Today's Day in Rock
Paul Stanley Shoots Down KISS Reunion at Rock Hall
KISS frontman Paul Stanley had an eventful weekend on Twitter where he answered various fan questions and dashed the hopes of fans that the original lineup of KISS would be reuniting at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
He was asked two questions directly about performing with original guitarist Ace Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss. In one question he was asked "Any plans yet on wearing makeup wit ace and peter at induction?" and he responded "no way."
While that answer ruled out them reuniting in makeup, another fan asked "gene ace and peter and yourself going to play the hof together?" and he responded, "Seems unlikely."
He was also asked if he had any hard feelings towards Peter and Ace and Stanley told the fans, "None. Proud to be inducted with them."
And one fan asked him "Paul don't u think things could be alot better since Ace and Peter are sober?" He responded with a simple "no."
Read more of the fan questions and Paul's answers here.
Guns N' Roses and Rolling Stones Supergroup Plan EP
(Classic Rock) Dead Daisies, the supergroup including current members of Guns N' Roses and the Rolling Stones, have written their first songs as a band and are preparing to record an EP's worth of material.
The combo's debut album was written mainly by singer Jon Stevens and guitarist David Lowy – with some help from Slash – but Gunners Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus, Stones bassist Darryl Jones and ex-Divinyls drummer Charley Drayton joined the creative process during a tour which has just wrapped up in Israel.
"We actually recorded three new songs in the middle of that last tour," says keyboardist Reed, the longest surviving Guns N'Roses member after Axl Rose."I think we do well under pressure.
"We had some riffs and I think we all sort of found a common ground. We all listened to the same music. It's kind of what we do." more on this story
Evanescence's Amy Lee Reportedly Suing Record Co
(Banana 101.5) Evanescence singer Amy Lee is reportedly suing Wind-Up Records for more than $1 million over unpaid royalties and other allegations, according to TMZ.
Lee apparently claims that Wind-Up attempted to sabotage Evanescence by appointing the band under-qualified promoters who lacked useful ideas. TMZ was the first to report on the story Friday morning (Jan. 3), writing that Amy Lee is accusing Wind-Up of sabotaging the group.
While a reliable source, TMZ is known to ad-lib the language within its stories, and there's no official quote from Lee herself or from the legal documents as of this posting. However, the site definitively claims that Lee is seeking $1.5 million in unpaid royalties from the record label as part of her suit. more on this story
Bruce Springsteen's New Album 'High Hopes' Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Bruce Springsteen's forthcoming album, "High Hopes", is now streaming at CBS.com. The CBS stream follows a recent leak of the album's songs via Amazon before they were removed from the retailer's mobile site
The preview is part of a package deal between Springsteen and the network, which will see three songs from the project ("High Hopes," "Hunter of Invisible Game" and "The Ghost Of Tom Joad") featured on the CBS television series The Good Wife on the Sunday, January 12 broadcast of the show (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).
"High Hopes" will be streamed by CBS through to Monday, January 13 at 7:00 PM ET; the album hits stores on January 14. more on this story
Kirk Hammett To Perform With Exodus and Death Angel at Fear FestEvil
Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has revealed that he will be joining Death Angel and his former band Exodus on-stage during their encores at his upcoming horror convention.
Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEviL will be taking place on February 6th, 7th and 8th at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco and it will feature live performances from Exodus, Death Angel, Orchid, Death Division and Carcass.
Hammett played with Exodus prior to be offered the lead guitarist spot in Metallica, taking the place of Dave Mustaine, who went on to form Megadeth.
Exodus guitarist Gary Holt had this to say about Hammett joining them at the event, "Exodus is stoked as f**k to announce that none other than Kirk Von Hammett himself will be jamming with us during our encore at Fear FestEviL!," he said. "What song? Hmm, that remains to be seen! I guess you will have to be there to find out!"
Hammett's connection with Death Angel goes back to 1986 when he produced their "Kill As One" which is credited with landing the group their record deal with Enigma Records.
Allman Brothers Band Address Lineup Speculation
(hennemusic) The Allman Brothers Band are clarifying rumors about changes to the group's lineup following recent comments that were made by leader Gregg Allman.
Allman told Rolling Stone that bassist Oteil Burbridge had left the band, saying "Oteil's not with us anymore. I don't know if he'll be back to the Beacon or not. He's gone with Zac Brown."
Burbridge released a statement on his website to clarify the situation. "Wow, what a surprise to wake up on the first day of 2014 to a wildfire in the rumor mill!," he wrote. "For the record…. It was an amazing experience recording and playing with the Zac Brown Band and with Dave Grohl in November. It was an awesome time and a reunion of sorts for me with old friends Chris Fryar, Penn Robertson, and Eric Pretto (the drummer, bass tech and guitar tech for ZBB, respectively) who I've known for over a decade. I am proud to be part Zac's record."
"Oteil was offered a gig with another band but he turned it down," added drummer Butch Trucks. "He is as much the bass player with the Allman Brothers today as he has ever been." more on this story
Eddie Van Halen Looks Back At 1984 30 Years Later
(hennemusic) Eddie Van Halen looks back on Van Halen's monster "1984" album and the creation of his home studio in the new cover story feature in Guitar World magazine.
Eddie began by explaining the inspiration behind his home studio, 5150. "When we started work on 1984, I wanted to show [producer] Ted [Templeman] that we could make a great record without any cover tunes and do it our way," he says. "[Engineer] Donn [Landee] and I proceeded to figure out how to build a recording studio. I did not initially set out to build a full-blown studio. I just wanted a better place to put my music together so I could show it to the guys. I never imagined that it would turn into what it did until we started building it."
The guitarist's need for home studio space was prompted by a couple of issues. "I used to have a back room in my house where I set up a little studio with a Tascam four-track recorder to demo songs," Eddie explains. "I really wanted to record demos that sounded more professional than what I was doing. I used to spend so much time getting sounds and writing. I have a tape of me playing in the living room at five A.M., and you can hear Valerie [Bertinelli, Ed's ex-wife] come in and yell that she's heard enough of that song. That was another reason why I built the studio."
"The bottom line is that I wanted more control," Van Halen continued. "I was always butting heads with Ted Templeman about what makes a good record. My philosophy has always been that I would rather bomb with my own music than make it with other people's music. Ted felt that if you re-do a proven hit, you're already halfway there. I didn't want to be halfway there with someone else's stuff. 'Diver Down' was a turning point for me, because half of it was cover tunes. I was working on a great song with this Minimoog riff that ended up being used on 'Dancing in the Street.' It was going to be a completely different song. I envisioned it being more like a Peter Gabriel song instead of what it turned out to be, but when Ted heard it he decided it would be great for 'Dancing in the Street.'" more on this story
Frank Turner Is Iron Maiden Mastermind
(Classic Rock) Singer-songwriter Frank Turner won a celebrity edition of BBC quiz show Mastermind at the weekend, after choosing Iron Maiden as his specialist subject.
The former Million Dead and Mongol horde frontman answered 13 questions on the NWOBHM giants – and although he got four wrong and passed on two, his general knowledge round gave him enough points to beat contestants John Cooper Clark, Ben Faulks and Roy Hudd.
Before the show Turner admitted: "I want that trophy. I want it real bad." And after presenter John Humphries handed it to him he said: "It's been on my bucket list to be on Mastermind since I was a kid – I'm very very proud to be on it." He also won a cash prize for the Shelter charity.
He scored a total of 20 points, with comedian Hudd second on 19 points and Clark and Faulks tying on 16. See the questions and answers here.
Jack White Reveals New Album Update
(hennemusic) Jack White has issued an update on the status of a new solo album. Billboard reports that during an online chat with fans, White says he is currently working on two albums, one of which is his own.
"I'm producing two albums this month, and finishing them," he posted during the chat. "One of them is mine." White is also currently convening with The Dead Weather, releasing a series of singles leading up to a new album - the band's third - in 2015.
He's also been back in the studio with the Raconteurs since February of last year, though no official releases have been confirmed. more on this story
Opeth Planning 'Epic' and 'Unusual' Album
(Prog) Mikael Akerfeldt has completed six songs and begun work on another three for Opeth's eleventh album. He promises the material will be "epic" and "unusual" – and adds that the way he plans to record it has been heavily influence by Steven Wilson after their Storm Corrosion collaboration.
Akerfeldt tells Decibel: "Some of these things could be easily done with synthetic sounds or effects, but recording the Storm Corrosion LP with Steven made me realise what a massive difference it can mean to incorporate the real shit.
"I'm semi-pretentious in my songwriting and sometimes I go all in. I think it's time for all-in with strings and the full monty… hopefully it won't be a mess." more on this story
KISS and Grand Funk Railroad Star Bruce Kulick Gets Married
(hennemusic) Former KISS and current Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick married his girlfriend, Lisa Lane, on Saturday. Kulick proposed to Lane on Christmas Eve 2012 in London, England.
"Yesterday was my Wedding to my sweetheart Lisa Lane!," posted Kulick on Sunday. "It was a magical day, with many wonderful memories to share. Off for my Honeymoon, and some great photos I will be sharing soon."
Bruce was lead guitarist for KISS from September 1984 to August 1996. He is one of only two KISS members (the other being guitarist Mark St. John) to never wear makeup in the band. more on this story
Judas Priest's Appearance On The Simpsons Posted Online
(hennemusic) Judas Priest were among the guests featured on an episode of The Simpsons that aired on Sunday night and video of their appearance has surfaced online for fans that missed it on TV.
Homer becomes annoyed with movie theaters, so Bart teaches him how to download movies illegally. Homer is delighted with his discovery of free movies until he's caught for piracy.
The episode sees Judas Priest perform a parody of their 1980 classic, "Breaking The Law." Judas Priest will host a Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas next month. Watch The Simpsons appearance here.
Curved Air, The Strawbs And Martin Turner Teaming Up For Tour
(Prog) Prog legends Curved Air and The Strawbs along with Martin Turner are gearing up for a raft of tour dates in 2014, including a nine-date tour together which kicks off in March.
And Strawbs mainman Dave Cousins is hoping there'll be a chance to reunite on stage with Curved Air vocalist Sonja Kristina, who used to front his band.
Cousins says: "Sonja sang with us after Sandy Denny left, and she rejoined the Acoustics on stage in 2009 at our 40th anniversary weekend to sing some of the Sandy Denny songs. Let's hope there's an opportunity to hear those again on this tour."
Kristina's band recently reunited with guitarist Kirby Gregory who joined the band in 1972 and featured on the Air Cut album, after Kit Morgan left for health reasons and to pursue other interests. Last month they released a single entitled Colder Than A Rose In Snow. more on this story
Silent Voices Release New Song 'Burning Shine'
(TeamRock Radio) Silent Voices, the Finnish band featuring Sonata Arctica men Herik Klingenberg and Pasi Kauppinen, have released a new track called "Burning Shine."
It's taken from their later talcum Reveal The Change, which launched in November, complete with a guest appearance from Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko.
It's their first with vocalist Teemu Koskela, of Winterborn fame, who'd already toured with the band last year. Check out the tracklisting and listen to the new song here.
Boston Guitarist To Be Featured On Secret Life Web Series
(hennemusic) Boston guitarist Tom Scholz will be featured on an upcoming episode of "The Secret Life Of Scientists And Engineers", an Emmy-nominated web-series from the acclaimed PBS series, Nova.
Secret Life profiles today's leading scientists - and shows what they're like when the lab coats come off – like a biochemist who competed for Miss America and a microbiologist who's a professional wrestler.
Prior to his musical career, Scholz received both a bachelor's degree (1969) and a master's degree (1970) in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked for Polaroid Corporation as a senior product design engineer. more on this story
Black Stone Cherry Frontman Baptizes Bandmate
(Classic Rock) Black Stone Cherry have revealed guitarist Ben Wells was baptized by frontman Chris Robertson just before Christmas – but they say it's not a publicity stunt and they're not aiming to force their beliefs down fans' necks.
The band, who are currently at work on their fourth album, posted the above photo of the ceremony, which took place at their local church, showing Wells and Robertson assisted by their pastor.
"We hope this photo will encourage anyone in need of inner peace. We're not crazy 'Bible thumpers' but we do love us some Jesus!," the band said. "This isn't a stunt, nor is it a political religious move. This is simply a public display of what we are proud of. If just one person is affected by this in a positive way, that's what it's all about." more on this story
Joanne Shaw Taylor To Headline Summer Blues Splash festival
(The Blues Joanne Shaw Taylor will headline the annual Summer Blues Splash festival at the Picturedrome, Holmfirth, on July 12.
The lineup for the music festival will also feature Larry Miller and Gwyn Ashton, with more acts to be announced in due course.
It's Taylor's first confirmed appearance this year following a busy 2013 in which she released her first live album, Songs From The Road. more on this story
Fox Business Look At KISS Merchandising Formula
(hennemusic) KISS are featured in a FOX Business News report and video is available. Wall Street Journal celebrity business reporter Lee Hawkins examines the success of KISS' merchandising for FOX.
Hawkins says the band have made more than $500 million in merchandising since 1973, selling anything with a KISS logo – including lunch boxes, shirts, jackets, comics and coffins.
KISS were recently confirmed as one of the inductees into the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt. Check out the report here.
Young The Giant's New Album Inspired By Haunted House and More
(Radio.com) For Young the Giant, Mind Over Matter is more than the title of their latest album, it's what they told themselves to get over the pressure of making a second record. "We've done it once before," lead singer Sameer Gadhia said in regards to their 2010 self-titled debut, which spawned the hit singles, "My Body" and "Cough Syrup." "But it was a long time ago."
After releasing their first album, the band spent two and a half years on the road. Guitarist Jacob Tilley told Radio.com that by the time they were done touring, they were all ready for a break and a chance to recharge their batteries.
"When we did the first record it was very blind faith that it was gonna work," he said. "We were happy to be recording, taking time off school and having all this buzz around us. It was very exciting, but we toured for a long time and changed as musicians and as people. We wanted to have some time to really decompress with each other and really think about what we were as a band."
They admit though that they were away longer than they would have liked, due to a bout of writers block that had them struggling to find their sound again. It was writing "It's About Time" that helped the guys bounce back and ended up becoming the first single off Mind Over Matter, mostly because Gadhia couldn't stop playing it. "There's a level of frustration in the song that's just from the music itself," Gadhia explained.
Tilley admitted that they were looking to put out something more aggressive than they had before and "It's About Time" fit the bill.
We wanted to make a statement right off the bat," he said, noting that a lot of the songs they were hearing on rock radio were synth heavy, but that's just not their style. "At the core of our band we're a rock band with guitars and we wanted to put out the most blaring, guitar driven track."
Gadhia feels like he found his voice as a songwriter with this album, noting that the band's first outing — recorded when he was just 18 years old — was very earnest and honest. "It's a cliché thing to say, but you know we had our whole lives to write the first record," he explained. "The second really depends on what the band wants to do with it and for us, we wanted to do something a little different, but connect in a really strong way."
To keep them focused on the task at hand, the guys stayed in their home state of California, recording in three different houses in the Los Angeles area, including one in East L.A. that may or may not have been haunted.
"The architect was on something, because it really didn't make any sense," Tilley said. "There was like a corridor to nowhere, it would just stop. And underneath the house, in the bowels of it, there were these giant chambers…with these 30 foot roofs and people had been squatting there at some point. The whole house was just very eerie. It was obviously built in the Seventies and one room looked like it belonged in a '70s porn film, other ones looked like a demon had lived there."
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Release Video From Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
(Classic Rock) Trans-Siberian Orchestra have released a video detailing their appearance at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on New Year's Eve. The spectacular performance topped off a daring feat in which TSO played three shows across two continents in 27 hours, appearing before more than a million fans.
The band delivered two sets in Buffalo, New York earlier on December 30 before flying to Germany for their televised performance at the iconic gateway.
Mastermind Paul O'Neill says the event included "one ocean, thousands of miles, countless border crossings, countless cups of coffee – and all of it as we were flying east against the clock. Since everybody said it was impossible to do, we said, 'We have to do it.'" Watch the video.
The Pixies Release Blue Eyes Hexe Video
(Classic Rock) The Pixies have launched a video for their track Blue Eyes Hexe. It's taken from new release EP-2, following EP-1 (originally referred to as Brand New Pixies Songs) which appeared in July. The four latest tracks were recorded in Wales in October.
Frontman Black Francis explains the meaning of the new track Blue Eyed Hexe: "It's a tale from the northwestern part of the UK, a witch-woman kind of song."
Guitarist Joey Santiago adds: "Producer Gil Norton wanted a swagger – he wanted the solo to sound like you're going to have sex with this blue-eyed hexe." Watch the video.
Black Sabbath Reveal Handwritten Lyrics To Pariah
(hennemusic) Black Sabbath have posted handwritten lyrics to "Pariah", a track from the band's latest album, "13." This is the latest in a series of handwritten lyrics that the band has revealed for the album.
The project was recently nominated for three 2014 Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album ("13"), and Best Rock Song and Best Metal Performance for "God Is Dead?"
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held January 26, 2014 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Check out the lyrics here.
Les Paul's Favorite Les Paul Guitar
(Gibson) With input into some of the world's most iconic guitars, you may think Les Paul's favorite Les Paul would be a "legendary" one. An original '52 Gold Top, maybe? Or a sunburst '59 Standard? But no. Les Paul's favorite was the Les Paul Recording model of the 1970s. It never sold particularly well. But to Les himself, it was the ultimate Gibson Les Paul.
In the "SG years" of 1961-'68, Les Paul didn't have much input on Gibson electrics. But when the Gibson/Les Paul relationship resumed from 1968, new models were soon on the horizon. Single-cut Standards and Customs were back, in the 1970s there'd be the Les Paul Signature.
But Les had his eye on the ultimate recording guitar, and he wanted low impedance pickups. In 1969 Gibson produced their first Low Impedance Guitars — the Les Paul Personal and Les Paul Professional Guitars – but they replaced in 1971/'72 by Les's ultimate: the Gibson Les Paul Recording model.
"For years I've worked to produce a multitude of distinctive guitar sounds," said Les at the time. "The hang-up was to obtain everything in one guitar. Now I'm not talking about gimmickry, I'm talking about the real McCoy - authentic guitar sounds, the type of highs that can rip your ears off, the type of bass response that's clean and clear. Every note must be balanced and offer maximum sustain."
From a distance, the Recording was shaped like a Les Paul Standard. But it was very different. It had two Low Impedance humbuckers, stacked and angled. It was designed to sound best when plugged into a mixing desk at (Low Impedance setting). When used with a regular amp, you had to engage the inbuilt impedance transformer. Controls were relatively complex — Volume, Treble, Bass, "Decade," Microphone Volume, Pickup Selector, Tone Switch and Phase Switch on its large inlay panel.
The Decade switch was designed to "tune"/alter treble harmonics, for "biting" or "silky" highs. And the Decade switch was feasibly the start of a guitar culture joke: although called the Decade, the selector switch had one more position. It actually went up to 11.
Read more at http://www.antimusic.com/dayinrock/#Hf1oY0fSWLYQ3oBS.99
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