RIP Billy Powell

Good news travel fast. Bad news travels even faster. I just found out about the death of Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboardist via text message. He was only 56.

Powell was the only keyboardist Skynyrd ever had and has been a member since 1973. He lived through the infamous plane crash and is credited for the intro to Freebird.

It's a real tragedy for the band, their fans, and for the music industry. Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the most legendary, influential bands in rock. They are certainly one of the pioneers of southern rock, no doubt about it. To lose one of the last, original members is devastating.

The question is now: What becomes of Lynyrd Skynyrd? According to an agreement made shortly after the 1977 plane crash, Skynyrd can only continue to play if they have two original members from the pre-plane crash line up. That leaves Gary Rossington as the only original member of Lynyrd Skynrd, and may mark the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd as we know it.

Out of respect for the band and everything it stands for, I think letting go of Skynyrd now is a good thing. Would I like for the band to continue on? Absolutely. Is it really worth it now that there's only one original member? Probably not. And let's not forget that bass player Ean Evans is in failing health as well, so the future of Skynyrd continuing on without Powell is really not looking so great (even if it were an option).

Powell's death comes as a shock to everyone, but it really comes as a shock to me since I was just on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man cruise with him a couple of weeks ago. Granted, it's not like I was hanging out with the guy or anything, but he was there playing music and making his legions of fans happy on the high seas. I met him a few years ago when Skynyrd played here in Columbus, and I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to be on the Skynyrd cruise and experience the band in that way for two years in a row.

Billy Powell was an amazing musician. His talents and contributions will not be forgotten.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Maybe someone out there can school me on some Lynyrd Skynyrd history. I knew there was some sort of agreement made about Lynyrd Skynyrd carrying on with a certain number of original members. Was it the "Rule of 3" and not the "Rule of 2"? Damn Wikipedia. I should have known better than to believe that as actual fact. My fiance says there has to be 3 original members, and I've seen a few other fans state the same thing on various internet sites.

If it is the rule of 2, can Skynyrd continue since Ricky Medlocke was technically an original member in 1970? I don't think Artimus Pyle counts since he won't have anything to do with the band.

Somebody straighten my ass out please. I hate not having correct info. I truly do try to research my facts before I post anything; this time it totally backfired on me. My apologies.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man Cruise 2009

The ocean breeze blowing through your hair. The warm sun beating down on your tan skin. The scent of the fresh salt water filling your nostrils. Standing on a boat, looking out and seeing nothing but blue sea. What could be better than that? Being stuck on that boat with Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3000 rednecks, that's what.

Trust me, this is no ordinary cruise; if you've ever been on a normal cruise, the Simple Man Cruise will blow that experience to pieces. Put on by Sixthman, this four day cruise sailed to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Normal cruise rules do not apply. There's no formal dinner. Yup, that's right. No wearing a silly tux and a fancy dress just to go to dinner. You can wear whatever you want to dinner...as long as you have pants and a shirt on. Some of the waiters even let lose this year and danced on the tables and sang, "What's Your Name." Ha!

Some of you may be a little curious or put off by cruises like I was. I couldn't imagine being on a boat for days or only being able to go on land for a few short hours or having to get a ball gown just to go to dinner. Let me tell you folks, cruises are a lot better than I had expected. Granted, I had the privilege of going on a themed cruise, and that's what I would recommend to you.

Being stuck on a boat with legendary southern rock act, Lynyrd Skynyrd, certainly doesn't suck. But there were also plenty of other amazing bands booked to play like .38 Special, Molly Hatchet, and Marshall Tucker just a name a few. But Sixthman didn't just book big time acts; they also booked some lesser known bands that totally stood their ground along next to the big boys. And since all of you know how amazing the big acts are, I'm going to focus on the lesser known bands.

One of those bands is Blackberry Smoke. These southern rocks boys from Atlanta, GA are one of the main reasons my fiance and I decided to go on this cruise in the first place. They are by far one of the greatest bands I've heard in a long time, and they are some of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. They're a great blend of country and rock and know exactly when to bring out the most of each genre in their tunes to make it work perfectly. Blackberry Smoke has been busy touring with ZZ Top for the last few months and have had a few scattered dates with Cross Canadian Ragweed (and Slash has even gotten on stage to jam with them!). They're also booked to play at my wedding (Be jealous. Be VERY jealous). Blackberry Smoke was actually the first band to play on the first day of the cruise, and they got the party started off right!

One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises was a band called Leslie. Hailing from South Carolina, this trio returned to the Simple Man cruise this year with their dirty, classic rock. I have no f-ing idea how I missed Leslie last year (I totally remember seeing them running around the boat, but I never got a chance to see them live), but boy am I glad I saw them this year! There was quite a buzz about them from the moment I stepped on the boat and got my fruity drink with the umbrella. Everyone was telling me how great they were. These boys also did a fine job of promoting themselves; I'm pretty sure they put flyers on just about every other cabin door on every floor. This year, there was no way anyone was stepping off that boat without knowing who they were. And everyone should know who they are because they are THAT good.

I wasn't sure what to expect from three long haired, skinny white boys, but what I got was a slap in the face. It's very rare that I go see a band I've never heard of and am actually impressed. Leslie impressed the pants right off of me. They attacked their instruments like freaks and made some glorious music. I don't know how else to describe their music to you except to tell you that it sounds like they took the basic elements of everything you love about classic rock as you know it and made it dirrrrrty. It doesn't really sound like anything you've heard on the radio, and that's another thing I love about them. Leslie is fresh but dirty at the same time.
Go check out some of their stuff: www.myspace.com/leslierock. If you're not impressed, then you should probably get your hearing checked. Seriously. (I apologize to all of you who may have read this excerpt at Hard Rock Hideout. I just couldn't think of something new to write because Leslie leaves me speechless.)

The cruise wasn't just a sausage fest. There was a stunning red head on board who crooned like a reborn Janis Joplin. Her name is Heather Luttrell. You may have seen her on Rock Star: INXS. She didn't win, and it's a good thing; she's much better on her own. Her music is country, folky, rock. Listening to Heather sing gives me goosebumps. She's so incredibly soulful and powerful. Although she's a lady, she sings about things that most ladies don't dare admit to: drinking, breakin' hearts and bein' bad. It's quite a breath of fresh air to hear a lady spill her guts about these things.

The most overrated band on the cruise was Bang Camaro. This band takes gang vocals to a whole new level. According to their myspace page, there are 13 lead singers (I only saw seven on the cruise). Yeah, you read that right: 13 lead singers. Although I do like their music, the vocals kinda killed it for me. It's just hard for me to wrap my mind around SO many lead singers. And from what I could hear, all those vocals don't really serve a purpose other than being a really great gimmick. There were no harmonies; every one sang the same thing at the same time. On the last night of the cruise, there was an "All Star Jam" where each band got up and performed three songs and invited whoever they wanted on stage to jam with them. Bang Camaro got on stage and sounded like a total train wreck, mostly due to the fact (I'm assuming) that they were f-ing hammered. One of the singers got kicked off stage because he was so drunk he fell and almost knocked a stack of Marshalls off the stage and into the pool. For all the hype that I heard about them, they didn't live up to it. But they just appeared on Conan O'Brien and graced the latest cover of Billboard Magazine, so what the hell do I know.

I could swear that there were musicians playing in almost every space imaginable on this cruise ship. That's what so great about this cruise: no matter where you go, there is always great music to listen to. It was awesome to see musicians just getting together and jamming. Bands who were booked to play on the cruise even let some people who weren't booked get up and jam with them during their sets. And some people who weren't even booked to begin with lucked out and actually got a few time slots to play. It's a wonderful feeling to know that no matter where you go or who you go see, you're going to see incredible musicians playing incredible music.

(L-R:Trey & Scott - Scott Little Band, G. Wyld - Snowblynd, Charlie Starr - Blackberry Smoke)

There were only a couple of disappointments this year, and it's not even anything worthy of bitching about because they were circumstances beyond any one's control. Ean Evans, bass player for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was diagnosed with cancer shortly before the cruise, so he was unable to attend. I have no doubts that his illness was on the minds of everyone and certainly put a damper on the emotions of everyone in Skynyrd. On the last day of the cruise, Skynyrd usually does an acoustic set out on the main deck. This year, their acoustic set was cut short to 20 minutes due to Rickey Medlocke having an ear infection (which also explains why he wasn't out and about all over the boat this year).

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Simple Man Cruise is one the best vacations this girl has ever taken. Everyone on the cruise is incredibly nice, and you meet a ton of really great people. Plus, you get to rock the F out on the high seas with some really fantastic bands! If you are interested in going on next year's Simple Man Cruise (which I highly encourage you to do), go to http://www.simplemancruise.com/ for updates or to sign up for the mailing list. Also, be sure to check out http://www.sixthman.net/ for other cruises that Sixthman puts on.

FREEBIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

America is Stupid & Deaf

For real. You want proof? Just watch VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.

VH1 asked the American public to vote on what they thought were the 100 greatest hard rock of songs all time. Apparently, I missed the damn memo because I didn't get to make my voice heard. So instead, a bunch of really stupid people voted and most of them had incredibly bad taste. Let me apologize if you are reading my blog and you voted; I'm guessing you were probably in the 1% who voted for all the shit I would have voted for.

Although I've only watched parts 3-5, it was enough to make my insides combust into flames of pure disgust. I'm not even sure if I can sit through the first two parts. And to add insult to injury, VH1 gets Bret Michaels to host. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Poison fan, but after Rock of Love, I'm no longer a very big fan of Bret. And Bret...in case you're reading this, it is NOT cool to wear your own f-ing shirts; it only makes you look like an even bigger douchebag.

My biggest gripe about this list has to do with only one, single song: Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. How this song ended up so low on the countdown is beyond me. And how in the hell did Bon Jovi's You Give Love A Bad Name beat it out? Seriously? I love Bon Jovi and all, but there is NO WAY that song is better than Kashmir. I don't think there's any song that placed above Kashmir that is actually better.

Don't get me wrong, the top five songs are actually pretty strong and I'm completely at peace with those. That may be the only thing I agree with on this entire countdown. The top five consists of great songs and legendary bands. Even though I was surprised that Welcome to the Jungle snagged the top honors, I don't think it's too far off. That song and that band defined a very important moment in rock history, no doubt about it. But is Welcome to the Jungle better than Kashmir...I don't know.

Kashmir is just magnificent. It may be one of the greatest rock songs ever written, hands down. That song is big, full, and majestic. Listening to it makes my heart flutter and my hair stand on end. Hell, it's so bad ass even P. Diddy sampled it. There is just no denying its brilliance or the importance of Led Zeppelin.

And that is exactly why it boggles my mind that Kashmir wasn't in the top 5. Sure, Whole Lotta Love made the top 5 so I shouldn't bitch, but for me, rock doesn't get much better than Kashmir.

NOTE: I will be out for a week rockin' out on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man cruise! Nothing better than being stuck on a boat with Skynyrd and a bunch of red necks in the Bahamas! A full report when I return!

And check out the first of my bi-weekly column on Hard Rock Hideout on 1/7/09. Rock Whiplash by Christine Sixx!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Time to forget about whatever happened in 2008 and start fresh. It's a new year with new hopes, promises, and potential. But before we shove 2008 back on our shelf of memories, let's have a little review. Since all the other blogs have posted a "best/worst" for 2008, I decided to create my own short list.

Best Album of 2008
AC/DC - Black Ice - I don't know how anyone can not like this album. It's got that classic AC/DC sound. It just kicks ass and that's all I have to say about that.

Worst Album of 2008
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy - Biggest build up...biggest let down.

Best Concert of 2008
Papa Roach - I don't care what tour they were on, they were incredible each and every single time I saw them. I've never seen a band carry so much energy throughout an entire set.

Worst Concert of 2008
3 Doors Down - BORING. I think this band is really mediocre anyway, but seeing them live made me really dislike them.

Yeah, I know. It's a short list. I didn't feel like reliving every moment in 2008, just review a few things.

So do any of you have any New Year's resolutions? Aside from the normal eat healthier and lose weight, a couple of my resolutions are to read more music related books and listen to more music.

2009 has already started out on the right foot. I was flattered to be asked to contribute to Hard Rock Hideout! They have given me my own little column! So be on the look out! Also, I will be leaving next week to go on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Simple Man cruise! This is my second year on the cruise, and I know it will be a blast. Last year, I got engaged on the cruise. Who knows what this year's cruise will hold! And of course, 2009 is the year for my awesome rock 'n' roll wedding!

Lots and lots of good things to come in 2009. Hope all of you have a wonderful 2009 full of happiness and luck!