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Ron Taylor |
When Lillian Axe hit the stage everyone had been celebrating the holiday for
several hours and the fear of ice roads had long since been diluted by a
few drinks. But one theme that kept the night fun was the return of
"unmodern" pure rockers who had once graced the stage in the late
eighties and early nineties and now reunited for a set of well known
classics.
Today, the reunited Lillian Axe is core members,
Ron Taylor (vocals), Steve Blaze (guitar), and Darrin DeLatte (bass), and
new additions Ken Kouldelka (drums) and Sam Poitevent (guitar).
Appropriately, Lillian Axe kicked off their long
set with the title track and first song of their first album “All’s
Far in Love and War.” They then continued on with their excellent cover
of “My Number,” which originated from the early days of Phil Collen (Def
Leppard) and Phil Lewis (LA Guns) in the British band Girl, and sliced through
more favorites like "True Believer," "Innocence," and
"Letters in the Rain."
Eventually, Lillian
halted mid-set for an incredible medley that
slowed the pace down a bit. This trio of tracks showcased the talents of
vocalist Ron Taylor and lead axeman Steve Blaze who belted out some of the
strongest melodies to ever grace the world of rock, namely "Ghost of
Winter," "The World Stopped Turning" and "Nobody
Knows."
The two voices meshed seamlessly as they have for years over
Blaze's flamenco sounds, and a hush grew over the rest of the stage.
Don't fret though, because the full band returned and rocked through many
more, and even added some highlights from their latest, Fields of Yesterday (Z
Records), like "Pulling the Rats Out" and "Twilight in
Hell."
And while the band played on well past closing time, they were still forced
to cut the set short. Before they finally got yanked off stage, they did
manage to fit in two encores including "Misery Loves Company," but a few
tracks were missed, including, "She Likes it on Top."
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Seeing such a talented act for the first time live, it was
disappointing to know that this is no longer their real gig, and aside from a
few chance meetings, the band has long since parted to make room for their own
projects.
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These new bands are Blaze and Poitevent's Near Life
Experience(NLE), and Taylor, DeLatte, and Kouldelka's Velvet Poker dogs.
According to Taylor, the Poker Dogs are not
currently looking to enter the world of record labels, though they are playing
out live around Texas.
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And aside NLE and a short stint with Lillian Axe,
Blaze’s brother Craig Nunenmacher has been busy touring in both
Crowbar (along with NLE bassist Jeff "Okie" Okoneski) and also
serving as a replacement for drummer "Philth" from Zakk Wylde’s
Black Label Society.
The two have since been replaced by Dennis Papaleo (drums) and
Paul Starnes (bass), who according to Blaze have been with NLE
for more than six months now.
Also be sure to check out our interviews with Blaze and Taylor in the our article
archives.
Also Reviewed Dangerous Toys and Every
Mother's Nightmare.
All Photos and Review by Kara Uhrlen. Property of The
Pure Rock Shop. Not pictured Ken
Kouldelka (drums) and Sam Poitevent
(guitar).
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