Leaderdog

Planet Weekly

Issue 276

April 5-19, 2007

www.theplanetweekly.com

The view never changes, if you are not the Leaderdog. That is rock band Leaderdog’s attitude when they make music. There is no compromise, they play what they feel, they will get your attention. Their new CD is titled Attention Please. This CD has two discs, one is all new material and the other disc is the soundtrack from Unleashed Live.



I attended their CD release party at the Nick in Birmingham. It was a huge success with a crowd that was truly into Leaderdog’s performance and their music. Tuscaloosa’s CD party will be April 27th at the Jupiter. Call 248-6611 for more information.



The music is different from their last release Speak or their DVD Unleashed Live. The music from Attention Please is much more radio friendly. If I had to describe the sound they produced on Attention Please I would say it is like Guns N’ Roses Appetite For Destruction with Ted Nugent as their lead vocalist. I do feel it is unfair to compare them to anyone because Leaderdog has a sound, a feel, and an attitude all their own.



The last time I wrote an article about Leaderdog they had just signed a deal to get their song “Run” on A&E’s Dog: The Bounty Hunter third season premiere. This talented band has also played the Atlantis Music Conference, Midwest Music Summit in Indianapolis, Birmingham’s City Stages, Big Spring Jam in Huntsville and Mob Fest in Chicago, just to name a few. They have opened for regional and national acts from Alice Cooper to Def Leppard.



Leaderdog’s front man is Dave Bowman. He delivers more than what you expect in a hometown band. His vocals are pure in your face Rock that is destined for the big stage soon. Jeff Stacy takes his vintage Gibson Les Paul on a rock and roll fantasy ride each time he solos. Jeff is aided by Jason Elmore on rhythm guitar and you find yourself watching him get into every lick, every beat. The beat comes from a fantastic rhythm section comprised of Rob Fields on bass and Chris Allen on drums. These two holds the bottom end as well if not better than any band you have heard any where.



If you love rock and want to hear Leaderdog’s songs before they make radio, then you have got to be at Jupiter April 27th. Attention Please will please while holding your attention for more than the three minutes you are used to.


- A CD Review by Jerry Henry (PLANET WEEKLY)

More than 15 years have passed since the sleazy, groove-laden Sunset Strip variety of hard rock ruled the pop music roost. In its day, the music of Faster Pussycat, Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue offered up a catchy, dirty, fun style of rock 'n' roll that claims lineage back to The Rolling Stones and T. Rex before falling out of favor in the early '90s. Lately, some of its influence is making inroads into the mainstream through established contemporary groups, many of whom were only in grade school when "hair rock" was in its prime.


One such band is Birmingham, Alabama's Leaderdog. Thundering out of the Steel City, the group's heavy, monolithic guitar riffs evoke the sounds of Disturbed or Saliva, along with the raunchy spirit of '80s rock. Beneath the barrage of chugging chords and deft lead guitar on this latest release, Attention, Please presents melodic, fist-pumping rhythms that will illicit smiles and nods of approval from folks clad in Dickies and spandex alike. Dave Bowman's high-register sneers are on par with the best Vince Neill could muster, his screams slicing like a razor and his growling new metal delivery commanding attention. Jim Stacy's axe work is both skillful and memorable. Bassist Rob Fields and drummer Chris Allen prove to be a formidable rhythm section, whether stomping Zeppelin-esque grooves or up-tempo, double-kick gallops.


One shouldn't be led to believe that Leaderdog only knows one trick, though. Expect to hear everything from hardcore breakdowns and power metal dual leads to a rapid-fire, rap/rock vocal delivery and Southern rock melodies.


With its explosive opener, "Are You Ready to Go?" Attention, Please establishes its hard-rocking edge with gargantuan call-and-response choruses and high-gain guitar attack. In this regard, it is a very effective lead track, as it creates excitement and anticipation. Later on, "Thrice" exposes a bit of Leaderdog's Southern soul with its vague religious undertones and countrified acoustic verses, which nicely contrast with the heavily-distorted boogie choruses. "Munschine," a sparkling, acoustic number, showcases Leaderdog in a gentle, contemplative manner and contains a stirring slide guitar solo.

All the while, the production team of Bowman, Stacy and Walters creates a big, gooey major-label sound on this independent release, revealing the nuances of guitar and vocal articulation and allowing each musical "voice" to be heard. All in all, Attention, Please is an enjoyable release that is instantly familiar. (Self-relased)


www.leaderdog.net


-Matthew S. Maynard

JUNE 2007



- SOUTH EAST PERFORMER MAGAZINE

According to the local band Leaderdog, rock-and-roll slaps you in the face; it comes at you, from the front - not from behind. In other words, it demands attention. And their latest CD captures that lexicon. "Attention, please" is the band's first full-length LP with more than a dozen tracks that grab your ears and don't let go. Leaderdog's musical influences range from Zeppelin to AC/DC to Guns-n-Roses to Alice in Chains: straight, unadulterated, pure rock. The band has toured at some festivals in the South and Midwest and even had a single featured on A&E's "Dog: The Bounty Hunter". This song is "Are You Ready to Go" from their new CD "Attention Please." Dave Bowman is Leaderdog's lead singer. (AUDIO MONTAGE)

The tune is "Are you Ready to Go" from Leaderdog's new CD "Attention Please". Dave Bowman and his bandmates play The Legacy in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, June 2 and perform at City Stages two weeks later. There's more rock-n-roll from the group, including downloads, inside the Tapestry section of WBHM-dot-ORG.

link:

http://www.wbhm.org/Tapestry/#Leaderdog
- Hunter Bell w/ www.wbhm.org May 24, 2007