NEWS4U AUGUST 2022 | MUSIC
THE ROCK & METAL PROFS W I T H M AT T A L S C H BAC H & D R . CO U RT L E W I S
Associate professors at Owensboro Community College and Pellissippi State Community College, respectively, Alschbach and Lewis host the popular podcast The Rock & Metal Profs: The History & Philosophy of Rock & Metal. Now they're bringing their keen insights to the pages of News 4U with a monthly deep dive into some of the best bands of the rock/metal genre and thoughts on music in general.
TAKE OFF THE BLINDERS A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure
come to view that band
of interviewing Tony Martin, the second
as one of the greatest
longest tenured singer of Black Sabbath.
in history, with a catalog
You might not have heard of Tony Martin
spanning 50 years and a
or any of his work with Sabbath, but he
legacy too monumental
helped see the band through the late
to recount here. Matt now
80s and mid 90s, while producing some
owns every UFO album
of their best music. During our recent
and in multiple formats,
Black Sabbath podcast on the Martin era,
as well as a number of
we asked ourselves: why did we have
rarities. We got a chance
blinders on during this fabulous time of
to see UFO perform live
Sabbath’s history? Let’s face it, whether
twice, and for Matt it was a
politics, music, or TV we all wear blinders
religious experience. Even
from time to time, and so, miss many
though their classic 70s
extraordinary moments and memories
guitarist Michael Schenker
because we refuse to see what is directly
is no longer in the band,
in front of us. Sometimes, however, we
it didn’t matter. The songs are timeless,
are lucky enough to see beyond our
and the gents in UFO proved that age
blinders and enjoy things before they are
doesn’t always mean a diminishing of
lost to us forever.
skills. They were masterful in concert.
PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: MATT ALSCHBACH AND DR. COURT LEWIS
Matt even got to meet the band during In the early 1980s, Matt won an album
their U.S. farewell tour in 2019 - photos,
produced by London-based rockers
autographs, and a chance to tell the guys
UFO. At the time, he didn’t think much
in UFO how much the band and their
of the record, and largely disregarded
music meant to him. It was special.
their impressive catalog. It was only in his forties that he rediscovered UFO largely
Now is the time to get out there and
because so many other great rock bands
rediscover what you once purposely or
cited them as an influence. He’s since
inadvertently overlooked. Life is too short
38 | AUGUST 2022
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to ignore great music! If you ignored a band like Sabbath because they changed their singer, then just pretend it’s a different band - we promise neither Ozzy nor Dio (or Ray Gillen) will be upset with you. Don’t let blinders cause regret and rob you of the enjoyment of good rock and metal. The Rock & Metal Profs podcast is available on iTunes, Google and Spotify.
