HeavyMetalBand

Alexis Brown

As most people know February is black history month. Every year I enjoy finding out things that I never knew which are enlightening. Who doesn’t know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks? So I decided to look up black women of the heavy metal world, which isn’t a surprise. I love metal and rock and roll. Last year I wrote about the band Living Colour and Jimi Hendrix. Most people are familiar with the people that I just named and even the group King’s X. What do you know about Straight Line Stitch? They go so hard. Oh my gosh!!!

Alexis Brown has been the lead singer of Straight Line Stitch since 2003; she’s a black woman and very beautiful. When it comes to heavy metal, I feel that women in general, regardless of skin color, don’t get their dues. Women can go just as hard as men in metal.

A few cool things about Alexis are Goofy is her favorite Disney character, she named her cat Waffles because it’s Goofy’s cat’s name as well, she’s an old school horror fanatic, and she had a baby by the bassist Jason White.

Alexis was born and raised in Tennessee. Straight Line Stitch started in Knoxville, Tennessee. They have been on tour with Slayer which says a lot. My favorite songs by Straight Line Stitch are Black Veil, Taste of Ashes, and What You Do to Me. When you get a chance, please give this band a listen it’s so worth it.

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My Top 25 Metal Bands and Their Songs

Here are my top favorite 25 bands of the 90s and their songs:

25. Orgy- Blue Monday
24. Dream Theater- Pull Me Under
23. Babes in Toyland- Bruise Violet
22. Sepultura- Territory
21. Tool- Sober
20. Godsmack- Whatever
19. Faith No More- Midlife Crisis
18. Stone Temple Pilots- Big Bang Baby
17. Alice in Chains- Would?
16. Megadeth- Sweating Bullets
15. Guns N Roses- Knockin on Heaven’s Door
14. L7- Gas Chamber
13. AC/DC- Thunderstruck
12. Nine Inch Nails- Closer
11. Rage Against the Machine- Bulls on Parade
10. Pearl Jam- Black
9. Soundgarden- Outshined
8. Nirvana- Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
7.Korn- Clown
6. White Zombie- Cosmic Monsters Inc.
5. Type O Negative- Love You to Death
4. The White Stripes- Little People
3. Linkin Park- Closing
2. Pantera- I’m Broken
1. Metallica- Sad but True

Type O Negative

Hey Everyone! What’s up?! This is my first what’s Tameeka listening to for the month of August. I’m super excited.

The 90s holds so many memories for me. On Saturday nights I would stay up late just to watch Headbanger’s Ball. My mother would buy blank VHS tapes so I could record Headbanger’s Ball.

The year was 1994 when Riki Rachtman interviewed Peter Steele and Josh Silver. I was glued to the television screen. The song Christian woman was one of Type O Negative’s biggest hits. Peter Steele was a very intelligent guy he wrote all the songs for the band. Josh Silver was always cool as a cucumber with a sarcastic demeanor. The interview had one funny moment when Riki talked about the lyrics like Peter had a problem with women. Peter was like “I wrote a song about one woman that I was upset with. Anyone who understands basic English should know the difference between singular and plural.” Type O Negative was the absolute best. The 90s was when the band’s popularity was at it’s peak.

I love Type O Negative so much. Yeah! Please know that black girls indeed rock even back in the day I appreciated all music.

Type O Negative’s music is what I am listening to today as I bang my head walking down memory lane.

A Year Ago Today

At times life
Can seem so unfair
When a person passes away
It becomes so clear
That we all
Have very little time here
In a blink of an eye
We go from being our parent’s babies
To holding our very own children
No matter how a person
Touches our lives
Their importance
Becomes apparent
When the person
Is no longer here
To bless us with
The very things
That we hold
So near and so dear
One life touches other
Even though we sometimes
Don’t realize
How significant
That we are
Which is why loss
Hits like a ton
Of bricks
Crashing in
Weighing heavy on our hearts
We are never ready
But why should we be
We are not ready
To set a person free
Today is Chris Cornell’s birthday
He is missed today
As much as he was when
He passed away
Perhaps even more
I wish that
He could tell his family
That he loves them
One more time
I wish that
He could huge them
And not let go
I wish that we could
Get a chance to
Hear him sing live
One more time
I wish that we all
Could witness his smile
To listen to lyrics
That he wrote
Which were pulled
Deep from within his soul
All of us fans feeling like
We can relate
And admire him
For expressing his feelings
I wish he could be here
So we could all let him
Know how much that he is valued
And that he’s not alone

80s Hair Bands

My, My, My, My, My! Kip Winger hands down was one of the most attractive lead singers of an 80s band. In the 80s it was a time for hair bands like Winger, Poison, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Skid Row, etc. Well you get it.

Winger is an amazing band. My favorite song by Winger is called Easy Come Easy Go which is my attitude towards love now a days! The video for that song had so much energy. I laugh at people who question my knowledge about rock and heavy metal. Play me in Song Pop! I’ll prove my knowledge.

Today I listened to every hair band there is especially Winger. Music can take a person back!

Here are my top 10 hair bands:
10.Slaughter
9.Warrant
8.Quiet Riot
7.Cinderella
6.Poison
5.Winger
4.Skid Row
3.Bon Jovi
2.Motley Crue
1.Guns N Roses

It was so hard to pick the top ten because I love all of the hair bands.

God’s Children

In 1994, I was working at a convenience store, one of my coworkers and I would bring in different cassettes to help the shift pass by. She brought in Shania Twain for me to listen to and I brought in Korn. We listened to Shania Twain’s song called “Any Man of Mine”. I told my coworker how much I enjoyed Shania’s song; it had a different sound. To me it was like the turning point of country music. I put on my Korn cassette and the song called “Blind” began to play. My co-worker was like “Tameeka that music is too hard for me”.

I have been a huge fan of Korn every since the band first came out. My mustang was covered in bumper stickers and Korn was one of them.

As I have shared I was raised in a Christian household but I have not always followed closely with Christ and as a result have made mistakes. When it comes to being a Christian we should be quick to love and slow to judge because everyone have blemishes that are on our life’s record.

I remember when Brian “Head” Welch left Korn to focus on having a relationship with Christ. It was a very life changing experience for him. God will take us away from people and things as a way to get our attention it’s the only way that we will listen. Brian endured a lot but through it all God had his back several events showed him that.

One day God told him to rejoin the band Korn. God told Brian to look out at the audience and that all those people are His children too. The hardest part of Brian’s walk probably was and still is other Christians being judgemental. Of all the people in the world Christians should be the most understanding.

Now don’t get me wrong I understand that God says to judge righteously but being judgemental is different. When we as Christians set up boundaries about who real Christians are or what they are called to do it set up barriers. Boundaries becomes unnecessary making barriers blocking us from giving good service. Good service is allowing God to use us so that we can do God’s work. If we as Christians become selective of who we reach it causes people who wants to have a relationship with Christ to become discouraged. Discouragement is never helpful to anyone. I know that I never want to be responsible for sending a person to hell, that’s a burden that I do not want to bear.

The Bible is filled with people who went through trials and tribulations, this is why we should pray for discernment so that we won’t get in the way of what God is doing. God can use anyone because we are God’s children. There is hope for everyone because God can save anyone.

The Bible tells us to be careful how we treat people that we may be entertaining an angel. God is not one of confusion He would not give anyone permission to mistreat someone based on their views.

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

Puddle of Mudd

As I was looking through my Facebook news feed I saw advertising from FM99 about a Puddle of Mudd concert. Memories of me listening to the song Blurry came crashing through. So I went on YouTube to watch the video. As I watched the video for Blurry I read the comments.

It sadden me to know about Wes Scantlin’s substance abuse problems. I’m glad that he went into rehab and I pray that everything works out for him.

People judge a person with substance abuse problems not realizing most times when a person has the problems there is always a reason why. We all have battles that we need to overcome and for some it’s substance abuse. I try really hard to empathize with others and do it with genuineness. Lest we forget that no one is exempt from hard times.

Vinnie Paul

Time is flying and sadly people are passing away. I remember when it was the tenth anniversary of “Dimebag” passing and I gave him a shout out. Seconds later a dude posted a subliminal message saying “people act like they knew “Dimebag” personally or something. I’m like dude no I didn’t know the guy but growing up music saved my life and this band’s music helped me a lot.

Vinnie Paul a drummer and his brother “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott a guitarist helped to form the band Pantera in the 80s. Pantera helped to make the 80s and 90s to be amazing years of my life growing up. My favorite album by Pantera is “Far Beyond Driven”. The songs that I love by Pantera are Walk, I’m Broken, and 5 Mintues Alone. My mother brought me a Pantera shirt I felt like it was the dopest thing ever!

In 2004 “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was killed while he was playing a concert with his new band Damageplan. Yesterday Vinnie passed away it’s so sad. Thanks for helping to make music great! RIP!

Remember the Time

Oprah Winfrey made some amazing points when she accepted her Golden Globe Award. One of the things that she said was everyone has a story and for us to share it. With that being said I going to share MY STORY because it’s mine ALONE!!! No one knows MY LIFE STORY better than me except God almighty. Anyone who attempts to lessen my story has a motive and it’s an evil one. I am me and I am Not caring about who accepts me or not. I know what my hobbies are. I know what kinds of music that I love and how long that I have been listening to it. And most importantly I know who I am attracted and how long it’s been.

I have been listening to heavy metal when it was unheard of. My mother brought me shirts with heavy metal bands on them. In the 80s people used to write on their jeans mine had the name of metal bands on them. I had my walled plastered with all kinds of musicians including heavy metal bands.

It’s comical how some people think they know your history but really they don’t. Interracial dating is becoming more common between white men and black women. I have always been attracted to white men my first serious boyfriend was white. My first boyfriend brought me a car and we put stickers of heavy metal bands all over it. One time while my boyfriend at the time was out to sea my sister asked for a ride and a cop pulled me over for gp. Here I am a black woman with braids driving a car with heavy metal stickers on it in the early 90s. My sister can back me up on this story as well as a few others.

Interracial dating between white men and black women is really nothing new; it’s just becoming more common now. Some people act like it’s a big discovery like Columbus claiming America when Leif Erikson had already been there and done that. Facts!!!!! There are more books, movies, television shows, and groups that promotes interracial dating but they wasn’t around when I was dating outside of my race.

Now there are people who be like why are people being so vocal about interracial dating between white men and black women? Well because it’s still not really accepted and in order for couples to make it support is needed. It’s not easy to date interracial; it’s hard now and it was even harder when I first started dating outside of my race. I remember one time when my white boyfriend at the time and I was holding hands walking through the mall together when a large group of black males attempted to walk between us to get us to stop holding hands. I told him to ignore them because they would have tired to just him and me. I wouldn’t stood there and allow anyone to hurt him.

I am so excited that more and more people are following their hearts and being who they are. I rather for people to think I am strange than to Not be free because I am afraid of what people think of me. I am going to listen to the music that I enjoy and love who I want to love whether they have my skin color or not.

Pink Metal Head

I have to start by saying that I am stoked!!! Here on be lifted I talk about the things that we think about, but they spoke about. I have shared about my love for heavy metal mind you that I listen to all music; however, rock/heavy metal is my favorite. Ever since I was young, I have loved heavy metal!!! I grew up in a time where a black girl listening to heavy metal was unheard of, and I’m thankful that my mother allowed me to be free to listen to what I wanted to. It was no secret about my love for heavy metal. The first song that had me hooked on rock music was AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long,” which came out in 1980, the video was very cool. When Nine Inch Nails first came out in 1989 with “Head Like a Hole” I was hooked, and I have been a fan of their’s ever since. Trent Reznor and I both share the same birthday, May 17th baby!! Type O Negative has made an impact on me, and I love the band so much.

The reason why I bring up my love for heavy metal/rock music is that recently I came across a young black lady who loves heavy metal as I do. The you tuber’s name is pink metal head, and she’s 21 years old. It’s so refreshing to see young black ladies owning their identity unapologetically. She did share that there have been people who try to match a person’s race to music. Example that black people listen to hip hop and r & b only and that white people listen to heavy metal/ rock music only. The stereotypes seriously have got to go. Things had gotten a lot better from when I was growing up. Seeing more and more young black ladies, as well as men, appreciate heavy metal chokes me up. I just had to blog about it.
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Both of my sons listens to heavy metal/rock music; my youngest listens to everything that I do. My youngest son’s favorite bands are Metallica and Danzig. His favorite song by Metallica is “One,” and his favorite song by Danzig is “Mother.” Today my youngest and I was jamming to Pantera, Megadeath, White Zombie, Type O Negative, Metallica and the list goes on and on. With the younger generations tastes in music becoming more diverse, it’s the best feeling on Earth. I want to tell the youth of today that music transcends racial boundaries if you want to listen to country music go ahead I love Darius Rucker. I have been a fan of Darius Rucker every since he was the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. If you love hip hop and R & B, listen to it and if you love heavy metal/rock music, then jam on. If you love all music as I do, that’s great too. Whatever music that you choose to listen to, please do as long as you are you. Even our choices of music say a lot about who we are so doing what makes you happy as long as it isn’t hurting anybody. I’m proud of the upcoming heavy metal generation; it’s becoming more colorful; which is excellent.
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