Today's Day in Rock
Randy Blythe Speaks Out About Reports Of His Manslaughter Trial
Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe has called out the accuracy of media reports about his trial for manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.
Blythe's trial began on Monday (Feb 4.) where he is accused of manslaughter in the death of a fan that died two weeks after being allegedly injured at the band's concert in Prague in 2010.
The singer addressed fans on Tuesday via his Instagram account. He posted a photo along with the following message:
"I have read a few news reports of the progress of my case, and trust me- many things are incorrect. But this is the Internet, and of course things are half-baked anyway. Keep in mind that translation is difficult, and many things can be lost, for Czech is a VERY DIFFICULT language. So wait and see, as I am. It is all I can do, except be honest & fight for my freedom in my own way.
"I also have heard of some people (not on here) talking smack about the Czech Republic, saying "F— the Czech Republic", etc. This not how it should be. This is a very sad case, not something to rage at people you do not know over. I am not angry with the Czechs at all. A fan of my band is dead- what do I have to be angry about? I am an INNOCENT man, but I am also a very sad man right now. To not be sad in this instance would be inhuman. But mad at the Czech people? Why would I be mad at them? Here, look at this picture - a mother watches her baby. The child reaches out for something new, laughing and chasing a pretty picture in the air. It is the same here as everywhere else. Do you see?!?!? Life is beautiful. I hope to see y'all soon." Blythe posted an earlier message
Vince Neil Rules Out New Motley Crue Album
(hennemusic) Motley Crue singer Vince Neil says the band is planning to record some new music, but fans should not expect an album of material.
"No, no new album," Neil tells Music News Nashville. "What I'm hearing is that maybe two or three or four more songs might come out to go with that song we released this year ("Sex"), but it will be something like an EP, not an album.
"Our schedule seems to have a lot of touring. If something did come out in the form of an EP, it would probably be in the beginning of 2014."
Vince was asked how the Crue write their songs. "It starts out with a guitar riff, and then we put it together with the other instruments and put a melody to it," he explains. "After the melody and song structure are finished, we edit different parts in and out, and eventually, it all combines to become a song."
The singer says that songwriting is not as difficult as some might think. Read about that here.
Led Zeppelin and Metallica Make Craziest Drummer List
(hennemusic) Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and Metallica's Lars Ulrich are among the names included in Esquire's newly-published list of the 10 Craziest Drummers Ever.
The list grew out of a story on "Beware Mr. Baker," the newly-released documentary about Cream drummer Ginger Baker.
Beyond the above three names mentioned, the feature includes Black Sabbath's Bill Ward, Keith Moon of The Who, Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, Topper Headon of The Clash, Hellyeah's Vinnie Paul and more.
The Almighty Reunite
(Classic Rock) The Almighty are starting working on reunion music, frontman Ricky Warwick has announced.
The band's classic lineup, featuring Stumpy Monroe, Pete Freisen and Floyd London will record new studio material later this year.
They formed in Glasgow in 1988 and last gathered for a tour in 2008, after reuniting two years previously. While an album was discussed at the time it didn't take shape.
Now Warwick – who's just completed work on the debut album by Thin Lizzy spinoff Black Star Riders – says: "The classic lineup of The Almighty all got together for the first time in many years and spoke about plans for the 25th anniversary. more on this story
Arctic Monkeys Announce U.S. Tour Dates
Arctic Monkeys will be returning to the United States in May to perform a short series of tour dates.
The dates will kick off with the band's performance at this year's Sasquatch! Festival in George, WA on May 24th.
The band will also play concerts in Missoula, MT, Boise, ID, Denver, CO, Albuquerque, NM and Dallas, Tx. more on this story
Metallica Members Each Releasing Signature Shoes
The four members of Metallica will each release their very own Vans shoes, which they personalized from the companies existing shoe designs.
The shoes are set to be delivered to stores this month and we were sent over these details about each pair along with photos:
James Hetfield - Inspired by his favorite black boots, James added hex-bolt eyelets and a personal take on the skull and cross-bones, illustrated by Hetfield himself, to "Metallicize" this Vans Sk8-Hi Deconstruct.
Lars Ulrich - Putting a twist on one of Vans' original Classics, Lars updated the Era Laceless with brushed twill materials and a print taken from the diamond plate pattern on his snare drum. He finished his shoe with a Dirty Donny character on the inside heel.
Kirk Hammett - Tying back to a love of surfing and nature, Kirk chose an all-natural upper made of hemp for his collapsible Slip-On. The inside heel is accented with a guitar pick inspired by his Ouija guitar and designed by one of Metallica's favorite artists, Dirty Donny.
Robert Trujillo - Robert grew up wearing Vans as a young skater in Venice Beach, California. For his shoe, he took Aztec calendar artwork, designed by his wife Chloe, which is carved in one of his bass guitars and placed it in blue, on the side of this Escuela. See the photos of the shoes here.
Singled Out: Funeral For A Friend
Today Funeral For A Friend frontman Matt Davies tells us about the track "The Distance" from their brand new album "Conduit," which was released this week. Here is the story:
The Distance (or touring mainland Europe during a boiling summer in a van with no air conditioning).
The title in itself sums up the song quite eloquently. I don't think i've ever tried to capture something so bizarre and translate it into lyrics for a song before. I've put my feelings of death, politics, people etc down to music over the years but for some reason when we got into writing this song the experiences of one tour of mainland Europe about 3 years ago came to mind and for some reason found it's way out into my notebook. I captured the story more in a train of thought way than just basic description so what ended up being the song are strings of sentences that delve into the idea of the road trip we experienced and all the crazy stuff that we did in a mad delirium for the best part of two weeks. All in all, it was fun and brought us together stronger as a band. Especially when we didn't have any air conditioning and one tiny window for air. We spent more time in our underwear that tour than any before or since haha.
Musically, it's slightly different to what would be our usual kind of sound but is in no way less aggressive. If anything the amount of groove we captured is pretty awesome. It's not quite a stoner rock song but a lot of people who've heard it think it sounds like Queens of the Stone Age filtered through a dose of 90's hardcore, which to me is a massive compliment.
Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and check out the video hereand you can pick up a copy of the album right here!
Phoenix Announce Spring Tour Dates
Phoenix have announced the first round of dates for their spring North American tour plans.
The dates iinclude their headlining show at this year's Coachella festival as well as a performance at the Sweetlife Festival.
The initial dates will take the band across the West coast starting on March 28th in Vancouver, BC and includes dates in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Nevada.
The band is expected to announce additional dates soon, the final announced date takes place in May at the Sweetlife Festival in Columbia, MD.
Local H Release Free Download of Rush's 2112 Cover
(hennemusic) Chicago's Local H have recorded a cover of Rush's classic "2112 Overture/The Temples Of Syrinx."
The track is included on the band's brand new EP, "Another February," which was released today.
The group originally issued the song on International Rush Day, December 21, 2012 (21/12).
"In honor of the Winter Solstice, the end of the world according to the Mayans and, uh, Christmas, we humbly offer you this gift of song," wrote Local H. "We've been playing this opus live since last New Year's Eve and decided to record it properly this fall. With the help of Andy Gerber at Million Yen, we've gotten it together just in time for 21/12. Rush on over to click the link below to download it. And in the words of Tiny Tim: "A Merry Christmas to us all; and Neil Peart bless us, every one!" more on this story
The Breeders Expand Reunion Tour Plans With American and UK Dates
The Breeders have expanded their upcoming LSXX Anniversary World Tour with additional dates.
The band has added nine additional North American and four U.K. dates to the trek, in addition to the previously announced European tour dates.
The tour is now set to kick off on March 29th in Brooklyn and the North American dates conclude on May 15th in Atlanta.
The European tour will kick off on May 24th in Barcelona and will conclude with the newly added UK dates with a stop at the ATP Festival on June 21st. more on this story
Bon Scott's Love Interest Cast For Biopic About Late AC/DC Singer
(hennemusic) High Voltage Productions Pty. has announced that Pelham Spong will portray Bon Scott's longtime love interest, Margaret "Silver" Smith, in the upcoming rockumentary trailer for Bon Scott - The Legend of AC/DC.
She will appear opposite actor/singer Rob Liotti, who has been given the nod to portray Scott and has received a throng of international publicity. Spong spent a number of years acting in France before returning to the United States in 2010.
Historic footage shot last month by director J. R. Getches is reported to be in post-production with a tentative release date in March. A source close to the production said that the teaser footage involved "an interview of some type of the late singer..." and that staff members were "elated" about the performance. more on this story
Classic Pink Floyd Interviews For Animals Episode of InTheStudio
InTheStudio celebrates Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals with classic interviews with David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters.
As Roger Waters reveals to InTheStudio host Redbeard, it was actually during the final stadium concert on the Animals tour when Waters experienced a cathartic climax that would change rock history.
"The last one we did was in Montreal in the Olympic Stadium. Ninety thousand people stretching forever into the distance. Chain link fencing in front of the stage. Kids apparently on some kind of Pavlovian dog trip, screaming their heads off (for the song "Money") from the moment we appeared on stage until the moment we left. Nobody listening.
"And what was important was the demagoguery, the worship of the very 'rich' people...It's the worship of idols, from afar, and I find it distressing...And I experienced 'the wall ' very powerfully on that day." Stream the program here.
Slash Releases Anastasia Music Video
(Classic Rock) Slash has released a video for his track Anastasia, taken from last year's solo album Apocalyptic Love.
The iconic axeman recently responded to suggestions that the song's intro sounds like it was inspired by Bach's Toccata And Fugue In D Minor.
He told the Irish Times: "In this really interesting day and age of social networking, it started with just one person who said it was a Bach thing. I had no idea it sounded like a Bach thing, and then everybody asked me about it.
"I think it is just the style of the arpeggio. Still, there are worse musicians to be compared to than Bach.
"I'm proud of the song – I always liked it. It was one of the songs that came up at the tail-end of the recording when we were in pre-production." Watch the video and read more from Slash
Dream Theater Release Live at Luna Park Trailer
Dream Theater have released a trailer for their upcoming live release, Live at Luna Park, which is coming this spring.
The live collection will be release in May in several formats including 2DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Video, 2DVD/3CD, Blu-ray/3CD, and a deluxe edition (2DVD/Blu-ray/3CD).
The new release was filmed over two nights in South America, "This is without a doubt the closest a viewer at home will come to experiencing a live Dream Theater concert," says guitarist and John Petrucci. "Between the hi-def video, the huge audio mix and the documentary style behind the scenes footage, you are truly transported to the arena and completely immersed in the entire live experience."
"We have the greatest fans on the planet and the people of Argentina are no exception!" adds Petrucci. "The energy and vibe at Luna Park was truly electric and contagious. The perfect synergy between band and audience. We are immensely proud of this DVD and incredibly excited to share it with everyone!" Watch the trailer here.
Jeff Healey Band Rarities Set For Release
Eagle Records have set a February 26th release date for Jeff Healey Band's "House On Fire."
The eleven featured tracks on the album are previously unreleased, recorded between 1992-1998, with some songs culled from the band's sessions for Feel This and Cover To Cover.
The album includes covers of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" and Bruce Springsteen's "Adam Raised A Cain," and originals written by the Jeff Healey Band, such as the instrumental "Bish Bang Boof" and title track "House On Fire." more on this story
Biffy Clyro Top The Album Chart
Biffy Clyro enjoyed a big debut for their new album, Opposites, which topped the UK album charts.
Opposites gave the band their very first No. 1 chart debut after selling 70,000 copies, which was almost double the amount of sales from the album that landed at No. 2.
The album is set to be released to North American fans on March 12th and the band will be supporting the effort stateside for the Coachella festival and the upcoming Muse tour.
The North American dates kick off with Muse in Toronto on April 9th and wrap up on April 26th in Quebec City.
Prior to the American dates, the band will be embarking on a headline arena tour of the UK. more on this story
Built To Spill Kick Off North American Tour and Add Dates
Built To Spill kicked off their 2013 tour plans last night in Victoria, Bc and have just confirmed a series of West Coast dates.
The tour continues tonight in Vancouver, BC and the intial run ends on February 12t in Boise.
The band will return to the road for a date in March and then a series of West coast dates in April that begin on the 24th in Arcata, Ca.
This tour will include the band's new lineup featuring drummer Steve Gere who replaced Scott Plouf and bassist Jason Albertini who replaced Brett Nelson.
They will be joining vocalist/guitarist Doug Martsch, and guitarists Brett Netson and Jim Roth. more on this story
Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan Guest On Eric Johnson Special Edition
Eric Johnson has set an April 1st UK release date for the special edition album "Up Close - Another Look".
The album features 12 new Johnson compositions, plus a cover version of the Electric Flag song 'Texas'.
The special edition includes revised and remixed tracks featuring guest appearances from Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan, Johnny Lang and Sonny Landreth.
Johnson will be launching UK tour on April 3rd at London's o2 Shepherds Bush Empire. more on this story
The Story Behind The Troggs' Wild Thing
(Classic Rock) The Beatles' Yesterday is far and away the most covered song on the planet. But a spirited case can be made for Wild Thing as very close behind it.
The Troggs were the first to have a UK hit with a cover of it (No.2 in 1966) , but a long list of artists that includes Jimi Hendrix, Fancy, Sam Kinison, X, Prince, Warren Zevon and, most recently, Bruce Springsteen have put their spin on its simple chord progressions and sweaty lyrical sentiments. But the song's writer Chip Taylor (brother of actor Jon Voight) sees what many consider the ultimate distillation of pure, rock'n'roll heat as a more important step in musical history.
"I guess it is the most covered song on the planet," chuckles Taylor. "Particularly if you include all the kids who learned guitar by playing it."
It's easy to see why so many aspiring rockers took to the song as their first lesson. Strummed in a bluesy rock A-major and using a simple chord progression, Wild Thing was that raunchy, goofy ode to unbridled lust that anybody could relate to and that almost anybody could play – all the things that have made Wild Thing perfect cover fodder for major stars and rank amateurs alike.
However Taylor insists that Wild Thing in execution and intent was serious business. "I treat all my songs seriously," he says. "There was an honesty to the song. Sure, when you break it down there's not a lot to it. But when I was writing it, I was treating it as the most serious thing in the universe." more
Van Halen's David Lee Roth Looks Back At FM and Underground Radio
(hennemusic) Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has offered up a new episode of his video series The Roth Show.
This time out, Roth discusses FM and Underground Radio as well as some of the great stations and disc jockeys from the era.
Meanwhile, fans continue to wait for some kind of news from the Van Halen camp regarding the band's plans for 2013.
The group's "A Different Kind Of Truth" tour will resume with three shows in Japan that were originally scheduled for last fall.
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