Jibbies & Loond – Episode 006 – K.K. retires, Dokken doesn’t

  Well here we are, 1/111th of the way to our epic Episode 666 blow out, and just when you thought everything was going to turn normal, J&L get served the surprise retirement of founding Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing to dissect . Along the way Loond also checks out Dokken live, the duo give Startruckers a listen, Loond goes  retro connoisseur with …

GonzoGeek’s Top 10 Posts of 2010

Cheescake of the Year...again! It's that time once again kids. That's right, its the only time of year that Dan Fogelberg gets any regular airplay. Thank the gods. It's also the time of year when we look back and see where we've been and where we're heading.  It was another good year for the Gonzo …

RIP Ronnie James Dio

I think I’m still in denial. Ronnie James Dio was going to live forever. Hell, it seemed like he already had. I first became aware of him when he took over for Ozzy in Sabbath and cannot possibly count the number of times I played both ‘Heaven and Hell’ and ‘Mob Rules.’ I love me …

Geekdom reborn: Rev. Monroe presiding

A long time ago, on a shoreline far far away there lived a boy who liked nothing more than rifling through his parents’ record collections, putting the headphones on, and disappearing to a place even further away. Particular favorites included: ‘Sgt. Pepper’s,’ ‘Apostrophe,’ ‘Cruisin’ With Ruben and the Jets,’ and ‘Out Of The Blue.’ The …

GonzoGeek’s Top 10 Posts of 2009

Well, another year draws to a close my dear reader(s).  Me and all my Gonzo compadres have enjoyed bringing you our thoughts on the world around us.  The ride continues to be an eventful one. As seems to be the tradition with everyone, we're going to take a look back at our top 10 posts …

An Open Letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

FAME (noun) - 1.  public estimation 2. popular acclaim   Kiss released their self-titled debut in 1974.  Though not an initial success it laid the groundwork for a career that has spanned 34 years and at least 3 generations of fans. Still, despite 24 gold records and 80 million records sold worldwide, Kiss has been not …

Fargo Rock City

..."Photograph" is the best Journey song ever made. I grew up in the 80s.  I grew up in what was, for all intents and purposes, a small town in South Louisiana.  I grew up liking 80s metal. There I said it. Ratt was my favorite band.  Or maybe it was Van Halen.  Eventually it was …

Metal Masters Tour – the review

Hey man, don't criticize the Black. - Bryan Rabeaux, Lafayette, Louisiana 1981 Saturday night, Chris and I headed out to the Woodlands to take in the spectacle that was the Metal Masters Tour.  Headlined by Judas Priest and featuring Heaven & Hell (aka Black Sabbath the Dio Years), Motorhead and Testament, it promised to be …

I’ve got a Metal Top 4….

....bands of all-time that is, but have never found a permanent resident for the No. 5 slot.  This band, as well as many others, moves in and out of it. I wasn't sure how well they'd held up, but then I popped in a double-disk retrospective (maybe called Metalworks??) and was blown away by three songs in …