One of the first albums I ever bought would have been “Hit and Run” by Girlschool back in 1981 – around the same time that I bought the “St Valentines Day Massacre” EP featuring Girlschool and Motörhead. In the twinkle of an eye 35 years have passed and Dissonance Records have just re-released the first three Girlschool albums – “Demolition”, “Hit and Run” and “Screaming Blue Murder”. All three were available from 17th March and to mark the event, I included “Following The Crowd” from “Hit and Run” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on the same date.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends The First Three Albums by GIRLSCHOOL
Letters From The Fire formed in the San Francisco area in 2012, although the band traces its roots back to 2007 when it was founded under the name of Park Lane. Initially, Letters From The Fire had a male vocalist, but in 2015 Alexa Kabazie joined the band and work commenced on the debut album “Worth The Pain”. This was released in the USA through Sand Hill Records in September 2016 and then in Europe on 17th March 2017. I played the track “Perfect Life” on the NI Rocks A-Z Show on 7th March and again on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 17th March.
Read more: NI ROCKS Recommends "Worth The Pain" by LETTERS FROM THE FIRE
We were recently sent the new EP from a band called Maps to the Hollywood Scars that featured guitarist Alex Grossi from Quiet Riot and vocalist James Durbin who had sprung to fame in American Idol in 2011, finishing fourth. In the short time between receiving the EP called “Volume One” and arranging an interview with James it was revealed that he would be the new lead singer for Quiet Riot.
So when I spoke to James in California via Skype on 22nd March we had quite a bit to chat about. You can hear what he had to say about Quiet Riot, Maps to the Hollywood Scars, American Idol and more on the Friday NI Rocks Show that was broadcast on 24th March. That Show can be found on our MixCloud page - https://www.mixcloud.com/NIRocks/interviews-with-jeff-hoad-and-james-durbin-on-the-friday-ni-rocks-show-on-24th-march/
The interview has been transcribed and can be read below.
My other guest on the Show is Jeff Hoad, lead singer and guitarist with The Rich and Famous and previously front-man of Kings of the Sun.
Read more: NI ROCKS Interview with JAMES DURBIN from QUIET RIOT
I’ve been a big fan of American rock band Hydrogyn for many years and was curious to see what path they’d take with their latest album “Redemption” which was released via HighVol Music on 10th March. The husband and wife team of Jeff and Julie Westlake have parted ways and Julie has been replaced on vocals by Erica Parrott. There is undoubtedly a change to the Hydrogyn sound, with Erica bringing a heavier edge to things and the band raising the volume a few clicks! They can still do the slower tunes too though, as evidenced by the track “Jenny”. It’s a different Hydrogyn, but definitely worth checking out! I played the track “My Redemption” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 10th February.