One of the Koreas is ready to nuke the world; Melissa Etheridges partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, gets friendly with a test tube full of sperm and has twins; and for Christs sake &.Freddy Fender is dead. With the state of the world constantly shifting and changing, there are three things that always seem to remain constant:

3. Rolling Stone magazine still has as many fashion ads as Cosmopolitan (maybe more)

2. MTV still doesnt have any M anymore, and

1. Are You On Something.com is still the best place for music on the Web.


Earth sucks, and I wanna go back home. You see, on my planet, we all speak the same language the universal language of music. Its a quaint little place nestled deep inside my head, where many will come and go, and a great many have taken up residence. I only share this little clue that I might be a whack job with you because I had the chance to see one of the bands that has lived on my planet for decades Iron Maiden. Theyre a band that is recognized by many as one of the best Heavy Metal bands ever and it just so happens that I spent the whole show standing next to a future rock star. On October 18th, Iron Maiden became an unforgettable memory for my son, Nathaniel, as this was his very first concert experience.


 
Rocker Nathaniel Itter
 

I went to my first concert when I was 8 years old, and it was an event that changed my life. I was fortunate enough to start off with a respectable band also. I can stand tall and say that I saw Foghat, with special guest Bob Seger, in 1976. I mean, Im not sure I would admit to remembering my first show if it had been Leif Garrett or The Starland Vocal Band or some crap. So, I wanted the same great experience for my son, who is 9 years old. I wanted to give him a respectable band to start his concert history with, and who better than Iron Maiden.

As the band blasted onto the stage and ran about for almost two hours, Nathaniel seemed hypnotized by Maiden and their show. He could muster up only one word as we wandered the parking lot of Allstate Arena after the show (looking for the goddamned car). Awesome, he said, as he gazed a blank stare toward the sky. He put his $10 Eddie wristband on when I bought it for him, and he still hasnt taken it off. It seems that he has been greatly affected by his first concert experience, and on my planet inhabited by Iron Maiden concerts and Are You On Something material, I just dont have room for Armageddon right now.



As a young rocker kid, I was influenced by many of rocks greatest drummers - one of them being The Runaways Sandy West. Sandy West showed me that girls could rock as hard as boys, and that there were no boundaries to this thing they called Rock N Roll. Sandy lost her long battle with lung cancer on Saturday, October 21st, and the world lost one of its only female power drummers.

From watching the Runaways documentary film, Edgeplay, I know that Sandys desire to play with The Runaways again was tremendous, and I feel like the only way to find closure with this tragedy would be to hear that Cherie Currie, Jackie Fox, Lita Ford, and Joan Jett were working together once again in honor of Sandy. So I would like to use the small voice I have in this forum to plead with Cherie, Jackie, Lita, and Joan to heal this bleeding wound. If only for one small moment, I ask you to bring the beat back in memory of Sandy.

My condolences to the family of Sandy West, The Runaways, and to all of the fans.

Scott "Dr. Music" Itter



1965 - The Fillmore West opened in San Francisco with performances by The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

1968 - George Harrison became the first Beatle to release a solo album when "Wonderwall Music" was issued.

1989 - Elton John became the third artist in history to have 50 hits make the U.K. charts.

1991 - A free concert was held in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in memory of rock promoter, Bill Graham. The Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joan Baez and Journey all took part in the show.

 
New this month . . .

CD Reviews:
" Elton John The Captain & The Kid
" Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death

Concert Reviews:
" The Asia Reunion Tour
Part One: The Concert
" Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush
Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI
October 13, 2006

Feature articles:
" A Tribute to Arthur Lee & Love
" Oct. 14-16... Freddy's dead... CBGB's too...
Live from New York... It's Flogging Molly!
from the notebook of Dr. Philip Lombard
" MySpace Discovery Zone
featuring Miss Crazy

Best of the Best:
" The Doobie Brothers
" Rare Earth


Back to Archives