By Eric Lochridge

Fledgling rock stars in the Black Hills will be showing off their talents this weekend.
The Sturgis Center for the Arts will hold its Rock School performance at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Sturgis City Park concrete stage.
In Rapid City, The Elks Theatre will host a Rock School concert at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24. Fourteen bands will perform. Tickets cost $5 at the door.

By Seth A. McConnell

Legendary punk band MDC will be performing at The Dahl Arts Theater on Thursday August 20th with locals American Heavy Metal Weekend, Disorderly and Empires. Tickets are $10 day of show and the start time is 8 pm.

MDC has had many names over the years with each name being an acronym for MDC. Their most famous acronym, and the one that has actually stuck, is Millions of Dead Cops. This will be the bands first ever performance in South Dakota. This should be a rather huge show as its not often we find ourselves in the company of such legendary punk rockers.

I’m honestly not sure how many members of this current band are actually original members or if “legendary” punk bands are like “legendary” rock bands in the later parts of their careers and you see the original tambourine player hitting the road with a completely different band and calling themselves “The Beach Boys” in order to drum up a little bit of cash… This is punk rock however and we all know its “not about the money” and I don’t recall the last time I saw a tambourine player wearing spikes and a mohawk. Regardless it should be a fun show. There is a flier for this show but it has some inappropriate language not suitable for publication on this website on it.

Here’s my question of the day: When is one to old to rock? Is there an age limit to taking the stage and melting faces? This past week we saw 61 year old Steven Tyler fall from the stage at the Buffalo Chip following a 7 song performance where you could honestly tell the bad boy balladeers from Boston are getting up there in age. Steven Tylers voice is not what it used to be, he was struggling to hit the high notes and he was a little flat in other parts. There were a few missed notes but the band stayed fairly tight through out the abbreviated set which should be expected from a group of men who have been playing together for over 30 years. I don’t think rock music is relegated to the young but I also think its hard to take serious a man in his mid to late 40’s singing punk songs to teenagers about not taking it from the man anymore. I understand why bands like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones head out on tour with tickets at $120 a pop they are making some serious cash. I don’t understand why 50 year old “punks” cram themselves into a van to play for 50 kids at a VFW hall. Is it the punk rock version of a mid-life crisis?

By T.J. Tranchell

After 30 minutes of hard rock, Buckcherry vocalist Josh Todd announced to the crowd that he had been suffering from bronchitis for six days and that his voice was giving out. After playing their hit, “Crazy B—-,” another 2009 Rally headliner cut their time in Sturgis short.

The half hour Buckcherry was onstage was loud and fun, despite the swamp-like conditions of the Buffalo Chip lawn.  Buckcherry has the look of a biker band, except for guitarist Stevie D., who looks like an Asian Angus Young.

During the shortened set, Buckcherry did manage to play their other well-known song, the anthem to cocaine “Lit Up.”

All indications were that this would be a Friday night to remember. Todd and company gave no notice that things would end earlier than expected until Todd’s sudden announcement of his condition.

I don’t blame him for wanting to cut things short. It’s wet and he didn’t have a shirt on. Despite that, plenty of engines revved, showing the band some love.

Buckcherry did succeed in one area beyond expectation: They left the crowd wanting more.

I have never seen Tesla and Hinder in the same place at the same time. After seeing their respective performances Thursday night at the Buffalo Chip, I am convinced they are the same band.

Let’s look at the evidence, shall we? Both are five-piece groups consisiting of a vocalist, lead and rhythm guitarists, bassist and drummer. Each has mastered the power ballad and incorporating acoustic guitars into said ballads. They have each toured and been associated with various glam-metal bands.

Perhaps what happens is that between sets, Tesla goes backstage and unzips their middle aged costumes and return as the younger versions of themselves. If that isn’t the case, Hinder should be looking at Tesla closely. In 20 years, Hinder will have the same kind of loyal cult following Tesla enjoys and be opening for whatever band becomes the new them.

Speculation aside, each band gave a great performance, even in the fog/haze that engulfed the Chip.

Watching Tesla is a lesson in Riffology 101, right down to the iconinc instruments used. Guitarist Frank Hannon used the classic red Gibson SG and the white double-necked model. Hannon’s six-string sidekick Dave Rude sported a Gibson Les Paul. Bassist Brian Wheat occasional rocked the Hofner violin bass made famous by Paul McCartney.

Rude also employs the “Crash” Davis technique for guitar playing by looking like he is breathing through his eyelids.

Near the end of the set, Hannon and Rude traded solos before the rest of the band joined them for an instrumental “We Will Rock You.” The biggest reaction of the night came when Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider rushed on stage to shake hands with drummer Troy Luccketta.

Some of the crowd left between the two bands but any space left open was soon filled by a Hinder fan. Maybe it was frat night at the Chip, I don’t know. I do know that the beach balls and condom ballons did not apppear at any of the previous shows I have seen there.

Hinder did manage to win the biker crowd with their cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” The band sang their hits and the frat boys and their girlfriends sang along. The rest of the crowd seemed captured, as well, and did the best they could without actually knowing most of the lyrics. Frontman Austin Winkler made it easy to follow along and the set time seemed to go by faster than the hour and a half it was.

It would be interesting to have been backstage once Hinder said their goodbyes to the crowd. Maybe they shook the hands of their musical heroes, Tesla. Or, just maybe, they slipped back into their old skins and prepared to move on to the next city, with not a soul the wiser.

By T.J. Tranchell

I have a particular love for ’80s hair metal. It’s cheesy and often ridiculous and shallow, just like the decade from which it spawned. At times, the sub-genre can contradict itself to the point of absurdity. There are few paradoxes in the world quite like singing about strippers, motorcycles and knife fights while wearing Spandex and make-up then following it up a power ballad about having your heart broken.

Tesla, on the other hand, always managed to stay in their jeans and T-shirts for their songs about modern day cowboys and love being all around you. They still have big hair.

I’m anticipating Tesla playing better to the Buffalo Chip crowd than if they were one of glam bands they often toured with. I also expect to hear plenty of audience participation during “Signs,” the group’s biggest hit.

I could never grow my hair out like these guys, but there is a long-haired, freaky person inside me that sometimes escapes. And when it does, jeans and a T-shirt fit me just fine.