News: SAXON are the latest entrants in The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness (November 2023)

Saxon - Nottingham Rock City, 20 April 2013

Heavy metallers Saxon are the latest entrants to “The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness” a year long promotion to tie in with rock website Get Ready to ROCK!’s 20th anniversary.

The band’s more recent ascendancy parallels the lifetime of the classic rock website Get Ready to ROCK!

Each month the website has selected an artist or band who have received regular coverage and who have shown consistency and quality over two decades.

As News and Reviews Editor Jason Ritchie says: “Once again the choice of Saxon reflects the band’s popularity amongst our review team.  Time and time again the band are praised for their consistently good live shows when they are not averse to featuring a lot of  new material along with their classics.

Saxon formed in 1979 and by 2003, when the Get Ready to ROCK! website was officially launched, they were coming out of a chequered period  with a new line-up and a resolved legal battle over the use of the band name.

Their exposure on a reality TV show in 2007 led to renewed interest and chart success but the momentum was already building as they were frequently playing some of the major European festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Sweden Rock.

Long time fan and band advocate Joe Geesin adds: ”During the millennium the band have embraced their new-found power metal heaviness with the band’s roots, and in places symphonic, blues, rock’n’roll and prog metal. Then we get to their most recent album Carpe Diem (the covers albums aside), which is by far their heaviest yet.”

Joe is a major contributor to the band retrospective to be published on 1 November.  This will also reflect the large number of reissues during the period, along with well received studio and live albums.

Jason continues: “We have just one artist to announce in this promotion (for December) but throughout the year the selected artists very much represent the popularity amongst our review team in general or their championing by specific reviewers.”

EDITOR NOTE

The equivalent of the “Hall of Fame” the Grotto honours selected artists who have been covered consistently at rock website Get Ready to ROCK! over a period of 20 years. The promotion is part of the website’s 20th anniversary celebrations and will feature a different artist or band each month in 2023.

The GRTR!@20 promotion celebrates 20 years of the popular rock website Get Ready to ROCK! The website’s archive of reviews and interviews will be highlighted as well as new features celebrating 20 years of activity.

So far this year “The Grotto” has welcomed The Darkness (January), Chantel McGregor (February) , Eleanor McEvoy (March), Joe Bonamassa (April), Walter Trout (May), FM (June 2023), Marillion (July 2023),  Cats In Space (August 2023), Steve Hackett (September 2023), Thunder (October 2023).

Saxon retrospective

The GRTR! Grotto
GRTR!@20 Home Page


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 14 April 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 9 April 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 29 April 2024

BRIGITTE PURDY Sugar Fried Candy (Dirtshack Records)
ATTIC THEORY The Legacy (indie)
THE HOWLERS I Need Your Love (indie)
VELVETEEN QUEEN Bad Reputation (indie)
WILLS AND THE WILLING Scuffed Knees (Smash & Grab Music Ltd)
READY THE PRINCE Still Believe (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 29 April 2024

09:00-12:00 PRAYING MANTIS Defiance (Frontiers)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023


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