Drjohnrock

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More (November 22)

Harmony - Gossip (October 11)

Harmony Tividad, ex-Girlpool, has dropped her last name for "professional" purposes, and is releasing her first solo album. I don't know whether to anticipate it or dread it. I enjoyed Girlpool's eccentric but incisive indie rock. But based on an EP and one song from the album that's been released, the lyrics are still solid but Harmony is showing a disturbing musical turn toward manufactured pop. I only hope the album shows more variety, but I'm not too optimistic.

Buckeye Randy

The Dictators have one coming out in two weeks. Earlier this year, all four members spoke with enthusiasm about the upcoming release. If the three songs that are already out there are any indication it will be killer.

Norg

Korn & slipknot


thats about it

iloverachel

oooo same here, can't wait

Buckeye Randy

Bad Moves have 'Wearing Out The Refrain' coming out September 13th. Four of the songs are already out there and three are pretty strong.

I want to go on record as saying I hate how bands drop songs before releases. There have been instances in recent times where half the tracks are already out before the release. This totally takes away from the rush of sitting down with a new release.

SweetHeartHolly

September 20th-I'll See You In My Dreams from Mason Ramsey

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

P.S. I pray that a CD copy is available, but other than a download, the only other format right now that's get released are vinyl copies which I hate, but I will get anyway because I love Mason enough. If CD copies are not made, I will get my vinyl copy transitioned to a CD copy.

Buckeye Randy

It's certainly not as easy to go the store and buy a CD than it was before the explosion of streaming services. As recently as 7 or 8 years ago I would buy a CD every week but I don't now. Part of the reason is the shrinking availability of CDs at places like Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and The Exchange. The last couple times I went to a store to pick up a new release, no luck.

I smiled when I was at my most recent concert, they had cassettes at the merch table along with vinyl and CDs.

Another upcoming release I'm waiting for is by Nick Lowe, 'Indoor Safari'. Nick is probably in my all-time top ten artists.

Psy-Fi

I'll have to try to remember to keep an eye out for that one. I haven't kept up with their album releases over the years but I saw them perform live several years ago and they were fantastic!

__________________

She's a Brick House

Buckeye Randy

DFFD!

for the uninformed...DFFD! = Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators!

Buckeye Randy

Since we are talking about The Dictators who have a new album coming out, here is news from their website. It will be available on September 6th.
https://www.thedictators.com/
Spotify has the album up but you can only play the songs that were made available months ago. Again, I hate that 4/10 of the songs were out before the actual release. However...since they played three of those four songs live at the show last June...I'm glad I was familiar with them.

They also announced a single 2025 tour date.
https://www.thedictators.com/tour
Makes me want to take a sea cruise!

Here is a review of the last time I saw them...

Who: The Dictators
When: June 1, 2024
Where: Kent Stage (Kent, Ohio)

Does anybody know who was the first punk band? Does anybody know the difference between punk rock and proto-punk…are the New York Dolls glam? I’ve heard these subjects discussed by lovers of punk and even by music fans that wouldn’t know a punk unless they got kicked in the shin. Did it start in the U.S. with The Velvet Underground, The Stooges or Ramones? Was it in the UK with the The Clash, Pistols or The Damned? I don’t care who it is and honestly…I like it all, man! Well, except for maybe the Velvet Underground but that’s another topic.

One band that is consistently overlooked from these discussions are The Dictators. I consider these guys to be the bridge between The New York Dolls and Ramones. The three are stylistically different but all came from the streets of New York and come across as gangs that can goof on just about anything. Personally, I prefer The Dictators.

The last time I saw The Dictators was a 2013 show in Cleveland. That line-up included original members Ross the Boss on guitar and was fronted by Handsome Dick Manitoba whose jacket circa 1975 hangs in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. The current line-up is fronted by founding member and principle songwriter Andy Shernoff along with BOC drummer Albert Bouchard, Keith Roth (Frankenstein 3000, Sirius XM DJ) and Ross The Boss is back again. For those that don’t know, Ross was also a founding member of metal masters Manowar.

Kent Stage is a small renovated theater (650 capacity) that is perfect for hosting artists that have...how do I say this politely…restrained audiences? The venue seems more than a little uncomfortable with crowds wanting to stand or rush the stage before an encore. They have even been known to offer instructions for concert etiquette before performances.

I understand management’s thinking, the pre-sale VIP tickets are sold to members who donate to The Western Reserve Folk Arts Association and the hosts want to insure that doners have a pleasant concert experience. Hey! what about me? I pay my yearly dues and I wanna rock! Shouldn’t I be able to stand against the stage and wave my arms about as if there are no repercussions?

Some people say problem…but Kent Stage said opportunity. The Dictators’ show has no reserve seating, it is a general admission free for all. Woohoo! I still think that this show should have been booked at a more punky venue where fans standing against the stage are the rule and not the exception. Hey, it’s not my world, I’m just passing through and I’ll take it as it comes and I certainly appreciate the flexibility.

I arrive slightly over an hour before doors are scheduled to open, not only am I first in line but I am the line for what seemed like quite a while. I see movement behind the windows of the entrance as people get ready to take tickets and the merch stand is assembled. I see Andy Shernoff looking out at me as he lays out merch and undoubtably notices my shirt. I intentionally wore a CREEM Magazine ‘Boy Howdy’ shirt knowing that Andy Shernoff and The Dictators had connections with the ‘70’s rock magazine. For those that don’t know, CREEM was the coolest mag from the ‘70’s!

The soundman steps out and introduces himself and we have a good chat about the current tour. It turns out that The Dictators are opening for The Damned on this tour and tonight is the only headlining date due to The Damned having an off night between New York and Chicago.

Keith Roth is next out and I get a first name introduction from my new bestest buddy Jerry the soundman. Great conversation followed by an intro to Andy Shernoff who uses my shirt as a launch point into conversation. Great selfies with the guys under the marquee. I also got some quick pics with Albert Bouchard and Ross the Boss as they mingled about fans who were beginning to assemble and wanting merch signed. Andy Shernoff comes up to me and says, “Check this out”. He starts going through photos on his phone and proudly displays a youthful mug shot of himself wearing a ‘Boy Howdy’ t-shirt! All these guys seemed genuinely happy to be in Kent, Ohio on a Saturday night. It should also be noted that all mentioned the new Dictators release coming later this year.

One of the memorable moments of the sidewalk fanfest was Ross The Boss meeting a guy that had ‘Ross The Boss’ tattooed on his leg. This was not a 60 year old fan from the ‘70’s but somebody nearly half that age. The guy got some stuff signed and as their conversation ended this ultimate fan had tears of joy welling up in his eyes and walked over and gave me a man hug. It was a nice (but slightly weird) moment.

My concert buddy shows up immediately after my brushes with stardom and I point out the players as they finish signing memorabilia and then walk together down the sidewalk for a bite to eat. Sooo…my concert buddy on this evening is a friend from work and this will be his first concert in 14 years. I sent him a few videos of The Dictators earlier in the day so he would have a chance to make an excuse not to come. He’s a gamer!

We are the first two to enter the theater and we grab two seats in the middle section of the first row. Honestly, it seems I’ve got a handle on this process yet I’m always very conscious of every possible thing that can go wrong. So far so good!

Opening are The Bizarros who are a band from nearby Akron that had some notoriety from the late ‘70’s which included a big label release. The set was older material and some newer material yet to be recorded. Nice opener that did not overstay their welcome.

OK, time to get serious. The first row is nearly 10 feet from the stage. I was perfectly content sitting for the opener but now it’s time for decisions. One fringe type person plants their body at the stage before the show but that’s it. As the show starts with ‘New York, New York’ I’m perched on the edge of my seat ready to vault. It didn’t take long! I see two other people make a move and instantly I’m up against the stage and others slowly but steadily joined as the evening progressed.

Now, let’s talk about The Dictators. The elephant in the room is the absence of former lead singer Handsome Dick Manitoba. On this night, Andy Shernoff sang a few which he sang on the original albums and Albert Bouchard sang a BOC song. The rest of the setlist were songs that Keith was either partially or totally replacing Handsome Dick. I would say job well done…in fact, in many instances Keith Roth’s interpretations were superior. Let’s swing back to Albert Bouchard and BOC’s “Dominance and Submission”. He avoided being disrespectful to BOC but said the current version is how the song was intended to sound. It was totally awesome and is so much punchier than the original. Very well done!

The sound was spot on, loud and crisp as I was staked out in front of Ross’s amp. The vocals and harmonies were mostly flawless. Keith took liberties with some of the lyrics and blamed Andy for writing such wordy songs. Albert Bouchard’s drumming was tight and aggressive. He does need to work on his stick flips! The band seemed relaxed and all members told stories as they introduced songs in an unrehearsed manner. They pointed out that when opening for The Damned they did the songs in rapid fire but preferred being able to enjoy the crowd and make it personal.

Highlights from the between song banter included Keith claiming the first record he bought was “The Dictators Go Girl Crazy”. His brother was apparently friends with the guy whose name we can’t mention (referring to Manitoba). Another moment was asking the crowd to name a song by the Ramones or Turbo Negro that nicked a riff from the Dictator song, “The Next Big Thing”. I correctly shouted out “53rd” but another stage hugger was recognized as being first (he wasn’t!) and he was rewarded with some guitar picks. Lesson reaffirmed, life is not fair!

The 15 song setlist was near perfect except it could have been longer. Given the circumstances of this being a one night headliner it is understood and forgivable. The best part is how all releases covering 49 years were seamless. Three new songs, four from 2001’s “DFFD”, one from Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom released in 1990. Add in the two covers (one of which was on a 1981 live album by The Dictators) and that’s 10/15 songs NOT from the three releases in the ‘70’s. I find this noteworthy because the entire crowd seemed AOK with this…granted, my perspective up front might be slightly skewed. My point is, I can think of no other ‘70’s band that can successfully meld all eras together like this. The band seems to be gaining momentum through the years.

The band might be gaining momentum but the turnout on a Saturday night was disappointing. I have no idea why; the perfect weather, general admission, a street fair going on, no Handsome Dick, under publicized tour, the venue not a good fit…I don’t know. The ****ty attendance was certainly not proportionate to the excellent performance. This can also be filed under, life is not fair. However, The Dictators were not phased as they performed like they were headlining a sold out coliseum and all of us up front waved our arms about as if there were no repercussions.

After the final note was played, I reached for the setlist along with another concert goer. We looked at one another and realized we had a problem. Albert Bouchard who was fist bumping with fans reached down and tore the set list in half and laughed, “Problem solved”! My half only includes the last four songs…life is not fair! (smiling).

I‘m guessing they had a meet and greet afterward. I skipped it and headed home but not before picking up an autographed tour poster and T-shirt. I’m on such an amazing run of great concerts during the last few years but this one is absolutely near or even at the top of the list. I can hardly wait to see this line-up again.

DFFD!
Well Done!

Setlist from stage but I feel like there might have been a couple others.
New York, New York (Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom)
My Imaginary Friend
The Minnesota Strip
Pussy and Money
Let’s Get The Band Back Together
The Next Big Thing
The Savage Beat
It’s Alright
Dominance and Submission (Blue Oyster Cult)
What Goes On (Velvet Underground)
Faster and Louder
Who Will Save Rock and Roll
Stay With Me

Two Tub Man
Thank You and Have A Nice Day