Today's Day in Rock
Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Screaming Trees Supergroup
(Classic Rock) Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Duff McKagan ex of Guns N' Roses and Barrett Martin ex of the Screaming Trees have formed a supergroup and are currently working on their debut album.
The band hasn't been named yet, and won't feature a permanent singer, relying instead on a series of guest appearances.
Drummer Martin is currently with McKagan in Walking Papers, and asked former Mad Season bandmate McCready to appear on their album. That led to a conversation regarding material from Mad Season's never-finished second album.
He tells Billboard: "Mike and I were putting together this Mad Season collection. Duff and I were starting the Walking Papers album which we'd asked Mike to play on." more.
Original Kansas Lineup Reuniting
(Classic Rock) The original lineup of Kansas will reunite for the first time in over 30 years at a 40th anniversary concert later in 2013.
Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope and Robby Steinhardt will make guest appearances with Phil Ehart, Steve Walsh and Rich Williams during the celebratory event on August 17 in the Benedum Centre, Pittsburgh, PA.
Kansas are planning a two-set show. They'll be accompanied by a 35-piece symphony orchestra for the first part, then after an intermission they'll deliver a selection of classics.
Drummer Ehart says: "We do a symphony set then we do a regular set. And in the meantime we have Dave, Kerry and Robby playing on different songs with the current band throughout the whole show. We've got some great stuff planned for the intermission too – it's gonna rock." more on this story
Scott Weiland Wanted Stone Temple Pilots Lineup Change
(Classic Rock) Scott Weiland wanted Stone Temple Pilots to change their lineup ahead of his sacking. The band announced earlier this week they'd "terminated" his position with them, leaving the ex-Velvet Revolver frontman shocked and saying he'd only discovered the news in the press.
But the day before STP made their move, he'd been discussing the possibility of modifying the band's personnel.
Sixteen hours ahead of the announcement Weiland told Rolling Stone: "My personal feeling is that we just need some new blood in the band. It'll give it new energy, so that we're not just playing the same greatest hits set we've been playing ever since we got back together after I left Velvet Revolver. I'd like to make a new record so it breathes new life into it."
Weiland also stated he was still hoping for a reunion with Velvet Revolver – despite guitarist Slash's assertion that the pair would never work together again.
The singer said: "I'd love it if it happened. But it's not something I can count on, and it's not something that I can control. If it happens, it'll happen. It would be a great thing. But what about Slash?
Bret Michaels Delays New Album Release
(hennemusic) Bret Michaels' forthcoming new solo album, "Good Songs & Great Friends," which was originally scheduled for release March 26, has been delayed until June 11.
Featuring artists from a variety of genres and generations, "Good Songs & Great Friends" includes a live duet with Jimmy Buffett ("Margaritaville"), a cover of "Sweet Home Alabama" with Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and Peter Keys from Lynyrd Skynyrd playing on the track, and new versions of some of Poison's biggest hits, including a remake of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Loretta Lynn.
Bret is joined by Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Michael Anthony of Van Halen/Chickenfoot, Leslie West of Mountain, Ace Frehley of Kiss/Frehley's Comet, among others..
Featuring artists from a variety of genres and generations, "Good Songs & Great Friends" includes a live duet with Jimmy Buffett ("Margaritaville"), a cover of "Sweet Home Alabama" with Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and Peter Keys from Lynyrd Skynyrd playing on the track, and new versions of some of Poison's biggest hits, including a remake of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Loretta Lynn.
Bret is joined by Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Michael Anthony of Van Halen/Chickenfoot, Leslie West of Mountain, Ace Frehley of Kiss/Frehley's Comet, among others. more on this story
Song By Black Sabbath's Iommi Headed For Eurovision Semi-Final
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is the man behind Armenia's song entry into the Eurovision song contest.
Dorians frontman Gor Sujyan's "Lonely Planet" was selected at a Saturday, March 2 national vote to be performed at Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden. The identity of the song's composers — Iommi (music) and Vardan Zadoyan (lyrics) — had been kept secret for a while.
"Well here's something different, one of my demo ideas has been chosen as the Armenian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest!," wrote Iommi. "It went on a short list and Saturday night was voted as the winner. I did the music and the performing band Dorians wrote the lyrics, it's called 'Lonely Planet'. They're a good band, the singer has a really good voice and the lyrics they've written are in English. It now goes to the semi-final on May 16th in Malmo, Sweden." more on this story
Styx Vs Record Label
(Classic Rock) Styx have sued A&M over unpaid royalties and they've accused the record label of constructing a "phoney business model" to disguise how much the band should have been paid.
The veteran outfit allege that for every dollar they've received, they should actually have been given between two and five dollars.
TMZ reports that they want the courts to decide how much they should be paid in damages – and that it's likely to be a huge amount. They released eight albums through A&M from 1975′s Equinox to 1990′s Edge Of The Century.
Styx filed paperwork in Los Angeles Country Superior Court last week using their corporate name, Gelderdisk LTD. more on this story
Slayer Frontman Doubted Lombardo 'For A While'
(Classic Rock) Slayer guitarist Kerry King says frontman Tom Araya has had doubts over drummer Dave Lombardo for a while but King wanted to keep him.
It was only when "trouble in paradise" flared hours ahead of their Australian tour that the axeman made the call to have him replaced.
Jon Dette is currently behind the kit for the thrash giants Down Under – and they're not sure whether Lombardo will return.
Asked whether he saw the dispute coming, King tells Soundwave TV: "Tom did. Tom's been on the fence about Dave for a while and I was pretty much the one that said, 'Nah, I'm not comfortable moving on.'
"Then it got thrust in our face, and I took action immediately," he said. "It's unfortunate that Dave couldn't be with us. I planned on him being here up until the Monday before I left – then I saw trouble in paradise." more.
Green Day Member Recalls Billie Joe's Meltdown
(hennemusic) As Green Day gear up for their live return to the stage March 10 in Pomona, CA, bassist Mike Dirnt spoke with Rolling Stone about frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's meltdown in Las Vegas last fall that led to a stint in rehab.
"When Billie showed up, it was, 'You're not right. What's going on?'," explains Dirnt, about the his concerns prior to taking the stage at the iHeartRadio festival. "I kept an eye on things, and it just went progressively downhill. Me and Billie – we don't play like 12-year-olds anymore. But at one point, I was like, 'Let's goof around.' Somehow, we ended up wrestling backstage. I thought, 'If I can just get some of this out of him . . . ' But with the mood depressants and alcohol, it doesn't end up in a jovial party."
Dirnt spoke about what it was like watching Armstrong lose it on stage. "You know, truth be told, I agreed with what he said, outside of mentioning anybody else. I know that's not Billie," he says. "But the bigger side of it – I actually agreed with the rant. But I was watching my friend and going, 'You're out of your f**king mind.' And we were dealing with a sh*tshow." more on this story
Motley Crue's Tommy Lee Slams Meet-and-Greet Greed
(Classic Rock) Motley Crue's Tommy Lee is refusing to take part in meet-and-greet sessions on the band's current tour – because he doesn't agree with fans forking out for the experience.
The drummer won't be present for those who pay $899 for Crue's Kickstart My Heart ticket package at venues in Australia.
Lee says: "For those of you that are asking why I am not doing any more meet-and-greets – it's got nothing to do with me not wanting to meet the fans.
"I just don't agree with doing it under the certain given circumstances. I love you all and I'll gladly high-five y'all if I see you – and you won't have to pay me for that." more on this story
Paul McCartney Doodle Sells For Five Figures
(Gibson) A basic pencil doodle drawn by Paul McCartney when he was a teenager has fetched £3,764 (approximately $5658) at auction last week.
The sketches, done by the Beatle during the late 1950s when he was studying at the Liverpool Institute High School For Boys, was sold by PFC Auctions on 28 February amid a flurry of last minute bids.
The drawings, multiple faces showing different expressions on a single sheet of paper, are rendered in pencil. The "piece" is 12.5" x 8" and in good condition, with the exception of a small tear in the bottom right hand corner.
McCartney won a prize at the age of 14 for a drawing he did of St Aidan's church on the Speke, Liverpool, housing estate where he lived, though the unschooled artist has said, "I felt that only people who had gone to art college were allowed to paint." McCartney's ink drawing of an idea provided the inspiration for the artwork for the Sgt Pepper album cover. In 1999, his visual work was displayed in a solo exhibition, Paul McCartney: Paintings, in Germany. more on this story
Rolling Stones Getting Their First Rock Hall Exhibit
(Radio.com) The Rolling Stones have celebrated their golden anniversary with five shows, two new songs, one documentary (2012′s Crossfire Hurricane), and a slew of other film and photo exhibits around the world. Now they'll get their – believe it or not – first major exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum this spring.
"Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction," opening Memorial Day weekend (May 24), captures the band's legendary career of half a century. Included in the exclusive exhibition, which will run through March 2014, are rare and personal items and collections that have never been available to the public.
"The Rolling Stones are the epitome of rock and roll," said Greg Harris, Rock Hall president and CEO in a press release. "This first-ever exhibit gives us an opportunity to tell the story of one of the definitive rock and roll bands. The experience should be on every music fan's destination list this summer." more on this story
The White Stripes' Elephant Getting Special Record Store Day Reissue
(hennemusic) Jack White will mark the 10-year anniversary of The White Stripes' breakthrough album "Elephant", with a limited edition reissue for Record Store Day.
The colored, double LP is available exclusively for Record Store Day 2013 on April 20th. A black vinyl version will be available later this year.
"As Record Store Day Ambassador of 2013," explains White, "I'm proud to help in any way I can to invigorate whoever will listen with the idea that there is beauty and romance in the act of visiting a record shop and getting turned onto something new that could change the way they look at the world, other people, art, and ultimately, themselves." more on this story
A Day To Remember Plan Album Release ASAP
(Radio.com) During a concert last May, Florida hard rockers A Day To Remember announced that their fifth studio record would be called Common Courtesy.
After fans spent the better part of the year speculating about the forthcoming material, ADTR surprised fans in December with a decidedly hard-edged track titled "Violence (Enough is Enough)." The album's recording was only partially completed at the time ADTR dropped "Violence," and the band was "stunned" by fans' reaction to it.
"You never really know 'til they hear that new material, McKinnon told Radio.com in an exclusive interview. "When we put out that song, it was one of the best responses we've ever had coming out of the gate. I can't tell you how excited that made all of us."
McKinnon continued, talking release dates: "We're not really sure the release date yet, we're working that out. We're in the last few weeks of tracking. After this we're going to head into mixing and mastering and then we're done. Then we're going to put it out as soon as we possibly can."
Despite the band having filed a lawsuit against Victory Records in late 2011, McKinnon blamed the album's delay on simply having too much material. He has more to say here.
Sebastian Bach and Steve Stevens Unplug For KLOS
(hennemusic) Sebastian Bach and Steve Stevens stopped by KLOS 95.5 FM Los Angeles Friday morning. The visit was to promote the pair's April 5th show at The Viper Room.
The guys played a couple of live, acoustic versions of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without A Face" and Skid Row's "I Remember You."
Bach and Stevens are collaborating on material for Sebastian's next solo album.
According to the singer, Stevens "has come up with one track so far that will definitely be on my next record. It is a kick-ass cool rock 'n' roll song that I guarantee will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Just how I like it." Check out the jams here.
A Silent Film Proud Of Comparison To The Killers
(Radio.com) The guys of A Silent Film are used to the comparison game. From Coldplay to Snow Patrol they've heard it all. But while the comparisons can get old, they never seem to get tired of hearing they sound a little like The Killers.
"They are an amazing band," singer Robert Stevenson told Radio.com. "I'm very proud to be in the same category."
Like The Killers, the English band, who are currently touring the States behind their 2012 album, Sand & Snow, write anthemic choruses that fans can't help but sing along to. But even with the similarities, Stevenson was quick to point out that his band is very different than the Vegas band.
"They're very American in their approach, and we love that," he said. "But I don't think there's any danger that we're ripping them off in any way."
Guitarist Karl Bareham thinks the comparisons are just a starting point, a way to get people interested in a band before they actually get a chance to hear the music. more.
KISS To Perform On The Footy Show
(hennemusic) KISS will perform on the season premiere of "The Footy Show", an Australian sports variety television program covering the professional rugby league, on Thursday, March 7 at 9.45 p.m. AEDT
KISS will play two of their hits live in the studio to kick off the 20th season of the show.
"What an amazing way to kick off our 20th year, with one of the biggest rock bands in the world live in the studio," said Glenn Pallister, executive producer of the program. "['The Footy Show' host] Fatty [Paul Vautin] is such a KISS fanatic, we may need to have oxygen on standby." more on this story
Aerosmith To Perform In Indonesia This Spring
(hennemusic) Aerosmith have announced that they will play the Jiexpo Kemayoran in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 11.
The Boston rockers have been quiet since they wrapped up the fall 2012 leg of their tour in support of "Music From Another Dimension."
Aerosmith are returning to the road in April for their first Australian dates in 24 years. The group will play three shows in Oz and one in New Zealand, starting April 24 in Dunedin, NZ. more on this story
Grunge Supergroup Mad Season's Documentary Goes Online
(Classic Rock) Above, the sole studio album from 90s grunge supergroup Mad Season, will be reissued next month.
The surviving members of Mad Season will release a deluxe edition of Above on April 2, containing two CDs and a DVD.
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin have collaborated with Mark Lanegan to complete songs from Mad Season's unfinished second album, which will be included alongside Above. Frontman Layne Staley died in 2002 and bassist John Baker Saunders passed away in 1999.
View a mini-documentary about the reissue here.
Devon Allman Leading Charge For National Blues Museum
(Gibson) "Think about having a place that celebrates the source of all contemporary music," says Devon Allman. "That's the goal of the National Blues Museum."
Right now it's Allman's goal to get the word out about the fundraising effort underway to make the St. Louis-based institution a reality — and to raise the $1.7-million dollars need to ensure that the museum's doors can open as scheduled in March 2014. So far $12.3-million has been raised over the past three years, and a total of $14-million must be achieved by April 1 in order to take advantage of various incentives for the project.
So Allman and a board's other nine members — who are from the corporate and educational worlds — have launched "Buck Up For the Blues," an initiative to encourage all blues fans to make a donation now to help reach the fundraising goal and bring the museum to life.
Artist renderings of the museum, viewable on line at the National Blues Museum web site, depict a facility like Seattle's Experience Music Project, with a blend of artifacts, films, historic audio and hands-on interactive "jamming stations" where museum patrons can perform the music themselves. Plans call for artist workshops, seminars and Q&A sessions with industry figures, intimate performances with the genre's stars, acoustic concerts that blend music and history, plus lectures and discussions, industry seminars and a film series. A lot more.
Eric Clapton Discusses Ginger Baker
(Radio.com) "He influenced me as a drummer. But not as a person." That's what Free/Bad Company member Simon Kirke said about former Cream/Blind Faith skinsman Ginger Baker in the must-see documentary, Beware Of Mr. Baker, out last week on iTunes.
Indeed, that was a theme of the entire film: a number of drumming legends – including Kirke, Neil Peart of Rush, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – sing Baker's praises and discuss his influence. Meanwhile, his children and ex-wives give a no-holds-barred account of the chaos that surrounded the man in his personal life.
Some of the most interesting interviews are with his ex-bandmates: Jack Bruce from Cream, Steve Winwood from Blind Faith and, especially, Eric Clapton, who was in both bands. Clapton spoke at length on his days with Baker, and director Jay Bulger provided Radio.com with some exclusive outtakes from his extensive interview with the guitar god.
Clapton's experience with therapy and recovery from addiction are apparent in the first clip, as he discusses the ties between drug dependence and musicians.
"What is Ginger without the music? I think Ginger is an incredible human being with fantastic potential. And his desire to be 'locked into' the music keeps him in chaos. And I had the same thing, I thought that if I stopped drinking and I stopped using drugs… I would not be able to play anymore. In other words, those were things that were necessary for inspiration. But it was a shortcut. My experience now tells me in a long time of being in recovery, that I can be a good musician with or without that philosophy. It's a gift that I've been given and the best way to honor it is to stay clean and sober to be able to do it as well as I can. I wouldn't be here today – I'd probably be dead – if I hadn't gotten straight." More including streams.
Robot Band Compressorhead Plays AC/DC Classic On TV
(hennemusic) Compressorhead, the robot band from Berlin, rocked the AC/DC classic "TNT" on the German TV program "Die Bülent Ceylan Show" this week.
The group, which bills themselves as "the world's heaviest metal band," is made up of guitarist Fingers, bassist Bones and drummer Stickboy.
With 78 purpose-built fingers, guitarist Fingers was built by Kernschrott Robots, a company that creates direct recycling of discarded metal and industrial waste, converting metal parts and discarded devices into sculptures and objects of art.
Created by Robocross Machines, Stickboy uses 4 arms and 2 legs to plays his 14 piece Pearl drum kit with a double kick bass drum setup. Check out video of the performance here.
UFO's Rob De Luca Releases New Of Earth Video
(Classic Rock) Of Earth, the new project from UFO and Sebastian Bach bass player Rob De Luca, have released a video for their track Prototype.
It's taken from upcoming second album The Monarch, due for launch in the coming weeks. The band consists of De Luca (vocals, bass), Paul Casanova (guitars, vocals), Rik De Luca (drums) and Matt Baram (keys).
The bassist is currently touring the UK with UFO – they play the ABC, Glasgow, tonight (March 1); 53 Degrees, Preston, March 2; HMV Institute, Birmingham, March 3; and HMV Forum, London, March 5. After that they'll continue on the road across Europe before playing at Download on June 15. Watch the video here.
W.A.S.P. Supergroup Hotel Diablo Release New Video
(Classic Rock) Hotel Diablo, featuring members of Bang Tango and W.A.S.P. , have released a video for their single Psycho, California.
The track comes from the band's debut album The Return To Psycho, California. Produced by Gilby Clarke and Matt Starr.
Hotel Diablo formed in early 2011 and comprise Ladyjack vocalist Rick Stitch, Quiet Riot/Bang Tango guitarist Alex Grossi and W.A.S.P.'s rhythm section of Mike Duda (bass) and Mike Dupke (drums).
No comments:
Post a Comment