Today's Day in Rock
David Lee Roth Hopes For Full Van Halen Reunion
(hennemusic) David Lee Roth has delivered a state of the Van Halen reunion address in a new interview with Rolling Stone, and among the items presented is Roth's wish for bassist Michael Anthony's return to the band.
"Ed has his own vision [for the band's future], I'm assuming," begins Roth. "We haven't really been able to speak about it and it's a disappointment, just as not having a chance for a reunion of the original band. Clearly, vocals are every bit as much a component of success as a rhythm section or a guitar solo, and there's an old expression saying, 'They don't go home singing the lighting show, they don't go home singing the production.' You're right, they sing my words and my melodies. And what we have at our fingertips is arguably one of the greatest high tenor voices ever – that was in Michael Anthony. In our tiny little corner of the universe, that voice is as identifiable as the high voice in Earth, Wind & Fire, as identifiable as the high voice in the Beach Boys. Van Halen is an indelicate house blend of both – that's intentionally. So I would always look forward to that reunion, and I would always look forward to writing a whole variety of material."
"I would certainly look forward to working with Ed on some new material, but we have yet to do that," Dave continued. "Almost all of the music that you hear on our most recent album [2012's 'A Different Kind Of Truth'] was written and demoed before the first album. And I would certainly look forward to writing a whole list of songs with Ed, but we haven't found the time to do that [laughs]. You hear the tone. I'm not sure what's in Ed's mind at this point. I'm gonna guess that his plans are to write with his son [Wolfgang], and I'm not sure where that actually leads. But truth be told, Edward and I haven't written a new song in 20 years … Wait, what am I saying? 'Stay Frosty' is brand new, and I wrote that whole song myself. I wrote the chord structure, played the guitar, the vocals, etc."
Currently living in Tokyo, Roth rambles at length about his frustration with Van Halen's failure to tour internationally, including playing festival shows around the globe. Read about that here.
Demon Hunter Address Osama Bin Laden Shooter Story
The metal band Demon Hunter made headlines recently when the Navy SEAL who reportedly shot and killed Osama bin Laden said he was wearing the band's patch when he shot the infamous terror leader.
The SEAL spoke in an Esquire article about how heavy metal was used in interrogating prisoners and how the band supported members of the military by sending them patches and CDs, as well how the band were supportive after Metallica asked that their music stopped being used.
The SEAL told Esquire, "I wore my Demon Hunter patch on every mission. I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden."
Now the band has issued a statement after the barrage of media inquires following the publication of the article. Here is what they had to say: As you can imagine, our inboxes and phones (and those of our representatives) have been flooded with messages asking us how we feel about the Esquire article on the raid that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice that began circulating yesterday. Specifically, the person identified in the story as "The Shooter" said that Seal Team 6 wore the Demon Hunter emblem on their uniforms and "I wore it when I blasted Bin Laden."
Over the years, we have been overwhelmed by the personal (and unofficial) emails and letters we've received from members of the US military. We have been humbled and honored by the troops who've told us our music has offered them some comfort while overseas, while missing loved ones, while doing what they do best in order to keep America safe and protect the freedoms we enjoy. We've met many servicemen and women at our shows and they've shared their stories with us in person, as well. We wrote "The Soldier's Song" back in 2005 to pay tribute to these folks who've reached out to us. We included one such veteran among the Demon Hunter fans we profiled in our documentary film, 45 Days.
We have seen our symbol, a demon skull with a bullet hole in its forehead, tattooed on fans around the world. We've seen it made into sculptures, painted onto motorcycles, even spray-painted onto tanks and military planes. We often post these pictures on our Facebook page when we receive them. One such email, a few years ago, came from a special operations team who had crafted homemade Demon Hunter patches and put them on their uniforms. They asked us if it was OK if they did this and we of course told them "YES" because we are unapologetic supporters of our troops. In the last 24 hours, we have come to believe this team who contacted us a few years ago must have been Seal Team 6.
As for the talk about enhanced interrogation techniques that has sprung up in the media in the last 24 hours surrounding this story, we feel that it is an unnecessary distraction. It's been widely reported for years that heavy metal music has sometimes been used in these situations. We have no specific knowledge of our music being used for this, nor have we ever volunteered it to be used as such, nor are we commenting on it beyond that. The debate about enhanced interrogation techniques is for politicians, military intelligence, pundits and others of the like to have.
The members of Seal Team 6 and The Shooter are American heroes who deserve our support. We were among the Americans and people around the world abroad who supported the bringing to justice of one of the biggest mass murderers in history, who planned and executed some of the most horrific acts imaginable. All of the military who risk their lives to protect our freedoms earn our respect each and every single day. We are honored, humbled and blessed that Demon Hunter was of any support or comfort to Seal Team 6 or anyone in the US military at any time.
– DEMON HUNTER
Ozzy Says New Black Sabbath Album The Most Important of His Career
(hennemusic) While Black Sabbath continue working on their new album, "13", the band is sharing a preview of some behind-the-scenes video on the project.
The group will issue a full video on Wednesday and, in advance, they've offered up a 30-second preview clip of what fans can expect.
"The last time we were in the studio, all together, was 1978," says guitarist Tony Iommi, referring to the band's "Never Say Die" album.
"If you try to live up to the expectations of the past album, then you just fail dismally," explains bassist Geezer Butler.
"I want it to sound current but yet still have that Sabbath vibe, ya know," adds Ozzy Osbourne. "This Black Sabbath album is quite possibly the most important album of my career." more on this story
Dave Clark Five's Rick Huxley Dead at 72
(Classic Rock) Dave Clark Five bassist Rick Huxley has died at the age of 72. Frontman Clark, one of only two surviving band members, says he's "devastated" after confirming his heavy-smoking bandmate had recently been given the all-clear from emphysema.
"I spoke to Rick on Friday," the drummer and vocalist tells the BBC. "He was in great spirits. He was very kind and had an amazing sense of humour. He was the funny one in the group and a very talented musician."
Huxley joined the British Invasion outfit in 1958 and remained until they split 12 years later. He enjoyed success with 12 UK and 17 US top 40 hits including Glad All Over and Bits And Pieces. more on this story
Muse Set New Chart Record With Madness
Alternative rockers Muse have broken a record set by the Foo Fighters for the most weeks at the top of a Billboard chart.
The band's latest single, "Madness," has now spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Chart.
This breaks the previous record set in 2007 by the Foo Fighters for their hit single "The Pretender."
"Madness," is the latest single from Muse's album, "2nd Law".
Queens of the Stone Age Drop Another Cryptic Clue
Queens of the Stone Age obviously like to have fun. We do know that the band is working on their new album but the details are few and far between. However, the band has been dropping clues via cryptic messages to media outlets.
The band have previous sent two handwritten letters to music media outlets Uncut and Mojo with some clues about the forthcoming album.
Now the band has sent a new handwritten letter to Kerrang! that contained a drawn hand with several wristwatches and the following text: DEAR KERRANG,
…SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T FIX SO…
ON THIS RECORD WE CAME TO A REALIZATION: THE BEST TRICK OF ALL, IS NO TRICK AT ALL
THE SONGS ARE A REAL TIME DOCUMENT OF THE MANIC UPS AND DOWNS OF THE LAST YEAR. IT CAN'T ALWAYS RUN LIKE CLOCKWORK.
SO RATHER THAN CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF THE RECORDINGS, WE DECIDED TO RIDE SHOTGUN ON OUR EMOTIONAL BANDWAGON. WE EMBRACED OUR EVIL, HELD THE HORRIBLE, LICKED THE LUNACY AND BLEW THE BEAUTIFUL. AS A RESULT, WE'RE ON CLOUD 9.
I CAN'T WRITE ANYMORE CAUSE MY PHONE'S DYING,
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE more on this story
Def Leppard Delivering Digital Valentine
(hennemusic) Def Leppard's single, "When Love & Hate Collide", which originally appeared on the band's 1995 greatest-hits collection "Vault", will be released digitally for the first time on Valentine's Day (Thursday, February 14).
Written by vocalist Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage, the tune was originally demoed for 1992's "Adrenalize" album, but surfaced a few years later.
Upon its original release, "When Love & Hate Collide" reached #2 on the UK singles charts and #58 on the Billboard 100. more on this story
Megadeth Name New Album And Reveal Release Plans
(hennemusic) Megadeth have revealed details of their forthcoming new album. "Super Collider" will be released in June via Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, which is distributed by Universal.
"It was a real thrill for us to learn there was an opportunity to join Universal," said Mustaine. "It seems like every time you see a great band or music video, it comes from a Universal label. Being with Universal is by far the most exciting and prestigious home for Megadeth ever! We are electrified with what the future holds and the possibilities such a powerhouse like Universal will bring for us all. We have worked with some great people over the years, and it is amazing to see so many of them on the Universal team for our new record, 'Super Collider'. If Megadeth being here isn't satiating enough, having Tradecraft as my own label is going to be really amazing for metal bands around the world."
"Super Collider" is being recorded at Mustaine's Vic's Garage studio in San Marcos, California and is Megadeth's first release its recent split with Roadrunner Records. more on this story
Down Launching Spring Tour
Down will be hitting the road to perform a handful of headline tour dates this May.
The band will launch the seven-date mini tour on May 23 in Birmingham, AL and will make stops at the Maryland Deathfest, Raleigh, NC, Augusta, GA, Nashville, Broussard, LA and finish in New Orleans on May 31st.
Down will be touring in support of their latest release, Down IV Part I. The 6-song EP will be released on vinyl on February 26th. more on this story
Dave Grohl Taking Sound City Players Across The Pond
(Gibson) Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl has announced that he will be bringing his Sound City Players to London for a one-off show. On February 19 the all-star band will take the stage at The Forum. It will be their first concert outside the United States.
Sound City Players are made up of, among others, Grohl, members of Foo Fighters, Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, and Stevie Nicks.
During the band's set in Hollywood on January 31, they played for a stunning three and a half hours, where each performer would do original compositions as well as their contributions to the Sound City documentary soundtrack.
Tickets for the London gig have already gone on sale, and the day before the show the Sound City documentary will be shown on selected screens across the UK. The screening at Vue Leicester Square in London will be followed by a Q&A with Dave Grohl. more on this story
Jon Bon Jovi Worries That This Generation Lacks Interest In Music
(Gibson) Jon Bon Jovi gave his views on the current state of modern music in an interview with British magazine Star.
The 50-year old rocker is concerned that young people aren't "paying attention" to music in the same way that teenagers used to when Jon himself got his start in the industry. He also points out that with shows like American Idol and X Factor, young talent don't get the chance to mature on their own: "It's hard because they're thrust into a huge spotlight and they're expected to have a record on a par with the greats six weeks later."
On the question of whether Bon Jovi would have made it under such circumstances, Jon answered, "No, I had 21 years to write my first record." In fact, Bon Jovi did not hit the big time until their third album, Slippery When Wet, went multi-platinum. The first two albums, while moderately successful, allowed the band to mature in peace.
Jon does realize that there are plenty of talented musicians around today, no matter what genre they might belong to, saying "But you can't compare One Direction to the likes of Adele or Mumford & Sons. Their talent is invigorating. I'm glad to see talent continuing because I worry this generation isn't paying that much attention to music." more on this story
Joe Bonamassa Releasing An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House
Joe Bonamassa has set a March 26th North American and March 25th UK release date for "An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House."
The package will be released in various formats including 2-CD, 2-LP, 2-DVD and Blu-ray.
The release features a show captured during a stop at the Vienna Opera House during a special unplugged tour in July 2012.
Bonamassa explains, "Originally, when I had the idea of doing an all-acoustic concert, I imagined doing it solo. I'd surround myself with a bunch of guitars, tell the background story of each song, and then play it. Kevin believed the show would be more exciting with a band and he got to work. All of a sudden, we had a five-piece group, and 72 hours to rehearse 20 or so songs. It was amazing, different than anything I'd ever done before."
"An Acoustic Evening" will feature 22 songs include Woke Up Dreaming, Around The Bend, Driving Towards The Daylight, and Sloe Gin. more on this story
Terror To Join Hatebreed, Every Time I Die Tour
Hatebreed are about to wrap up their Divinity Of Purpose North American tour and already prepared to launch a new leg of the trek.
Terror announced on Tuesday that they will be joining Hatebreed, and Every Time I Die for the Divinity Of Purpose 2 Tour 2013, which will also feature Job For A Cowboy and This Is Hell.
The new trek will be kicking off on April 9th in Millvale, Pa and will conclude with a stop at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival on April 20th.
Fans can expect Terror to perform music from their new album, Live By The Code, which is set to be released on April 9th.
Terror are currently on a North American tour with H20, Backtrack and Code Orange Kids which is set to conclude on March 3rd. more on this story
Green Day Expand North American Tour
Green Day have added two additional dates to their upcoming North American spring tour.
The new tour dates will take place in Berkeley, CA on April 16th and in Los Angeles, CA on April 18th.
The tour is set to kick off on March 28th in Rosemont, IL and is currently scheduled to conclude with the new Los Angeles show on April 18th.
The band will then head to Europe in May to kick off a three month long European and UK tour.
The band will be hitting the road in support of its recently released album trilogy Green Day ¡Uno!, Green Day ¡Dos!, and Green Day ¡Tré! more on this story
Phoenix Releasing New Album in April
Phoenix have set an April 23rd North American and April 22nd UK and European release date for their new album, Bankrupt!
The album was co-produced by the members of the band and producer Philippe Zdar.
The band will also be launching a North American tour that will kick off on March 28th in Vancouver, BC and includes their headlining set at the Coachella Festival.
August Burns Red To Begin Recording New Album Next Week
August Burns Red will be entering the recording studio next week to begin recording their new studio album, which they expect to release this year.
"2012 turned out to be quite intense for us from a touring standpoint," says guitarist JB Brubaker. "We did more traveling than we had ever previously done in our career and after three straight months on the road to end the year I think we were all ready to come home and shift into writing/recording mode. Now that the writing is complete we are all itching to get started with the actual tracking."
"This new record will push the boundaries of our genre more than we ever have before," Brubaker continues excitedly. "We set out to write a record where every song stands out from the last. There is a lot of ground covered here and a ton of meat to this album. It's full of odd metered rhythms and breakdowns, unexpected twists and turns, and some of our most technical riffing to date. Each of us have parts that make our heads spin and we have had to practice like crazy to get some of this stuff together. I know we always say this, but this will be our most ambitious album yet." more on this story
Alice In Chains & Friends Launch Charity Auction
(hennemusic) The Alice In Chains & Friends Fantasy Football League launched its fourth annual charity auction on eBay this week.
The ten-day-long auction includes collectible items donated by league participants, such as a double-platinum plaque for Pantera's record, "Vulgar Display Of Power", autographed by Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul.
It also includes 2012 World Series memorabilia autographed by MLB pitcher Brian Wilson, G&L Tribute Series Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature Model Electric Guitar autographed by Jerry and more. more on this story
I Am Empire Releasing Sophomore Album Next Month
Tooth & Nail have set a March 26th release date for I Am Empire's new studio album, Anchors.
"We're always writing, and even when Kings was just finished, we got right back to writing and continued throughout the next year-and-a-half," says frontman Austin Lyons. "As we approached Anchors, we went into the studio with 30 songs and jammed our way through them all, but then recorded the best eight or nine and then finished up the rest in the studio."
"There are a couple of different themes throughout the record, starting with a lot of progression in my life and the idea of moving forward and rebuilding," reveals Lyons, also asserting the band's support of The Mentoring Project (which helps kids growing up without father figures). "Kings was my therapy from my upbringing, but things are getting better, which even plays out in why we named the album Anchors. It's about throwing away and getting rid of the weight that holds you down, which is something we also experienced collectively as a band. We've gone through seasons of getting burnt out from the road, difficult times financially and just going through rough stuff behind the scenes, but we came out of all that wanting to make a record that's 100% our art and not what anyone else wants us to be. Tooth & Nail said 'you guys just do your thing' and they've been completely supportive."
"If listeners can take away one thing from Anchors, it's the idea of just throwing away all your worries and casting them aside so you can be free mentally and spiritually in your life," sums up Lyons, who credits his high school sweetheart turned new bride in helping shift his perspective towards the positive. "You can't progress if there's a giant anchor tied to your ankle. You'll be stuck in the same spot as long as you want it there. As far as my Anchors go, I'm done with them. Just move forward and progress." more on this story
Foals, Surfer Blood and Blondfire Tour
Foals will be hitting the road in April to launch a spring headline tour of North America with support from Surfer Blood and Blondfire for most of the trek.
The tour is set to kick off on April 10th in Reno, NV, and will feature two performances at Coachella, and is scheduled to conclude on June 12th in Asheville, NC.
Foals are hitting the road in support of their third full-length album, Holy Fire, which was produced by Flood & Moulder (PJ Harvey, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins) at Assault & Battery studios in London. more on this story
Surfer Blood Releasing New Album in June
Warner Bros have set a June 11th release date for Surfer Blood's new studio album, Pythons.
The album was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies, Echo and the Bunnymen) in Los Angeles and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Guided By Voices).
The band will be hitting the road later this month for a series of headline shows before they head to this year's SXSW, which will be followed by a North American run with Foals. more on this story
Singled Out: Psychothermia
Today Psychothermia singer Johan Maldonado tells us about the title track of their brand new album "Fall To The Rising Sun". Here is the story:
We're all very proud of our latest release "Fall To The Rising Sun". The title track clearly was a front runner for being our single as soon as it came together. We work well (definitely wouldn't say a well-oiled machine) under pressure and only had a few months to finish our debut album. FTTRS was a bubbling little track that we had been putting together for an advertising side project at the time. But the track blew me away the first time I heard it! I knew we had something more than just a good track, we had our SINGLE! As a little tidbit, Jon (guitar) had pulled the verse guitar part from a B-Side called "Fallen Tree". It fit perfectly and complimented his very unique whammy pedal intro and chorus parts.
Inspired, I felt the subject matter needed to be vocally epic and emotionally moving as well. We had been through a lot in the past couple of years. We've made every possible move to stay not only afloat, but ahead of ourselves. Lyrics in hand, I got myself in the recording booth and belted out what I feel was my strongest vocal performance on the album. It also helped that Mikey (drums) and Chenzo (bass) lit a fire under my ass for showing up a half hour late. "Stay one step ahead of yourself; stay one step ahead of the competition; always strive to better yourself… and if you don't, you fall to the rising sun. Fate will catch up with you," is the basic meaning behind the song and the new found mentality of the band. It's true… don't believe me!?!? Come see for yourself this March on our "FALL TO THE RISING SUN" southwest tour 2013. For details hit us up at all the usual social mobbing pages and www.psychothermia.com. Grassy ass amigos!!
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!
Tommy Thayer of KISS Talking Metal and Guitars
Tommy Thayer of KISS is the featured guest on the latest episode of the Talking Metal podcast.
During the podcast Thayer talks with host Mark Strigl about his limited edition Epiphone signature model Les Paul guitar.
They also discusses Black N Blue, Hunter S Thompson, Vinnie Vincent, Judas Priest, Stars, Angel, the first Metal Massacre album and various Kiss albums including Monster, Sonic Boom, Hot In the Shade and Revenge. Check it out here.
More on KISS - KISS Music - KISS Tour Dates/Tickets - KISS CDs, vinyl and rarities
What You May Not Know About Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi
(Gibson) Tony Iommi turns 65 on February 19. The Black Sabbath rifflord is a legend of rock guitar, having a huge influence on heavy metal and all riff-rock for over four decades. The title of his autobiography, Iron Man – My Journey Through Heaven and Hell, is also well-named: Iommi recently had to undergo cancer treatment to finish recording the new Black Sabbath album due summer 2013.
You'll know the numerous classic riffs Tony Iommi has written. But what about the man himself? Gibson have collected 10 things you may not know about Tony Iommi.
He grew a mustache because of spiders and fireworks As a child, Iommi was scared of spiders. A boy neighbor – "Bobby Nuisance, which is the right name for him," recalled Iommi in 2011's book Iron Man – collected large spiders, and once chased Iommi down the street with them. "I was s**tting myself and running down this gravel road when I tripped, so all the gravel went into my face and along my lip. The scar is still there now. The kids even started calling my Scarface, so I got a terrible complex about that." Later, Iommi even had a "sparkler" firework go off in his face. "As soon as I could, I grew a mustache."
Led Zeppelin's John Bonham was one of his best friends: "John was a good friend, best man at my first wedding, and he liked us," says Iommi. "Sabbath jammed through "Supernaut" [from 1972 Sabbath album Vol. 4] with John on drums once. John loved that track. Though we ended up just jamming 12-bar blues at the end. "Supernaut" got too complicated for John! He was going all over the place."
Iommi "Invented" Ultra-Light Gauge Strings: After Iommi lost his fingertips he had to apply thimbles to extend his two damaged fingers. Originally, he self-made the thimbles with the plastic bottle caps of Fairy dishwashing liquid (think Dawn, in the U.S.) His thimbles are now leather. But regular strings were still too painful too play. He bought banjo strings and used the lightest for B and high E. "This way, I managed to get rid of the low E string, using an A string instead." Iommi tried to persuade string manufacturers to make such a "complete" set but most told him, "Nobody's ever going to buy them." He wasn't successful until the U.K's Picato company agreed in 1970.
Iommi's strings had a .008" gauge for the top E. Jimmy Page, Brian May and Billy Gibbons have all since used .008" top E strings. Compare that with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pete Townshend and Malcolm Young from AC/DC who all use (or used) .012″ or heavier.
Iommi says he's been told by producers that he needed a set of thick strings to get a big sound. "I've never used a set of thick strings and I do have a big sound."
For D# (root) tuning, his gauges are .008, .008, .011 (unwound), .018 .024, and .032. For C# tuning, he uses .009, .010, .012 (unwound), .020, .032 and .042.
No comments:
Post a Comment