Their new song, “The Duke,” is everything I love about the band. They always strive to be fresh and new. The trademark Lamb of God sound is there, with Chris Adler’s flawless double-bass drumming, complemented by John Campbell, Mark Morton and Willie Adler’s heavy riffage. When Randy Blythe starts singing, it all comes together beautifully. No stranger to clean vocals, Blythe belts this song out to the best of his vocal abilities (even layering in a few death metal screams for good measure). This song was a tribute to a longtime fan, and was written with heartfelt emotion. I would expect nothing less from Lamb of God.
RED FANG – “Not For You”
Stoner/hard rockers Red Fang is back with their fourth album, Only Ghosts. Red Fang continues their tradition of heavily distorted, sludgy guitars and punk attitude. In addition to their songwriting, the vocals are both melodic and catchy, motioning to the listener to sing along. Fans of Mastodon and Queens of the Stone Age should definitely give this a listen.
ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout
BAD FLOWERS – “City Lights”
This British trio channels Led Zeppelin with blues rock tunes thick with groove and driving rhythms. This is one of just four songs from their sixteen-minute self-titled debut EP. Tom Leighton’s clean, melodic vocals match up perfectly with the infectious music.
IRON CURTAIN – “Into The Fire”
Traditional heavy metal is alive and well in Spain, as demonstrated by this quartet on their sophomore album, Guilty As Charged. This new single from the album gallops out of the gate and never lets up, with a pounding rhythm section and twin guitar harmonies.
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
Leave a Reply