Reviews

Lit Brings out the Gen X’ers and Ushers in a New Era

Published

6 years ago

July 16, 2018

Lit Brings Out the Gen X’ers and Ushers in a New Era

Reviewed by: George Archibald
Photos by: Josh Drespling

Tuesday July 10th was another warm and humid summer day for rock and roll. Jergel’s Rhythm Grill in Warrendale, PA hosted the late ’90s alternative rock outfit Lit for its Bike Night entertainment. Lit was an MTV generation band that produced several monster hits that continue to be staples of alternative-rock-radio to this day.

Lit topped the charts with “My Own Worst Enemy”, “Zip-Lock”, and what has been dubbed the-most-played-song-of-2000 “Miserable”. The song featured unique wordplay and the insatiable Pamela Anderson in the video treatment.

Lit has migrated from their pop-punk sound to a more mature sound in the decades since their MTV dominance as evident in the release of their 2017 album These Are the Days which fully embraces a modern country sound in a genre ruled by Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan.

Seth Milly of Milly

Pittsburgh’s own Milly took the stage before Lit and offered up a solid set of songs that were reminiscent of Jimmy Eats World, and perhaps Sugarcult. This five-piece band was not a cookie-cutter band imitating their heroes, as they came to entertain with their own blend of modern rock. This was my first introduction to the band; their music was tight and had a bit of an eighties ballad feel on several of the songs. The band was promoting their new album Place In My Head available on all the usual streaming sites and through their own website millytheband.com.

Around 9pm, Lit took the stage kicking things off with a cover of the Tom Petty classic ‘American Girl.’ Lit then began to reminisce with the crowd about the MTV days and their plethora of appearances on the network before jumping into the hit ‘Zip-Lock.’ Through the song vocalist A. Jay Popoff controlled the crowd and had everyone in attendance singing along and bobbing their head to the beat. The band then jumped ahead several decades and played some songs from their newest release These Are the Days, topping it off with the track ‘Good Problem to Have’ which is currently streaming on Spotify and the video is available on YouTube.

The obvious highlight of Lit’s set was the performance of the smash hit ‘Completely Miserable.’ In which Popoff encourage the crowd to take out their lighters and phones to set the mood for the song. He commented how much better the old school lighters looked in comparison to the cell phones. The band lead the crowd through a sing-along version of the song’s hook, leaving the middle aged girls in the front row dreaming of days gone by as they hoisted there adult beverages in the air and shook their hips.

Overall the band had a balanced set of older songs coupled with a handful of new material. The band was tight and exuded confidence and experience on the state.

Lit will be cross-crossing the nation for the remainder of the summer including several dates on the Gen X Summer Tour with Buckcherry, P.O.D., and Alien Ant Farm.

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George Archibald

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Reviews

Collective Soul “7EVEN YEAR ITCH” Greatest Hits 1994-2001 Vinyl

Published

4 months ago

January 4, 2024

Ron

I’ve always been a big fan of Collective Soul and have been lucky to have seen them a few times. This band has always been in my music mixes since the 1990s.

The vinyl release is exactly what you would want for a greatest-hits album. All the best songs that collective soul had from 1994–2001 If you were a teenager or an adult in the 90s, you can’t tell me that you didn’t jam out to songs like “Shine,” “Gel,” and “December.”

With other great songs like “Heavy,” “Run,” “The World I Know,” and “Forgiveness,” This greatest hit album sounds amazing on vinyl as well. Craft Recordings has done a really great job of keeping the magic and sound of these amazing songs.

The sleeve cover has some cool photos of the band throughout the years. This vinyl just came out in Collective Soul fashion in December, and is ready to be part of your vinyl collection, and just brings you back to a great time in life.

About Author

Ron

Ron has keen eye for new talent, a love for the underground, and a tremendous passion for music of any genera. You’ll probably bump into him at a horror convention or some seedy club checking out the next need-to-know band.

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Reviews

Otep – Hydra 10th Anniversary Vinyl

Published

5 months ago

December 15, 2023

Ron

I received a copy of the album, and when I first opened it, the artwork struck me first. Otep has always been a great visual artist, with her amazing drawings and characters. I even have one of them tattooed on myself. When you see the artwork on this vinyl release, you will really be drawn in and appreciate the artistry.

The sound of this vinyl is amazing. It’s been years since I’ve listened to anything on vinyl and forgot how much I loved the sound of the medium compared to CDs and digital releases. I love the songs on this album because, as with all Otep albums, it has such raw power and emotions, mixed with the anger and beauty of Otep’s poetry. Otep is one of the greats.

The album starts off with the track “Rising,” and this initial song sets the tone for what you’re about to hear from the balance of the album. The standout tracks on this album have to be “Necromantic,” “Apex Predator,” “Voyeur,” and “Feral Game.” Over all, the album as a complete piece of art is amazing. I would encourage you, if you’re a fan of Otep or a collector of vinyl, to add this vinyl to your collection.

About Author

Ron

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Reviews

WEDNESDAY 13: Performs Muderdolls Lititz PA Show Review

Published

5 months ago

November 24, 2023

Ron

Wednesday 13 came into Lititz, PA, on November 18th, bringing the music, or The MurderDolls, with him. Continuing the legacy of Joey Jordison and Ben Graves.

Wednesday 13 is on a tour now; that’s all MurderDolls. 21 years have passed since Beyond the Valley of the MurderDolls came out, and 13 years have passed since Women and Children Last was released. Wednesday and his bandmates are sharing the stage with Infected Rain and Gemini Syndrome on this tour.

The show was amazing; this was our first time covering a show at Mickey’s Black Box. The venue, the staff, and our media contact were so hospitable. The venue was amazing, with a cool balcony on the second floor to watch the show as well.

We got to hear a full set of 20 MurderDolls songs, which was pretty much every song on both albums. There were some songs I haven’t gotten to hear in a long time, like “Grave Robbing USA”, “Drug Me To Hell”, and “Summertime Suicide”. Of course, it wouldn’t be a MurderDolls show if they didn’t play “I Love to Say Fuck” and finish the night with “Dead in Hollywood.”

It’s always a blast to see Wednesday 13 in concert, and I was so excited for the band that a lot of these shows were sold out. It was also a special night because it was my GF’s “50th” birthday and my buddy’s GF’s birthday the next day. We got the MC of the show, Don Jamieson, to give them a little birthday shout-out.

Although it’s sad that Joey and Ben are no longer with us, I’m sure Joey is loving that Murderdolls is still kicking ass after all those years, and I know that Wednesday 13 is so appreciative of what MurderDolls has done for his career.