The scenario: a dark, crowded, hot and sweaty theater in Hollywood. The venue is stuffed to the gills; the audience is waiting for the first band to begin. A young lady standing next to me whispers in my ear, “I drove all the way from San Diego to see this show. I think Art Alexakis and Everclear are just awesome.” With a simple smile, I lean back and casually tell her that she’s in for quite a pleasant surprise. Complementing this bill is Toronto’s Our Lady Peace, out in support of their second album, Clumsy. As the quartet begins “Automatic Flowers,” the unassuming concertgoers start to move as one collective unit to the mesmerizing beat. Longhairs and buzz-cuts, leather jackets and suits all move to the sound of this one band. As the set ends, the young lady thanks me for the good advice, and asks that I refresh her memory as to the name of the band. I happily respond: Our Lady Peace!

Resilience and faith are two commodities that are essential in today’s fast-paced life. “The name Jars Of Clay” states Charlie Lowell, keyboard and vocalist for the band, “comes from scripture. ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us’ (II Cor. 4:7). That one verse describes exactly the picture we are trying to communicate.” Once just a group of friends sharing a common faith and inspiration to make music, Jars Of Clay have begun a movement to bring religious music into the mainstream.

Over the course of the last 20 years, Ric Ocasek has been one of alternative rock’s most revered pioneers. His work with the Cars, the various side and solo projects, and even his poetry have kept him front and center in the music world–even when he’s not writing or producing. He’s had enormous triumphs as well as a few falls. If he has an opinion on a particular subject, he speaks his mind freely, directing pointed barbs at any detractors, rarely apologizing for anything.

Over the course of the last 20 years, Ric Ocasek has been one of alternative rock’s most revered pioneers. His work with the Cars, the various side and solo projects, and even his poetry have kept him front and center in the music world–even when he’s not writing or producing. He’s had enormous triumphs as well as a few falls. If he has an opinion on a particular subject, he speaks his mind freely, directing pointed barbs at any detractors, rarely apologizing for anything.

Inspiration is a funny thing. Some guitarists, like Jimi Hendrix, claim their music comes to them in waves, as if you’re being struck by a lightning bolt right out of thin air. Others, like Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana and Robben Ford, play from the heart and not the head. It’s instinctual and not something that’s tangible or can be reasoned out. A true musician really has no method for what he plays, just a passion to share and an ability to communicate clearly through music.

Not since the late Stevie Ray Vaughan has anyone burned up the blues like Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The “Tornado” from Shreveport, LA, who has, with his long blonde hair and Stratocaster in tow, rekindled blues in the 90s much like Clapton, Page and Beck did in the late 60s and 70s. With his own band, as well as the additional support of Double Trouble, Kenny Wayne simmers, steams and rocks the blues so as to attract a crowd of serious concert-going fanatics. His unadorned guitar lines alternately caress and blister, easily whipping the unassuming into a mass frenzy. His sophomore album, Trouble Is…, continues the high-octane deluge he started on Ledbetter Heights by echoing the influences of B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix, all the while updating the blues for a new generation of guitar fans.

Americans like their guitar-based blues-rock to have some sort of geographical identification. Whether it’s New York’s underground, Los Angeles’ club scene, the Jersey shore or even Chicago’s house music–these are all places that can easily be located on the map. Lately, though, bluesy guitar rock has started pouring out of places not normally associated with those that are part of the cultural mainstream, cities like Seattle, Athens, GA, and Shreveport, LA, to name a few. The latter of which, to be sure, is an unlikely place to find any type of major trend (that is, unless you consider places like the Mall Of America a relevant and major trend in today’s society.) In general, though, most guitarists tend to think of the traditional places like LA, New York or even Austin as the strongholds of good old, guitar-driven, blues-rock.

Although 311 have become both mainstream and commercial in their appeal, they have managed to maintain, with the utmost care, the integrity and power of their message. Although they operate in the “commercial” arena of the alternative movement, that doesn’t mean they should be taken less seriously. Hailing from the midwest, the five guys of 311 are as close as we get in America to a “voice of the people.” Whether you like their music, you should listen up, for 311′s attitude runs the full gamut of their sound. It’s about noise, volume, speed and the sheer intensity of the music. It can make you want to jump around and act stupid or it can make you think and want to change your life. Hopefully, you’ll want to do a little of both.

Back almost eight years ago, inspired by some of the greatest groups of the early punk-rock movement, (i.e. Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones and the Buzzcocks), 311 formed in the heart of middle America–Omaha, Nebraska. Through three self-produced indie albums and an exhaustive touring schedule that has helped them cultivate one of the most intense (and biggest) “grassroots” fan bases around, the band has managed to maintain their straight-up, melodic hard-core style.

After a brief hiatus and a one-off project, Mötley Crüe have returned with their original lineup and are ready to defy the odds. The LA natives have not only packed S.R.O. crowds into small clubs across the country for live listening parties of their new album, but are also receiving weekly sales orders for Generation Swine to the tune of over 120,000 copies in the first two weeks. From his home in Malibu, California, bassist Nikki Sixx spoke candidly about their live listening parties, the return of Vince Neil, a battle royal with Mancow, their fans and the new album.