NEWS: After a 33 year absence and acrimony, Ritchie Blackmore finally stood on stage with the band he founded. He played “Smoke on the Water” to thousands of crazy fans at Jones Beach. Watch the video, and hear the Stratocaster play that riff one more time.
Just look at Ian Gillan, watching as Blackers starts the riff. CHILLS! Blackmore playfully pokes Ian. It’s so lovely. And that solo! It might not have the speed of the past, but the feel and melodic construction is all there.
Mostly, the warmth that was never there on stage, is palpable. And it is so beautiful to see.
5/5 stars
In a livestream, Blackmore said:
“I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my A.I. pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. And I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure — just kind of [for] old times’ sake.’ I’m 81 now. So he seemed to love the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up and it looks like we might be doing that.”
“I have my roadie there kind of now, setting up my amplifier. But I’ll be using a small amplifier, but it’s very loud. It’s what I use when I record. I hope I can compete with the guitar player, because I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him. So, it’d probably just be the one number, as it’s been a while. I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years… I hope the guy out in the front can turn me up. I’ve got my roadie there for a soundcheck.”
NEWS: Ritchie Blackmore’s camp has announced that the Man In Black will play at least one song tonight August 12 in Jones Beach with Deep Purple, the band he left in 1993.
Bootleggers, do your thing.
In a livestream, Blackmore said:
“I actually called up… I didn’t call him up, I sent my A.I. pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment. And I said, ‘How would you feel about if I got up just for an encore? Just one of the songs. I don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure — just kind of [for] old times’ sake.’ I’m 81 now. So he seemed to love the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up and it looks like we might be doing that.”
“I have my roadie there kind of now, setting up my amplifier. But I’ll be using a small amplifier, but it’s very loud. It’s what I use when I record. I hope I can compete with the guitar player, because I can see that he has very big amplifiers behind him. So, it’d probably just be the one number, as it’s been a while. I changed my strings on my Strat, which I haven’t done in over 25 years… I hope the guy out in the front can turn me up. I’ve got my roadie there for a soundcheck.”
For most of my life I’ve only had one grandparent. I never knew Grandma Ladano – she’s been gone over 70 years. Grampa Ladano died in 1981. Grampa Winter left us in 1984. For over 40 years, I’ve only had one grandparent and she’s the best one you could ever ask for.
I was a cheeky kid. Around the time I started highschool, I started calling my grandma “Dolly”. Everybody else called her Dolly (her real name is Doris), so we kids started doing it too. She never quite liked it though. I reverted to “grandma” in more recent years. I can’t remember the last time I called her “Dolly” but that’s what her friends called her!
She babysat me when I was really young and I have so many memories of being at her house. Playing games like Mousetrap and Clue. Reading books, watching the Flintstones. Grandma and Grampa took me to Welland to see the big boats at the canal. How exciting that was! I remember those big ships, so long that I could not even fit one into a single camera frame.
She was always good to us. When visiting, she’d serve up my favourite pork chops: in mushroom soup! Or, I’d eat all her Rice Krispies. My dad and I would dig carrots out of her garden. Oh, how she hated us stealing her carrots! Later on in life, I would have dinner at her house every Thursday night in between classes at school. Thursdays were my busy day. I had day classes and night classes. There was a short break between the end of the afternoon class and the night class, and my grandma lived really close to the university. I would eat with her for an hour and head back to school. We always had a nice visit. I remember during exams, I once forgot my pen so I quickly drove to her house, got a pen, and got back to my exam just in time to start! Her house – so many memories! An epic front hill, and lots of fun adventures in her yard.
She always tried to treat us right, though she didn’t know exactly what we liked. One birthday, she wrote me a cheque and asked me to use it to buy “one of your CD records”. Another time she bought me Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard Of Ozz, with him dressed as a priest holding a big cross! I know she didn’t pick that one! As a staunch Catholic she never would have picked that one! She prefers John McDermott to John “Ozzy” Osbourne.
When we travelled with Grandma, she was always a bit slower than the others, so I always hung back a bit to make sure she was OK. “Wait for the grandma!” I would shout as we walked through an airport in Toronto hauling all our bags. “Wait for the grandma!” I would always make sure we didn’t lose sight of her. Calgary 1997 with Grandma and Aunt Marie was one of my favourite trips ever.
In the years following that, I enjoyed driving Grandma to the cottage. I would pick her up after work, and we’ve drive up together. I played the music a little lower for her. She would point out things along the road that I couldn’t look at because I was too busy driving. “Look at the dandelions!” she would say with excitement, not realizing I was too busy keeping my eyes on traffic. She never drove, which we didn’t understand when we were little kids. An adult who didn’t drive? How unusual!
We loved spending time with her, shopping at Zellers or going to one of the restaurants she liked such as the Cedar Barn. She hates this story, but I can’t help but laugh. She wanted to treat my sister and I to lunch at the Cedar Barn, but when it came time to pay, they didn’t accept cheques or credit cards. Cash only. My sister and I scrounged enough together to pay for the lunch. It was funny to us at the time. She didn’t think it was funny, but I still smile. Sounds like a scene from a movie! Grandma invites the kids out to lunch, but then realizes she can’t pay! I think it’s pretty funny.
Speaking of scenes from movies, in 1998 we all went to the theater as a family: my mom, my aunt, my grandma and my sister. My mom and sister came with me to see Star Trek: Insurrection. Grandma and Aunt went to see You’ve Got Mail. Grandma loved it! Coming out, she said “I just saw the nicest movie. It was called There’s Mail Waiting For You!”. A few years later, she was telling us about another movie she liked called Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? She had actually seen O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Most of all, I’ll always cherish how much she loves a visit. The longer the better. Just a visit is all she needs to be happy. As she got older, she had to sell the cottage. She could no longer handle the travel. She sold the cottage to my sister, and every summer I make cottage videos for her to watch. One time I forgot my laptop. She noticed right away! The videos are a highlight of any visit. But all she needs is a visit.
In the end, she got tired. Tired of being tired all the time. She stayed for us, but everyone has their time to go.
MAY 14, 2026: The 2025-2026 season of the Moncton Wildcats has been nothing but edge-of-your seat entertainment, and the team has definitely proven that they are one of the strongest teams in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). However, a noteworthy element this season was not on the rink, but rather in the stands. This is, of course, the introduction of a pair of fans that have come to be known as “The Sin Bin”. They seem to have appeared out of nowhere and quickly became favorites among other fans, but the question remains: Who are these masked individuals? Where did they come from, and why are they so popular among fellow fans?
They’ve certainly made a point of keeping their identity a secret, and while we might be unable to uncover who they are, we’re going to do some digging and try to answer some of these questions as to where they came from using the online sources at our disposal, such as the Moncton Wildcats Fan Club Facebook page, as well as Wildcats superfan, the inimitable “blind ref” himself, Ken Shea, who seemingly has become close to the Sin Bin and frequently shares selfies of himself and the duo on an Instagram fan profile called refkenandthesinbins.
Our research has taken us as far back to December 13th, 2025, which appears to be the first appearance of the duo, however they weren’t yet donning their signature blue suits, but rather green suits with the name “HFX DIVE TEAM” inscribed in the front. Appropriate, as the Wildcats were going up against the Halifax Mooseheads that night, a game that the Cats took home with a final score of 5 to 1. The green duo appeared before the game, dancing away in section 105, mimicking swim moves, and seated themselves appropriately next to the opposing penalty box. They showed us what they were all about by playfully heckling players from the other team during penalties, and during intermissions they walked around the Avenir Centre, quickly gaining popularity among other fans as they posed for selfies and gave out high fives. The Halifax Dive Team even made it onto the winning post on the official Moncton Wildcats social media profiles, that night.
It came as no surprise when the duo returned for the New Year’s Eve afternoon game against the Charlottetown Islanders, less than three weeks later, this time adorning new blue suits that represented the Wildcats colors, with a new name revealed: The Sin Bin. Sin Bin 1 & Sin Bin 2, to be more specific. What this meant is that we could expect them at any game at any given moment. They were no longer exclusive to Halifax games. From what we’ve observed since, Sin Bin 1, who always sits in the front row next to the penalty box, does most of the heckling and provoking towards the opposing team (in a playful, harmless manner), while Sin Bin 2 always sits directly behind him and does much of the crowd interaction, jumping out of his seat and high-fiving other fans after a goal. The new suits weren’t the only change brought on by the duo, as they introduced a new character trait, this time around: They were now mute. Some fans remember hearing them speak during their first appearance, while this time around, not even a peep was heard. One can assume this is done in an effort to keep their identity anonymous, now that they knew they’d be appearing frequently.
The Cats won this game once again, with a victory of 6 to 1. Could this masked mystery crew be the team’s good luck charm?
Not necessarily, as their next appearance on January 17th against the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, the Cats lost 7 to 4. But even with this defeat, the Sin Bin continued to gain popularity in between periods, and even appeared in a social media promotional spot shot at Taverna Greek Resto Bar & Grill in preparation for this big game.
With almost one month with no news, The Sin Bin returned in a promotional spot advertising the February 16th Family Day game against the Halifax Mooseheads. What was notable from this spot was that it revealed the return of “The Blind Ref” Ken Shea, who hadn’t made an appearance since the previous playoffs. It was a union of super fans, if you will.
While the Sin Bin guys were wearing their signature blue suits in the commercial, you better believe that they showed up to the game wearing the green Halifax Dive Team suits that started all, ready to heckle the Mooseheads without any mercy. The month-long break seemed to be good for the Sin Bin / Dive Team, as they appeared to be in full form for this game. Certain fans have wondered if the performers in the suits are consistent, or if there’s been personnel changes. We like to think that they’ve been the same since the beginning, as the chemistry between the two has always been the same. Some claim they are brothers, but once again, any information regarding their identities has been scarce, right down to their age. Are they teenagers? In their twenties? Older? Nobody knows, and this mysterious aspect is what makes the blue crew all the more appealing.
Since this “return to form”, the Sin Bin have made regular appearances, cheering on the Wildcats at every home game during the playoffs, spinning white towels in the air, and even making an appearance wearing white t-shirts with the words “GO CATS GO” proudly displayed on the front. There was only ONE occurence to date where only one Sin Bin attended a game without the other. On May 1st, during Game 5 of Round 3 against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Sin Bin 2 could be seen cheering on the cats without his usual sidekick, often holding up a sign that said: “Wish you were here, Sin Bin 1“. A video / sketch was shown on the Jumbotron, explaining Sin Bin 1’s absence as an electrocution, but from what we understand, the Sin Bin 1 performer was simply out of town that day and couldn’t attend. Other speculations suggest he was sick, but only the Sin Bin know the real reason behind this absence. The mystery continues…
While we don’t know what the future holds for the Wildcats at this point in the playoffs, we hope to see more of this duo next season, as they bring a certain energy to the Avenir Centre, not to mention joy to fellow fans of all ages.
There is no other appropriate way to end this than by saying: GO CATS GO!!
BREAKING: April 1, 2026 – Canada/Australia. Mike and Harrison, co-hosts of the YouTube channel “Grab A Stack of Rock”, have announced that their popular programme, 50 Years of Iron Maiden, will take them at least 50 more years to complete. This works out to approximately 51 years of Maiden-related programming once completed. We reached out to both of them, to ask about this inconceivable task.
“Yes, it’s true,” confirmed Mike. “We keep acquiring more and more Maiden stuff, meaning we have to keep adding more and more bonus episodes.”
Harrison added, “As the pedantic one, I don’t like the idea of a show called 50 Years of Iron Maiden taking 51 years to complete, but I do understand the necessity to document every nook and cranny of Maiden. They really are one of the bands that deserves to have their discography looked at so thoroughly and completely.”
We asked the duo if 50 Years of Iron Maiden had turned out to be a blessing, or an albatross around their necks?
“A bit of both!” laughed Harrison. “This is far more than I signed up for, but at least it means I have to do fewer ‘contractual obligation’ episodes. I really wanted to wrap it all up in just 16 months, but here we are at month 16…”
Mike added, “I’m just waiting until the albatross does finally fall from my aching neck. But, according to the math, I’ll be 104 years old when we do our final episode in 2076.”
“We’d better get working on the next bonus episode, Mike,” concluded Harrison as he pulled his co-host out of his chair.
“No rest for the wicked,” said Mike as a farewell. “Oh wait, no that’s Ozzy. Or Helix. Or both. I haven’t slept in two days.”
And with that, we look forward to the next 50 years of 50 Years of Iron Maiden! Coming soon in 2076.
Very exciting news today as Twisted Sister guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda announce that former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach will be joining the band for select dates in 2026. The dates are scheduled for fall, and “do not affect or conflict with Sebastian’s current or future solo touring schedule, which remains fully intact.”
We are very excited to see what Twisted Sister sound like in their new incarnation. Fans will recall that Dee Snider had to drop out for health reasons. This is never an easy decision to make. It will be interesting to see Dee’s reaction, but ours can be found below.
Bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza will not be on the tour, replaced by Dee Snider’s bassist Russell Pzütto. Replacing A.J. Pero on drums is ZO2’s Joey Casatta. Bach sang lead on “You Can’t Stop Rock and Roll” from the Twisted Forever tribute CD.
JAN 3 2026: As revealed exclusively on the podcast Grab A Stack of Rock, BLOTTO will be releasing their documentary film Hello! My Name Is Blotto – The Movie on DVD and Blu-Ray in January of 2026. With details to be revealed at Blotto.net, the award-winning film by director Rob Lichter will be available on to-be-determined streaming platforms as well.
Beloved for hit songs such as “I Wanna Be A Lifeguard” and “Metal Head”, Blotto have a long history stretching back to the 19870s and the Star-Spangled Washboard Band. With vintage television footage and new interviews, the Blotto film will have you rolling on the floor in laughter, while wiping a tear now and then. It’s truly an entertaining and heartwarming story that will leave you feeling better after you watch it.
The physical release will be a current edit of the film, as it was revised periodically based on audience reactions. All the footage and more will be included in the bonus features.
When I was in grade eight, I nicknamed myself “Ace”.
I think the reason I picked Ace as my favourite Kiss member (and therefore favourite rock star) back then was twofold. It didn’t have anything to do with the music. I didn’t know what songs he wrote, and I didn’t hear any of the songs he sang for a short while. Early in my Kiss fandom, I picked Ace because of his cool silver makeup, and the spaceman theme. I was a science fiction kid looking for my next thrill now that Star Wars was over. It was Kiss.
Frehley’s guitar playing wasn’t complicated, but it was impossible to duplicate. Kiss know that: they tried. Any Kiss fan worth their salt can easily tell the difference between Ace and his final replacement, Tommy Thayer. Tommy was the next best thing, but he didn’t have that chonky, gnarly feel that Ace poured into every solo and every rhythm track.
Ace’s style was based on the pentatonic blues scales of the classic rock bands he loved. His rhythms, double tracked with a Les Paul and a Fender, was the foundation of the original Kiss sound. His solos, blazing and breakneck, were squiggly delights of power. I loved Ace.
When I got my first Kiss albums in September of 1985, I had yet to hear his voice. When I finally did on Dynasty, I loved it. Ace’s voice had a smooth, commercial sound that Gene and Peter’s did not. I loved “2000 Man” and “Hard Times”. Especially “Hard Times”, because the lyrics gave a glimpse of the childhood of the Bronx boy named Paul Frehley.
Ace’s first post-Kiss solo album was finally released in 1987, and I was immediately on board. My sister bought Frehley’s Comet for my birthday that summer. I loved the album: “Rock Soldiers”, “Into the Night”, “Calling To You”, “Fractured Too”…I played it back to back all summer. I dreamed of Ace opening for Kiss on their upcoming Crazy Nights tour. Hah! As if that would happen.
Ace’s premature loss is tragic, but what is most tragic is that Kiss refused to allow him back on stage with them during their farewell tour. By now we have all learned that life is too short to not reconcile with our friends and loved ones. Kiss never did and now they never can, and that is a tragic loss too.
On September 25 2025, Ace fell in his home studio. He suffered bleeding in the brain, and was taken off life support on October 16. Kiss fans worldwide steeled themselves for the news.
I hope Ace is not just remembered for the classic Kiss songs he wrote and played on. I hope attention is paid to his solo albums, from which you could build an absolutely killer boxed set. Tracks like “Insane”, “Juvenile Delinquent”, “Trouble Walkin'”, “Space Invader”, “I Wanna Go Back”, and “Mission To Mars” should all be given just as much attention as “Rip It Out”.
The first original Kiss member to fall was Ace Frehley. That is a sad landmark. Let us remember him not for the feuds, the drama, or the negative words that Gene and Paul bandied about too often. Let’s remember Ace for his charisma and most of all, his music.
I wrote this over two years ago. We thought she was gone, four or five times since 2022. Now it is the sad time to post it.
For most of my life I’ve only had one grandparent. I never knew Grandma Ladano – she’s been gone over 70 years. Grampa Ladano died in 1981. Grampa Winter left us in 1984. For over 40 years, I’ve only had one grandparent and she’s the best one you could ever ask for.
I was a cheeky kid. Around the time I started highschool, I started calling my grandma “Dolly”. Everybody else called her Dolly (her real name is Doris), so we kids started doing it too. She never quite liked it though. I reverted to “grandma” in more recent years. I can’t remember the last time I called her “Dolly” but that’s what her friends called her!
She babysat me when I was really young and I have so many memories of being at her house. Playing games like Mousetrap and Clue. Reading books, watching the Flintstones. Grandma and Grampa took me to Welland to see the big boats at the canal. How exciting that was! I remember those big ships, so long that I could not even fit one into a single camera frame.
She was always good to us. When visiting, she’d serve up my favourite pork chops: in mushroom soup! Or, I’d eat all her Rice Krispies. My dad and I would dig carrots out of her garden. Oh, how she hated us stealing her carrots! Later on in life, I would have dinner at her house every Thursday night in between classes at school. Thursdays were my busy day. I had day classes and night classes. There was a short break between the end of the afternoon class and the night class, and my grandma lived really close to the university. I would eat with her for an hour and head back to school. We always had a nice visit. I remember during exams, I once forgot my pen so I quickly drove to her house, got a pen, and got back to my exam just in time to start! Her house – so many memories! An epic front hill, and lots of fun adventures in her yard.
She always tried to treat us right, though she didn’t know exactly what we liked. One birthday, she wrote me a cheque and asked me to use it to buy “one of your CD records”. Another time she bought me Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard Of Ozz, with him dressed as a priest holding a big cross! I know she didn’t pick that one! As a staunch Catholic she never would have picked that one! She prefers John McDermott to John “Ozzy” Osbourne.
When we travelled with Grandma, she was always a bit slower than the others, so I always hung back a bit to make sure she was OK. “Wait for the grandma!” I would shout as we walked through an airport in Toronto hauling all our bags. “Wait for the grandma!” I would always make sure we didn’t lose sight of her. Calgary 1997 with Grandma and Aunt Marie was one of my favourite trips ever.
In the years following that, I enjoyed driving Grandma to the cottage. I would pick her up after work, and we’ve drive up together. I played the music a little lower for her. She would point out things along the road that I couldn’t look at because I was too busy driving. “Look at the dandelions!” she would say with excitement, not realizing I was too busy keeping my eyes on traffic. She never drove, which we didn’t understand when we were little kids. An adult who didn’t drive? How unusual!
We loved spending time with her, shopping at Zellers or going to one of the restaurants she liked such as the Cedar Barn. She hates this story, but I can’t help but laugh. She wanted to treat my sister and I to lunch at the Cedar Barn, but when it came time to pay, they didn’t accept cheques or credit cards. Cash only. My sister and I scrounged enough together to pay for the lunch. It was funny to us at the time. She didn’t think it was funny, but I still smile. Sounds like a scene from a movie! Grandma invites the kids out to lunch, but then realizes she can’t pay! I think it’s pretty funny.
Speaking of scenes from movies, in 1998 we all went to the theater as a family: my mom, my aunt, my grandma and my sister. My mom and sister came with me to see Star Trek: Insurrection. Grandma and Aunt went to see You’ve Got Mail. Grandma loved it! Coming out, she said “I just saw the nicest movie. It was called There’s Mail Waiting For You!”. A few years later, she was telling us about another movie she liked called Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? She had actually seen O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Most of all, I’ll always cherish how much she loves a visit. The longer the better. Just a visit is all she needs to be happy. As she got older, she had to sell the cottage. She could no longer handle the travel. She sold the cottage to my sister, and every summer I make cottage videos for her to watch. One time I forgot my laptop. She noticed right away! The videos are a highlight of any visit. But all she needs is a visit.
In the end, she got tired. Tired of being tired all the time. She stayed for us, but everyone has their time to go.
We all knew this day would come. We just didn’t know it would be today.
Only a couple weeks after his final concert, Ozzy has joined his bandmates in Rock and Roll Heaven.
I really don’t have the words. You’d think I’d be prepared for this. I was not. The biggest loss in metal, ever?
I’ll think of more to say later.
Rest in Peace, Ozzy.
I played Bark At the Moon and No Rest for the Wicked on the weekend. MY albums. MY Ozzy.
Ozzy – that guy who I thought was “crazy”! He looked scary to a 12 year old.
Then I saw a picture of him in a cowboy hat. “He doesn’t look so scary.”
He wasn’t.
Ozzy wasn’t the prince of darkness. He was the clown prince of metal, and I think he loved it that way. Joking, pulling faces, making people laugh just as hard as he made them rock. Ozzy was my companion during the awkward teenage misfit years. Ozzy was cool without being cool. He was simply Ozzy. There was only one. He couldn’t be replaced in Black Sabbath. Any time they tried, they embarked on a new journey, because you cannot replace Ozzy Osbourne.
Ozzy had a knack for a melody, and impeccable taste in guitar players. From Randy Rhoads to Jake E. Lee to Zakk Wylde, he made them famous.
Ozzy’s real talent was as a facilitator of talent. He brought together drummers, bassists and guitarists. He formed bands that we still talk about today, from the original Blizzard of Ozz to the Wylde/Butler/Castillo lineup that is my personal favourite. His knack for bringing people together, both in bands and in audiences was unparalleled.
There will NEVER be another Ozzy. Only pretenders to the throne.
mikeladano.com 