Phil Rudd Says He's Returning To AC/DC Despite Legal Problems
(Classic Rock) Phil Rudd has vowed he'll be behind the drumkit when AC/DC tour the world next year. He's on bail after being charged with threatening to kill and possession of drugs in November - and faces a jail term of up to seven years if he's found guilty.
But the 60-year-old tells One News that the charges are "ludicrous" and adds: "Everyone listens to the wrong people. They should listen to me. I'm a good guy - and a pretty good drummer, by the way. Ask Angus; he'll tell you."
He says of his current predicament: "This has just been a big ball of cheese, and all the rats are gathering and having a piece. That's just life. But that's not who I am."
He adds: "I'm going back to work with AC/DC - and I don't care who likes it and who doesn't." Read more here.
Rolling Stones Hint At 2015 Tour Plans
(TeamRock Radio) Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has hinted the band are planning to follow up this year's touring with more shows in 2015. Their 29-date 14 On Fire trek launched in the United Arab Emirates in February before playing Japan, China and Singapore. A spring tour of Australia and New Zealand was moved to autumn following the sudden death of Jagger's girlfriend L'Wren Scott, who committed suicide on March 17.
There followed a summer run through Europe then the veteran outfit wrapped up in New Zealand last month - where they raised nearly US$20,000 for east London charity Community Links by auctioning a meet-and-greet at the final show.
Now Jagger says in a video message to fans: "We've had a fabulous time on the 14 On Fire tour this year. We played in 19 countries to well over one million people. Thanks for coming out to see us - and maybe we'll see you in 2015." Watch the video here.
Lynyrd Skynyrd Recording Album Concerts For DVD and TV
Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd have announced that they will be recording two special hometown shows, where they will be performing their first two albums, for a new DVD and television special.
The band will be performing the special shows at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, FL on February 12th and 13th. On the first night they will perform their 1973 debut album "Pronounced 'Leh-'nerd 'Skin-'nerd" which features the classic songs "Free Bird", "Tuesday's Gone," and "Simple Man".
The second night they will perform their 1974 album "Second Helping" which includes the anthem "Sweet Home Alabama". They also will be performing other classic songs during both shows, according to the Florida Times-Union.
There is no word yet when the band plan to release the live DVD or any additional details about the television special. Johnny Van Zant told the paper, "We've been wanting to go back and recreate these live records for a long time,
"We decided to come back to our hometown, Jacksonville, and play at the legendary Florida Theatre. Can't wait to rock it." Read their report here.
New Megadeth Supergroup Recruit Scar the Martyr Singer?
(Classic Rock) A new report suggests that former Megadeth members Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover have recruited ex-Scar the Martyr singer Henry Derek Bonner for their new band, but a member of the group says that the news didn't come from them.
The duo announced their departure from Megadeth last month within hours of each other and, this past week revealed they were working with an "awesome" new singer for the as-yet-unnamed project.
Blabbermouth broke the news of Bonner's addition to the lineup while fans await a formal announcement from the band. Drover has since responded to the story, telling Brave Words: "No idea where that came from. It didn't come from anybody in my camp. When we are ready, we will be making a full press release on everything."
Read more here.
Anthrax's Scott Ian Enters 'Rock Is Dead' Debate
(Classic Rock) Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian agrees with Gene Simmons that illegal downloading is responsible for the music industry's inability to support the development of new artists.
Simmons stated that rock is "dead" in a September interview with Esquire magazine, and the headlines generated by that statement overshadowed the specifics of his argument that the industry no longer has the ability to support new artists who need time and space to develop.
The Kiss bassist faced an immediate backlash from several artists, including Rob Halford, Slash, and Ian himself. The Anthrax guitarist now tells Ultimate Classic Rock: "There's a lot right in what Gene's saying. I disagree in the fact that I don't believe rock is actually dead. What he's saying about the industry will not allow for the next Led Zeppelin and things like that, I do agree with that, to an extent, because the industry is not what it was."
"There is no industry anymore that signs bands to develop them over a course of five records, like it was in the sixties, seventies and eighties, and then that all went away in the nineties. So for a band these days to get to make five albums until they… Bands don't sell records anymore, so the whole idea of that even is out the window; just the whole model has changed and it has to change, because people steal music now."
He continues: "If people still bought records, then maybe there would be labels that would be willing to spend the money to develop a band and allow a band or an artist to make five albums until they were selling gold, but it just doesn't exist anymore. And until people stop stealing music, it will never exist." Read more here.
The Scorpions Reveal New Album Details
(Classic Rock) The Scorpions will kick off their 50th anniversary celebrations in 2015 with the release of Return To Forever on February 23. The follow-up to 2011's covers album, Comeblack, marks the German outfit's first studio project in three years, during which time the group performed a farewell tour and made a decision to continue recording and performing because they simply had "too much fun" to call it quits.
The set comes on the heels of 2014's MTV Unplugged - Scorpions Live In Athens, a package compiled from three concerts in Athens, Greece at the city's Lycabettus Theatre last year.
Return To Forever features a variety of vintage Scorpions songs that were never completed back in the day. Guitarist Matthias Jabs explains: "We found tracks mainly from the Blackout and Love At First Sting days - which people consider our most creative and best time. They sound good but were never finished. They don't have lyrics or vocals, so we have to do everything new." Read more here.
In Flames Announce Tour With All That Remains and Wovenwar
In Flames have announced that they will be following up their tour with Opeth by launching a new North American headline tour leg next year with support from Wovenwar and All That Remains.
The band continues to support their latest album, "Siren Charms". The new trek is schedule to kick off on February 20th in Agoura Hills, Ca at the Canyon Club and will conclude on March 18th in Milwaukee.
In Flames' Anders Friden had this to say, "We are having such an amazing time being on tour in the U.S. and sharing our stage with our friends in Opeth that it's hard to believe how time flies and that there are only a few shows left this year.
"Therefore, its' even better to be able to announce that we'll be back at the beginning of 2015 to see all of you beautiful people again. Thanks to all of you for your support. You make us feel at home!"
Guitarist Bjorn Gelotte adds, "It's great to be back with Wovenwar. They did a great job supporting us in Europe. Therefore, we are looking forward to take them out again in their home territory.
"Having All That Remains joining us as the main support means we'll have a high energy package that we can't wait to come back to the U.S. with." Check out the tour dates here.
Flotsam and Jetsam Recruit Shadow's Fall Member
Flotsam and Jetsam have revealed that they have recruited Shadow's Fall drummer Jason Bitter to replace Kelly Smith, who is leaving the group to focus on his family.
Smith had this to say about his replacement, "In my opinion, Jason in one of only a couple of men on my short list for the job. Jason's an amazing all around drummer, a true professional, good friend, and solid stand up guy. I was humbled to hear that after first meeting Jason in 1988 in Boston that I had inspired him as a drummer."
New recruit Jason Bitter adds, "I have been a F&J fan for decades, following the band around the East Coast in the '80s and '90s. I've been lucky enough to be in the background of the F&J camp as a fan, supporter, and gear leader to my dear friend, Kelly David Smith.
"I am hard at work relearning all the classic Flotz material and can't wait to record and tour with the band in 2015. This will become my focus after the completion of the 2015 US Shadows Fall hiatus tour, which will happen Spring/Summer 2015. As they say… 'Flotz 'til death!' See you in Europe, in April".
The new lineup is preparing to begin recording their new album which they expect to release in April. Bass player Michael Spencer offered these details about the new effort, "The band already has over 20 songs in the works, so there's certainly no shortage of material to pick from.
"Conley, along with guitarist Michael Gilbert, have been engineering pre-production tracks for the album at their respective studios that include a few songs written during the No Place For Disgrace era of the band. There's a great, old school thrash vibe going on with the direction of the songs and what originally influenced the band, mixed with a little of what we like about today's sound, in metal.
"We've also just begun to look outside of the band for a producer to take this album to where we hear it sonically, so we'll see where that side of things goes."
Blink-182 Want To Try Something Different With New Album
(TeamRock Radio) Blink-182's Tom DeLonge says he wants to record the band's next album somewhere other than a studio. The band began rehearsals for the follow-up to 2011's Neighbourhoods in July. And the guitarist says they'll start recording as soon as they locate a suitable location and reveals they're looking to their untitled 2003 record for inspiration.
He tells Gigwise: "I'm not totally sure how it's going to work. The goal is to find an area or an environment that's different and not just a normal studio to be together as we architect the songs and inspire each other in ways that we did back in 2003.
"I think if we can pull off those few things we'll be in really really good shape. We've always done what we liked, and on the untitled record there was a lot of debate where we thought our fans wouldn't even like it. But I think we succeeded by sticking to what we wanted to do, and it turned out to be the one that the fans like the most." here.
Crippled Black Phoenix Future In Doubt After Public Feud
(Classic Rock) The future of Crippled Black Phoenix is in doubt after a public spat between band members. Founding member Justin Greaves says via Facebook that he is "retiring" the CBP name and brands guitarist Karl Demata a "thief" for, Greaves says, stealing the group's name from him.
The official CBP Twitter account posted a series of tweets attacking Demata, who replied to the accusations in a lengthy post on Facebook. It's not clear who runs the CBP account, which tweeted: "Karl Demata. Coward scumbag thief." Subsequent posts include: "Sad to say, CBP is done for now. The name was stolen from me and it'll take a while to prosecute. CBP will return hopefully soon."
The CBP Facebook page and website are both currently down. The band have just wrapped up a European tour in support of their recent album White Light Generator. Read more here.
Anathema's Daniel Cavanagh Launches Solo Pledge Drive
(Classic Rock) Founding Anathema man Daniel Cavanagh has launched a PledgeMusic campaign for his upcoming solo covers album Memory And Meaning. The 10-track record will pay tribute to artists who have influenced him over the years and includes his take on Pink Floyd's High Hopes, Fleetwood Mac's Big Love, Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill and U2's With Or Without You.
Those who pre-order via his PledgeMusic page will gain access to a range of incentives including album updates, signed CDs, merchandise and personalised re-recordings of classic Anathema songs.
Cavanagh says: "Like all musicians, I am part of a long chain of discovery, as influences are infused into our work and that in turn is passed on to the listener. Finally the time has come to pay tribute to a few of my key influences growing up." Read more here.
NOFX Announce UK Tour With Alkaline Trio
(TeamRock Radio) NOFX have confirmed a four-date UK tour for June and July next year, with support from Alkaline Trio. Fat Mike and co will play Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds and London, with special guests to be announced.
Fat Mike recently announced plans for a punk musical called Home Street Home, accompanied by a 18-track soundtrack album to be launched in February.
He said: "Ever since I saw Rocky Horror when I was eight I've been intrigued by musicals. Well, not all musicals - just ones that break the mould. This is f***ing fun!" Check out the dates and ticket info here.
Joe Satriani Reveals 2015 G4 Experience Details
(Classic Rock) Joe Satriani heads up the 2015 edition of the G4 Experience, a five day guitar retreat in Southern California next summer. Satriani wrapped up his Unstoppable Momentum tour in Australia last month as he promoted his 2013 album. The spring saw the release of his autobiography, Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir, as well a retrospective 15-disc box set Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings.
Beyond his solo work, the guitarist has revealed demos have been completed for a third album by supergroup Chickenfoot - featuring Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith - and that he's optimistic more music will be made despite the challenges presented by the band members' individual schedules to move forward on the project.
On the heels of a summer 2014 edition of the G4 Experience, Satriani will be joined next summer by fellow instructors Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders, Guthrie Govan of The Aristocrats and Mike Keneally, alongside guests Andy Aledort, bassist Stu Hamm, Doug Doppler and Bruce Bouillet.
Satriani explains the concept of the retreat: "G4 brings together four guitar heroes from different sides of the musical spectrum and places them in a unique totally-immersive-music-camp environment with aspiring guitarists/musicians who are interested in learning from the best. Through live performances, jam sessions and clinics catering to all levels, the campers get to learn in an up-close and personal way with the focus on interaction between students and teachers." Read more here.
Aura Reveal New Album Details
(Prog) Italian prog outfit Aura have announced details of their first album in three years. Noise will launch on February 6 via Spider Rock Promotion and will be the follow-up to second studio outing Deliverance which was released in 2011.
The band say in a statement: "Noise represents a substantial turning of sound from Deliverance while retaining many of the elements that have always distinguished the band's sound.
"The turning points were determined primarily by the artistic maturity of the band members - you'll hear different influences with each listen: 70's rock to post rock, united in an amalgam of incredible arrangements moving Aura to pomp prog and art rock."
Check out the cover art and the track details here.
Leprous Working On New Album
(Prog) Leprous are back in the studio working on their fourth album and hope to release it in May, they've announced. Last month they wrapped up their Prog-sponsored UK and Ireland tour and are now working on the follow-up to 2013's Coal. And the band reveal they're doing things differently this time around.
They say in a statement: "We're super-stoked about the new material we have composed. It's not really Coal material, following our mantra about not making the same album twice.
"The writing process has been very different this time. Most of the music has been made by vocalist Einar Solberg on a computer, including almost all the guitar riffs - and Einar has no idea about how to play guitar - so the guitar players were up for a challenge." Read more here.
Immortal Get Sock Puppet Parody For Black Metal Christmas Song
(TeamRock Radio) Previously YouTuber SockPuppetParody has taken aim at Slayer and Rage Against The Machine, now they've created a special anti-festive video of Immortal.
Singing their very own black metal Christmas song (because why not?), Immortal are err immortalised as the most metal looking sock puppets on the planet.
Immortal have recently been in the headlines following legal disputes over the band's name. Check out the Sock Puppet Parody video of Immortal Christmas here.
Twin Atlantic Announce UK Arena Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Scots rockers Twin Atlantic have announced a short UK arena tour for next year. The band will play the biggest shows of their career in the four-date run across the country.
They say in a statement: "We are very excited to announce our biggest UK headline tour to date, taking place in May 2015. This year has been a milestone for our band - we've achieved things we never thought possible, and we've seen our band grow in places so far from home it's hard to comprehend.
"The release of our new album Great Divide opened up what we can do with our live show, and getting to play the album to everyone over the last few months has been so fulfilling. We've always been a band to constantly push ourselves in everything we do, so it feels right to end 2014 by pushing ourselves even further going into the New Year." Read more and see the dates here.
Nuno Bettencourt Says Playing With Rihanna Is Challenging
(Classic Rock) Nuno Bettencourt says playing guitar for pop superstar Rihanna is much more challenging than most people assume. The Extreme axeman has been part of Rihanna's touring band since 2009 and he says anyone who thinks it's an easy gig simply isn't listening closely enough.
Bettencourt tells Guitar Interactive: "Whatever people's perceptions are of whatever Rihanna is, it's definitely a different animal live - completely different. At first, even when I went to work with her, I was, like, 'Can she really sing?' A lot of times with the singers you hear now, there's a lot of that auto-tune element and you don't know who can really sing. But when I went to rehearsal, I could not believe how well she sang, and I could not believe how well she sings live.
"People ask me, 'Why would you do something that you can do with your eyes closed?' And it's a difficult gig. The hats that you have to wear, feel-wise - you go from a basic pop song like Umbrella to a reggae song to a club track to even, like, a punk song and R&B stuff.
"So the amount of different textures and feels, and to have to play along with these incredible musicians who hear everything, it's definitely not a punch-in-the-clock-type situation for me." Read more here.
Ozzy Osbourne Does Surprise Jam In Hollywood Club
(hennemusic) Ozzy Osbourne teamed up with cover band Royal Machines at The Roxy in Hollywood on Friday to perform a pair of his classic tracks and video from the performance has been posted online.
Ozzy delivered Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and his signature 1980 solo smash, "Crazy Train", during the first of back-to-back nights for the group at the legendary venue.
Former known as Camp Freddy, Royal Machines features Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, The Cult), Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction), Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction), actor/musician Donovan Leitch, Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) and Adrian Young (No Doubt).
The group's Christmas shows at The Roxy have become annual holiday season events, complete with a variety of guests. Check out the videos here.
Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament Stars Talk Black Sabbath's Heaven And Hell
The Mars Attacks Podcast have rebooted their Classic Albums Series with an all-star guest list (written and audio contributions) that look back at Black Sabbath's landmark 1980 release Heaven And Hell. The show sent over these details:
The episode features current and former members of Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament, Arch Enemy, Queensryche, Body Count, Guns 'N Roses discussing the album.
Artists such as Vinny Appice, Charlie Benante, David Ellefson, Glen Drover, Gene Hoglan, Steve Smyth, Sharlee D'Angelo, Michael Wilton, Ernie C and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, among others offer their views of the classic album.
Check out the comments and listen to the podcast here.
'Old, Creepy' Paul Stanley's Unaired Coffee Commercial Posted Online
(hennemusic) An unaired Folgers coffee commercial starring Paul Stanley of KISS filmed in 2000 has surfaced online. Stanley can be seen wandering around a circus tent while a trapeze artist flies high above and the KISS frontman sings the product's jingle.
"Life is strange," said Stanley in a 2000 interview. "I got a call asking if I was interested in singing a Folgers commercial. And, like many other things, I thought, 'Why not?' I wasn't at all concerned with who thinks it is okay or not okay, cool, not cool, rock 'n' roll or not. I had a blast doing it, and, like I said, isn't that what this is all about?"
Apparently the commercial was scrapped before it was broadcast. The uploader writes: "This commercial never aired because focus groups asked 'who is the old, creepy guy?' and the agency pulled it. Watch the ad here.
Marilyn Manson Releases Surreal Deep Six Video
Marilyn Manson has released a new music video for the song "Deep Six" which was directed by Bart Hess and comes from Manson's forthcoming album "The Pale Emperor".
The new album is scheduled to be released in North America on January 20th and it will be released in the UK on January 19th via Cooking Vinyl. Watch the video here.
As previously reported, Manson will be launching a North American tour in support of the effort the day after the album release. The "Hell Not Hallelujah Tour" will be kicking off on January 21st in Washington D.C. Check out the dates here.
Scorpions Streaming New Song 'We Built This House'
(hennemusic) The Scorpions are premiering "We Built This House", the lead single from their forthcoming album, "Return To Forever." The song is available now to fans who pre-order the album via iTunes or the band's webstore.
Due February 23 (Feb 24 in North America), "Return To Forever" features completed versions of leftover material from the early 1980s. "It will be material that was never finished," singer Klaus Meine revealed in 2013. "Songs with pure Scorpions DNA from a very exciting time."
The album's release will mark the start of the German rocker's 50th anniversary celebrations in 2015. The group recently unveiled the first series of dates for a 2015 tour, with shows starting May 8 in the Czech Republic. Stream the song and check out the tour dates here.
Foo Fighters Rock The Tonight Show
(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters performed their song "I Am A River" on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. Recorded in New York, the song is the closing track on "Sonic Highways", which recently debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 after opening week sales of 190,000 copies.
Produced by Butch Vig, the project was recorded in 8 American cities - Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The Foo Fighters kick off a 2015 world tour next month with a series of shows in South America before playing dates in New Zealand and Australia in February.
A summer North American run starts July 4 at Washington's RFK Stadium before hitting 27 other cities across the continent. Watch the Tonight Show performance here.
Moetar Release Entropy Of The Century Video
(Prog) Moetar have issued a studio performance video of the title track to their second album, Entropy Of The Century. The follow-up to 2012's debut From These Small Seeds was launched in late summer, headed with a video for lead track, Regression To The Mean.
Bassist Tarik Ragab recently said: "When I began writing these songs I wanted them to form a narrative about the tumultuous political, economic, social and environmental landscape we are in - countered by the exciting advances in science and technology expanding our ideas about the nature of existence.
"I became interested in entropy, defined as a lack of order or predictability, where a system gradually declines into disorder. However, another way of seeing entropy is as a system transforming into a richer, more complex form, progressing beyond our understanding."
He adds: "The laws of thermodynamics also became a fascination for me, the idea that energy can't be created or destroyed. These two concepts and how they relate to our existence became a central theme for most of the songs that I wrote on this album."
Watch the video here.
Singled Out: Martin Callingham's Portland Square
Today Joyce The Librarian frontman Martin Callingham tells us about his single "Portland Square," which come from his forthcoming solo album "Tonight, We All Swim Free". Here is the story:
I've worked just around the corner from Portland Square for a few years now. And the studio where I recorded this track and the album it comes from is on the Square itself. I walk through it pretty much every day.
When I first moved to Bristol, maybe fifteen years ago, Portland Square was home to the homeless, to dealers and sex workers and to their customers. The Square and the streets surrounding it were a little edgy to say the least. But it was also a place where young, artistically minded folk could live cheaply. Today it is both the beneficiary and the victim of the gentrification of inner city Bristol. Where years ago squatters turned their noses up at derelict spaces on and around Portland Square, as I write this, there is a basement apartment for sale at an asking price of £665,000.
Another area rich in creativity, populated by musicians, artists, writers, DIY promoters of events is being slowly but surely eroded by market forces. The people that make an area desirable so often end up unable to continue living in it.
I wrote the song a couple of years ago and is loosely about how easy it can be to sleepwalk into prisons of our own design.
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