October 2006 News

It's time for me to play catch up with all the shows I've seen these past two weeks. I have been busy running around the city with a friend visiting the city. We've been organising an art exhibition that is going to blow your socks off, so watch out.

Last Sunday night, I had the immense privilege of seeing JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS perform at Irving Plaza. When I heard confirmation that I was on the BLACKHEARTS list I jumped up from my chair with glee. Now this was something exciting. JOAN JETT has been a favourite of mine since high school when I first saw her perform at the Vanderbilt in Plainview, Long Island. It was the first concert I had ever been to and I just couldn't believe how awesome the experience was. I went with my younger sister and we both jumped into the crowd, pumped our fists in the air and screamed along to 'Cherry Bomb' amongst a sea of black leather and tattoos.

Now eight years later, there I was at Irving Plaza with a pass stuck on my jeans allowing me access to the after show party where I could meet the legendary woman who first drew me into the world of music.

Quick, name this band:

They pounded the club circuit for years and released their first album independently.

They scored a breakthrough single and signed to a major label. This summer they played sold-out shows at small clubs in New York, including the now-shuttered CBGB's and were one of the headliners on the Vans Warped Tour.

It's JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, a group that's been around since the early 1980s. But doesn't Jett's bio sound like that of so many younger bands? At 48, Jett is at least twice the age of the kids she's playing to (and with), but in some ways she fits right in.

Venue: The Vic Theatre
Band: JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
Date: October 26, 2006

Chicago loves good rock-n-roll and Chicago loves JOAN JETT. Joan and her band The BLACKHEARTS are currently on a fall tour promoting their new album called SINNER.

The band ran out on stage and took their positions as they kicked off the night with the power rock hit Bad Reputation. The BLACKHEARTS are THOMMY PRICE on drums, Enzo Fender on bass, and DOUGIE NEEDLES on lead guitar. Joan dressed in a black vest with black leather pants with guitar in hand, seemed excited and tore through the night performing her classic hits and throwing in new songs from SINNER. After her first song Joan painfully informed The Vic Theatre crowd that her former band mate and friend Sandy West, who helped formed the all female punk-rock band The RUNAWAYS when they were teens, passed on after a long battle with lung cancer, and the show would be dedicated to her. With her energy returning, the band powered through Cherry Bomb, which was a hit for The RUNAWAYS. The band also performed classic Jett hits like I Hate Myself for Loving You, Crimson and Clover, Love is Pain, and the biggest hit of her career, I Love Rock n Roll.

Joan also performed songs off SINNER. Naked and Five received great response from the audience. But Change the World, a new original song from Joan, has got to be one of the best songs performed during the night. Joan roared "I dare ya are ya scared?" "It’s time we stop all the hatin." "Let’s start today." "Go find a way." "To change the world."

Is JOAN JETT an MTV icon, godmother of punk rock, a female Elvis? Well, these descriptions have all been hurtled at her, and with her public history -- she keeps her personal life personal -- she might deserve at least one of them.

"Expect an intense rock 'n' roll show with plenty of hits and plenty of favorite new and old songs," she says about her upcoming visit to the Vic Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 26. The other bands on the bill, Eagles of Death Metal, Throw Rag, and The Vacancies, will fit right in with Jett's edgy sound.

Jett started her career as singer and guitar player in The RUNAWAYS, an all-female band she helped form as a teenager. After a few albums and tours, the band split, but Jett's roots were planted firmly in glitter and punk rock music.

SAN DIMAS, Calif. (Oct. 24) - Sandy West, whose ferocious drumming fueled the influential all-female `70s rock band the RUNAWAYS, has died of lung cancer. She was 47.

West died Saturday night at a hospice in San Dimas, east of Los Angeles, her manager Mara Fox said. She was diagnosed a year ago.

West was only 16 when she co-founded the RUNAWAYS in 1975 with singer and guitarist JOAN JETT.

Washington, DC - Way back in the early 80’s.. maybe sometime back in 1984, I remember seeing my first JOAN JETT concert at the ripe age of 10 years old when we snuck into the old legendary Hammerjacks in Baltimore.. Long gone is Hammerjacks, well the original one and also long gone is sneaking into a show at that age, but one thing that lives on in 2006 is the timeless rock of JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS. She put punk rock on the map then and is putting it on the map during her Fall 2006 tour.

Tonight the show wasn’t in Baltimore, but just a few minutes from Joan’s old stomping grounds of Randolph Hills in Rockville, Maryland at the legendary 9:30 Club in Downtown Washington, D.C. It didn’t take long for her to make it known that she loves playing for a hometown crowd and judging by the way the crowd sang along with every song from the time she stepped on stage until the time she performed her encore, this was a show if you like rock should not be missed this fall.

Jett opened the show with some material of her first new album release in 10 years, SINNER. The first song of the night, "Riddles" really had the crowd worked up .She also threw in a few more from this release including "Naked," "Five" and "Androgynous."

Sandy West, drummer for the influential '70s band the RUNAWAYS, died Oct. 21 after a long battle with lung cancer.

West was a founding member of the RUNAWAYS, which featured fellow rockers JOAN JETT, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie. The group toured the world several times, often headlining with opening acts such as Tom Petty and Cheap Trick.

The RUNAWAYS' discography includes over 60 albums, singles and compilations and its music has been featured in dozens of rock and punk collections, and several films, including "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway" and "DetroitRockCity."

JOAN JETT, the high-priestess of pop/punk rock proved what pure Rock ‘N Roll is all about at Bogart’s, Cincinnati, Ohio. In support of JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS’ latest release "SINNER," JOAN JETT demonstrated why she owns the 27th spot on Billboard's list of The Greatest Songs of ALL Time with the enduring rock anthem, "I Love Rock ‘N Roll" because it’s more than evident that the history making hit was just the beginning of her enduring career.

"Women Who Behave Rarely Make History" can be seen on bumper stickers and t-shirts but the saying rings loud and clear when you witness a JOAN JETT performance and glimpse back at her pioneering and life-long career in music. Joan has never conformed nor compromised her creativity and remains confident and current 25 years after the song that made history.

Opening the show with "Change the World," Joan solidifies the fact that she is a rock & roll crusader. Joan asked, "Do we have any singers out there? Do we have some dancers out there?" She was positively answered immediately. By the end of "Cherry Bomb," a song Joan wrote when she was fifteen years old, she announced her pleasure, "You’ve got this down pat! Take a deep breath…" and rolled into "Do You Wanna Touch Me." The chanting, multi-generational, wall-to-wall audience was in overdrive by "Bad Reputation."

The heart-patterned string bikini top JOAN JETT is wearing hides nothing, but there isn't anything to be ashamed of anyway. At 47, she is enviably slim, with skin that is pale and unmarred except for a smattering of ink.

It's three hours until show time, and Jett is pacing her tour bus, talking about her new album, "SINNER." She brings her spiky-haired bandmates, the BLACKHEARTS, to Irving Plaza for a sold-out show Sunday.

Coming off a headlining gig on the summer's Warped Tour, Jett knows few female artists are fortunate to be in as much demand.

Sandy West, drummer for the influential 70s band The RUNAWAYS, died today after a long battle with lung cancer. She left an indelible mark on rock music as a founding member of The RUNAWAYS, which featured fellow rockers JOAN JETT, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie, and as a leading inspiration for a number of notable musicians, both male and female.  Many young musicians can trace their inspiration directly to the first time they heard "Cherry Bomb." She will be remembered by more than one generation of fans as a strong part of their musical landscape. But Sandy's impact was felt far outside of the music industry as a loyal friend, loving confidante and strong defender of those she loved most. Her strength as a player, passion as a person, and dedication as a friend will be remembered always by friends, fans and fellow musicians alike.

JOAN JETT :: 10.13.06 :: Avalon :: Boston, MA
While most things in Rock change and evolve, and not always for the better, JOAN JETT pretty much stays the same.

As she has been in the game for nearly 30 years now, she has had many chances to sell out, sex-it-up, or jump at one of the numerous RUNAWAYS reunion tour offers. But she has instead chosen to keep her standards and marched at her own power-chord-driven path, and her reputation in the rock world has remained remarkably in tact.

Playing to a near-capacity crowd at the legendary Avalon club in Boston on October 13th, Jett literally ripped through a 20-song set that was, as her manager KENNY LAGUNA promised, an "amazing balance of songs from her popular catalogue alongside cuts from her new amazing CD, SINNER."

JOAN JETT really knows how to work a crowd, and she did just that last night at Irving Plaza with her band the BLACKHEARTS. Singing a bunch of songs from her latest album SINNER, as well as her hits, she really got everyone dancing and singing along, as well as clapping and raising their hands to the music. The great thing about a JOAN JETT song is if you don’t know it, by the second verse you can totally sing along. They are deceptively simple but she says a lot in between the lines. Her classics such as "I love Rock and Roll", "Crimson and Clover" and "Bad Reputation" were a joy to witness. She just puts out such a positive vibe and is in such great shape and looks gorgeous. Women in the crowd were yelling, "I love you!" and "I want to marry you!" And of course Joan and her band bring a lot of rock n’ roll swagger and posturing along with jumping 3 feet above the stage.

After the show, thanks very much to Q’s dad Bas, we got backstage passes. I was completely awestruck, but strangely not nervous at all meeting her. I told her that she has such a great energy and spirit and that really came through tonight. She was very humble and said it was easy with a great crowd like us.

JOAN JETT is just amazing. The fact that she struggled so hard in the beginning to get signed, finally starting her own BLACKHEART RECORDS label, is just a testament to her commitment to expressing herself creatively. It really gives me hope for my own creative endeavors. I feel a renewed sense of optimism and inspiration from meeting such a passionate woman who has always lived her life with total authenticity.

Why keep donning leather and black eyeliner some 30 years into a career of R&R?

Well, if you’re JOAN JETT, it’s because you still look good with dark clothes, hair and eyes and because, as she sang 25 years ago in her biggest hit to date, she loves rock ’n’ roll.

As the reigning princess of punk rock, Jett took her BLACKHEARTS on the road for the outdoor skate/punk fest Warped Tour, which bashed and smashed across the country this summer.

The seasons have changed and it’s time for the KFMA Fall Ball. It’s the premiere event for the Southwest put on by a merciless rogue radio station that leads a streaming and airwave assault on new music worldwide, rubbing our ears the right way and pissing off the mainstream, they know how to pick the bands. Green grass under our feet and a cloudless sky heralds the coming of a day filled with awesome music and anticipation.

Twenty thousand people begin to pour into the stadium as the opening band Trik Turner officially greets us and starts our blood pumping with a dose of rapcore-alternative in the finest of style. They draw the crowd in with ‘Friends and Family.’ This song sneaks up and grabs hold; it’s beautiful and well done. Their new piece ‘Temporary Fix’ starts out sexy and alluring then builds steadily into controlled aggression with an awesome angry finish that elicits screams and cheers from the growing crowd.

The stretch limos seemed like they'd never quit, and the fans sounded as though they'd never quit screaming, as Long Island paid due respect to its musical heritage.

The scene was the first induction ceremony at the new Long Island Music Hall of Fame, which drew some 1,200 music lovers to the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Inductees from JOAN JETT to Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, and from Billy Joel to Little Anthony strutted the red carpet into the theater Sunday night.

"Thank you so much!" KISS drummer Peter Criss called to the crowd with a bow on his way in to the induction.

With shout-outs to local spots from Huntington to Syosset to Levittown, a roster of musicians spanning generations and genres celebrated their one common trait last night: a connection to Long Island.

The event was the inaugural induction ceremony of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, a place that doesn't yet have a physical place to call home. Nevertheless, organizers held a star-studded gala at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts where rockers, folkies, jazz players and even classical musicians came together to accept awards or induct each other into the hall's Class of 2006.

The local version of Cleveland's more famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did its best to bring a sense of glamor and respectability to a region often dismissed as a poor relative to Manhattan. Police cordoned off parts of Patchogue's Main Street while onlookers gathered around the red carpet hoping to catch sight of famous local inductees such as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and, of course, Billy Joel. Attendees paid up to $495 per person for a VIP cocktail hour, a buffet dinner of filet mignon and the chance to catch their favorite rockers in action.

JOAN JETT has been rocking out since she was fifteen years old. Fast forward three decades and Joan is still at the top of her game.

JOAN JETT began her career in the 1970's with the all girl punk band, The RUNAWAYS. Since then JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS have been performing all over the world, banging out hits like "Bad Reputation" and "I Love Rock and Roll". She doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon because this rocker doesn't give a darn about her bad reputation.

7. JOAN JETT

Why She Rocks: Thirty years rocking now, Jett taught the boys a thing or two about punk this summer as a co-headliner on the Warped tour. Chiseled body with blacked-out eyes and hair, the rocker resurrected her roots something fierce with loud, dirty and bare-bones rock 'n' roll.

Most Rockin' Moment: Jett indulged her sexual ambiguity in the video for 'A.C.D. C,' inviting sex siren Carmen Electra to star as her lover who just won't commit.

Watch Joan and Carmen's electric chemistry.

Rating the hits of this week in '88 - Chart Flashback
How do 18-year-old songs by JOAN JETT, Robert Palmer, Def Leppard, and others hold up today? Whitney Pastorek gives 'em another listen

Hello, Flashbackers! Kudos to all of you who jumped on the ''Cruel Summer''/Karate Kid tip when I left the door open last week; you have proved your mettle as true children of the '80s. (I ask you, though: No love for the Ace of Base cover?) I'm thinking about continuing to test your considerable skills by instituting some sort of regular trivia feature here; stay tuned to see if/how that works out. Although mostly I'm still dreaming of a day when everyone understands the concept of the column before writing in to yell at me for not putting a Madonna song on the list...

Billboard's Top 10 singles for the week ending Oct. 1, 1988:

10. ''What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy),'' Information Society
I'll admit right now that I always sort of thought this band was British. They're not. They're from Minneapolis. But in 1988, not knowing that I was going to grow up to be the stunningly brilliant music critic I've become, I just grouped them into that little box in my head labeled ''British New Wave'' and nestled them into a corner behind Erasure. Upon this most recent listen, certain things stand out: First, I have had the song playing on repeat for about 15 minutes, and I'm not at all sick of it. Second, it has factory noises, which are slowly but surely becoming a surefire indicator of me liking a song. Third, it really reminds me of riding my bike past Gavin McMillan's house, for some reason. Finally, everyone absolutely must go here to read singer Kurt Harland's grumpy account of the time VH1 ambushed him for an episode of Bands Reunited. Although I will say, for a man who works in the videogame industry, that is one cornea-sizzling webpage. B

When her first band the RUNAWAYS dissolved in the late 70’s, Joan Marie Jett faced a stone-cold reality that all struggling artists can relate to –– no label would touch her. So Jett started her own label and has never looked back, selling 30 million albums and garnering a clutch of top 10 singles including her monster hit, "I Love Rock and Roll," the 27th most popular single ever. JOAN JETT did not write that tune, but her unique prowess as a performer has allowed her to make a song her own. Busy as ever, Jett headlined this summer’s Warped Tour, issued a new album, SINNER, and is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her Blackheart label with the re-issue of her entire catalog.

Music Connection: This will be your fourth Music Connection cover. There was 1983, 1988, 1994 and now 2006.
JOAN JETT: Wow, that’s amazing! Thank you, Music Connection. I remember being on the cover a few times, but I had no idea it was that many, so that’s cool.

MC: You’re also celebrating the 25th anniversary of your label, BLACKHEART RECORDS; is there vindication in lasting this long?
Jett: Yes. But you have to remember, we started Blackheart out of necessity. KENNY LAGUNA [manager/co-writer/producer] sent out a tape to all the majors and the minors, and no one wanted to touch me. I’m saying, after they listened to a demo of "Bad Reputation," "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," "Crimson and Clover," and "I Love Rock and Roll." Now either that tells you that they can’t hear hits, or they don’t listen to the music that people give them –– either way it was pretty scary. We got 23 rejection letters and we saved them all! We were forced to create Blackheart because we were the only ones interested in pressing my records.