Everyone has a different concept of what reality is. On the surface, it would seem, by definition, reality would be an absolute constant in any situation. As always, truth is never easy to come by. Everyone has his or her own interpretation of what is real and what is not. Those who share a similar outlook on what is reality we call our friends and comrades and those that don’t we tend to avoid. Such is the case of Sammy Hagar. Where the “Red Rocker” used to count his friends on one hand, he now counts them on the other.

What’s in a name? Well, for starters, a name gives you identity. It describes who you are. And for some, it even gives a glimpse at what’s inside. For recording artists, a name not only represents who you are as a group, but also as musicians. A name can either be so intriguing that you immediately want to hear more of what the band has to offer or it can completely turn you off. In the case of Los Angeles rockers Egodog, there’s a lot in name!

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.

Over the last 25 years, Aerosmith has definitely enjoyed the fruits of their labors. With over 70 million records sold world-wide, never-ending tours, video arcade games, a CD-ROM adventure game and a ground-breaking collaboration with rappers Run-DMC, the bad boys from Boston demonstrate that they are truly multi-dimensional. At the center of this onslaught are five totally dedicated musicians.

For over 25 years, ZZ Top has been playing rock & roll with various shades of blues for fans around the world – sometimes, with raw street-corner passion and sometimes with the polished licks that modern technology can provide. Over the years, the only rule has been that there are no rules. Whichever direction the trio heads has been governed by its collective gut, rather than some sort of organized master plan. Drawing from mean rhythms, Rhythmeen is full of tough, funky grooves and gritty electric guitar stylings – music derived from the earthy blues of Elmore James and the forward-thinking adventurous grindings of Jimi Hendrix. Call it modern barroom music; ZZ Top mixes traditional sensibilities with the raw power and energy of a band that is still (or just now?) hitting its stride. It was from these humble beginnings that ZZ Top are able to do what they do best – play their own interpretation of this art form that some cal funk or Texas blues and yet others simply refer to as good ol’ rock & roll. No matter how you classify it, the rough and tumble nature of Rhythmeen is evident from the first guitar blast serving as a useful reminder that this little ol’ band from Texas can still produce a mighty large sound.