Author: Hilary Mahoney

Hilary Mahoney is a live entertainment specialist and former lead music writer for Hoopla, an entertainment periodical published by the Cedar Rapids, IA Gazette newspaper as well as Pulse, a former entertainment magazine based out of Waterloo, Iowa. On a daily basis, Hilary can be found in the trenches interviewing band members and attending live music venues. Hilary majored in music in junior college and in 2006, earned her BA in nonprofit administration from the University of Northern Iowa. Her background in music, theater and dance uniquely qualify her to write compelling, informative exposés as well as fueling her ongoing personal pursuit of the bass guitar.

ANTHRAX – Chile on Hell DVD

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If you are a metal band and you want to shoot a concert DVD, you might want to head to South America. It is fairly well known that South American fans love the metal and will make for an amazing audience for your show. Anthrax clearly knew this when they headed to the Teatro Caupolican… Read more »


VOLBEAT / FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH – Cedar Rapids, IA

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Apparently Cedar Rapids, Iowa appreciates their rock music. On Saturday, September 20, the US Cellular Center was a packed house of more than 8,000 people, some of whom lined up as early as 8 am to get their desired position to see Nothing More, Hellyeah, Volbeat, and Five Finger Death Punch. The show was a… Read more »


BIG ENGINE – Shot Like a Rocket

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Straight off a stint at the Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota, southern rockers Big Engine have just released their fourth studio album, Shot Like a Rocket via Pavement Entertainment. Bandmates Tony Mikus and Hans Oellerich have put together 14 tracks of good-time party rock with a Southern twinge. When you read a track… Read more »


Book Review: Excess All Areas by Sue Richmond

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You most likely know what a rider is when it comes to touring bands. If not, it is basically a list of items ( the majority being food and drinks) that the band requests as part of their contract with the concert venue. Many times it is also made clear that if those requests are… Read more »


Book Review: The Music Industry Self Help Guide by Michael Repel

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“There lies in all of us a child that used to play air guitar or sang in the mirror with a hairbrush that had a dream of becoming a star.” For his first foray into the world of writing; long-time artist, manager, and record label owner Michael Repel offers up The Music Industry Self Help Guide:… Read more »


Book Review: Overlooked/Underappreciated by Greg Prato

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For the most part, we all fall guilty to the “modern” way of storing our music- digitally; on our phones, iPods, computers, all of which makes it easier to let some of your old favorite albums fall through the cracks. In Greg Prato’s newest book, Overlooked/Underappreciated: 354 Recordings That Demand Your Attention, the author gently… Read more »


SHAMAN’S HARVEST – It Just Sounds Cool

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Missouri’s own Shaman’s Harvest are a “band of brothers” who have endured some of the highest highs and lowest lows and have come out stronger on the other side. Vocalist Nathan “Drake” Hunt, bassist Matt Fisher and guitarist Josh Hamler cemented that bond in a basement in Jefferson City, Missouri back in the mid 1990’s…. Read more »


3 DOORS DOWN LIVE – Songs From The Basement

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3 Doors Down took the world by storm in the early 2000’s. The Mississippi boys’ first album, The Better Life, which has now been certified 6 times platinum produced the mega-hit Kryptonite. They quickly followed up their success with 2002’s Away From The Sun, and the singles When I’m Gone and Here Without You. Their… Read more »


RUSH FAQ by Max Mobley

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RUSH FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Rock’s Greatest Power Trio is a refreshing read, due in part to the fact that the author, Max Mobley is a self-proclaimed “Rush geek” who not only clearly appreciates the band, he also knows what he is talking about. Mobley takes readers on a journey of a… Read more »


MARTY FRIEDMAN – Bringing The Fire With Inferno

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Marty Friedman. This highly respected guitarist spent the 1980’s playing alongside fellow guitarist Jason Becker in Cacophony and also releasing the first of his many solo albums before becoming a member of Megadeth. Friedman was with the multi-platinum selling thrash icons during perhaps their most successful period, releasing Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia,… Read more »


The PINK FLOYD and SYD BARRETT Story – DVD Review

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Originally released in 2001, as part of the BBC’s Omnibus series, Eagle Rock Entertainment has recently re-released The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story as a 2-DVD set and digital video. This film chronicles the early life of the legendary band Pink Floyd, featuring interviews with Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour, Bob… Read more »


Not Just Tits In A Corset: Celebrating Women In Metal by Jill Hughes Kirtland

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As a woman herself, journalist and band manager Jill Hughes Kirtland is uniquely qualified to write about the successes and challenges of women in the world of music and she does just that in her self-published Not Just Tits In A Corset: Celebrating Women In Metal. The book is chock full of quotes and photographs,… Read more »