Luna covers Zeppelin on digital release

Luna may have broken up in 2005 but their last three releases (2002’s Romantica, 2002’s Close Cover Before Striking (EP), 2005’s Rendezvous) have just been issued digitally on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, Rhapsody and Bandcamp and all come with bonus tracks.

Here’s the previously unreleased (I think) cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Dancing Days” which can be found on Close Cover Before Striking.

“And in my mouth there’s a hurricane …”

If any of you followed me over to Atomic Ned from my old site, Swizzle-Stick, you’ll know that I was a big fan of both the Ultimate Fakebook and The Sheila Divine and, in fact, interviewed both bands numerous times.

So how cool is this? The Ultimate Fakebook played a rare reunion show for Halloween and belted out a cover of The Sheila Divine’s monster hit (to me anyway), “Hum”.

Enjoy!

Video: Santa Cruz – “Anthem for the Young N’ Restless”

I need to move to Finland … or Sweden … or Norway. They still get it over there – it’s as if grunge never wiped out hair metal. These countries are churning out bands with big blond hair and leather pants as quickly as the Sunset Strip in LA did in the late ’80s and early ’90s. And I couldn’t be happier.

Santa Cruz wouldn’t have been a huge band in the U.S. in 1989 – most likely they would have been a B- or C-list band headlining 500 seat clubs – but they’ve got the sound and the look that would have earned plenty of full-color pin-ups in Metal Edge.

You can hear a bunch of Santa Cruz’s cock rock songs here.

Band(camp) of the Week: The Organ Beats

Most people missed out on Damone, the ’80s-hair-metal-meets-’90s-power-pop Boston band, that released a handful of great (but not-so-great-selling) CDs between 2003 and 2008. I’m not sure why the band, fronted by powerhouse Noelle LeBlanc, didn’t make it – maybe because while they should have been opening arena tours for Motley Crue and Def Leppard, they aligned themselves with Hot Topic-type bands and were trying to peddle their music to fashionable high school kids with no appreciation for the great music from the late ’80s.

Damone broke up in 2008 but Noelle didn’t stop. Hooking up (figuratively, not literally) with her brother Danny, Noelle formed The Organ Beats, a similar sounding band though she lost the band members that brought the hair metal influence to Damone.

Recommended if you like: Butch Walker, Paramore, Hey Monday

The Organ Beats just released a new 2-song single on Bandcamp and they’re inviting you to download for free.

If you like what you hear, check out The Organ Beats full length 2009 release, Sleep When We Are Dead, available for the lovely “name your own price”.