Melody In Milan

It was a gathering…of some of the elite in the world of Melodic Rock!  A gathering in one of the most romantic places on earth!-Milan, Italy.  The second annual Frontiers Rock Festival!

Frontiers Records has become an elite record label, continually giving voice to veteran rockers and those youngsters filled with musical ambitions.  Frontiers supports their Artists in unique ways, not just in the traditional sense, and one of those methods is to fashion a multi-day music fest, where the assembled musicians can showcase their new musical journeys!

Some of the talent which appeared in Milan in mid-April were expected, however there were some surprises.  The lead vocalist of “Murder Of My Sweet” opened the festivities with a surprise appearance!  Angelica Rylin hit the stage on the first day with her brand new band, and performing material from her critically acclaimed debut album “Thrive”!  Being her first time at the Frontiers Fest, the energy levels were high and those assembled gave her more than a warm reception! 

As we could expect, the bulk of the line-up during this festival were Artists signed to Frontiers, but it wasn’t all inclusive—as there were Artists that held differing recording contracts, so in the method of Frontiers—this second gathering was all about the music, and it showed in the line-up!  From “Praying Mantis” to “House Of Lords” and everything in between!  Now, some of the groups that appeared have members that are actually in other groups—but their level of creativity is such that no one band can hold them!  Such is the case with the top Swedish group “Eclipse”, whom performed a rock-solid set on day one of the Festival.  “Eclipse” founder Erik Martensson is involved in several musical projects, but he took time out to bring “Eclipse” back to Italy and performed new material from their brand new album “Armaggedonize”! 

Speaking of multi-talented and multi-band members—Doug Aldrich, long time “Whitesnake”  and “Dio” guitarist brought to the stage some “Burning Rain”!  Teamed with ex-Montrose lead singer, Keith St. John, “Burning Rain” did just that on stage!  A blistering set that saw material performed from their debut and second album with some surprises from their latest Recorded Work!

Other musical Artists that appeared throughout really represented the who’s who of Melodic Rock—there were the UK darlings “FM”, and Canadian icons “Harem Scarem” who have a lot to sing and play about—coming out of retirement, armed with a brand new record and setting the stage afire with their superb performance!  Others that appeared, the soulful voice of Joe Lynn Turner, “Vega”, “Pride Of Lions” and more!  The Festival was two days of heaven in Milan and not only was the music hot, but the activity around the stages was very busy—what with film crews and the like—knowing that some tasty DVD packages are well on their way to the public in the months to come!

“House Of Lords” took to the stage to launch their latest recorded opus.  Taking this appearance to also launch their new set and International Tour—Melodic Arena Rock is alive and well with “House Of Lords”—which will hit North America this Summer.

Now, one of the absolute highlights and surprises from this, the second annual Frontiers Rock Festival, was George Lynch and Oni Logen-the kingpins of “Lynch Mob”  Mr. Lynch being one of the most influential guitarists in the world today, and Oni being a stellar vocalist and songwriter—it is no wonder that when these two got together back in the ‘80’s great things were about to happen!  And..they did—with the release of “Wicked Sensation” in 1989, “Lynch Mob” soared to the top of the heap!  Now, both musicians went on to record several other albums under the band’s moniker—each of which were equal to their debut.  But pulls to do other things put an end to their collaboration after seventeen years.  Now, though, the two are back together—and have been for a while—releasing what has become a Masterstroke in the album “Smoke & Mirrors”.  The group’s surprise appearance saw them perform material from every album they recorded, including “Wicked Sensation” and “Smoke & Mirrors”!!  Could this be the beginning of a new chapter?  Only time will tell, however if this is not the case—those that were in attendance at “Frontiers Rock Festival II” were witness to an historic event in the musical world of Melodic Rock!

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Upcoming Club/Concert Highlights:

The Blue Gator:    Jimmy LeGuilloux Band:  May 1^st & 2^nd    Zamboni Brothers:  May 7^th   Crosstown Bus:  May 8^th & 9^th   Hank Stallion:  May 14^th & 15^th & 16^th

O’Flannigan’s Pub: Rumble 100:  May 1^st & 2^nd    Colt 45:  May 8^th & 9^th

Riley’s Pub:   Jimmy Leguilloux Band:  May 15^th & 16^th

Whiski-jack’s Pub:   Jimmy LeGuilloux Band:  May 8^th

Notable Concerts:   

Prospera  Place:    Diana Krall:  May 12^th     Aerosmith:   July 13^th  Dean Brody/Paul Brandt:  September 26^th

Kelowna Community Theatre:    Los Lonely Boys:  May 10^th   April Wine:   May 11^th

South Okanagan Events Centre:   Journey:   July 10^th  Brit Floyd:  (it is the closet to the real thing)   August 12^th   “Weird Al” Yankovic:  September 9^th    Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band-(featuring Todd Rundgren, Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie plus others!!)   October 10^th

 

   …if you have a musical story or news and would like me to write something… drop me a line at:  [email protected]  and let’s celebrate Kelowna’s rich and varied music community together!!.....

 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.