We have been waiting for a few deals to be finalized before posting our 2006 schedule but we can't wait forever.....Here is what we got "on the books" !!!
The two NEW!! items were added March 13, 2006
Saturday February 25, 2006
Zimmerman American Legion
Zimmerman, Minnesota
8-12 PM
Friday & Saturday May 5 & 6, 2006
Zimmerman American Legion
Zimmerman, Minnesota
8-12 PM both nights
NEW !! Saturday June 10, 2006
Neisen's Brothers Sports Bar
4851 W 123rd St
Savage, Minnesota
9 pm - 1 am
952.846.4513
Saturday July 8, 2006
Fairmont Yacht Club - on Hall Lake
Fairmont, Minnesota
6th Annual Outdoor Beach Bash
3 to 7 PM
NEW !! Saturday July 29, 2006
Fairmont VFW Hall
Fairmont, Minnesota
"the Morgue" Reunion Bash
8:30 - 12:30
We are proud to be opening the Beach bash for our first time ever as the afternoon band. The last we heard the evening band will be the "30 Below Band". Click here ---> http://30belowband.com
Along with the hog roasting, many favorite foods & beverages, volleyball, sun and fun, the Lava Lords will be set up right down pretty close to the beach entertaining the boaters anchored just off shore!! Guess we might have to work on some Beach Boys tunes! See you there !!
20 May 2006
15 May 2006
Rooster Tales
Wow. Seems like we just spent a weekend working. We had back to back nights jamming at the American Legion in Zimmerman. The weekend served its purpose in many ways as we not only made some cash and had some fun, we also once again became aware of more “lessons to be learned” in “Rock Gigging LIVE 101”. Playing back to back nights has mostly many benefits. Poses some added challenges as well. Usually going to a gig involves tearing down the practice space, loading into two or more vehicles, driving to the gig, unloading at the gig site, setting it all back up, checking everything out, sound check, playing the gig, Milling About Smartly, tearing it all back down, loading it all back up (for some odd reason it doesn’t seem to fit as well) (We’re sure it has NOTHING to do with the lateness of the hour or or favorite beverage consumption or old age!) driving back to the practice space, unloading again. With back to back nights when you’re done with the first night you can kick back and do way more Milling About Smartly, pack up the guitars and mic’s and away you go. (of course you still get home late due to the Perkin’s breakfast stop.) The 2nd night you can show up an hour early, ease into it, fine tune from the night before and jam. It’s the same amount of roadie grunt work, with twice the pay with twice the playing time.
Our first night was pretty good we thought. Not a huge crowd of course but we were thankful for the friends that did make the trip. (see pics) We hadn’t played live for awhile, had tons of energy, some new songs and a great set list. Everything pretty much went as planned except later in the night one “happy camper” decided she was just in awe of Pete and just had to get up on stage and feel the vibe. So now we’re a hobby band that needs SECURITY? j/k…… Ended up no big deal after Dawn coaxed her back offstage.
We were a bit out of synch the 2nd night. You would think it would be easier. We’re only doing 5 songs different from the night before. We just got through playing most of the material the night before. We started out OK, but not quite as much energy. Andy broke a string within the first couple songs, but swapped to the Flying V just in time for his solo which ended up being kind of cool. By the end of the night Andy and Lonzo each had at least one more string break. A couple of the lyrics in the same songs we had just done the night before got “forgot”. (Lonzo = normal)(Pete = unusual). The cover of the wall air conditioner on the wall behind the stage just fell off by itself and knocked over one of Pete’s guitars. Didn’t seem like the AC was working anyway and Kinger got WAY overheated in the 2nd set and was feeling his age.
(maybe we should do a slow song once in awhile huh Kinger!)
But WE WERE STILL HAVING FUN !!!!!!!!!!!!
During our second break when we were Milling About Smartly we were talking with one of the patrons and they wondered if Rooster could get up and sing one. He had seen a copy of our set list and was wondering if he could sing “Born to be Wild”. It was late, we were tired, it was a small crowd, everyone sitting back at the bar would be happy so we said “what the heck”. Come on up. It will be the 4th song this last set. Rooster came up. Rooster sang it and had some fun. He did OK. “It was a little pitchy but he brought it home in the end DAWG”. woof woof. The locals loved it. It got the most applause all night from the “way backs”. (Lava Lords translation = locals sitting way back at the bar on bar stools and that’s as close as they get all night when what we want is them in our face yelling U GUYS ROCK !!!) At the end of the night as we often do we decided to close it out with FreeBird. If you have any energy left after 2 nights of jamming this is THE SONG to finish you off!! We weren’t far into it when onstage appeared Rooster. (OK we let you come onstage once and now you own it?) We still aren’t sure what happened to Rooster between Born to be Wild and FreeBird in that set but if you take the two song titles, apply it to Rooster, mix in a few too many shots (assumed) you might get a clue what happened next. Somehow Rooster…..while fumbling with a mic and cord….well he never really did fall off stage but did a slow motion teapot over the monitor with his hands on the floor and his ass mooning the band. Ended up there frozen in time not able to push himself back up but too proud to just let it go and fall off the fricking stage!! (like the time in college you drank too much tequila and for every step you are going forward, you’re also going a half step sideways) The band jammed on!! It was right out of a surreal scene from Outer Limits or Mad TV!! “You just can’t make this stuff up”. We had a good laugh but what could we do? Stop Playing? Kick his ASS?? (Andy could have easily moved his foot OFF the Stomp Box effects pedal to Rooster’s ass and all it would have took was a nudge to send him sprawling out on the dance floor.) Hey, but we’re here to win over fans and after all it was pretty entertaining so we just let it go!! Guess we need to amend the rules of engagement. That’s easy. If we don’t know you or you haven’t jammed with us before don’t be offended when we say NO WAY when you want to get up and sing one!!!!!!!!! (unless you look good in Spandex of course…)
What do bands do? If somebody decides they are coming onstage……hmm….maybe that would be a good question for a random thought at Musicscene.org???? Maybe we have only ourselves to blame. WE ROCK!! IT”S ROCK N ROLL!!!
10 hours of driving, hauling and setting up gear = $500
8 hours of jamming = $300
1 appearance by Rooster = Priceless
Our first night was pretty good we thought. Not a huge crowd of course but we were thankful for the friends that did make the trip. (see pics) We hadn’t played live for awhile, had tons of energy, some new songs and a great set list. Everything pretty much went as planned except later in the night one “happy camper” decided she was just in awe of Pete and just had to get up on stage and feel the vibe. So now we’re a hobby band that needs SECURITY? j/k…… Ended up no big deal after Dawn coaxed her back offstage.
We were a bit out of synch the 2nd night. You would think it would be easier. We’re only doing 5 songs different from the night before. We just got through playing most of the material the night before. We started out OK, but not quite as much energy. Andy broke a string within the first couple songs, but swapped to the Flying V just in time for his solo which ended up being kind of cool. By the end of the night Andy and Lonzo each had at least one more string break. A couple of the lyrics in the same songs we had just done the night before got “forgot”. (Lonzo = normal)(Pete = unusual). The cover of the wall air conditioner on the wall behind the stage just fell off by itself and knocked over one of Pete’s guitars. Didn’t seem like the AC was working anyway and Kinger got WAY overheated in the 2nd set and was feeling his age.
(maybe we should do a slow song once in awhile huh Kinger!)
But WE WERE STILL HAVING FUN !!!!!!!!!!!!
During our second break when we were Milling About Smartly we were talking with one of the patrons and they wondered if Rooster could get up and sing one. He had seen a copy of our set list and was wondering if he could sing “Born to be Wild”. It was late, we were tired, it was a small crowd, everyone sitting back at the bar would be happy so we said “what the heck”. Come on up. It will be the 4th song this last set. Rooster came up. Rooster sang it and had some fun. He did OK. “It was a little pitchy but he brought it home in the end DAWG”. woof woof. The locals loved it. It got the most applause all night from the “way backs”. (Lava Lords translation = locals sitting way back at the bar on bar stools and that’s as close as they get all night when what we want is them in our face yelling U GUYS ROCK !!!) At the end of the night as we often do we decided to close it out with FreeBird. If you have any energy left after 2 nights of jamming this is THE SONG to finish you off!! We weren’t far into it when onstage appeared Rooster. (OK we let you come onstage once and now you own it?) We still aren’t sure what happened to Rooster between Born to be Wild and FreeBird in that set but if you take the two song titles, apply it to Rooster, mix in a few too many shots (assumed) you might get a clue what happened next. Somehow Rooster…..while fumbling with a mic and cord….well he never really did fall off stage but did a slow motion teapot over the monitor with his hands on the floor and his ass mooning the band. Ended up there frozen in time not able to push himself back up but too proud to just let it go and fall off the fricking stage!! (like the time in college you drank too much tequila and for every step you are going forward, you’re also going a half step sideways) The band jammed on!! It was right out of a surreal scene from Outer Limits or Mad TV!! “You just can’t make this stuff up”. We had a good laugh but what could we do? Stop Playing? Kick his ASS?? (Andy could have easily moved his foot OFF the Stomp Box effects pedal to Rooster’s ass and all it would have took was a nudge to send him sprawling out on the dance floor.) Hey, but we’re here to win over fans and after all it was pretty entertaining so we just let it go!! Guess we need to amend the rules of engagement. That’s easy. If we don’t know you or you haven’t jammed with us before don’t be offended when we say NO WAY when you want to get up and sing one!!!!!!!!! (unless you look good in Spandex of course…)
What do bands do? If somebody decides they are coming onstage……hmm….maybe that would be a good question for a random thought at Musicscene.org???? Maybe we have only ourselves to blame. WE ROCK!! IT”S ROCK N ROLL!!!
10 hours of driving, hauling and setting up gear = $500
8 hours of jamming = $300
1 appearance by Rooster = Priceless
11 May 2006
09 May 2006
Queen + Paul Rodgers
A “review” by the Lava Lords bass player. This opinion is the view of the bass player and should not be construed as the opinion of the entire band. Then again they may share the same opinion. You will have to ask them.Stating the obvious….
Millions of people go out to concerts every year worldwide to support a wide variety of musical entities. How many of them actual sit down at a keyboard and attempt to offer a review? Everyone has an opinion and everyone is entitled to state their opinion, even me!! I’m not so sure this is even a review….probably should be categorized as more of a rant !
The earth is flat. The earth is round.
There is a God. There is no God.
One generation loves RAP music. Other generations do not. The generation I am part of doesn’t think too much of the recent trend in “gangsta rap” which oftentimes seems to condone rape, cop killing and crime…in my view. My parents generation probably didn’t think too highly of shock rock bands like Alice Cooper (snakes and face makeup?), Black Sabbath (biting the head’s off bats in concert?) (of course that never really happened) David Bowie (was he a she ??????) and hippy bands of the sixties promoting free love and drugs?? Of course it didn’t stop me from listening to them. So there is always the element of “relativity”.
Whose right? How can humans even have such disparate views? Thankfully in the U.S we can express our opinions freely. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is entitled to state their opinion. On the American Idol TV show, Paula, Randy and Simon get paid big bucks to offer their opinion. Simon “You SUCK”. Same singer / same song. Randy “yo….dude …..welcome to the dog pound”. America…..someone gets voted off.
As far as the voting for American Idol…
Maybe all the country music lovers in America vote for singers who do country songs.
Maybe all the women in America vote for the hot looking male singers.
Maybe all the men in America vote for the hot looking female singers.
Maybe all the nerds in America vote for the nerd singers.
Maybe all the tall people, short people, fat people, thin people, white people, black people, sophisticated people, hick people, young people, old people vote for someone that they empathize with or whom they think shares something like them? Maybe people aren’t really this shallow??? Maybe some or most people actually vote for the best singer…..in their opinion. In some parts of the world certain cultures might think the whole show and most of what’s on American TV is totally pathetic, along with other things in Western culture. (a non music rant for another time or blog)
Hmmmm….So what does this have to do with Paul Rodgers + Queen?
What does this have to do with the Lava Lords? I guess I am just trying to set the table for my opinion. For me the concert goes deeper than just a one night stand at the Excel Energy Center. Maybe that is how it is with all those inspired to offer their opinion… Maybe all opinions, even if it is supposed to be one performance on one given night, are cumulative to many experiences, possibly even those of a lifetime relating to a given subject.
In addition to our once a week practice and once a month gigs, the Lava Lords like to get together, go out on the town and check out the scene. In this case we basically traded our recent Zimmerman Legion gig money to get four tickets to Queen + Paul Rodgers at the Excel Energy Center on Sunday March 26, 2006. Not all four of us were as passionate for seeing this show as others, but we all agreed we would make it a good time regardless. Last year we had gone as a band to see Deep Purple. I had high hopes but ended up disappointed with them. (is Deep Purple really Deep Purple without Richie Blackmore and Jon Lord? Better save that for another rant). Thankfully, one of the opening acts Joe Satriani and his band TOTALLY ROCKED that concert and made it worthwhile!!
Me personally……You would have to go back to 1970 when the band Free (Paul Rodgers) toured the U.S. to support the album “Fire and Water” and All Right Now was a big hit. Of course in 1970 I did not know who Paul Rodgers was but being a 13 / 14 year old youngster coming in to the music scene that song had a huge impact on me. In the small southern MN town I grew up in (Fairmont as you probably already know if you have been reading this blog) we had a Youth Center where we could go to hear local / regional rock bands perform. At that time it seemed they all covered All Right Now by Free. I can remember this song as being one of the first Rock songs that had an early influence on me. This song guaranteed a full dance floor back then. Even now when the Lava Lords play it we always get dancers. Maybe it is the "cow bell". Over the years of my youth and young adulthood I came to know and love many bands…of course Bad Company and Queen were high on the list.
Jon Bream from the Star Tribune offered his review of the concert the very next day and he stated the obvious. Queen is not Queen without Freddie Mercury. Jon Bream was not too impressed. He gets paid for his opinion. We all know Queen is not the same band without Freddie Mercury. Freddie Mercury was one of the key reasons that Queen became what it had been as a rock band. So after Freddie Mercury’s death the band should just give up being Queen? Maybe all ROCK bands from the 60’s and 70’s should JUST GIVE UP!!! IT’S OVER !!!! (not my opinion) For me the concert was an opportunity to be able to hear Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor perform songs LIVE from three bands of an era I loved and grew up in.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I knew I would going into it. It was a preconceived notion. I loved the set list. I really enjoyed hearing them perform Dragon Attack and All Right Now as those two songs the Lava Lords cover. I missed Freddie Mercury’s antics. I enjoyed the music and reminisced about the old days. I laughed days later when I discovered my boss and I sat in the same section, the same row within 8 seats of each other and didn’t even know it!! Of course Jon Bream did not seem to know it but one of the “other 3” musicians on stage was bass player Danny Miranda, most recently from Blue Oyster Cult. BOC is another band I still love and have seen Danny perform live with. BOC doesn’t have the same lineup they had in the seventies either but I still like them as they are today. Don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of bands from the 21st century too, but I ain’t giving up on the seventies just yet.
The Queen concert was not a sellout. The crowd was not raucous. The concert probably did not make the top 20 best concerts I have attended in my lifetime as there have been many. But it was probably my only shot at seeing Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor LIVE in my lifetime. (at least until they start playing the casino circuit….yikes they will really get ripped then). When all is said and done…………
I got my hundred bucks worth!
In an ironic twist of fate and in closing this rant….for the American Idol show Tuesday April 11th, 2006 the contestants will be performing…..songs from QUEEN !!!
Don’t the producers of the show know Freddie Mercury is dead??????
Here is the Queen + Paul Rodgers set list March 26, 2006 at the Excel Energy Center.
It's A Beautiful Day
Reaching Out
Tie Your Mother Down
Fat Bottomed Girls
Can't Get Enough
Take Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Love Of My Life
Hammer To Fall
Feel Like Makin' Love
Let There Be Drums
I'm In Love With My Car
Guitar Solo
Last Horizon
Bad Company
Another One Bites The Dust
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Radio Ga Ga
Dragon Attack
Under Pressure
The Show Must Go On
Bohemian Rhapsody
We Will Rock You
All Right Now
We Are The Champions
God Save The Queen
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