On the occasion of our favorite guitarist’s birthday today, we’re taking the opportunity to repost these videos of Ross the Boss slaying ’em in a guitar clinic at a Manowar convention a few years ago. Turn ’em up loud, ’cause that’s how he likes it! Happy bday, RTB!
Filed under PSA, Ross the Boss, Video
Vacation Hell. PopuIation: you. It’s only mid-break, and your hellions have already broken or grown bored with everything Santa or Hanukkah Harry brought them. Your main squeeze is ready to strangle you if you don’t leave her alone for a few hours. And you? You’re a sight. You’ve put on so much holiday weight that the only thing that fits is the emergency sweatpants with the duct tape waist band.
Instead of pulling your chair up to the fridge again, how about killing 2 birds with one stone, and entertain the kids and get some exercise by grabbing a few swings at The Cage? The DFFD staff made our first pilgrimage there during a recent road trip, and here’s our review of the facility.
You have to love any destination that combines 2 of our favorite things, namely baseball and the Dictators. The Cage is the day gig for our favorite loud guitarist, Ross the Boss. He’ll be behind the counter, handing out the bats, critiquing your swing, and blasting “That Metal Show” on the TV.
The Cage is located at 62-40 Metropolitan Ave in Middle Village, an easy ride for anyone in Queens or Brooklyn, and 2 blocks from the last stop on the M train. “Last stop. M train.” That’s a good line for a song.
Filed under Ross the Boss
December 6 marks the 16th anniversary of JP “Thunderbolt” Patterson’s first gig as a member of the Dictators. The El’N’Gee club in New London, CT, played host for this momentous occasion. JP had sat in as a guest Dictator once in 1989, but the El’N’Gee show was his official debut with the band. 16 years of bringing the thunder!!
The set from 12/6/97:
• 1. New York, New York
• 2. Science Gone Too Far!
• 3. The Party Starts Now
• 4. Haircut and Attitude
• 5. Who Will Save Rock and Roll?
• 6. I Am Right
• 7. Baby Let’s Twist
• 8. We Aint Got Nothing Yet
• 9. Weekend
• 10. Channel Surfing
• 11. Savage Beat
• 12. Master Race Rock
• 13. Faster and Louder
• 14. Search and Destroy
• 15. Next Big Thing
• 16. Stay With Me
• 17. Minnesota Strip
• 18. Sonic Reducer
— Salvi C.
Filed under Thunderbolt
On November 30, 1973, the Dictators played their very first gig, in the gym at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland. They were the opening act for Blue Oyster Cult and Iggy + the Stooges. With the ink still wet on their freshly signed contract with Epic, Andy, Ross, Scott, and Stu-Boy, with pre-Handsome Dick Richie Blum in tow, drove the 4 hours south to what they thought would be stop one on the road to stardom.
It would be almost mythic if they had a fantastic gig, were overwhelmed by applause, got props from the other 2 bands, and were rewarded royally for their efforts. Unfortunately, not everyone can be Bobo Holloman and throw a no-hitter in his first start. With their musical chops still in the embryonic stage, they were sparsely rewarded with golf applause from the tolerant audience. Mostly, they were ignored. So, less than an hour later, with all the money from the gig going straight to their managers, they made the trip home. Much like a teenager’s first attempt at sex, it was over before they knew it, and they wondered what the hell just happened.
* Well, we think it was today. No one in the band remembers the exact date, and the librarians at Prince George’s CC, while enormously helpful, could only narrow it down to a Friday in November 1973. There were 5 Fridays that month — 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, and 11/30. BOC had gigs in other cities on 11/9 and 11/16, so those dates are ruled out. 11/23 was the day after Thanksgiving. The campus would have been a ghost town, so it’s unlikely there was a concert scheduled that night. So, by process of elimination, our boys made their debut either 11/2/73, or 11/30/73. We’re going with 11/30 until proven wrong, and we’re not waiting underwater for that to happen.
— Salvi C.
Filed under Dictators Assembled, Live
This thing of ours celebrates its fourth birthday today. Lots be happening in Dics-world in the last 12 months — the Dictators NYC continued to slay audiences with their awesome roar, the Del Lords re-emerged with their 1st album in 22 years, and Andy Shernoff put the finishing touches on his second solo EP. You read about all of it here first, and we’re proud to be your go-to source for news about all things Dictators.
— Salvi C.
Filed under PSA
Here’s a great clip of the Del Lords paying tribute to Lou Reed. It’s the Velvets meet Crazy Horse. I never realized how much Scott owes to Lou Reed until I heard this. His vocal tone, his phrasings, his inflections — it’s like Lou Part 2!
— Salvi C.
On stage at Cleveland’s Beachland Ballroom on Sept. 7, 2013 (Photos courtesy of Mike From Akron)
Hola, senoritas y caballeros! ¿Estás listo para el rugido majestouso?? Las leyendas del punk rock, El Dictators NYC, será invadir España en Octubre y Noviembre.
Traer el ritmo salvaje, los rasgos del grupo a Ross the Boss y Daniel Rey en las guitarras, Dean “El Sueño” Rispler en guitarra baja, JP “El Rayo” Patterson en la batería, y Handsome Dick Manitoba en las voces.
Ayudarles a salvar el rock & roll en estos espectáculos:
Filed under Dictators NYC, Live
The Dictators NYC brought the savage beat to Reggie’s in Chicago this past Friday for the first time since 2003. Fans from all over the Cheese Belt gathered to hear the awesome roar, and the band did not disappoint.
Considering how frazzled the band members were from dealing with van problems that almost derailed the gig, it would have been within their rights to not have had their “A” game going. Instead, we got a smoking performance from a band that seemed to be rejuvenated once they hit the stage and heard the roar of the lights and the smell of the crowd.
Half of the fun this night came from watching HDM and Dean get jiggy with it. Some of their Solid Gold moments were their tango during “Faster and Louder,” the modified Temptations march from “Get Ready” during “I Stand Tall,” and Dean’s shaking of his money-maker during “Baby Let’s Twist.”
Filed under Dictators NYC, Live Review
See what you might have missed in The Dictators Holiday Gift Guide!
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