Posts by Leslie Michele Derrough

Guns N’ Roses played the Joint at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas as part of a residency billed ‘No Trickery! An Evening of Destruction,’ and ncluded gigs on May 21, 24, 25, 28, 30 and 31, as well as June 4, 6 and 7.  Photos by Leslie Michele Derrough

Three things you need to know about California Breed: (1) They’re a powerful band with a sound harking back to the good old days when guitars were nasty, the basslines were gnarly, the drums were dark and scary, and the vocals were the wings that flew you to hell (2) Glenn Hughes is 62 years […]

Big and powerful: Those words were written more times in my notepad during the two nights I covered Guns N’ Roses at their new Las Vegas residency at The Joint inside the Las Vegas Hard Rock than any other adjectives. Although most of the setlist was similar to their past residency in 2012, some of […]

It’s not uncommon for a musician in a popular band to record a solo record. It’s a great way for them to stir up their creative juices and explore tantalizingly fresh spheres of the musical hemisphere. Unfortunately, more often than not, these trysts into new worlds are overlooked by the mainstream and quietly lay in […]

“Get ready for Bas-Fest!” Always a tornado of excitable energy, Sebastian Bach is more than ready to talk about his new solo album, Give ‘Em Hell. In fact, Bach is excited to talk about everything. To remain this positive, this downright happy, is somewhat quizzical after going through a life like his in the music […]

“I played drums before I played bass,” Brian Marshall told me backstage after an exhaustingly energetic performance by his band Alter Bridge. “Thankfully you made the change,” deadpanned drummer Scott Phillips. The foundation of the more-popular-than-ever band, which also features guitar god Mark Tremonti and vocalist extraordinaire Myles Kennedy, have sat down with me following […]

Almost ten years ago, Kelly Hansen stepped into some mighty big shoes as the new lead singer of Foreigner. Lou Gramm had departed the band for good and founding guitar player Mick Jones wanted the band to stay alive. Hansen had made a name for himself in the late eighties/early nineties with his band Hurricane […]

The songs are as iconic today as they were after being released in the late seventies and early eighties: “Faithfully,” “Separate Ways,” “Don’t Stop Believin,” “Wheel In The Sky.” It’s like they have always been a part of our lives. And Journey, the band that brought them to illustrious life, has always been out on […]

Photos at Jazz Fest 2014 on Sunday May 4th with featured acts included Aaron Neville, Arcade Fire, Trombone Shorty and John Fogerty. Photos by Leslie Michele Derrough

Building up from its roots of traditional jazz, blues and folk, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has evolved into something almost beyond anyone’s expectations. With it’s closest ancestor being the Newport Jazz Festival, which is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary this year, the New Orleans Jazz Fest has clung to traditions of old while accepting […]

Photos at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Saturday, May 3rd featuring Allen Toussaint, Head and the Heart, Al Jarreau, Foster the People and the Revivalists. Photos by Leslie Michele Derrough

“Why don’t we do this outside. It’s great out there,” says John Tempesta, drummer for The Cult, as he leads me out to the balcony of his suite at the Hard Rock in Biloxi, where the band will end up playing an excellent set that night. But at the moment, we are taking in a […]

Photos at Jazz Fest 2014 on May 2, 2014 feat: Alabma Shakes, Mia Borders Band, Charles Bradley, Chaka Khan and Cowboy Mouth by Leslie Michele Derrough

Photos at Jazz Fest 2014 on May 1, 2014 by Leslie Michele Derrough

Standing out in a blues-making crowd is not something that guitar player Matt Schofield spends his time worrying about. Hailing from the United Kingdom, the up & coming blues player feels that he just needs to be himself, following his own pied piper visions and letting the others fret about trying to be different … […]

Photos of Sunday 4/27/14 at the New Orleans Jazz Fest feat: John Hiatt, North Mississippi Allstars, Galactic and Bonerama.

You know you’re getting close to Jazz Fest time when the pollen starts swirling in the breezes and a sunny morning can turn on a dime into a rainstorm from hell. Welcome to spring in Louisiana. Despite the weather idiosyncrasies, that has rarely dissuaded festival goers from attending one, if not all seven days of […]

Put an acoustic guitar into Neal Casal’s hands and you will practically have a spiritual awakening. His fingers have some kind of uncanny magic to capture the spirit in the strings. If you’ve ever listened to his solo material, then you already know this, how his melodies are charming and inspirational, seductive and lovely, all […]

To leave a popular band is a pretty gutsy move. But for guitar player Rob Caggiano, it was the right move. “I shared some of the best times of my life with these guys,” he explained in his official statement in early 2013 upon his departure from Anthrax. “This is an extremely difficult and emotional […]

It’s the early 1970’s and Joe Elliott is a kid in Sheffield listening to some music when he discovers Mott The Hoople, that quirky yet rocking band featuring a curly-haired dynamo named Ian Hunter. And it literally changes his life. Move ahead to 2009 and Elliott, now a famous frontman himself for the British band […]