By Kevin Law,
PhillyRockRadio.com
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South Jersey’s Rat Rod have completed their second full-length album, Light ’Em Up, a collection of high energy tracks sure to fuel the fire of an impassioned rock and roll spirit. It will be available for purchase at their shows, and through their website ratrodrocks.com, beginning June 1.
 
But before I dive in, I need to push an Aussie elephant out of the room right off the bat. Yes, Rat Rod will make you think of AC/DC. You’ll picture Bon Scott while listening to vocalist Mike Smith’s voice at times, and you’ll hear the sounds of the brothers Young in Mark McCarty’s riffs, especially at the beginning of the title track. Please know that they know (try as they might, they ain’t deaf), and are appreciative of the comparisons to them, and the many other influences they embrace. If this band were merely an AC/DC copycat, I could assure you, I wouldn’t bother writing this review. This band captures the vibe and exhibits a feel for this style of music, and it comes through loud and clear on these songs.
 
Overall Light ’Em Up is a continuation of the Rat Rod sound first heard on their 2017 album Do You Remember Rock And Roll. However, they’ve added some new ingredients making this release stronger than its predecessor. First, you’ll hear a broader range of singer Mike Smith’s voice which provides a nice balance throughout. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, is that this album is a full band effort, whereas the previous was created before the group being formed and only had McCarty and Smith as the primary players. The steady and driving rhythm that bassist LJ, guitarist Matt Flanigan and drummer Elliott Howard deliver is a welcomed new feature to the growing Rat Rod arsenal.
 
To love this album, look no further than the opener “Lightning Strikes” which invites the listener in by busting the door open and introducing you to the singer’s “Step right in” tone of voice. The song builds on a slow and steady rhythm leading to an infectious chorus that makes singing along an involuntary action. It’s here that Rat Rod shows a marked difference from any comparison that they might get labeled with. And that is that THEY ARE FUN! The singing in the chorus adds a dash of good-humored flavor, leaving no doubt that they are into what they’re doing. It doesn’t tell you to have fun, it MAKES you do it. A similar feeling is heard at the beginning of the second song, “American Rock n Roll.” The playful call-and-response guitars get the listener into it, the way the chorus vocals do in “Lightning Strikes.”
 
You’ll also get something you wouldn’t point to AC/DC for, and that’s a ballad (ok, even if it is just a word in the title). “Peacemaker (The Ballad Of Tombstone),” inspired by one of Smith’s favorite films, shows another side of the band, sonically, compared to their debut album. It's also indicative of a theme that runs through the album’s lyrics — a man who, although made cynical by the world around him, holds hope, and is ready for a clean break and new connections. In “Hell And Back,” (by the way, the guitar solo on this song, F-U-N, FUN!) the singer has circled his wagons and set up for defense while in “Lone Wolf Rider” he’s “Free as the breeze, free to ride on!” Philly area listeners will also appreciate The Dead End Kids reference in the song. A pretty good indication that Smith’s lyrics come from a personal place.
 
Enough can’t be said about the guitar playing on this album. Mark McCarty’s solos are on (last AC/DC reference I swear) FIRE! They alone give reason for the album’s title. The rhythm section provides the heart to the band’s sound, and the lead guitar is the high blood pressure coursing through it. Listen to “Memphis Belle” as proof of this point. And one more note on the added dashes of fun, pay attention to the first part of the solo on this one and notice that Mark shares it with rhythm guitarist Matt Flanigan. “Memphis Belle,” along with track six, “Sleep With The Saints,” clearly demonstrate what to expect when you see this band perform live. To reiterate, this band is high energy and, as LJ summed up in a recent interview with Bay Ragni, “Three chords and a cloud of dust.”
 
Safe to say that dust is all you’ll be left with if you don’t get on board with Rat Rod and Light ’Em Up.

Written By
​Jason Voorhees For Philly Rock Radio

THE THREE TREMORS
"The Three Tremors"

1. Invaders from the Sky
2. Bullets For the Damned 
3. When the Last Scream Fades
4. Wrath of Asgard
5. The Cause
​6. King of the Monsters
7. The Pit Shows No Mercy
8. Sonic Suicide
9. Fly or Die
10. Lust of the Blade
11. Speed to Burn
12. The Three Tremors
13. Sweet Divine
14. Prelude to Doom
(Steel Cartel)

RATING: 7/10​​

Philly Rock Radio is pleased to bring you a NEW element to our site...album reviews! The first album on the docket adds a brand new flavor to the Metal scene… THE THREE TREMORS with their self-titled debut.

This band is composed of an elite trifecta of screaming vocalists, the most notable being someone who is no stranger to the stage, Tim "Ripper" Owens. He has been the frontman for Judas Priest, Iced Earth, and the DIO tribute band.  Owens has always been at the top of any metal vocalist lists for his range and stage presence.

Owens is joined by two other "screaming" vocalists… Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (Jag Panzer, Satan's Host, Titan Force) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (Cage, Denner/Shermann, Death Dealer). This cutthroat trio boasts a powerful range of screeching vocals providing a sound that combines the muscle of Judas Priest and the stamina of Iced Earth.

When first listening to the album, I was instantly blown away by the first track… "Invaders From the Sky." All three vocalists appear at the very beginning in unison with an all-out assault of screaming gold. The track brought me back to my glory days of metal lore during the ‘80s. The three vocalists joined together to provide a Rob Halford-esque tone that is carried through the remainder of the album.

The Three Tremors is an energetic assault of "in your face" metal.  "Bullets for the Damned," the second track, is just as heavy as the first, but provides more hooks and bridges, highlighting the super talent of Dave Conan Garcia/Casey Trask on guitars, Alex Pickard on bass, and Sean Elg on drums as well. Although the band is known more for its vocalists, these musicians cannot be ignored.

Overall the album is old school speed metal at its best. And the extra element of three screaming vocalists infuses the hammer and the anvil of metal-speak. "Sonic Suicide" and "Wrath of Asgard" both sound like they could have appeared on a Judas Priest album during the Ram it Down/PainKiller era. Both tunes provide raw power and thrash infused massacre.

Fourteen tracks in all...The Three Tremors is an earthquake of sound that sets off a volcanic eruption of red hot metal with a "never say die" attitude. The three voices become one on this masterpiece exacting total domination of the senses that will bring you to your knees. The musicianship is above average, and the production is top notch, especially given the high range and treble of these voices. 

I definitely recommend the album to anyone that considers themselves an old school heavy metal fan. Being a massive fan of both Judas Priest and Iced Earth, I would tell you that the album combines elements of both of these bands and you can definitely hear a similarity when moving from track to track.  Philly Rock Radio gives this album a solid 7/10 rating and definitely agrees that it was a successful debut album.  Will also say that the album will grow on you with time as you put your ears to the ultimate test of sound. Check out one of the tracks from the album..."The Wrath of Asgard." 

By Pete Fry, host of Fryday Night with Fry, 8-11pm on PhillyRockRadio.com

Each Friday night I get the pleasure of presenting songs from great bands in the world of Melodic Rock. Hope you've enjoyed hearing them as much as I had playing them. Below is the list of albums that I selected as the best releases of 2018. Certainly welcome your opinion on the following choices and would love to know how they compare to your list. Cheers!

CLICK ON THE ALBUM ART OR ALBUM NAME TO HEAR SONGS

Last week I got a much-needed dose of local music when area bands, Lady Diesel, Three Chord Money, and Rat Rod took their turns on stage at Hot Shots in Westville, NJ. If you're a listener of The Saloon Rock Club radio show, then you've undoubtedly heard them, but I'd recommend checking them out live to see the magic in action. Each band brings a different rock 'n roll flavor, but it's a nicely paired menu as far as I'm concerned. 

The show was also a reminder that I had some catching up to do on this blog. So let me try to right this ship by posting a review I did a while back of Lady Diesel's debut album, Store Bought Love, which was released earlier this year. This production is a well-crafted collection of songs that are instantly likable, and felt like old friends after the first listen. Their brand of rock ’n roll is a bluesy mix of emotion, grit and kick ass.
 
The album opens with “Black Moon Lullaby,” followed by “Sweet Whiskey Rider,” both proving that Phil Michaels’ lyrics can be more like painted pictures than written words. To me, they show a style and skill reminiscent of John Fogerty. No small feat! The third track, or should I say earworm, “Tears Go By,” has me dancing and singing along just thinking about it. And if I had to name Store Bought Love’s sleeper hit, my vote would be for its closing track, “Monster.” A one-of-a-kind gem that had this child of the ’70s conjuring up the image of a pre-pubescent Alice Cooper eating a bowl of Count Chocula while watching The Mystery Machine en route to its next meddling mission. FUN!
 
In addition to the swampy southern flavor of CCR mentioned earlier, fans of Classic Rock and Southern-Fried music will no doubt pick up on their ’70s blues-based rock influences, some of which a bit more recognizable than others. But with that being said, this well-oiled rock ’n roll band of brothers have made these sounds their own, and in the process created something brand new. Very much looking forward to hearing more from Lady Diesel in 2019!

You can buy a copy of Store Bought Love on Amazon -- CD Baby -- and iTunes and of course from the band itself.

Find the band on facebook: ​www.facebook.com/LadyDiesel.philly/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — November 7, 2018
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — PHILLY ROCK RADIO announced that “David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket” radio program will debut on the station November 15, 2018, airing Thursday nights at 9 p.m. with replays Friday afternoons at 4 p.m.
“David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket,” a weekly talk show spotlighting Philly music history and featuring some of the area’s most talented and influential performers, has been added to Philly Rock Radio’s lineup. Beginning on Nov. 15, “In the Pocket” will air at 9 p.m. Thursdays and again at 4 p.m. Fridays on PhillyRockRadio.com. The podcast version can also be heard at wildfireradio.com.
 
“In the Pocket” is co-hosted by David Uosikkinen, original drummer for Philly rock legends The Hooters, and Andy Vineberg, a former longtime entertainment writer for the Bucks County Courier Times, Doylestown Intelligencer and Burlington County Times. The show is named after Uosikkinen’s project In the Pocket, which features an all-star ensemble of Philly-area musicians performing “the essential songs of Philadelphia.” Each week, Uosikkinen and Vineberg are joined by guests with rich musical legacies for in-depth conversations about their favorite songs, their local roots, their career highs and lows, wild stories from the road and more. Previous guests have included Charlie Ingui (the Soul Survivors), bassist Kenny Aaronson (Bob Dylan, Joan Jett and dozens of others), Richard Bush (the A’s, the Peace Creeps), Steve Butler (Quincy, Smash Palace), Anita Wise (wife of late legendary guitarist TJ Tindall), ZouZou Mansour (Soraia), Randy Ellis (booker at Trenton’s City Gardens) and Lon Van Eaton (who worked with George Harrison, Ringo Starr and other big names while signed to Apple Records in the ’70s).
 
"We’re excited to have David and Andy join Philly Rock Radio,” said Kevin McElroy, station owner. “Their show delivers entertaining conversations with guests specific to our local music community. The stories you’ll hear chronicle Philly’s music history. That aspect is important to us here, and this program is exactly what we want Philly Rock Radio to be about."
 
Uosikkinen and Vineberg are both well-versed in Philly music history. Uosikkinen grew up in Levittown, Pennsylvania, and was a founding member of The Hooters alongside Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman in 1980. In addition to performing with The Hooters for the last 38 years, he has recorded and performed with Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper, Taj Mahal and Patty Smyth, among many others, and has played at such major events as Live Aid, Amnesty International and Roger Waters’ “The Wall” in Berlin. In 2010, he formed his own band, David Uosikkinen’s In the Pocket, to bring awareness to music education and to pay homage to Philly’s musical history. When he’s not performing with The Hooters or In the Pocket, he also plays drums with South Jersey power pop band Smash Palace. He lives in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and manager, Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen.
 
Vineberg, who resides in Burlington County, New Jersey, has been writing about music and entertainment since 2001 and considers himself a total music geek. He grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, listening to 93.3 WMMR, which is how he first fell in love with The Hooters. Ironically, Uosikkinen was the first professional musician Vineberg ever interviewed, back when The Hooters performed at his high school in 1983. Thirty-five years later, he’s thrilled to be co-hosting the “In the Pocket” program with him.
 
Each week, Uosikkinen, Vineberg and their guests take listeners on a deep dive through decades of Philly music and memories, and they are excited to bring those stories to PhillyRockRadio.com.
Tune in: David Uosikkinen’s In The Pocket can be heard Thursday nights, 9 p.m – 10 p.m. and Friday afternoons, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., starting November 15 on PhillyRockRadio.com, the station’s free mobile app and via the TuneIn mobile app. For all station information, visit phillyrockradio.com
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PhillyRockRadio.com is an internet radio station that presents a weekly schedule of original programs playing Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Classic Rock from the late ’60s through today. It also provides a platform for indie artists and bands local to the Philly music scene. The station can be streamed through the website phillyrockradio.com, its free mobile app and through the TuneIn app.