Currently Booming: Alice in Chains on MTV Unplugged (Watch)

Make This: Cruel Summer

Ingredients
2 muddled grapefruit slices
1 oz. blanco tequila
1 oz. mezcal joven
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1 oz. amber agave infused with jalapeno
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

Preparation: Shake all ingredients vigorously, strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass and garnish with chili/pepper salt on rim and a fresh grapefruit slice.

*Agave Infusion: Bowl amber agave syrup with 2 full jalapeños or more (sliced) to achieve desired spice level
*Chili Salt: Mix sea salt, black pepper, dash of cayenne, dash of cumin, dash of celery salt

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Sandee- 'Notice Me'

"I walk by where you work every day
Hoping you'd glance my way
A smile would break out from me to you
Conversation would make its way"

Sandee (Sandra Casanas) is one of those artists that made a lasting impression but then was lost way too soon. She was actually one-third of the original Expose` lineup from 1984-6 with Ale` and Laurie Miller. After the group was reformed Sandee went her own way and carved a nice solo career for herself. "Notice Me" went to number 9 on Billboard's dance chart back in 1989 and remains a club staple to this day. Sadly, Sandee was found dead in her Hollywood, Florida back in 1998 after suffering a severe seizure. The freestyle world grieved her loss together with various tributes and to this day Sandee is often discussed at freestyle events.

Currently Booming: Headbanger's Ball (May 23, 1987)

Currently Booming: NEW Vandenberg- 'Skyfall'

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Shana- 'You Can't Get Away'

Exclusive Interview: Vinny Appice on The Appice Brothers Releasing Tribute Video on the Tenth Anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's Death

(Promo Shot from Vinny Appice's Official Site)

Saturday, May 16th, 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's death and it's a day that will not go unnoticed by the rock community. Stomach cancer may have shortened his life but Dio's vocals on tracks by Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and of course, Dio are never forgotten.  In fact, he remains in permanent heavy rotation in both the rock world and on MTV Classic's Metal Mayhem.

While Covid-19 has grounded a lot of touring musicians that extra time off has paved the way for a lot of creative projects to be brought to fruition, including one by Vinny and Carmine Appice. The brothers, plus Jim Crean (vocals), James Caputo (bass), and Artie Dillon (guitar) are releasing a video for the song "Monsters & Heroes" as a tribute not only to their former bandmate but also to the man that they'll always consider a brother.

I stole a few minutes of Vinny's time ahead of the video release and he was happy to share the details on how this touching tribute came to be. Check it out.

Vinny Appice on how the idea for the tribute video came about:

"It wasn't something that we had planned for a long time, because if things were normal (before Covid-19) then I would have been out of town. I had dates scheduled with Last In Line for March and April, then I was supposed to go to Europe and South America with another project. So the idea hit about two weeks ago when I was seeing all of the virus videos that everyone was making, with all of the windows looking kind of like the Brady Bunch (laughing).  I thought it was cool and the best part is that you're seeing stuff you've never seen before, like performers playing in their own living room.

I thought it would be cool to do one of these videos and when I called my brother Carmine (Appice) he thought it was a cool idea. There was a song we did a few years ago, written by Paul Shortino,  called "Monsters & Heroes" that was originally on our Sinister album, and it felt like a real single. It was the best song from the album to release as a single and since Ronnie's anniversary was coming up and we actually had the time to do something special it really worked out perfectly."

Vinny on how the video was filmed during the Covid-19 quarantine:

"Luckily our guitar player, Artie Dillon, knows how to do all of the video stuff and so we started putting it together. I played first and then I'd stop so Carmine could play. We've done this song live many times so we can choreograph it pretty well. Everyone was in separate locations filming their parts and so it took about two weeks to actually piece the footage together and sync everything up. When we finally saw the finished version we really thought it came out even better than we had expected.

Paul Shortino sang this song on the album but in this video, it's Jim Crean on the vocals. We have played hundreds of shows with him over the years and then Carmine and I have both played on a few of his records, so Jim is like family. It's the same with James Caputo on bass and Artie Dillon on guitar, they're our band so we've done many shows with them live, making them also like family."

Vinny on how Ronnie James Dio is always with him:

"When I go out and play with Last In Line, we play five or six Dio songs and when I go and do my own show then it's a night of Black Sabbath music, so most of the music that I play is tied to Ronnie. He's always there with me. When I'm writing music I remember how much he taught me about creating songs that aren't so predictable and that it's good to mess with the formula a little. The music keeps him with me and we got along so well that we were like brothers. I'm lucky the music has continued and I've gotten to play with legendary musicians that created rock classics. We didn't know at the time how things would end up we just knew that we thought the music sounded good. Who knew "Holy Diver" would become such a staple (laughing), it was just a lot of fun to do. Here we are ten years after he passed and we're still tied together which is so good, it's a nice feeling."

Vinny on remembering Ronnie today:

"The video is really special and it feels good to do something for the tenth anniversary of his passing. If you listen to the lyrics it tells a great story about Ronnie and mentions a lot of the song titles that he was known for.  I think seeing his silhouette and the cancer fund link at the very end is really touching. That picture blew me away when I first saw it, what a great guy Ronnie was. He really loved his fans. He would stop and get out of the limo while trying to leave a venue because there were fans in the cold waiting at the gates. He would get out and sign autographs and take pictures because he really loved his fans.  We all miss him and so it's a good day to remember Ronnie. This song and video will help to bring him into people's thoughts and that's just such a good thing for this great guy."

Check out the video for "Monsters & Heroes"!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Idol - 'Sweet Sixteen'

"Gave my heart an engagement ring,

She took everything,

Everything I gave her,

Oh sweet sixteen

Built a moon

For a rocking chair,

I never guessed it would

Rock her far from here

Oh, oh, oh."

While I love Billy Idol's rough and tumble style and his anthems like "Rebel Yell" have to rank among some of my all-time favorite 80's tunes, I loved when he took a minute in 1987 to slow things down. "Sweet Sixteen" is such a delicate song, one that took most Idol fans by surprise. It showed that this hardcore rocker had a soft side that was worth exploring.

This song was actually inspired by a true story. A man named Edward Leedskalnin was dumped by his fiancée Agnes Scuffs the day before they were to be married. He built Coral Castle, a monument complete with furniture made of coral, in Homestead, Florida hoping to win her back, but she still did not want to marry him. His nickname for her was Sweet Sixteen. Here's a nugget for you, if you travel to Coral Castle even now you will see some of the furniture that was created, including the coral rocking chair mentioned in the lyrics of Idol's tribute to it.

Check out the video below for "Sweet Sixteen". Does it take you back?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Hall & Oates- 'Out Of Touch'

Reaching out for something to hold
Looking for a love
Where the climate is cold
Manic moves and drowsy dreams
Or living in the middle
Between the two extremes
Smoking guns hot to the touch
Would cool down
If we didn't use them so much
We're soul alone
And soul really matters to me
Too much

Every time I get in the car, without fail, a Hall & Oates song comes on the radio. I think nearly everyone knows who they are and probably likes at least one song by the duo. It's kind of hard not to, right? Way back in 1984, "Out of Touch" graced the top of Billboard's charts for a two-week run at number one. When you hear this song now, more than 30 years later it doesn't sound the least bit dated which is probably part of the reason why Hall & Oates still gets a ton of airplay in spite of not having any new music out.

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Jon B. - 'Someone to Love' (Ft. Babyface)

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: George LaMond - 'Bad of the Heart'

I thought that when you gave me love
My life would start to change
Instead I saw that I was wrong
My life was re-arranged

"Bad of the Heart" by George LaMond might just be one of freestyle's very best break up songs of all time. I have to wonder who helped to motivate the stinging lyrics way back in 1990. Of course I think most of us can actually think of an ex or two of our own that they apply to and that, is precisely why this song has become a freestyle anthem. 

I remember seeing LaMond perform back in the early 90's and after catching his set again a few months back I have to say that he may actually sound better now! Check out the original video below and if you'd like to check LaMond out live then you're in luck because he still pops up in freestyle shows all over the country. Check out his tour dates here.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Vinnie Vincent Invasion - 'Love Kills'

You've brought my world to an end
Love takes its victim and leaves its remains
My broken heart has died in vain
Tell me why have we forsaken the dreams we had
The pain makes it so hard to understand
You're a lifetime ago but a memory away
And I'll love you till my resurrection day
Love kills the fire's gone
Dying embers still remain
Love kills and now you're gone
Girl, I'll never be the same again

I'm going to be honest here, saying that I don't remember Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills" is an understatement for me. It was released back in 1988 on the A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master soundtrack and pooped up in an episode of MTV Classic's Metal Mayhem this morning. Vincent started the group back in 1984, after finding fame as a member of KISS. In 1986 he hired Mark Slaughter to handle the lead vocals and the group then had a few successful tracks.

Anyway, I stumbled onto this video this morning and was struck by just how good 22-year-old Slaughter (looked) sounded here. He later went on to find success with his own band, Slaughter, into the 90's. In the years since "Love Kills" the group obviously disbanded but the guys have continued rocking out individually. Check out the video below, do you remember this one?