Sunday with Guns N' Roses & Blind Melon...

This weekend has been a mesh of side effects of a med increase, struggling at doing some writing and resurrecting the 80s/early90s chick in me. Guns N' Roses has helped me do the latter and despite the strangeness (stranger than normal) that became Axl Rose, I still love the band, the music, his awesome voice, his plaid shirts and his wiggly hips.
I'm also still crushing on Gilby Clarke again since I saw him on Rockstar Super Nova a few years back. ☺(sorry there's so big - the size down seemed so tiny :/)

Hope y'all are having a good weekend.

Music Monday - Goo Goo Dolls

I'm doing the Goo Goo Dolls for obvious reasons - I saw them on Friday and they were Goo-tacular. Best show I've seen them do in a long time. They were relaxed and John had a couple of giggle fits during a song. Robby was sock-footed as usual, and someone threw him baby shoes for his new baby. He was so happy - they both were just a joy really.

The Goos are working on a new album and have been around for, like, ever. Hard to believe John is 46 and still so damn pretty. That's all I'm gonna say. Goo Goo Dolls are a must buy, must see, top ten on my list. I'm including a couple of pics and vids I shot on Friday - not saying they're good because I'm shaky and keep putting my finger over the mic - but I think they're still cute. :)  Enjoy.

Flashback Fridays - One Hit Wonders of the 80s

Flashback Fridays - One hit wonders of the 80s. You know there are a lot of them and when you hear the song you go "oh, I remember that - I loved that song" but generally you have no idea who the band who sang it is.

I'm playing this game called Songpop and I'll there'll be a clip to one such one hit wonder and it's on the tip of my tongue just who the hell sang it so here ya go - some of my fave one hit wonders of the 80s (I do have albums of some of these bands too and they weren't really one hit wonders but I just think they never got any radio play *

**disclaimer - I can only go by what dates I find so these might not be 100% accurate & there were so many more I could have posted - perhaps another time**

*~*~*~*

W.I.P. Wednesday & this & that

I definitely have a few WIPs that need to be whipped into shape and I love that little pic. :)

Progress update:

Olympic Football: I finished and subbed my Olympic football story - it came out at 8000 words just between the 5 and 10k parameters. I think it's a sweet story and it shows I may have even learned something during all my Euro Cup watching because I actually used some football words. :) I think I'll hear next week whether it will be accepted for the anthology.

Music Monday - Kill Hannah

Kill Hannah - formed in 1993 in Chicago Illinois - word has it the band name came from Mat Devine's ex-girlfriend. I've seen them described as a band you either love or hate - there's no happy medium. I think they're awesome.

And speaking of awesome and of Mat Devine - yeah, I admit I might have started listening to them because of how freaking cute and adorable and weird and tiny he is (not to mention his awesome hair that just never does what it's supposed to), but I do love his voice as well - it's very unique. He's also freaking funny and you should totally follow his twitter and his blog Raccoon Society. The guy speaks his mind and lets others do the same. He's made of awesome.

But um... back to Kill Hannah. They've grown as men, as a group and in a musical way over the past few years as you can attest to in the videos. I guess you could call them more pop than rock but I personally love Mat's voice and lyrics so that's the hook for me. My kids still claim it has to be a girl singing that high - and yeah, he's tiny and looks like a girl sometimes, too. :D Anyhow - enjoy Kill Hannah.

Music Mondays - Great Big Sea (kitchen party, anyone?)

Great Big Sea is a Canadian treasure, another band on my top 5 list and one I've seen them at least 5 times, as well. They're from Newfoundland, formed in 1993 and are still going strong. They've been described as folk-rock and rock-celtic and are known for their interpretations of traditional Newfie sea shanties... BUT they are so much more than that.

Over the years GBS has explored different kinds of music from folk to rock to more poppier tunes, and of course, beer-drinking kitchen-party music. They're songs inspire fun and hope and just plain inspiration. They are an absolutely awesome band to see live no matter how big the venue but the smaller ones are more suited to some of the a capella songs they like to sing.

Alan Doyle does the main vocals but they all take a turn or two at the mic, especially when it comes to the raucous, teasing banter that always sounds so natural and unforced. These guys have known each other since they were young so there's a lot of stories to be told, a lot of ribbing to be done (lately it's been about Alan's starry-eyed appearance in the movie Robin Hood with his bff Russell Crowe) and a lot of caring in everything they say to each other. And may I mention the amount of instruments involved in a Great Big Sea concert? The norms like drums, acoustic and electric guitars, but also mandolins, fiddles, tin whistles, bouzouki, bodhran, bones, accordions, concertinas and hell, even bagpipes on occasion.

Flashback Friday - Rocker Chicks

Flashback Friday Rocker chicks you say with a question mark in your mind? Has K-lee lost her own mind perhaps?

Not entirely but if you know me well, you also know I'm not a fan of woman singers or rock bands but today I'm going to share a few that I do like - back from the old days of course. :) There is a trend towards ballads for me and I know there's a lot more I could have included, maybe next time.

Stevie Nicks - the queen herself as far as I'm concerned. 

She had the hair the clothes, the voice and the look 

(plus the once-stunning Lindsey Buckingham). 

I totally wanted to be Stevie Nicks.

Tattoo Tuesday - Adam Gontier & some music

Adam Gontier from Three Days Grace (good Canadian boy :P). He's tall, sexy, tattooed and his voice gives me goosebumps... everywhere. He's tricky to find pics of besides his arms but you make due with what you have, right?

Significant tattoos include
- Grace across the knuckles of his right hand in the exact font from Jeff Buckley's (who drown in 1997) album Grace.
- A solid black band on his right forearm with the lyrics to "Never to Late"
- A photo of his wife tattooed on his left arm and a tribute to his grandmother underneath.
- There are others including 2 on his chest but like I said, the dude rarely takes his shirt off. :) And you know I'm gonna post a couple of my fave songs too, right?

PS if your ever get a chance to see Three Days Grace in concert - DO! - they're awesome.

Tattoo Tuesday - Tommy Lee - Rocker edition (NSFW)

Alas my Tattoo Tuesday has now gone the way of the rocker, just like everything else in my blog. But hopefully only for today.

Thomas Lee Bass, AKA Tommy Lee, born October 3, 1962 in Athens, Greece - he's rude, crude and lude, and makes absolutely no apologies for it. He's also hot, cute, sweet and has his hands in several different charities. I loved him on Rock Star Supernova and had some definite slashy thoughts about him and Gilby Clark (GnR), and hey, they picked an awesome Canadian boy as the winner, so what's not to love. I won't talk about his choices in women, although one of them was Canadian, too. I've loved that we have the same middle name and if I married him I'd be K-lee Lee - I could live with that, but probably not so much with the rude, crude and lude part, lol. Anyhow, enjoy some vintage (and mostly naked) Tommy Lee.

Flashback Friday - The CULT

The cult emerged in Britain from the forming and disbanding of several other bands in the mid-80s. They crashed onto the scene in 1984 with their single "She Sells Sanctuary" - a song I still have to get up and move to even now.  They could never really be considered one particular style of music - picking up the pseudo-mysticism and Native American obsessions of the Door, the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin, the three-chord crunch of AC/DC, and adding some touches of post-punk goth rock.

For me, it was the Doors influence and more precisely Jim Morrison aura that lead singer Ian Astbury had going on. He was sexy and bendy and could belt out a song to precision with that unique sultry voice of his. He even became part of a band called The Doors of the 21st Century in 2002. Astbury and original member, Billy Duffy, reformed the band a number of times and as of now are preparing for a new album to be released in May of 2012. I still really love their sound.

Tattoo Tuesday - Anthony Kiedis

It's my first Tattoo Tuesday so I thought it would be fitting to start with a man I've loved for a whole lot of years and seen in concert a whole lot of times - the stunning, un-aging, Anthony Kiedis from The Red Hot Chili Peppers. (I have a cat named Chili - now you know why)

<--That right there is my first tat and if you don't know what it is it's the RHCP logo - an asterisk that Anthony drew on a piece of paper once with the band's name around in and Bazinga RHCP's logo was born. Anthony has also been known to call it an angel's asshole. Lol.

Anthony Kiedis - born November 1, 1962 (50 years old this year)

His first tattoo was Chief Sitting Bull on his upper right arm. 

Followed by Chief Joseph on his left upper arm

Flashback Friday - Pop Idols of the 70s

I thought for Flashback Friday, I'd go waaaay back this week. Back to the 70's to be more exact when I didn't listen to the pretty boys of hair metal (I was only in elementary school still) but the pretty boys of pop. :) (I have to admit these made me smile pretty hard and that's saying a lot for the couple weeks I've had)

The Partridge Family. I loved David Cassidy (now after seeing him in Celebrity Apprentice, he's kind of a pipsqueak jerk but I still have my memories) and yes, I was alive in 1970 but only for a few years - reruns people. :P One of my fave shows growing up and I just really wanted to become a Partridge.




Bay City Rollers, about 1975-1977 - lovely Scottish lads with their pretty tartan and sexy open shirts. Lol. (FYI, Eric the guitarist with the spiky hair to the right of Les, the singer, was my fave <3)

Shaun Cassidy 1977. He was actually hotter than David (half-brothers) and went on to play Joe Hardy in the Hardy Boys tv series (I read all the books way before then - always a Hardy Boys fan and not Nancy Drew - girls, yucky - not much has changed that way.) Shaun aged much better than David by the way.

Leif Garrett 1977. I'm sure there are an abundance of boys names Leif from these years. He's still around but mostly in rehab shows and things like that. :/ Such pretty hair.

Andy Gibb 1977. The youngest of the Brothers' Gibb - Bee Gees - he died in 1988 at the age of 30 of myocarditis - so sad). He was so beautiful inside and out. I cried when he died and I still miss his pretty face.

Monday's Mood Music - Staind

"Pardon me
if I can't fake it
while you still
believe"

Flashback Friday

One of my all-time faves - Extreme, More Than Words. Great song, great video


Canadian boys Platinum Blonde - great hair :P

Red hot Chili Peppers - Anthony Kiedis used to be an obsession of mine I still love these guys 

Flashback Friday - Warrant, Skid Row, Cinderella

So I'm trying more structure in my blog so Fridays is going to be Flashback Fridays where I post all the music I still love but most people probably don't. :) Basically in my younger years (okay and still), if you put some beautiful long hair on a guy, add some tight clothes (or better yet *coughs* no clothes), give him a killer voice and make him sing power ballads, I'd become a screaming fangirl - okay, I still do. Not that I don't have taste, specifications or favourites but... well, never mind.

Hope you enjoy Flashback Fridays.

(PS You're probably wondering that since today is Tuesday and not Friday, WTF am I doing - answer = I just couldn't wait to get the party started)

Warrant - with the talented Jani Lane who passed away 2 weeks ago. RIP Jani, we love you.
  

The amazing Sebastian Bach and Skid Row

 

Tom Kiefer and Cinderella

  

Favorite rocker stories

I have a serious rock star addiction and probably obsession, too. I call myself a rocker groupie because in all fairness I kind of am or at least, have been in the past. Last year I saw the same band 10 - no - 11 - no, I think it was 12 times - in Canada and the States. Live shows bring out things in me that aren't normally there; I become more social, more of an extrovert, more unaware of my self-conscousness and self-confidence issues. So I think it's only natural that rock star books and hot rock star boys make me happy.

Anyhow since I do have this obsession and I'm writing my own rocker series, Glitter Fox, I'm going to share my fave rock star reads with you.

Jordan's got a good life. He's got his own web business, a fat cat for a pet and his own house, which he shares with his sister -- oh well, nothing's perfect. Also not perfect is not having someone special to share his life with. His sister Rebecca believes it's because he's too picky and too unapproachable, but Jordan just wants someone to do the Sunday crossword with, take walks with, someone who'll be his mate for life. Is that really too much to ask?

One night Rebecca drags Jordan to a Tyler Curtis concert. Tyler is a notorious bad boy who treats his audience with contempt and sleeps with a different groupie every night, and Rebecca is determined to be tonight's groupie. Jordan is there under protest. At least he is until he meets the man beneath the crass, bad boy image. Will Jordan get to know the true Tyler or will Tyler's manager and a world wanting the man to match the image conspire against them?

I love this book and it's one of the only m/m books I've read, and really enjoyed, that doesn't complete the sex act. Some people don't like that aspect of the book but I didn't feel like I'd been slighted in the least. The emotions and issues in this story are raw, complex and real and I challenge anyone to not find something in this book that strikes a chord with them. I cried a whole lot of tears but recovered with a whole lot of smiles and "awwwws". Fabulous writing and characters make it just a fabulous read.

*****

Vocally gifted singer, Jesse Alexander, has dreams of taking his band, Conquest, to the top. Evan Arden was thought of as a musical genius when at the height of his career he vanished from the spotlight. Together, their relationship is just as intense as their music careers. With success pushing down on them, Jesse must decide between his life of music, or his life with Evan.

There are 5 books in this series and I loved them all, but I have to say my faves are the original Conquest, Not Fear and Black Heart Down because I think they all involve my fave couple in the books - Evan and Jesse. That seems to be a pattern of mine - the first couple in a series usually end up being my fave. I could read about these boys for days and yeah, I probably have. They're emotional and loving and supportive and I can only hope my Glitter Fox boys will touch someone as much as Evan and Jesse touched me. As far as I'm concerned, SJ and Jet Mykles are the "queens of rock stars" and I bow down to their greatness. ;)

*****

Danny and Jeff have never had an easy relationship. Danny admits early on that he wants Jeff, maybe even loves him, but all Jeff wants is a normal life, at least as normal as a rock star can have. Over the years, the two of them will come together and drift apart, as Danny spirals deeper into depression over what he feels is an unrequited love. Jeff has his ownreasons for pushing Danny away, but when he finally decides to take life by the horns and find Danny again, it might be too late. Can Jeff and Danny find a wayto put their past behind them, and build a future as bright as the prospects of their new band?

This book just blew me away. There's really nothing sweet or mushy about it, at least not in an overall way. It's gritty and raw and made me want to throw things on occasion - at the characters - but it's also memorable and real. It takes place over several years and there are no angels and saints to be found - everyone has their own flaws, some far greater than others, but the beautiful way its written, makes you just wanna adopt these guys, flaws and all.

*****

Heaven Sent gets a hell of new keyboardist with a name to match. Hell Witting is an amazing musician and proves to be the answer to a sound that the band was missing. With lavender hair and big violet eyes, he captivates Brent Rose from the start, and not just with his music. When Hell makes his interest in Brent all too obvious, Brent is unprepared and unable to stay away. So, fine, if they just keep it at sex, everything will be all right...

This isn't the first in the Heaven Sent series but actually the third. I did like them all but I ended up with this special obsession with the little lavender-haired, alpha-in-the-sack, keyboardist named Hell. He's pretty damn special and together with Brent, they're an awesome combination. Jet has another rockstar series and I love that one, too, but I'll just let Hell speak for her for now.

*****

Brandon Ashwood had it all--fame, fortune, and Nicholas Kilmain--but it took almost losing everything to realize his most important possession was his belief in himself. And the one thing he'd fight for was Nicholas.

This book broke my heart in a lot of ways and in a lot of places, but that's also the kind of story I like as long as the ending makes me feel better again. It was a complex, angsty, emotional read, twisting and turning much like the characters' minds and hearts. The complexities came in the form of a back and forth pattern of past and present references, and though, the "past" journal did add the backstory, I found myself just wanting more of the "present" story which, yeah, I eventually got. The characters were rich, well-drawn and believable with both strengths and flaws. It was another total tear-jerker for me and that's not a bad thing.

*****

Cassidy Monarch had dreams to sing, to be famous, to tour the world at the head of his own rock band. Then his parents were killed in a tragic accident, leaving him to raise his two siblings. Determined to hold on to what remained of his family, Cassidy settled into an ordinary life, his dreams of fame reduced to occasional nights of singing at karaoke dives. But his careful, ordinary life began to fray with his new job, and the beautiful, charming boss who reminds him of all the things he tried to stop wanting.

Malcolm Osborne is a classic rags to riches story, a foster child who wound up with the perfect family and more money than he knows what to do with. He's wealthy, beautiful, successful, and completely miserable. Then he hires a new worker for his office, a young, hard-working man with a sadness in his eyes that Malcolm aches to banish, hoping that in doing so he will be rid of his own loneliness as well.

This was a beautiful read and Cassidy is just an incredible, all-round character. The story is one of the sweetest that I've ever read in this genre and it sucks the reader into the psyche and dreams of this lovely young man. Truly great read.

*****

Hard rock band Schadenfreude is finally on the verge of the success that’s eluded them for the last several years. With Aaron McClure as their new lead singer, nothing’s going to stop them…except maybe a steamy, secret relationship between Aaron and bassist Bastian Koehler. Aaron knows all too well what can happen when band members get involved with each other. After all, his last band was a casualty of his last relationship, and Schadenfreude forbids band members from dating for that very reason. But Bastian is too hot to resist, and besides, it’s just sex, so what’s the harm?

Bastian has just gotten out of a long relationship with his volatile ex-fiancée when Aaron catches his eye. The sexy singer is irresistible, and in spite of the potential for strife within the band if this comes out, Bastian can’t help himself.

Their passion in the bedroom is rivaled only by their ambition as musicians, though, and pretty soon, it's going to tear them, and Schadenfreude apart, if they can't get back to playing with the band.

The secrets and passion and just plain hotness really sold me on this book. I could just hear the music and see the bandmembers rocking out on stage - that's how descriptive and great the writing was.

*****

Jake Brenner has too many wild oats to sow to fall in love—or so he claims. Besides, he's much too busy with his band, the Wayward Sons, to go looking for romance. His reticence has nothing to do with his embarrassing crush on Chris, the band's lead singer and Jake's erstwhile best friend. But that was before enigmatic wanderer Parker McAvoy signed on as the band's new lead guitarist.

He can only deny his attraction to sweet, dorky Parker for so long before the urge to do something about it becomes impossible to ignore. The trouble is, Parker knows all about Jake's philandering ways—and oh, yeah, he's not gay. Or so Jake thinks until a string of related events provides encouraging new insight. Can he convince Parker to overlook his colorful past and give him a chance? Or will this love song fade out before it even begins?

Sweet story with not a lot of angst but that was okay under the circumstances. It's a soothing story that's comprised of blog entries which really work in the context. The ending is perfect HEA and as Baby Bear says everything ended "Just right."
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Fabulous video, fabulous memories

My favourite band is 30 Seconds to Mars and yes, Jared Leto is the lead singer and also, yes, he is an actor.  Sorry - I was just answering the questions that people usually ask - I missed a statement they usually say though "never head of 'em".  Oh well.  They do exist and I saw them at least 12 times in 2010...hmm, could have been more actually.  I was working around some major depression and going to the shows made me happy so hubby just let me do it - I only say that because he's the working man in the family so logically it would be him letting me go with regards to the finances but in reality, he never "lets" me do anything. :P

But I digress... The first video is very special to me because it involves a lot of the concerts I went to.  Jared made us sing the chorus over and over and over again to get it right - can you say perfectionist? :)  I can even pick myself out in various quick scenes.

The second video is just one I filmed - it's one of my fave songs on the new album (which by the way, my voice is on as well since I attended the "recording sessions").  You'll have to excuse the sound quality of the video - it was my first time using the camera and I kept putting my finger over the mic when I'd zoom.  And in case you don't know the band, Jared's brother, Shannon, is the drummer.

The 3rd video is an acoustic of Jared (also one I shot from the front of the barrier - so it's a little shaky) - the light sucks but they always do that blue light thing for his solos.  It's still pretty though, right?  It was shot in Vancouver.

Hope you enjoy. :)