Having headed to the airport on just three hours of sleep after seeing Ace Frehley Friday night in Morgantown, WV, I hit the town with friends and caught as much live rock ‘n roll music as I could. Unlike my home in the ‘Burgh there are plenty of options in the ‘Music City’ both on and off the infamous Broadway strip.
We caught a house band at the new Jon Bon Jovi venue, some dueling pianos with our friend Tyson Leslie (Vixen) performing, checked out new bands Dixie Dragster and Cinema Stereo before rocking out to one of our favorites Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts at The Vinyl Lounge, and closed out the weekend at The Basement East with Rock City Machine Co (RCMC) and The Dead Daisies.
Rock City Machine Co (RCMC) kicked off Sunday night’s show around 8pm. The band features the trio of Ryan Spencer Cook on lead vocals and guitar, Jeremy Asbrock on guitar, and Philip Shouse on bass (who many will recognize from their live performances with Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons). They were joined by Ricky Ficarelli on drums, as well as a mid-set addition of Marti Frederiksen on acoustic guitar for the song “High Road” from the band’s new album.
Frederiksen produced and performs on the new album along with the trio and his name can also be found in the writing credits along with Paul Taylor (Winger), who was in the crowd last night along with an impressive list of who’s who in the Nashville rock scene scattered amongst a daisy chain of fans.
Having seen these guys perform many times supporting other artists, it was great to catch them tearing through their own songs to a very enthusiastic local crowd. They kicked off the set with “Can’t Stop the Train,” the lead track from the new LP and performed all eight tracks from he release including a cover of Bob Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” and also threw in a cover of the AC/DC classic “Sin City.” I would definitely encourage anyone looking for a classic rock influenced band with strong vocal harmonies to check these guys out.
We’ve been waiting for a show from The Dead Daisies to come through since John Corabi announced his return to the band, but haven’t had a show in the ‘Burgh in almost six years. And, this was our first show in three years, the last being at The Eclectic Room in Indiana back in 2021 with Glen Hughes (Deep Purple) leading the band on vocals and bass…so, we decided to make some travel plans to can’t them and were blown away with their performance as always!
For those who haven’t been following the line-up changes, John Corabi (Motley Crue) has returned along with drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath). Founder David Lowy and Doug Aldrich remain a consistent force on guitars with another Whitesnake alumni, Michael Devin, stepping in on bass.
The band kicked off their 17 song set with the new single “Light ‘Em Up,” which is slated to be the title track for their new release and “Rise Up,” a favorite Corabi-era cut from their fourth album Burn it Down. They had one of the coolest band introductions mid-set with teases of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “Seven Nation Army,” “Heaven and Hell,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and “Join Together,” carefully selected to call out the band members.
They also took us to “Mexico,” and then tossed in some of classic rock favorites like Alex Harvey’s “Midnight Moses” and a cover of “I’m Ready” from Muddy Waters before closing out the night with Doug jumping off the stage to jam in front of fans as the band delivered a killer encore of “Long Way to Go” and a cover of “Helter Skelter” from The Beatles in farewell.
The Dead Daisies are finishing up a month of US dates, with this Nashville show being special given that the band had spent the early part of 2024 in both Nashville & Muscle Shoals. They were busy in the studio with producer Marti Frederiksen writing and recording songs for their latest studio album. Additionally, Corabi teased during their set that the band will also be releasing a blues album when introducing the Muddy Waters cut. He says the release is inspired by their studio jams and the history in the room where they were writing.
The daisies will be on the road in the UK as well in support of their new album Light ‘Em Up, which is due out this September, but fans in the US still have a few opportunities to catch the band in California. Tour dates can be found here.
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Watch for continued coverage of local shows and regional shows including Lit, Kuarantine, and more this summer.
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen posted on 6/17/2024. Live photos © by photographer Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
