50SHR #11: Open Fire (Hawaii)

 
50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #11: HAWAII

 

Band: Open Fire
Release: No Uncle of Mine!
Year: 1995
Line-up: Erich Wida (vocals), Chris Yamamoto (guitar), Jack Azevedo (bass), Mike Patterson (drums)

Track Listing:

01. Can’t Find My Way 02. Takin’ All My Money 03. Judging The Book By The Cover 04. Soldier Of Misfortune 05. Gone Away 06. Nothin’ Left To Lose 07. Memory’s Gone 08. What’s Buggin’ Me 09. One Step Closer 10. I Am The Killer

Fletchanator's comment: I previously posted the ultra-rare cassette-only 1990 EP by this band here and now here is the only full-length album from this Hawaiian four-piece. 

Whereas the EP has a sleazy edge to it (while being firmly in the melodic metal camp), on No Uncle of Mine Open Fire have ramped up the heavy side of things, to the point where I can hear influences from Pantera (their heavier stuff not their early glam material), Faith No More and Alice in Chains (some of the harmonies, not the music). No doubt this move away from hair metal was due to the changing music scene and an attempt to cash in on what was hot at the time. It's a shame but Open Fire certainly aren't the only band to have done this.

If you're a fan of any of the bands I mentioned above and like your hard rock a little heavy with a side helping of funk, you'll enjoy this.

 

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50SHR #7: Grady Cain (Connecticut)

50 STATES OF HARD ROCK #7: CONNECTICUT

 

Band: Grady Cain
Release: Faces of Cain
Year: 1995
Line-up: Bootsy Ryan (vocals), John MacBeth (guitars), Chuck Palmer (bass), Mark Ahles (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Goodbye to the Stranger   2.   Rain   3.   Sacrifice   4.   The Manic   5.   Get Out   6.   Ride The Wave   7.   Why?   8.   Everyday   9.   Gypsy Woman   10.   Bones in the Kitchen

Fletchanator's comment: From my former home state (I lived in CT between 2000 and 2002, before returning to my native New Zealand) comes bluesy hard rock four-piece Grady Cain.
This is another obscure release, the only one by this band, which is hardly surprising - a hair metal debut in 1995 when this type of music was virtually dead was a recipe for disaster. I don't know where exactly in CT Grady Cain were from, but the album was released through Backstreet Records in Terryville, just outside of the state capitol Hartford, so I would guess somewhere in that area.
Grady Cain's sound is very bluesy and Led Zeppelin-influenced, while singer Bootsy Ryan sounds like a cross between Axl Rose and Kingdom Come's Lenny Wolf. It's a great mixture, because the end result is kickass and the production values are top notch for a regional release.
 

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Zero - From Zero to Hero (1995)

Country: Switzerland
Year: 1995
Line-up: Claudio Schiliro (vocals), Angi Schiliro (guitars), Enzo Butta (bass), David Pisano (keyboards), Diego Rapachietti (drums)

Track listing:

1.   Zerock   5:20 2.   Last of the Teenage Idol   4:16 3.   Waiting for Your Love   5:11 4.   Cryin' Out for Mercy   4:48 5.   No Time for Lyin'   4:44 6.   Space Shuffle   6:03 7.   The One and Only   4:48 8.   Breathless   3:53 9.   Billy Boy   4:29 10.   Eternally Yours   4:45 11.   I Still Want You   6:22 12.   Is This the End   2:59 13.   Cryin' Out for Mercy (Acoustic) (Bonus track)   7:52 14.   Johnny's On the Run (Acoustic) (Bonus track)   5:01 15.   Eternally Yours (Acoustic) (Bonus track)   5:13

Fletchanator's comment: Although formed in Switzerland, Zero was fronted by the Italian Schiliro brothers. This was their only album under the name Zero, but a year prior this line-up had recorded the second of guitar hero Angi Schiliro's solo albums, White Lady 2. A car accident involving singer Claudio Schiliro spelt the end of Zero, which is a damn shame because these guys are awesome! They play a very polished style of melodic hard rock, along the lines of Fair Warning, Jaded Heart and 1987-era Whitesnake, while their catchy ballads sound a lot like Journey. Claudio has a powerful voice and Angi shreds on guitar. Highly recommended!

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Knightshade - Knightshade [1995]

Country: New Zealand
Year: 1995
Line up: Wayne Elliott (vocals), Rik Bernards (guitar), Simon Garlick (guitar), John Bell (bass), Alan Grady (drums)

Track Listing
1. Top Dog
2. Keep Trying
3. You Don't Need Me
4. Heart of Stone
5. My Kind of Woman
6. The Physical You
7. Hate You in the Morning
8. Television Eyes
9. Blood and Money
10. Out For The Count 11. Million Dollar Love 12. Summer Insanity 13. Last Night in the City

Fletchanator's comment: Here is an extremely rare treat for you, my loyal blog readers. In fact, this is about the only album I'll upload to this blog that I can guarantee you won't be able to get anywhere else. In the 1980s, Knightshade were the hottest hard rock/hair metal band in New Zealand. This album is their "best of" collecting songs from between 1985 and 1995, and it's not available outside of NZ, and is even rare in this country. Singles such as "Blood and Money" and "Out For the Count" were big hits here back in the day, but my favourite tracks are the ballads "Last Night in the City" and "You Don't Need Me". Knightshade is straight-forward, guitar-orientated hard rock. Enjoy!

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Dirty Blond - Cardboard [1995]

Country: USA
Year: 1995
Line up: Mike Gagliardi (vocals), Eric Palmer (guitar), Joe Perilli (bass), Doug Griffith (drums)

Tracks

1.	Right Here
2.	2 Young 2 Die
3.	Cardboard
4.	Misery
5.	Love At First Bite
6.	Window Pain
7.	Train
8.	On My Own
9.	Long Haired Hippy Ass Punk
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.	Just Another Night Let's Get Wild Crank It Up Can't Wait Super Man Put Your Hands (In the Air) Too Late

Request of: ManuelFletchanator's comment: This band is not to be confused with Dirty Blonde (note the e), who I featured on my first podcast, and whose album Passion I put up here on the blog. Dirty Blond put out just the one album, which I have to say features one of the most boring album covers of all time. Soundwise, Dirty Blond are a mix of Skid Row and Every Mother's Nightmare. Just Another Night is a great feel-good anthem, and Window Pain is a good ballad. I can't figure out why my copy has 16 songs, when every reference I can find on the 'net has 10 songs. *Shrug* I dunno. This album is rare though - it sold on eBay for $75 just a couple of weeks ago.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)