Nobody ever wrote a song called “Fuck the Fire Department” — unless it was written for the soundtrack of a certain kind of movie, of course 😉 Showing up on the worst day of your life, these heroes run in the direction everyone else is fleeing. FireHouse did the band version of that — straight into a music industry that was moments from becoming fully involved. FireHouse, formed in 1984, was one of the last glam bands to have a profitable commercial push. Despite the ground of the music scene already shifting, FireHouse had unbelievable success — their 1990 self-titled debut got to # 21 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went double platinum. Their epic power ballad Love of a Lifetime would go on to irritate single people at weddings the world over. They even won the American Music Award for Favorite New Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist beating out Nirvana and Alice in Chains! They braved the inferno and instead of being consumed by it, they harnessed it into a career north of 7 million records. Filled with booming drums, crunchy guitar riffs, huge sing-along choruses, and CJ Snare’s distinct and powerful tenor, this album is the answer to all your glam and arena rock desires. It gets better and better after every spin — and no, I will not apologize for my never-ending love of Love of a Lifetime! No matter how many times I hear it, I get goosebumps — and how could you not, with such a beautiful testament to undying love? So, if you happen to live under a rock and somehow missed these guys, stop running towards that roaring structure fire that is your social life and indulge in this last hurrah of hair metal — or the only thing you will be fully involved in is watching a “certain kind of movie” solo and most certainly, never ever ever starring in one — sorry chief 😔 @Leverty @FireHouseBand @FHDrums

Hit up Driftless Books and Music and Bad Axe Music in Viroqua, WI this weekend. No cd's this trip but I did find Saxon at the bookstore (and a book, An Echo in the Bone) aa well as the random pickup of Robert Tepper and Van Stephenson's LP's. I'm a huge Rocky fan if you haven't noticed, and No Easy Way Out rules. I love Van's work with Restless Heart and Blackhawk - this is his 2nd album featuring Dann Huff on guitar. Witness is from ebay and it is very, very good! It was a fantastic day all around @DavidDittmer11 !!

Got the proof today!!

“It isn’t about how hard you're hit,” Rocky said. “It's about how you can get hit and keep moving forward”—sometimes the glory of capturing that championship belt pales next to the triumph of staying on your feet for all 15 rounds. Much like Rocky, going the distance for Miljenko Matijevic & his band Steelheart was never about the early victories—it was clinging to resilience even through catastrophe, and refusing to stay down until the final bell. An immigrant from Croatia, Matijevic formed Red Alert in 1981—a band that would eventually become Steelheart. After years of grinding the club circuit and recording demos, they landed a deal with MCA Records. In 1990 they released their self-titled debut featuring their Billboard Hot 100 hit, I’ll Never Let You Go. Heavy rotation of its video on MTV made it the network's second most requested video at the time. Their high-profile success in the US was nothing compared to East Asia. On the day of the album’s release, it sold 33,000 copies in Japan alone. Then in 1992 while touring for their 2nd album, Tangled in Reins, tragedy struck. An improperly secured lighting truss collapsed on Matijevic, nearly ending his life. What would have been a knockout for most became a four-year recovery marked by isolation, memory loss, and the deaths of his mother and his original band. Despite this, he eventually channeled all that suffering into new material and reforming Steelheart with new members. He even provided a singing voice for Mark Wahlberg’s character in the movie Rock Star! More than 30 years later, Matijevic is still touring and recording with Steelheart—still on his feet, still going the distance. A glorious fusion of glam metal swagger and gritty hard rock, Steelheart is stacked with energetic rockers and stunning ballads. I would argue that Matijevic’s glass-shattering, 4 octave vocals are above and beyond the most impressive of this genre— and if you want a shining example of why, check out one of my favorite songs—Rock 'N Roll (I Just Wanna). The way he hits those impossible high notes without using falsetto is absolutely insane as is his seamless ability to transition from chest voice to head voice. My voice cracks like a 13 year old boy just thinking about it (I sing and that’s hard as hell to do, well for me anyway). So c’mon now big guy, don’t be a big loser, give one more round when you don’t think you can, and listen to Steelheart—or the only distance you’ll be going is from hopeful to hearing I really like you…as a friend 😭😭😭 @MiljenkoM @STEELHEARTBAND

Another killer song from @FreddieH73 & F.I.L.T.H. ! youtu.be/wDsnrwdd5Hc?is=JjeY…

The absolute best band to throw some iron to. It really gets me going- that and about 500 mg of caffeine. open.spotify.com/track/0Mxqi…

Today has been a stellar day but somehow it just got even better! The USPS has delivered! Thank you, USPS for not stomping on my jewels this time 😁 A cracked jewel case is something that you can never fully recover from ☹️

It's happening 😁 @Wildcardband50 @ThaHeathen @ColdasBryyyce

Check out @FreddieH73's band F.I.L.T.H.—and his phenomenal songwriting and drumming skills—right about here 👇!!!

Like a lover’s caress, music has the power to stir our most complex and visceral emotions—and nowhere is this more apparent than within the inescapable staple of 1980s hard rock: the power ballad. Power ballads are a curious thing; even when the subject matter is melancholy it can still stir intense pleasure. And why is that? Well, the formula of these tracks perfectly mimics the slow burn of romance, starting with a soft, often acoustic intro that escalates toward an explosive, poignant climax. It floods your brain with oxytocin, a.k.a. the love hormone that bonds you to another. Then, as expectation builds through the verse and pre-chorus, the chorus proper hits and—BOOM. A rush of dopamine slaps you right in the face. A physiological and psychological phenomenon brought to life through sound—isn’t science fun, kids? I bet you never thought Every Rose Has Its Thorn was that calculated. A stunning example of such a power ballad is I’ll See You in My Dreams by the hard rock/AOR band Giant. From their 1989 album Last of the Runaways, I’ll See You in My Dreams is a track that should be as legendary as Bret Michaels’ anthem of love lost. For me, it evokes contradictory emotions, which really isn’t surprising as love and loss are two sides of the same coin. It’s a fullness that expands so completely, leaving my heart to swell and overflow with an overwhelming sense of adoration and joy—only to be contrasted by a pain that guts so completely—that should I try to speak, only a wail of despair like the keening of a wounded animal would arise. Bittersweet to say the least. But not so fast! This exquisite example of musical perfection is not relegated to one song—oh no. This offering from a band comprised of virtuoso-level session musicians, including the renowned guitarist Dann Huff, is the one that should have shot them into the stratosphere of arena rockers like Journey and Foreigner. Unfortunately for them and all of humanity, it was several years too late. Huge memorable hooks, infectious choruses, intricate soaring guitar solos, dynamic keyboards, big punchy drums—it has everything you need whether you’re slow dancing with your sweetheart or throwing your fist in the air with 15,000 of your closest friends. So, c’mon now, do yourself a favor and spin Last of the Runaways. The science of the power ballad demands it!! You don’t want to miss out on all of those explosive climaxes now, do you? (spoiler alert: you don’t 😁)

May I present Rosemary Ann, my little peanut of a niece. My God I love her so much already! I promise you sweetheart, I will be the coolest cool aunt ever ❤️ What are you all waiting for? Bow down to the brand new Metal Princess, metal hordes! I don't want to have to start smiting my enemies again :)

Swedish Erotica — sounds juicy right? Well, let me tell you how disappointed I was when I got Swedish Erotica’s 1989 self-titled debut album and there wasn’t a single spicy picture in the entirety of the liner notes!? Worst erotica EVER. But…do you want to know what’s not the worst? The album underneath it! Swedish Erotica is a glam metal and melodic hard rock band formed in Sweden in 1985 — originally Swedish Beauty. In 1988 they signed with Virgin and released their self-titled debut in 1989. Drenched in reverb, this album is stacked with huge melodic hooks, sing-along gang vocals, glossy keyboards and crunchy guitar riffs. Mats Levén’s gritty, powerful vocals provide a sharp contrast, cutting through the pop-metal polish. One of my absolute favorites is Downtown. A built-for-the-arena party anthem, Downtown was co-written by King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque. Underneath the shiny production, aggressive heavy metal guitars and a blistering solo lie in wait. So don’t be sad at the lack of scantily clad statuesque blondes in the notes, listen to Swedish Erotica and be happy! Or pass if you’d rather stick with the stuck pages of that vintage Sears catalog. Choose wisely 😲

I am very very pleased with these recent additions to my collection. Several were even hand picked for me at Budget Music in Grand Forks, ND. Thank you @DavidDittmer11 😁