I bought this 1973 LP from work entirely because it was called Stardrive and the back cover showed a white guy with a polyester shirt and a huge perm, drinking beer and sitting in front of an enormous analog synth. Had I investigated further I would have noticed that this record (the project of one Robert Mason) also features Michael Brecker and Steve Gadd. But I guess that just means it was a jazz-rock record recorded in the 70’s, because those two guys would play on anything. As Michael McDonald was to 70’s soft rock background vocals, Michael Brecker was to 70’s fusion saxophone.

Anyway, it rules. It’s fusiony, Magma-ish jazz, but absolutely CRAMMED with echoing spacey synth lines. It’s like an Al Di Meola record but with tons of tasteless synth burbling instead of tons of tasteless guitar solos. Also features a kick-ass cover of Sly Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher”. This is exactly the kind of stuff I could listen to all day, every day.

“Intergalactic Trot” was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird last year, and the self-titled “Stardrive” LP is getting reissued on CD on August 11. I’m getting it.

Warrant – Born Again (2006, Cleopatra Records/Deadline Records)

1. “Devil’s Juice” … 3:28
2. “Dirty Jack” … 4:02
3. “Bourbon County Line” … 3:52
4. “Hell, CA” … 4:20
5. “Angels” … 4:33
6. “Love Strikes Like Lightning” … 3:56
7. “Glimmer” … 3:31
8. “Roller Coaster” … 2:48
9. “Down In Diamonds” … 4:00
10. “Velvet Noose” … 3:01
11. “Roxy” … 3:16
12. “Good Times” … 4:10

Band:
Jaime St. James – Lead Vocals
Joey Allen – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Erik Turner – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jerry Dixon – Bass, Backing Vocals
Steven Sweet – Drums, Backing Vocals

Additional Musicians:
Pat Regan – Keyboards

Produced by: Pat Regan

Ah, Warrant. They just can’t keep it together, can they? Musically, throughout their entire career, they’ve done fine, but as far as keeping the “classic” lineup going (the lineup that gave us the classic hair metal albums Dirty Rotten Stinking Filthy Rich and Cherry Pie), it’s been quite a struggle.

In 2006, the “classic” reunion almost happened. The version of Warrant that enjoyed the most commercial success just missed getting back together. In January of that year, singer Jani Lane left the band and the following month “classic” members Joey Allen and Steven Sweet rejoined. Coincidence? Or conspiracy? I seem to remember some rumors swirling around that the one thing that kept Joey and Steven from ever rejoining the band was the fact that Jani was still in it. So he was out, and in very short order, they were both back in.

Enter former Black ‘n Blue vocalist Jaime St. James and a new album was fast tracked. It was great news to me to know a new Warrant album was coming because with Jani at the helm, despite the fact that he was/is a great songwriter, Warrant seemed content to merely be a nostalgia act and to do hair band package tours in the Summer. They never went fully in on the early 2000s hair metal resurgence and it never made sense to me when they didn’t join in and do a reunion/new album like many of their peers had done. I’m sure Jani’s alcohol problems go a long way in explaining just why it didn’t happen though.

To the music at hand, despite my anticipation for a Warrant album, I wasn’t sure if Born Again was going to be any good at all. As I said above, Jani’s a great writer and he was the lead creative force in the band, but founding members Jerry Dixon and Erik Turner (and St. James to an extent) really stepped up and delivered one of the 2006’s most surprising and pleasant rock albums.

It’s not really retro, the band doesn’t attempt to capture past glories, but it still has a cool old school hard rock feel. The album doesn’t sound outdated, but it doesn’t sound like a lame attempt to sound modern either. It’s a little more dirty, raw and bluesy than anything Warrant has done before. Sounds like a bit of St. James’ Black ‘n Blue influence has worn off on the band.

A good effort from a band that I was ready to write off. There’s definite promise in them post-Lane and that fact would become ever more important after Lane rejoined the group and lasted all of nine months in 2008 when he was ousted again due to alcohol abuse.

I hope Jani really pulls it together, his non-Warrant projects are solid, so I know he’ll at least musically be fine without Warrant but I’m also looking forward to seeing what Dixon & Turner wild do next with ex-Lynch Mob/current Big Cock vocalist Robert Mason up front (Jaime St. James has since reunited Black ‘n Blue).

Highlights: “Devil’s Juice”, “Dirty Jack”, “Bourbon County Line”, “Hell, CA”, “Angels”, “Love Strikes Like Lightning”, “Roxy”

www.warrantweb.net
www.myspace.com/warrantband

Former Warrant singer Jani Lane may not be digging the band Warrant at the moment, but likes the fact that Warrant is included so prominently in the Broadway hit (and hair metal extravaganza), Rock of Ages. He seemed thrilled when speaking to SPIN:

If somebody told me in my 20s that a song I wrote would be on Broadway, I’d laughed my ass off.

I have a new found respect for Jani Lane ever since he questioned the creative sincerity of a song like “Cherry Pie.” However, on the other hand, the members of Warrant have nothing to be ashamed about. Whether you like Warrant or not — and I admit, I’ve never been a fan —  they created something successful that was already in a crowded genre at the time. You have to give them credit where credit’s due. And people are feeling nostalgic for their music. Television commercials (smaples below) are even using them instead of, say, The Who.

Both Warrant and Jani Lane have now moved in separate directions, of course. Warrant seems happy with their new singer, Robert Mason — now, if only they can get his bio right on their Website. Here’s what it says, as of today:

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”

It’s called Dummy Text. Ooops!

Where’s Jani Lane when you need him? He’s definitely got a bio!

I had the excellent opportunity to see Warrant performing live last night in Cincinnati, and they put on a spectacular show. The concert was held at Riverstar Sports and Entertainment Complex, and they have some other good hard rock shows on the schedule for this year (Skid Row, Dokken, and Phil Lewis’ LA Guns). If you live in the Cincinnati area, you have to support these shows! The attendance at the venue last night was pathetic, but Warrant played a great show regardless.

Here are just a couple of videos from the concert, featuring new vocalist Robert Mason (pictured above)…

Robert sounded great on the mic, and the band was tight. Of course, they played all their big hits, and I will be posting the videos I took here and on the HRN Facebook fan page over the next few days. If you’re not already a member of the HRN Facebook page, join now!

One particular note of interest, I caught guitarist Joey Allen (above, right) after the show and asked him if they were working on new material, and he answered in the affirmative, though he didn’t say when we could expect to see it in stores. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long!

As you are all aware, Jani Lane is no longer a member of Warrant. Former Lynch Mob vocalist Robert Mason is now manning the mic for Warrant, and the concert reviews so far have been astounding. But this begs the question, Where is Jani Lane???

After deleting his Myspace page (myspace.com/janilane) and then promptly returning, Lane has yet to upload any music or post any photos other than the one above. He has 234 friends so far, and 49 have left a comment on his page. His last login was yesterday (9/25), but when you try to send him a message, you get this response:

You can’t send a message to Jani Lane because Jani Lane’s status is set to away.

Away where? The “away message” is blank, so no one knows but Jani!

Friends, let’s hope Lane has not thrown in the towel. He has an amazing talent and with hard work and dedication he can recapture that magic that was once there. Let’s hope he returns soon with a new lease on life, a new outlook on his career, and a new hunger to succeed!

Arnold & Porter.  

With millions of merchants, the fresh eyes of Washington, the European Union, nation’s around the world, and entrepreneurs like us, the question is: how can Visa, MasterCard and its member banks explain the annual $40,000,000,000 hidden tax that (we assert) is based on illegal price-fixing by agreement and unbridled collusion? 

Even more questions about Visa’s IPO-planned multi-billion dollar bank bailout are raised from the March 7th Legal Times article by reporter Attilla Berry.  Click here to view.

Even the gigantic-sized billable hours for law firms like Arnold & Porter pale in the shadow of the potential liability, which was reported to be “more than $50 billion if the merchants are successful,” according to the article.

____________________________________________________

Want to know more about lead plaintiff ScanMyPhotos.com?  Click here and read their daily blog: Tales from the World of Photo Scanning

Dirty Devil River Float-
I made a decision this week to float the Dirty Devil River earlier than I had originally planned. Since I am going to ride the White Rim in August, the plan now is to float solo at the end of May, over the last two weeks of the month. I had thought about floating in August, but was worried about the flow of water then. In May that should be less of a problem. I am giving myself 10 days to do it, but will allow two or three days extra in my itinerary in case I find canyons that must be explored. From all the information I have found on the river, much of it, in the upper reaches at least, seems to be a muddy stream. But I am sure there is plenty to see along the 90 or so miles of the trip from near Hanksville down to Hite. There are some really amazing canyons along the way, judging by the topography on the map. Of course I will carry a pack and hiking gear; I will likely carry a larger pack for an overnight or two if my research and map reconnaissance deem it necessary, and I will make sure they do.

Logistically the only hurdle to work out is a shuttle from Hite to the put-in above Hanksville. I will call Tag-A-Long Expeditions in Moab in the next week or so to see if they have any plans to be in the area at the end of May. It is probably too early for them to know their schedule for sure, but I will let them know that I am interested. Once I park my truck at Hite Marina, and get the ride to the put-in, I am free for the next couple of weeks to explore. I am really looking forward to the float, even though it may be challenging in terms of navigation- dragging the boat across sandbars and through shallows, in the heat of the summer no less, will be a big part of the float from the little I have read about it.

Desert Explorer Website-
I added three new pages to the Cedar Mesa Trip Guides page on the website this week. Kane Gulch Ranger Station to Toadie Canyon Loop; Green House Canyon, Grand Gulch, Pine Canyon, Step Canyon Loop; and Coyote Canyon to Shiek’s Canyon Loop are now online. I will revisit them in the coming weeks to edit and add to the content, and post another photo or two once I locate the images.

I did some editing of the Backpack Foods Page this week, added more content, the first recipe. This page will see more work in the near future as well- I will add at least a few more recipes this week. As with all my pages, I create them and add to them as time allows. My goal is to at least post introductions on the topics that I feel are necessary and important to desert backpacking and hiking. Then I can work on them when I have the time, 10 minutes here, a half hour there. I still have much work to do to get the site to a point that I feel makes it comprehensive. I am about half way to my ultimate goal. So keep checking back.

Four Corners Fugitives Search-
This week I went back to my notes about the Four Corners Fugitives and began work on Chapter Five. It should be ready for posting this week. If you are unfamiliar with this topic, I will offer a summary:

In late May of 1998 a water truck was stolen near Durango, Colorado. Three local men, Jason Wayne McVean, Alan Lamont Pilon, and Robert Matthew Mason were ultimately responsible for the crime. On 29 May the three were spotted in the truck and stopped by officer Dale Claxton. They opened fire on the officer, apparently with automatic weapons, killing him before he could exit his police cruiser. The three then sped off into the remote Cross Canyon area along the border of Utah and Colorado, but not without other incidents. Mason was eventually found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on 04 June, 1998, 50 miles from where they abandoned their escape vehicle. Pilon was found in the same condition on 31 October, 1999, not two miles form the vehicle. McVean was finally found on 05 June, 2007, just miles from where the truck was abandoned. He had died of a self-inflicted gunshot, probably the very afternoon of his escape.

To read more about the Four Corners Fugitives and the largest manhunt in western history, visit www.DesertExplorer.us .

Jani Lane is out. Robert Mason (Lynch Mob) is in.

The band issued this statement to blabbermouth:

“It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that Jani Lane will no longer be performing with Warrant.
From the beginning of our reunion talks to the last note of our last show together in Houston this past weekend [on August 31 at the Rock the Bayou festival], we have had nothing but good intentions of bringing a quality original Warrant show to our fans and friends. We wish Jani nothing but the best and remain friends. We are very excited that we have found an unbelievable voice in Robert Mason, an old friend of the band. We have three dates confirmed, come out and judge for yourself… We don’t think you will be disappointed!”

I have never been a fan of Warrant’s music but I have been a fan of the musicians involved. Powerline charted the success of the band from the beginning. Powerline editor, Mike Smith — the true Glam in Glam to Slam — was a leading voice in Warrant’s rise in popularity in the late 80s/early 90s. It’s sad to me that the original vocalist is now out of the band. He was a significant part of what appealed to the band’s fans. However, some of his recent performances suffered from the drunkenness which sapped his vocal quality. He was obviously wrestling with his own personal demons.

But Jani is rumored to start some projects of his own, including a Beatles tribute band with members of Great White.

Good luck, Jani. Hope you get your demons sorted out.