Disk Union (Japan) RICHIE KOTZEN / The Essencial Richie Kotzen（3,360円）THE WINERY DOGSでギター、ヴォーカルを務めるリッチー・コッツェンのWHD移籍第1弾となるベスト・アルバム。ソロ活動の方向性を示す未発表曲と、リッチー自身が厳選した楽曲で構成された作品。
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
THE WINERY DOGS ANNOUNCE SUMMER 2014 U.S. TOUR
The rock band, The Winery Dogs, have announced a summer 2014 U.S. tour in support of their latest self titled album. The tour will start in Englewood, NJ on April 30th and end in Glenside, PA on July 30th. You can check out the dates and details, after the break.
April 30th – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
May 2nd – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
May 3rd – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theater
May 4th – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
May 6th – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
May 7th – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
May 9th – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
May 10th – Charlotte, NC – Amos Southend
May 11th – Winston-Salem, NC – Ziggy’s
May 14th – Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Culture Room
May 15th – Largo, FL- Largo Cultural Center
May 16th – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Freebird Live
May 18th – Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s
May 20th – Fort Smith, AR – Neumeier’s Rib Room
May 23rd – Houston, TX – The Scout Bar
May 24th – Dallas, TX- The Granada Theater
June 24th – Ramona, CA – Mainstage
June 26th – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
June 27th – Beverly Hills, CA – Saban Theater
June 28th – Agoura Hills, CA – Canyon Club
June 30th – San Francisco, CA – Yoshi’s
July 1st – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s at Jack London Square
July 5th – Knebworth, England – Sonisphere Festival
July 7th – Wolverhampton, England – Slade Rooms
July 8th – London, England – The Underworld
July 10th – Nuremberg, Germany – Rockfabrik
July 11th – Bochum, Germany – Matrix
July 12th – Osnabruck, Germany – Rosenhof
July 13th – Weert, Netherlands – Bospop Festival
July 15th – Zwolle, Netherlands – Hedon
July 21st to 25th – DOG CAMP – Big Indian, NY – Full Moon Resort (full details at www.winerydogcamp.com)
July 26th – Buffalo, NY – The Tralf
July 28th – Amityville, NY – Revolution
July 30th – Glenside, PA – The Keswick Theater
May 2nd – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
May 3rd – New Brunswick, NJ – State Theater
May 4th – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
May 6th – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
May 7th – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
May 9th – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
May 10th – Charlotte, NC – Amos Southend
May 11th – Winston-Salem, NC – Ziggy’s
May 14th – Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Culture Room
May 15th – Largo, FL- Largo Cultural Center
May 16th – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Freebird Live
May 18th – Little Rock, AR – Juanita’s
May 20th – Fort Smith, AR – Neumeier’s Rib Room
May 23rd – Houston, TX – The Scout Bar
May 24th – Dallas, TX- The Granada Theater
June 24th – Ramona, CA – Mainstage
June 26th – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
June 27th – Beverly Hills, CA – Saban Theater
June 28th – Agoura Hills, CA – Canyon Club
June 30th – San Francisco, CA – Yoshi’s
July 1st – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s at Jack London Square
July 5th – Knebworth, England – Sonisphere Festival
July 7th – Wolverhampton, England – Slade Rooms
July 8th – London, England – The Underworld
July 10th – Nuremberg, Germany – Rockfabrik
July 11th – Bochum, Germany – Matrix
July 12th – Osnabruck, Germany – Rosenhof
July 13th – Weert, Netherlands – Bospop Festival
July 15th – Zwolle, Netherlands – Hedon
July 21st to 25th – DOG CAMP – Big Indian, NY – Full Moon Resort (full details at www.winerydogcamp.com)
July 26th – Buffalo, NY – The Tralf
July 28th – Amityville, NY – Revolution
July 30th – Glenside, PA – The Keswick Theater
THE WINERY DOGS – BUS INVADERS EP. 532 [VIDEO]
Information about the video…
Act – The Winery Dogs
Film Date – October 18, 2013
Location – Palatine, IL
Act – The Winery Dogs
Film Date – October 18, 2013
Location – Palatine, IL
The Winery Dogs - May 22nd 2014 - Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
SAN ANTONIO'S PREMIER LIVE MUSIC VENUE
BOX OFFICE (210) 229-1988 INFO LINE (210) 802-7655 TXT/VOICEMAIL
THE WINERY DOGS
EVENTS
Date: Thursday, May 22, 2014
Place: BACKSTAGE LIVE
Thursday, May 22, 2014 - Backstage Live
THE WINERY DOGS
Charm City Devils
TBD
Doors @ 7pm
$20 ADV
(A minor fee may be added for persons under the age of 21)
http://www.frontgatetickets.com
Tickets On Sale: Friday 4/25 @ 10am
Charm City Devils
TBD
Doors @ 7pm
$20 ADV
(A minor fee may be added for persons under the age of 21)
http://www.frontgatetickets.com
Tickets On Sale: Friday 4/25 @ 10am
THE WINERY DOGS
Richie Kotzen (Vocals and Guitar)
Billy Sheehan (Bass and Vocals)
Mike Portnoy (Drums and Vocals)
It would be easy to call The Winery Dogs a supergroup: Vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen
made his mark with Poison and Mr. Big, bassist Billy Sheehan has been rocking for decades with
Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and others, and drummer Mike Portnoy was the co-founder
of progressive metal superstars Dream Theater. But The Winery Dogs are so much more than a
supergroup.
Supergroups are usually short-lived entities composed of gifted players that jam out for little
while and then quickly record with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. Moreover, they're
often the sum of their collective parts. That's certainly not the case with The Winery Dogs, a
cohesive, well-rounded classic-sounding trio with blazing songs that defy expectation. The
group’s self-titled debut is filled with straightforward rock and roll inspired by some of their
favorite bands, and their music transcends any of the styles they're best known for.
“We all have our own distinct voicings and styles, but we also have a common ground of music
we grew up listening to,” explains vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen. “What makes the band
so special is that somehow, in our collaboration, none of us lost our identity. We all sound like
who we are yet we make music that is fresh and exciting and sounds like a new band. There’s a
natural chemistry that came together; it’s one of those things that’s meant to be.”
“I like the fact that everybody comes from a different background, though there are similarities
to them,” adds Sheehan. “We have is a real special bond that wouldn’t happen if we were all into
exactly the same things. We brought disparate elements together and made them into a unified
band.”
The proof is in the brew: The Winery Dogs is an eclectic, fully realized album of songs that
groove and swing without sacrificing any of the grit that makes great hard rock so inspiring.
“Elevate” starts with a bang, as slamming drums and a visceral riff mesh into a rhythm of sheer
power. Then the gifted musicians end the stanza in a flurry of precision playing before dropping
down to a bass drum thump and sustained guitar feedback over which Kotzen sings, “Lost in the
dark, I feel like a shadow of myself.” Then the band kicks back into overdrive and the song
repeats its tension and release until it reaches the euphoric chorus, “Elevate me, take me hire/ I
don’t want to be wasted.”
The push-pull dynamic illustrates how The Winery Dogs toy with established styles and turn
them into something special, complete with Sheehan’s acrobatic bass fills and Kotzen’s rapidfire
solos, which help The Winery Dogs blend in a way that’s both instantly recognizable and utterly
individual.
“Desire” is slinkier and more sensual, starting with a lone staccato guitar, but rapidly morphing
into a something more infectious than teenage mono, wah-wah guitars pumping along with
throbbing bass rhythms and a sturdy backbeat. Before the song is over, The Winery Dogs have
engaged in a full-scale workout of funk-inflected and blues-embellished hard rock, capped with
the vocal “I don’t think that I can let go.”
“When we were writing, we’d get together and play and everything was really natural and
automatic and fell together in a really cool way,” Sheehan says. “Some of the jams we did on the
record are pretty spontaneous. We’d launch into them and let nature its course. Honestly, the
hardest thing was deciding which songs were our favorites. We’d finish something and be totally
happy with it. And then we’d do the next song and go, ‘No, man, that’s our new favorite!’ It was
a rare and beautiful thing. Sometimes birth is hard labor, but these songs just popped out.”
Maybe The Winery Dogs sounds so great because, more than anything, the album is a labor of
love written from the heart and revealing unexpected shades of melodic eclecticism and lyrical
vulnerability. Kotzen's vocals have never sounded better and his guitar playing is extraordinary.
Anchored by Sheehan's expert bass lines, which root the songs and provide a lock-and-step
foundation for Portnoy to play around, the band creates music that see-saws between primal
simplicity and time-honored virtuosity.
“It’s very exciting for me to be in a solid rock trio,” Portnoy says. “Stylistically, the bulk of my
career has been spent playing progressive music, so this was an opportunity for me to do
something that wasn’t prog or metal. It’s more classic rock and, at the end of the day that’s what
I grew up with and that’s the biggest influence in my life. I’m just at home playing on a small
four piece kit doing a simple John Bonham groove as I am playing complex tempos on a giant
kit. And that’s been a great breath of fresh air for me.”
The seeds of The Winery Dogs were planted in 2011 when Sheehan and Portnoy were working
on music together with a different guitarist and songwriter. When that didn’t gel, a mutual
friend, “That Metal Show” host and consummate music fan, Eddie Trunk, suggested they contact
Kotzen and see if he was interested in forming a band. “We all thought that was a brilliant idea,”
Portnoy says. “We were looking for that super gifted guitar player, singer and songwriter -- and
that’s Richie.”
The musicians got together in Kotzen’s rehearsal studio in January 2012 and the first day they
jammed, they wrote three songs, including the album tracks “One More Time,” and “Six Feet
Deeper.” A month later, they reconvened and wrote five more tunes. From there, it was just a
matter of fulfilling other musical obligations before they could get together and start recording
the album. “At that point we were all gung-ho into it,” Portnoy says. “That summer we got
together and we began recording in August 2012. That’s when the bulk of the recording was
done as well as the writing of the remaining six tracks. We reconvened in December to finish the
vocals and the last touches of overdubbing and mixed it in January 2013.”
While many of the tracks on The Winery Dogs were written from beginning to end in the studio,
others came out of song skeletons Kotzen had already written. “I had some material lurking on a
hard drive, and I played that for the guys and they connected with those and helped me develop
them into complete songs. Then there was one, ‘You Saved Me,’ that Mike had some lyrical and
melodic ideas for and he ended up writing that. So the process was totally collaborative, no
matter who made the first step. There were no egos involved.”
The Winery Dogs is fueled by passion and talent, and also abounds with diversity. “Damaged”
rings with jazzy guitar chords and yearning vocals, retaining intensity without being ultra-heavy;
“I’m No Angel” is a mid-tempo burner propelled by a bluesy riff that’s part Hendrix, part
Zeppelin, while “Regret” is a heartfelt ballad replete with layered organ and piano that weave
through soulful vocals, emotive guitars and a shuffling beat born of The Stones by way of Philly
soul. “Growing up outside Philadelphia, I listened to a lot of soul music and as a singer that
really influenced my delivery,” Kotzen says. “I think it fits the kind of music we do. They’re not
typical hard rock vocals, but they’re still powerful.”
In September, The Winery Dogs will travel to Europe for a warm-up tour, then they’ll return to
the U.S. to embrace crowds with their passion, energy, enthusiasm and undeniable talent. For
Portnoy, much of the excitement lies in the uniquely chemical bond the three musicians have
created. “This is a band in the true sense of the word,” he emphasizes. “It’s all about
collaborating on every level, from the writing to the production, and that’s what makes it more
than a ‘project.’ We were in the same room making music together. It wasn’t one of those ‘done
by email’ kind of albums.”
From the uptempo blues-punk rhythms and flailing lead guitars of “The Other Side” to the
space-warped doom of “Time Machine,” to the boogie blues riffage of “One More Time,” The
Winery Dogs conjure the best aspects of sixties and seventies rock with a modern flair. Equally
experimental and infectious, their album is a milestone in a hard rock genre saturated with
cookie-cutter bands afraid to stray beyond their proven formula.
“We’re so proud of everything on this album,” Sheehan concludes.” We can’t wait to share it
with everyone and spend a lot of time on the road. As much as we love these songs, we feel like
the next record we make will be just as cool if not better because it will come out of playing
together on the road and we’ll learn exactly what works and know what to do next. That’s
another thing I’m really looking forward to.”
Richie Kotzen (Vocals and Guitar)
Billy Sheehan (Bass and Vocals)
Mike Portnoy (Drums and Vocals)
It would be easy to call The Winery Dogs a supergroup: Vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen
made his mark with Poison and Mr. Big, bassist Billy Sheehan has been rocking for decades with
Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big and others, and drummer Mike Portnoy was the co-founder
of progressive metal superstars Dream Theater. But The Winery Dogs are so much more than a
supergroup.
Supergroups are usually short-lived entities composed of gifted players that jam out for little
while and then quickly record with the hopes of catching lightning in a bottle. Moreover, they're
often the sum of their collective parts. That's certainly not the case with The Winery Dogs, a
cohesive, well-rounded classic-sounding trio with blazing songs that defy expectation. The
group’s self-titled debut is filled with straightforward rock and roll inspired by some of their
favorite bands, and their music transcends any of the styles they're best known for.
“We all have our own distinct voicings and styles, but we also have a common ground of music
we grew up listening to,” explains vocalist and guitarist Richie Kotzen. “What makes the band
so special is that somehow, in our collaboration, none of us lost our identity. We all sound like
who we are yet we make music that is fresh and exciting and sounds like a new band. There’s a
natural chemistry that came together; it’s one of those things that’s meant to be.”
“I like the fact that everybody comes from a different background, though there are similarities
to them,” adds Sheehan. “We have is a real special bond that wouldn’t happen if we were all into
exactly the same things. We brought disparate elements together and made them into a unified
band.”
The proof is in the brew: The Winery Dogs is an eclectic, fully realized album of songs that
groove and swing without sacrificing any of the grit that makes great hard rock so inspiring.
“Elevate” starts with a bang, as slamming drums and a visceral riff mesh into a rhythm of sheer
power. Then the gifted musicians end the stanza in a flurry of precision playing before dropping
down to a bass drum thump and sustained guitar feedback over which Kotzen sings, “Lost in the
dark, I feel like a shadow of myself.” Then the band kicks back into overdrive and the song
repeats its tension and release until it reaches the euphoric chorus, “Elevate me, take me hire/ I
don’t want to be wasted.”
The push-pull dynamic illustrates how The Winery Dogs toy with established styles and turn
them into something special, complete with Sheehan’s acrobatic bass fills and Kotzen’s rapidfire
solos, which help The Winery Dogs blend in a way that’s both instantly recognizable and utterly
individual.
“Desire” is slinkier and more sensual, starting with a lone staccato guitar, but rapidly morphing
into a something more infectious than teenage mono, wah-wah guitars pumping along with
throbbing bass rhythms and a sturdy backbeat. Before the song is over, The Winery Dogs have
engaged in a full-scale workout of funk-inflected and blues-embellished hard rock, capped with
the vocal “I don’t think that I can let go.”
“When we were writing, we’d get together and play and everything was really natural and
automatic and fell together in a really cool way,” Sheehan says. “Some of the jams we did on the
record are pretty spontaneous. We’d launch into them and let nature its course. Honestly, the
hardest thing was deciding which songs were our favorites. We’d finish something and be totally
happy with it. And then we’d do the next song and go, ‘No, man, that’s our new favorite!’ It was
a rare and beautiful thing. Sometimes birth is hard labor, but these songs just popped out.”
Maybe The Winery Dogs sounds so great because, more than anything, the album is a labor of
love written from the heart and revealing unexpected shades of melodic eclecticism and lyrical
vulnerability. Kotzen's vocals have never sounded better and his guitar playing is extraordinary.
Anchored by Sheehan's expert bass lines, which root the songs and provide a lock-and-step
foundation for Portnoy to play around, the band creates music that see-saws between primal
simplicity and time-honored virtuosity.
“It’s very exciting for me to be in a solid rock trio,” Portnoy says. “Stylistically, the bulk of my
career has been spent playing progressive music, so this was an opportunity for me to do
something that wasn’t prog or metal. It’s more classic rock and, at the end of the day that’s what
I grew up with and that’s the biggest influence in my life. I’m just at home playing on a small
four piece kit doing a simple John Bonham groove as I am playing complex tempos on a giant
kit. And that’s been a great breath of fresh air for me.”
The seeds of The Winery Dogs were planted in 2011 when Sheehan and Portnoy were working
on music together with a different guitarist and songwriter. When that didn’t gel, a mutual
friend, “That Metal Show” host and consummate music fan, Eddie Trunk, suggested they contact
Kotzen and see if he was interested in forming a band. “We all thought that was a brilliant idea,”
Portnoy says. “We were looking for that super gifted guitar player, singer and songwriter -- and
that’s Richie.”
The musicians got together in Kotzen’s rehearsal studio in January 2012 and the first day they
jammed, they wrote three songs, including the album tracks “One More Time,” and “Six Feet
Deeper.” A month later, they reconvened and wrote five more tunes. From there, it was just a
matter of fulfilling other musical obligations before they could get together and start recording
the album. “At that point we were all gung-ho into it,” Portnoy says. “That summer we got
together and we began recording in August 2012. That’s when the bulk of the recording was
done as well as the writing of the remaining six tracks. We reconvened in December to finish the
vocals and the last touches of overdubbing and mixed it in January 2013.”
While many of the tracks on The Winery Dogs were written from beginning to end in the studio,
others came out of song skeletons Kotzen had already written. “I had some material lurking on a
hard drive, and I played that for the guys and they connected with those and helped me develop
them into complete songs. Then there was one, ‘You Saved Me,’ that Mike had some lyrical and
melodic ideas for and he ended up writing that. So the process was totally collaborative, no
matter who made the first step. There were no egos involved.”
The Winery Dogs is fueled by passion and talent, and also abounds with diversity. “Damaged”
rings with jazzy guitar chords and yearning vocals, retaining intensity without being ultra-heavy;
“I’m No Angel” is a mid-tempo burner propelled by a bluesy riff that’s part Hendrix, part
Zeppelin, while “Regret” is a heartfelt ballad replete with layered organ and piano that weave
through soulful vocals, emotive guitars and a shuffling beat born of The Stones by way of Philly
soul. “Growing up outside Philadelphia, I listened to a lot of soul music and as a singer that
really influenced my delivery,” Kotzen says. “I think it fits the kind of music we do. They’re not
typical hard rock vocals, but they’re still powerful.”
In September, The Winery Dogs will travel to Europe for a warm-up tour, then they’ll return to
the U.S. to embrace crowds with their passion, energy, enthusiasm and undeniable talent. For
Portnoy, much of the excitement lies in the uniquely chemical bond the three musicians have
created. “This is a band in the true sense of the word,” he emphasizes. “It’s all about
collaborating on every level, from the writing to the production, and that’s what makes it more
than a ‘project.’ We were in the same room making music together. It wasn’t one of those ‘done
by email’ kind of albums.”
From the uptempo blues-punk rhythms and flailing lead guitars of “The Other Side” to the
space-warped doom of “Time Machine,” to the boogie blues riffage of “One More Time,” The
Winery Dogs conjure the best aspects of sixties and seventies rock with a modern flair. Equally
experimental and infectious, their album is a milestone in a hard rock genre saturated with
cookie-cutter bands afraid to stray beyond their proven formula.
“We’re so proud of everything on this album,” Sheehan concludes.” We can’t wait to share it
with everyone and spend a lot of time on the road. As much as we love these songs, we feel like
the next record we make will be just as cool if not better because it will come out of playing
together on the road and we’ll learn exactly what works and know what to do next. That’s
another thing I’m really looking forward to.”
Monday, April 21, 2014
THE WINERY DOGS: THE WINERY DOGS // LOUD & PROUD
THE WINERY DOGS: THE WINERY DOGS // LOUD & PROUD
 | Llegados a un punto en que aparecen supergrupos cada dos meses, es normal que el público empiece a tomárselos con cierto escepticismo y más aún, teniendo en cuenta de que no han sido pocas las bandas de este tipo que no han estado a la altura de las expectativas. No es de extrañar pues, que cuando a principios de 2013 supimos que el guitarrista y cantante Richie Kotzen (ex-Poison, ex-Mr. Big entre otros), el bajista Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, ex-Talas, ex-David Lee Roth entre otros) y el batería Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater, Transatlantic, ex y/o colaborador permanente o testimonial en veinticinco bandas más) se embarcaban juntos en un nuevo proyecto llamado The Winery Dogs, hubiera más signos de indiferencia que de entusiasmo. Edko Fuzz |
| Nota:8,5/10 |
Sheehan venía de reformar Mr. Big un par de años antes con Paul Gilbert a la guitarra, con lo cual esta nueva asociación con Kotzen (que a su vez venía de un periodo de cierta inactividad artística) arqueó unas cuantas cejas. Por su parte, Portnoy llegaba con el estigma de haber sido rechazado de su banda Dream Theater y, según sus detractores, haberse arrastrado mendigando puestos en otras bandas en las que no acababa de encajar a la vez que iniciaba un proyecto nuevo cada semana (entre ellos, uno con John Sykes que nunca llegó a ver la luz). Las incógnitas se amontonaban: ¿A qué sonaría un grupo formado por estos tres musicazos (con sus correspondientes egos)? ¿Serían capaces de conjuntarse y tocar para la banda y no para ellos mismos? ¿Serían buenos los temas?
Pues bien, basta escuchar el tema que abre el disco, "Elevate", y las dudas quedan despejadas de un plumazo. Hard rock potente, crudo y directo. Riffs de guitarra que suenan a Led Zeppelin y Lenny Kravitz a partes iguales. Kotzen cantando al más puro estilo Chris Cornell en la estrofa, para pasar a un estribillo más melódico donde todo encaja a la perfección. Portnoy lleva a la banda en volandas sin problemas, centrándose en llevar el peso rítmico y dando la sensación que se está divirtiendo como un niño, aunque le cuesta muchísimo no dejarse llevar y meter fills imposibles aquí o virguerías marca de la casa allá (esto será un constante durante el resto del disco, aunque, por suerte, nunca llega a agobiar). Sheehan, por supuesto, es todo clase y virtuosismo a las cuatro cuerdas, aunque sigue con su sonido horrible de siempre. Y Kotzen simplemente se destapa como un auténtico líder en una banda de líderes. Corta el bacalao a la voz, solea como nunca y lleva el peso de manera incuestionable mientras nos va dando referencias constantes en las letras a su pasado oscuro y tortuoso en lo que a relaciones personales y tóxicas se refiere.
Sigue avanzando el minutaje con la vacilona "Desire" donde Kotzen se suelta con ramalazos a lo David Coverdale y luego se embarca en juegos instrumentales con Sheehan. En "We are One" Portnoy decide hacerse con el tema, mandando con cambios de ritmo y registro para una B que si no suena a Soundgarden puro y duro dejo de escuchar música para el resto de mi vida. En el estribillo, tanto Sheehan como Portnoy apoyan a las voces de manera impecable, elevando esta banda a algo mucho más que un trío.
Bajan las revoluciones para "I'm no Angel" en la que Kotzen se pone la piel de viejo zorro que ha vivido de todo, y en el que nos da a entender que no todo es tan bonito como parece. Vuelve a levantar el vuelo el disco con la revolucionada "The Other Side", un tema también con tono oscuro en la letra (la época de Poison y los buenos tiempos porque sí ya queda muy atrás), un solo exquisito que pone la piel de gallina y un cambio de ritmo final a contratiempo que le encaja como un guante.
En la preciosa "You Saved Me", Portnoy escribe la letra y suelta todo lo que lleva dentro desde que dejó de formar parte de Dream Theater, mientras que a uno no le cuesta nada imaginarse la música siendo interpretada por Mr. Big con Eric Martin a la voz. "Not Hopeless" se inicia con un riff que, por alguna razón, me trae a otro supergrupo, Velvet Revolver, a la cabeza. El esquema del tema vuelve a apoyarse en un estribillo con buena melodía vocal en la que Kotzen se luce de nuevo. Otro tema vacilón, "One More Time", baja quizá el listón un poco para prepararnos para la parte final del disco.
"Damaged" es otro medio tiempo donde Kotzen vuelve a mirar atrás, no necesariamente con orgullo, en un tema recurrente en este disco. Aquí es él donde brilla especialmente de nuevo y Portnoy y Sheehan acompañan con profesionalidad y solvencia sin intentar destacar innecesariamente. "Six Feet Deeper" es un tema sin fisuras que, junto a "One More Time" me parece de lo menos potente del album, aunque quizá sea porque es inevitable compararlo con el trío de temones que le siguen para cerrar el disco. El primero de ellos, "Time Machine" es, descaradamente, de inspiración Alice in Chains (¿quizá por ello dan gracias a Jerry Cantrell en el libreto del CD?) tanto musical como vocalmente. Lento, pesado, oscuro y ligeramente disonante es un tema que casi podríamos encontrar en cualquiera de los dos últimos discos que ha grabado la banda de Seattle.
Cierran el disco dos temas también lentos, a cual mejor. "The Dying" es, probablemente, uno de mis dos o tres temas favoritos del album. Kotzen vuelve al leit-motiv del disco donde se identifica como un auténtico loser, posiblemente sin remedio, que al menos ha aprendido a aceptar su condición y vivir con ello. Un tema inquietante, de nuevo oscuro y, definitivamente, no apto para aquellos que solo busquen diversión y buen rollo. Aquí estamos hablando de atmósfera cuasi-grunge, crescendo pausado y solo explosivo. Una delicia que viene seguida de "Regret", con un aire musical mucho más optimista, bordeando el gospel en su parte final, pero en que Kotzen sigue empecinado en explorar los errores que ha cometido ya sea en su vida emocional o en su uso y abuso de las drogas.
En definitiva, este disco de The Winery Dogs da la sensación de ser un viaje al interior de ese ser humano llamado Richie Kotzen con todas sus miserias. Para llevar a cabo esa tarea se ha rodeado de dos músicos y colaboradores excepcionales que contribuyen y suman sin ningún tipo de limitaciones para dar forma a un trabajo en su mayor parte redondo, contundente, honesto y creíble. Una vez superada la (lógica) sorpresa por el sonido y dirección del disco, es imposible no quedar atrapado cuando, en el fondo, lo único que hay aquí es una gran banda interpretando grandes canciones.
Edko Fuzz
Temas:1. Elevate
2. Desire
3. We Are One
4. I'm No Angel
5. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10.Six Feet Deeper
11.Time Machine
12.The Dying
13.Regret
2. Desire
3. We Are One
4. I'm No Angel
5. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10.Six Feet Deeper
11.Time Machine
12.The Dying
13.Regret
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THE WINERY DOGS: THE WINERY DOGS / / LOUD & PROUD
| At one point they appear supergroups every two months, it is normal that the public begin taking them with skepticism and even more, considering that they have been few bands of this type have not been up to the expectations.No wonder then, that when in early 2013 we learned that the singer and guitarist Richie Kotzen (ex-Poison, ex-Mr. Big among others), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, ex-Talas, ex-David Lee Roth among others) and drummer Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater, Transatlantic, ex and / or permanent or testimonial contributor to twenty bands more) embarked together on a new project called The Winery Dogs, there were more signs of indifference that enthusiasm. Edko Fuzz |
| Note: 8.5 / 10 |
Sheehan Mr. Big came to reform a few years earlier with Paul Gilbert on guitar, so that this new partnership with Kotzen (which in turn came from a certain period of artistic inactivity) it raised a few eyebrows. Meanwhile, Portnoy came with the stigma of having been rejected by his band Dream Theater and, according to critics, have dragged begging positions in other bands that did not quite fit the time launching a new project each week (between them, one with John Sykes that never see the light). The unknowns are piling up: What would sound a group formed by these three great musician (with their egos)?Would they be able to ensemble them and play for the band and not for themselves? Were good subjects?
Well, just listen to the opening track on the album, "Elevate", and doubts are cleared in an instant. Hard powerful, raw and live rock. Guitar riffs that sound like Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz equally. Kotzen singing in the style of Chris Cornell in the stanza, moving to a more melodic chorus where everything fits perfectly. Portnoy takes the band on wings without problems, focusing on bringing the rhythmic weight and giving the feeling you're having fun as a child, even if it costs a lot and not get carried away here or meter fills impossible trademark fancy stuff there (this will be constant during the rest of the album, though, thankfully, is never pretentious). Sheehan, of course, is all class and virtuosity to the four strings, but continues his horrible sound ever. And Kotzen simply uncovered as a true leader of a band of leaders. Cut the cod voice solea as ever and carries the weight while unquestionably is giving us constant references in the lyrics to his dark and tortuous as far as personal relationships are concerned and toxic past.
Keep going with the minutaje vacilona "Desire" where Kotzen released with lashes to David Coverdale and then backing off on games with Sheehan. In "We Are One" Portnoy decides to item, sending with rhythm changes and registration for a B if not sound like Soundgarden and pure hard stopped listening to music for the rest of my life. In the chorus, both Sheehan as Portnoy support the voices flawlessly, bringing this band to something much more than a threesome.
Bajan revolutions for "I'm No Angel" in which skin Kotzen old fox who has lived all sets, and which gives us to understand that everything is not as nice as it looks. Again take flight revolutionized the disc with "The Other Side", a song also dark tone in the letter (the time of Poison and good times for no longer far behind), putting one exquisite skin hen and a change of pace to end mishaps that fits like a glove.
In the beautiful "You Saved Me", Portnoy writes the lyrics and everything loose within him since he left to be part of Dream Theater, while one does not cost anything to imagine the music being performed by Mr. Big Eric Martin the voice. "Not Hopeless" starts with a riff that, for some reason, brings me to another supergroup, Velvet Revolver, at the head. The outline of the theme is to rely on a good vocal melody chorus in which Kotzen shines again. Vacilón perhaps another theme, "One More Time", lower the bar a little to prepare for the end of the disk.
"Damaged" is another half-time Kotzen turns to look back, not necessarily with pride, a recurring theme on this album. Here is where he especially shines again and Portnoy and Sheehan accompanied with professionalism and reliability without trying to unnecessarily highlight. "Six Feet Deeper" is an issue that seamless, with "One More Time" seems less powerful than the album, although it may be because it is inevitable to compare it with the trio of temones that follow to close the disc. The first, "Time Machine" is shamelessly inspired Alice in Chains (perhaps why they thank Jerry Cantrell in the CD booklet?) Both musically and vocally. Slow, heavy, dark and slightly dissonant is an issue that could almost find in any of the last two albums that the band has recorded Seattle.
Disc two also close the slow songs, each one better. "The Dying" is probably one of my two or three favorite songs on the album. Kotzen becomes the leitmotif of the disc where it is identified as a real loser, possibly beyond repair, which has at least learned to accept their condition and live with it. A disturbing theme, new dark and definitely not suitable for those just looking for fun and good vibes. Here we are talking about quasi-grunge atmosphere, slow, single explosive crescendo. A delicacy that is followed by "Regret" with a much more optimistic musical air, bordering the gospel at its end, but that Kotzen is determined to explore the mistakes made either in your emotional life or in their use and drug abuse.
In short, this album The Winery Dogs gives the feel of a journey into the human being named Richie Kotzen with all its miseries. To carry out this task has surrounded two exceptional musicians and collaborators who contribute and add without any limitations to shape work mostly round, blunt, honest and credible part. Once the (logical) surprise at the sound and direction of the disk, it is impossible not to get caught when, deep down, all you have here is a great band playing great songs.
Edko Fuzz
Subjects:
1. Elevate
Two. Desire
3. We Are One
April.'m No Angel
May. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10.Six Feet Deeper
11.Time Machine
12.The Dying
13.Regret
1. Elevate
Two. Desire
3. We Are One
April.'m No Angel
May. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10.Six Feet Deeper
11.Time Machine
12.The Dying
13.Regret
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