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New song out.  I'm not generally huge on ballads these days but digging this one.

3 hours ago, Captain Cowardly said:

I mean as a functioning, creative, recording band, they're done anyway and have been for 20 years.

But I was surprised to see they are still going on as early as this weekend, with the guy off of American Idol, who's been filling in for CJ since his last surgery.

I think because they are just a pretty faceless heritage act nowadays, they will continue doing the state fairs, pubs & clubs circuit they've been doing, and many people will be none the wiser...

Yeah....Now they're basically the same as bands like Warrant, Great White, Skid Row, Foreigner....and the list could go on.

Also kind of surprised they're back at it so soon.  I'm not sure if this was a scheduled gig already or not.  That Peck dude has been playing with them though for months so I guess he'll just continue.  To be honest though, I have very little interest in seeing them without CJ. 

They'll likely keep going though and they'll probably still draw decent enough crowds as people eat up this nostalgia stuff.  And half the time people are so clueless that they'll probably think it's the same band.  I mean, I've had 2 stories in the past couple years that illustrate the types of people that attend some of these shows.   One was a few years ago at a festival after Warrant performed.  Some dude sitting next to me looks at me and says "Man, that Jani Lane can still sing!".  I had to tell him Jani died 10 years ago....he had no idea.  Then last year I was walking out of a Skid Row show and hear a guy in front of me say "That Skid Row singer still sounds as good as he did 30 years ago!"  Yeah, those people are out there lol.

At the end of the day, I guess Firehouse and these other bands with "new" singers are just sort of paying tribute to themselves more than anything else and a lot of people are fine with that.

1 hour ago, whiplash1972 said:

I’ve never really had any interest in this band, but I like those last two singles. May have to pick this one up…

Same here.

I've been going back to some of their earlier stuff to see if I just dropped the ball but still nothing really grabbing me much at all.  I feel like their earlier stuff is generally a bit too raw sounding for me or something.  

Not sure I'll feel the need to purchase but I'll at least check this album out on Spotify.

19 minutes ago, Metal T said:

They have been pretty active doing shows/tours all these years but their last release of original material dates back to 2003?...that is just ridiculous considering their continued popularity for a band of their ilk.

Agree.

I had posed that question to CJ a few years ago on social media and he responded to me saying that he didn't think people wanted to hear new Firehouse music and that he didn't feel the time/effort/cost to do new music was worth it as a result.   

However, I feel like there was a bit of a revival of melodic rock somewhere around 2012 and forward.  Granted, nowhere near it was in it's 80's prime but I feel like it was somewhere around there it started to become a little cool again.  Maybe that's when all us 40+ year olds were hitting mid-life crises and looking to relive our youth lol.  Either way, I feel like even a band like Firehouse saw some resurgence.  I mean, I remember seeing them live back around 2012 and there couldn't have been more than about 250 people in the place.  However, the last few times I've seen them they were playing to substantially larger crowds than that....probably 10 times bigger. 

I feel like somewhere in the last 5 years was ripe for them to put out new music.  I think sometimes these artists just focus on the sales not being there like they were back in the day but I think there's a lot of other intangibles that new music provides.  It just gives people something to talk about, do interviews about, share around and just bring positive attention to a band.  CJ still sounded phenomenal....I think they could've been capable of putting out one more killer album with a bit of focus and desire.

Such is life though and no use crying over spilt milk so to speak.  Will just enjoy what they did create.    

New song out.  Kinda like this one too....dig the riff driving the song.

24 minutes ago, Kristian said:

R.I.P.

Love those first two albums.

I always wondered why their third album and even Good Acoustics was released on a major label, when all other hair bands were dumped from the big labels by that time.

Did he ever do anything outside of Firehouse?

There was the Rubicon Cross project he did....only one album I believe....

13 hours ago, GarrisonDreams said:

I agree, it absolutely sucks; but it's pretty cool that you got to meet him though. Was it at a concert?

Was able to chat with him a couple different times.  Yes, first was after a concert back in 2013 when they did a meet n greet after the show.  Also bumped into him on the 2020 Monsters of Rock cruise in an elevator lol.  I said hello to him, told him I was a Firehouse fan and thanked him for the great music he created.  He was very gracious, asked me my name and he commented on a H.E.A.T shirt I had on and said that he caught some of H.E.A.T's show on the cruise and that they were awesome.  I remember asking him if he could hook it up so Firehouse could play some shows in the USA with H.E.A.T and he said that he'd love to do that.  He even jokingly tabbed a name for the tour saying they could call it the "Firehouse Brings The H.E.A.T Tour" lol.

Back in 2021, I also had him do a cameo video for my wife as a gift.  He did a nice couple minute video where he said some stuff and played a bit of When I Look Into Your Eyes on the piano dedicated to my wife.      

Not sure how many times I've seen Firehouse live over the years but I think they're probably 2nd on my list behind Def Leppard as I've had to have seen them somewhere around 10-12 times as they always seemed to be at festivals I've attended or playing near me.  And I think their debut album was probably my greatest totally blind purchase ever.  I remember just picking that off the rack in my local music store as I'd often just buy CD's then when  I wanted something new to listen to and that one caught my eye for some reason.  If I were making a list of my top 20 all-time albums, that one would definitely be on it.

Just sucks.  I kept hoping we'd get new Firehouse music in the future but no chance of that now (unless it's with their new vocalist and that surely won't be the same).  CJ left behind some timeless music though.

Like was said above though, we're going to see more and more of this sort of thing in the coming years.  This just serves as a stark reminder that life is short and need to get out there and enjoy it while you can.

Bummer.

Agree....very shocking.  Had no idea he had cancer.  I knew he'd had some surgery but details were obviously kept under wraps.

Just too bad.  CJ always sounded fantastic and was a super nice dude from what I could tell in my brief interactions with him.

Really enjoyed Firehouse over the years...this one stings.

RIP.

2 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

Said this on FB, but I think when artists get to a certain age it makes sense for them to sell off their assets as they aint gonna be around that much longer. Yes they could transfer the rights to their offspring, but that means work for them and whose to say what their kids/grandkids would actually do with them. And much better to take the money and give that to them in your will anyway.

Agree.

They're about ready to hang it up.  To me, this is basically like George Lucas selling the rights of Star Wars to Disney.  Why not pocket the profits from what you created and have something more tangible to secure your future as well as your family?

Personally, though....That whole Avatar thing is bonkers to me and I don't ever see that working.  The day will probably come though when there are probably machines you can buy that project these avatars right in your own living room and you can watch your own personal concerts.  Heck, you'll probably be able to even pick your setlist lol.

Either way, kudos to them though for creating something so huge.  Yeah, it turned into being about the money but don't most of us work for the money lol? 

18 minutes ago, Captain Cowardly said:

I can't see where either of them go from here to be honest.  Erik made Skid Row sound the best that their target audience could have hoped for in about 30 years, and as much as people like to make out that Erik is young and a star and doesn't need a washed up old band, blah blah blah, that was the highest profile gig he's had outside of Sweden in 15 years.

I can't see him getting another opportunity with a bigger band for the exact reason's he's just quit this one.  The money is in touring, and if his health will prevent him doing that, who's going to take a punt on him again?

I think he'll have a solo album, probably modern pop-rock to have one last aim for the charts, but he'll likely focus more on YouTube covers and various video's across social media to try and monetize that.

Which is a shame, as his voice on his own material is great, but his YouTube covers are usually way over-the-top and kind of grating, and also, kind of pointless because they tend to just be karaoke versions rather than making the song his own.

Skid Row should look for another Brett Carlisle (Great White) or Parker Lee (Molly Hatchet) or Jason Colombini (Starz), a young, American hidden talent with a love for the 80's rock scene, so the travel isn't an issue and it's still injecting new blood into the band, and won't come with the baggage or ego of someone who's already had a taste of fame before them...

Agree with most also.

I really don't think Erik wants to be with another band, for exactly what you mention.  If he does anything, I'd bet he forms his own band where he can be in control of what happens.  I think he wants to just create some music, and do some smaller, shorter tours and be home often for his health and family.  

What's ironic to me is that I feel like it seems what Erik wants is basically what he had in H.E.A.T lol.  I mean, that band didn't play a ton of shows.  They were mostly about creating music, putting out albums and when they do tours they would do them for a week or two and then be back home.  Most of their touring was in Europe for shorter trips and they didn't have to ride around in a tour bus for a month like Skid Row does.  And I'm sure Erik could've been more involved with writing in H.E.A.T if he wanted to. 

As for Skid Row, I think they're royally screwed.  Erik was easily the best singer they've had since Bach and I feel like their popularity was as high as it's been since Bach.  For the first time in years, there was a buzz around that band.  I mean, a buddy of mine saw the Skids locally 5 or 5 years ago and there were literally about 250 people in the crowd (I skipped the show as I had no interest in seeing it).  However, I saw them 3 times with Erik and each time the crowd seemed to be bigger than the previous show.  I think the last show had a crowd somewhere around 4,000-5,000 which is quite an improvement from 5 years ago.

I don't know where they go from here.  They'll probably try to bring somebody in but in all likelihood that person isn't going to be as good as Erik was.  And even still, one of the things I think helped sell Erik as the singer was that they got a good new album out with him.  How long will it be before they're able to get another album done with a new singer?  2, 3, 5 years?

Bach coming back would be the only thing that would probably interest me at this point and save that band.  I'm really not interested in seeing anybody else sing for them at this point and don't really care who they get.   

I like that new tune.

Have to say though their debut album didn't have much staying power for me and I never listen to it now for whatever reason.  

Anyways, plan to check out the album.

Good new song!

Sounds like somebody else doing some vocals in spots?  Not sure they had a guest or maybe if it's Ryan?

Good song though.  

3 hours ago, Kristian said:

Glad I got to see them with Erik in front.

All the best to him, definitely looking forward to his future outings when he is fully recovered.

Would be cool to see him form his own band, where he could take control, and play around in different genres, from full on metal, to soothing AOR, the guy is so versatile.

I posed him that exact question on his discord page as to what his future plans are....

He said he plans to relax for a bit, do his You Tube thing, keep writing new music and then will decide how to release that music.  He said as of now he's thinking he'll either do a solo thing or form his own band.  He didn't say this but I'd sort of envision a Daughtry type "band" where he kind of puts a band behind his name.

So essentially, I think you're right on with his plans.  Ultimately, I think like you say, the control is a big part of it.  I think he wants to be able to operate on his own schedule to maintain his health and family obligations.

It'll be interesting to see what sound the new material takes on.  It would seem logical to think it would be rock/melodic rock of some sort since that's really the type of music he's built his following with but he certainly has shown he can dabble anywhere from AOR to metal.

25 minutes ago, whiplash1972 said:

Well, they’re certainly not getting any younger; this might be a “now or never” moment in regards to Seb and Co ever reuniting. 

I'd have to agree.

Certainly bummed about Erik but it was apparent the travel back and forth was taking a toll on him.  It was a fun ride while it lasted and re-kindled a lot of life in Skid Row.

But Skid Row now has to really look in the mirror as I don't think they'll find anybody better than Erik and all the gains they made over the last couple years are in danger of being lost.  There would be no better time than now to finally make that reunion and ride the wave into the sunset.  I'm really not sure if their split with Bach is repairable though.

New single out today from upcoming album in 2024.  Not sure about album title as of yet but did hear him say a new album is coming later this year.

I liked his first few albums but he really lost me with the poppier direction of Baptized and Cage to Rattle.  

However, I thought his last album Dearly Beloved was a step in the right direction.  And these new songs definitely have even more of a modern melodic rock vibe to them IMO. 

New single Pieces:

Previous song released that I think also will be on the album:

Cool cover.  Kind of odd releasing preorders without dropping a single along with the announcement though IMO.  

I dig a lot of tunes from this band but at the same time their last release didn't do a whole lot for me outside of a couple songs.  I think Never, Switchblade Sister and The Last One are the only songs I really revisit in my playlists.  I I'd like to see them kind of turn up the production a bit, use more backing vocals, maybe add more variety in songs, etc.  For me, their more melodic songs like Paint By Numbers, Got It Bad, In Our Blood, Forever, The One, Cold Star Dancer, etc are some of their best stuff. 

Definitely will be checking this out as I feel like these guys are a talented band that's done some good tunes.

11 hours ago, auslander said:

In the past it was the opposite, the bonus tracks and stuff were often on the first limited issues, thus rewarding the main fans who buy the album at launch. Now they only put extra tracks on deluxe editions or reissues. I feel cynical and think it is a ploy to just get more money out of the core group of fans who support the artist no matter what, trying to get them to buy the same album multiple times.

I feel like if I were artists who worked hard to create an album, I think I'd offer very limited/deluxe runs of an album with a bonus track or two.  Sell those for some marked up price, signed by the band on your website direct to fans.  Heck, you could probably sell those CD's/Vinyl for $25-$50....some range like that which is about double or triple what you normally would sell for.  And make sure they're jewel cases for the CD's and that the bonus tracks aren't just covers or alternate versions of a song already on the album lol!  I'd even number those releases for however many were printed like 1 out of 250 or however many were printed on the "limited" run.  Just don't make the "limited" run 5,000 CD's or something lol.

Then let the "regular" releases go to amazon or wherever else without the bonus tracks for the normal prices and chuck those in cardboard sleeves if you want too lol.

Heck, I'd have no problem paying double the cost of a regular CD for a limited issue CD like that, signed by the band.  I buy these things mostly as collectible items anyways these days, so do something to enhance the collectability and reward those fans the might want a more premium product.

I just think artists/labels should think outside the box a bit more these days.  Put out limited run physical products, maybe offer people a trial membership to some band you tube page or other web site/group where you post behind the scenes stuff with the purchase of an album, or give them a discount to your store on a future purchase.....Or whatever other ideas might make sense.

2 hours ago, Captain Howdy said:

Couldnt agree more with this probably being the "heaviest" song on the album

And yeah I agree, Jon may be a bit of a ruthless business man when it comes to the band, but he is a decent bloke. The amount of work he has done for the homeless is admirable.

I know his voice is shot and he is having some kind of throat surgery that he says may end his touring career but I don't think that is really an excuse why his music has been so mid the last decade or so.

As for Richie, I would love to see him back in the band but I don't think he would fix anything. I mean Phil is a great guitarist, and he is being wasted in the band and Richie has barely put anything out since leaving the band, with the only thing I can think of being that awful RSO album he did with Orianthi, where two fantastic guitarists seemed to almost give up on actually playing guitar.

His last solo album was twelve years ago when he was still in the band, and even that was a let down with only a few stand out tracks on it.

Plus his history with alcohol has done him no favours.

Agree 100% with the Richie part.  Lots of people ring the bell about him coming back and while that would be fun to see live, I don't think it would make any difference with the music.  I mean, it's not like the last couple albums with Richie were any better.  

I think their only hope would be to work with some outside producer and be willing to turn over control to that person to help guide them to more of a classic sounding melodic rock album kind of like Skid Row did with Nick Raskulinecz for example.  Heck, I think Bon Jovi even working with somebody like Steve Brown could really help a lot.  But I don't think they have any intention of doing something like that at this stage.

On 3/14/2024 at 3:28 PM, Captain Howdy said:

I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. It's kinda just there.

I just find it kinda sad that with an anniversary like this, Jon couldn't have pulled something really great out of the bag.

Just one more great album then he can go back to being the housewives choice.

Agree.....Just kind of "there" is a good way to describe it.  

It would be great if this were sort of a change of pace song and there were more "rocking" songs on the album.  But the sad thing is that this is probably THE rocking song on the album lol.

It just frustrates me so much.  I really dug this band back in the day and despite the feud with Richie and the whole corporate machine, I think Jon seems like a pretty good dude.  I mean, I've watched plenty of interviews over the years and he always seems to be a pretty down to earth guy and has done a ton of philanthropic work.  It's like I really want to like their stuff but I just can't seem to do it with the crap they've put out lol.

I don't think another great album is in the cards.  Maybe an album we don't absolutely hate is the best we can hope for at this point 

Music sounds cool but song/vocals overall not doing much for me.  Having a hard time getting into a song called Daimyo...what the heck even is that?  Some 16th century warrior or something?  Meh.

Overall, I've soured on projects like this in general so they need to really blow me away to make an impact and this isn't doing that.

New song.

Obviously light years away from what they were but I don't hate this as much as most of the stuff they've done the past 15 years.  At least it's not some sappy ballad....which is probably what most of the new album will be lol.  It's still fairly bland and generic modern Bon Jovi in general though.

Interesting and scary.

That said though, I'm probably nuts but I prefer the Brian Johnson version.

The possibilities are intriguing though.  Can we get a new Warrant album with Jani Lane's voice doing vocals?  Or maybe a new Elvis album lol.  Heck, I'm sure they can probably even do AI video's with those guys in them too. 

I say this tongue in cheek but the sad thing is I'm sure this stuff is possible and probably even likely to happen at some point in the future.  They're already doing AI, virtual concerts and we had that new Beatles song and video recently.  I won't be surprised if we see more of this sort of thing.

Interesting concept for an album but big blow losing Erik. 

I was lukewarm on the first album as I'm just not a big power metal guy but there were a couple songs I liked on it.

I'll probably check this out but highly doubt it'll be of much interest to me.

Have never really listened to this band for whatever reason but have kind of had them in the back of my mind to check out at some point as I remember some of their stuff not sounding too bad.  

Kind of like those new tunes above.

May have to finally investigate a bit. 

2 minutes ago, heavyharmonies said:

Watched the premiere. Picking up right where they left off with "Not the End of the Road" IMO. They've nailed their formula... just huge sound on the choruses.

Matching, let alone beating the last album is a tall order though.

Agree!  They just have a knack for creating interesting, catchy, hook filled tunes.   

That last album might possibly be my favorite album of the last 5 years if I were making a list.  It's just held up really well for me and I still play it often.

Tall order for sure but off to a good start!