Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ben Affleck To Direct And Star In 'Argo'

6/28/2011 4:38 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Ben Affleck has confirmed that he will star in the leading role of the upcoming film, "Argo," which he is also directing. The film marks Affleck's follow up to his 2010 film "The Town" as a director and will center on the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

The film will be co-produced by George Clooney and, according to Variety, John Goodman and Alan Arkin are both in talks to co-star alongside the actor. Affleck will reportedly play a CIA agent who assumes the identity of a Hollywood director shooting a fictitious film in an attempt to sneak hostages out of Iran.
"Argo" is not, however, Affleck's only upcoming directorial effort. He also recently signed on to helm a new English adaptation of Harlan Coben's thriller "Tell No One," which was originally adapted for the screen in France in 2006.

No Doubt Out for ‘Blood’ on New Album

Bryan Wawzenek

06.29.2011

Gwen Stefani couldn’t contain her glee at the prospect of a new No Doubt album in an interview with Rolling Stone. According to the band, the record is about two months away from being done.
“It’s so exciting to have a record coming out," Stefani said. “And we all want the same thing: for it to be modern and catchy and addictive. Once you make music that connects with people, it’s like you taste blood – you can’t go back.”
It’s been 10 years since the last full-length studio album from No Doubt (2001’s Rocksteady), but Stefani explained that the intervening years have been anything but a vacation.
“A lot of stuff happened during that time period,” she said. “Marriages, babies and, for me, two records and two clothing lines. So if you really worked out the math, you’d be like, ‘Wow, you guys are going fast.’”

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Michael Anthony on Chickenfoot’s Next Album and Tour

Tuesday, 28 June 2011

UltimateClassicRock.com conducted an interview last week with Michael Anthony on Chickenfoot’s upcoming album. Here’s some excerpts:
Michael Anthony, the founding bassist of Van Halen, and current member of hard-rock supergroup Chickenfoot, took time from planning the release of the band’s upcoming album to grant Ultimate Classic Rock an exclusive interview.
He talked about his departure from his former band, his new group’s sophomore album (humorously titled ‘IV’) and Chickenfoot’s plans for their upcoming tour. He also explains how his insides manage to stay together after decades of being subjected to low frequencies, whiskey and hot sauce:
So, you and the Chickenfoot guys seem pretty damn happy together, huh?
It’s like how Van Halen was in the early days. It’s four friends getting together and having a good time. I guess a lot of that has to do with, you know, we’ve all had our own careers and done really well. So, it’s not like we have anything to prove, and we don’t need to do it for the money, so we can do it just purely for the enjoyment of making music.
In between Van Halen and Chickenfoot, did you consider recording your own music?
You know what? I did kick it around. People were saying, “Hey, why don’t you go out and put a band together, and just do some shows?” I didn’t want to do the thing that [David Lee] Roth was doing, you know, cause he went out and put a band together and was just doing Van Halen stuff. You know, that’d be kind of a cheesy way to go. When I went out [on tour] with Sammy [Hagar], I put together this Mad Anthony Express thing a few years back. I thought it was great. People were saying, “You ought to take this out, do a House of Blues tour or something.” But, you know what, it was fun to do that one time, but if I were to do something it would be totally on my own. In the meantime, I was out playing with Sammy quite a bit, obviously the Planet Us thing came up, but that kind of blew apart because of the Van Halen ’04 reunion. I dunno, seeing how that all came out, maybe we should have stuck with the Planet Us thing. That didn’t end very harmoniously.
You’re saying the new record is heavier than the first one, right?
Yeah it is, there are parts of it that are also maybe a little darker. I think we’ve really evolved as a band. The first CD, we just had so much fun jamming, we had some ideas and we put it together kind of quick, because everybody else had their schedules to keep. Even though we actually kind of did it the same way this time, we were a lot more comfortable jamming with each other, and I think we dug a lot deeper. There’s a lot more meat to these new songs.
Is it true you recorded ‘Down the Drain’ from the first album in one take?
That was the one song on the album that we basically wrote as we were playing it. We were actually taking a break working on another song. Joe just started playing this lick, and like it happened so many other times, Chad [Smith] and I started jamming a little bit. We told [producer] Andy Johns to always be recording, because you never know what could happen — there you go, right there, ‘Down the Drain.’ All we had to do was, there was a little B-section that we added in. We jammed that thing for a long time, so it was just a matter of “Let’s chop this off right here,” but otherwise, that was a one-take deal.
Is the mood of the new record serious, or more of a party vibe?
Well, it gets kind of serious when Joe [Satriani] gets there, because he’s kind of a serious musician. If it wasn’t for that, between Chad, Sammy and myself, we’d still be dicking around in there.
Has that rubbed off lyrically as well?
Yeah, it was interesting because Joe had a handful of ideas, and the way this process worked, some months back, we all had a week off, where we just kind of got together because Joe had some ideas. We came up with the foundation for a few things, and that was it. Then, the way we do it, if there are ideas being thrown around, we MP3 each other, we send files back and forth because everybody is, you know, not together. Then, when we get together, it’s really cool. That’s where you can really see the chemistry of this band. Everything just gels and music comes flying out. That’s great, that happened twice in Van Halen — once at the beginning, and once when Sammy joined the band, that kind of chemistry was there.
It’s that easy, huh?
Well, I think it was a little overwhelming lyrically at first for Sammy, because all of a sudden the ideas were coming fast. It’s like, oh man, we’ve got, one, two, now we got four or five [songs.] Eight of the songs on the new album, we didn’t even get together to rehearse these songs. When Chad and I were flying up north to record this at Sammy’s studio in San Rafael, we were in record mode, we weren’t rehearsing or anything. It’s kind of cool that way, because a lot of things happen very spontaneously as you play songs or work them out. Sometimes, the more you listen to them, you think, “Oh, I can play this there, or that there.” But when it’s spontaneous, you throw stuff out there that’s like, “Whoa, I didn’t even know I played that.” We were doing two tracks a day for four days. We had eight tracks. He’s writing lyrics, and we’re going, “No, we’re onto this song now.”
Any particular favorites?
In fact, there’s one song on the album now called ‘Different Devil’ that Sammy had nothing for, but he really liked. It always happens, he either goes to his place in Maui, or his place in Cabo. I remember him calling me and saying “Awww, Mikey, I just got inspired!” He came up with this whole thing, and it ended up being one of my favorite songs on the record.
So when do we get to hear some new music?
We’re hoping to have a single out sometime very soon — hopefully in July. Why wait? We’re hoping to have the album out sometime in the fall.
Read the entire interview on UltimateClassicRock.com.

Five Things That Could Go Right/Wrong With Van Halen’s New Album

Sunday, 26 June 2011

From Ultimate ClassicRock.com:
Five Things That Could Go Right With Van Halen’s New Album
by: Matthew Wilkening
Any day now, Van Halen is expected to unveil the details of their first full-length album with original lead singer David Lee Roth since ’1984.’ Obviously, any cynic could come up with an article about the Five Things That Could Go Wrong With Van Halen’s New Album, but what if we were to also give this legendary band the respect and faith they’re due, and instead focus on Five Things That Could Go Right With Van Halen’s New Album:
5) ‘Diamond Dave’ is back!
That’s right, for the first time in more than 27 years, the Van Halen brothers will be reunited with original lead singer David Lee Roth on their new album. These guys crawled up from the clubs to sold-out arenas together, and batted six-for-six in terms of awesome albums, so, really, what’s the sense in betting against them to succeed again?
4) Now with 50% more Van Halen!
Yes, the loss of original bassist and back-up vocalist Michael Anthony (who’s currently cavorting with second VH singer Sammy Hagar in Chickenfoot) will hurt Van Halen. Luckily, Eddie Van Halen literally bred the perfect replacement: his own son, Wolfgang, a 20-year-old virtuoso who’s reportedly going to be given more musical room to roam than his predecessor.
3) They do a kick-ass cover or two
Reportedly, the band has toyed for years with the idea of adding Wilson Pickett’s soul classic ‘In the Midnight Hour’ to their list of awesomely-done cover songs. From ‘You Really Got Me’ to ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘You’re No Good,’ cover tunes have always been a highlight of new Van Halen records, and we’re ready for another unique reinvention on their next album.
Read the rest on Ultimate ClassicRock.com.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Five Things That Could Go Wrong With Van Halen’s New Album
by: Matthew Wilkening
Reportedly, Van Halen’s new album is recorded and soon to be unleashed onto the world. We’re pretty excited about it, as you can tell by our story entitled Five Things That Could Go Right With Van Halen’s New Album. However, it’s been nearly 30 years since the band recorded a new studio album with lead singer David Lee Roth, and they’ve never made one without original bassist Michael Anthony. So, it’s quite natural that fans might be nervous about how it’s all going to work. Here are Five Things That Could Go Wrong With Van Halen’s New Album:
5) David Lee Roth Tries to Actually Sing
Don’t get us wrong — David Lee Roth presided vocally over the best six albums Van Halen ever made, but you can’t call what he does, as tasteful and exciting as it is, singing, exactly. Problem is, working with a strong voice like Sammy Hagar’s seems to have spoiled Eddie Van Halen a bit; how else can you explain whatever Elvis-loungey-croon thing he’s trying to get Roth to do on 1996′s reunion track ‘Me Wise Magic?’ Hopefully “Diamond Dave” is allowed to play to his own strengths on the new Van Halen album.
4) The Songs Are Too Long
Van Halen’s self-titled debut album needed just under 36 minutes to change rock as we knew it. In fact, the six David Lee Roth-era albums clock in at an average time of under 34 minutes. By contrast, the “Van Hagar” records run about 50 minutes each, and ‘Van Halen III,’ with Gary Cherone, occupies nearly an hour. This longer approach may have worked with those two, more pure singers, but as the pair of five-minute-plus songs on 1996′s ‘Best of Volume 1′ (yes, we’re bringing those up again) proves, it doesn’t suit Roth quite so well.
3) Alex Van Halen Breaks Out the Synth-Drums
Of all the fears we have about the new Van Halen album, the prospect of Alex Van Halen breaking out his computerized drum pads, seen hear marring an otherwise organic, rocking live performance of the title track to 1986′s ’5150,’ is admittedly the most far-fetched. In fact, we’re pretty sure we saw him throw these things in the trash sometime in the early ’90s.
Read the rest at Ultimate ClassicRock.com:

Pam Anderson Sued By Ex Over Real Estate Deal

6/28/2011 10:23 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Pamela Anderson has reportedly been slapped with a $22.5 million lawsuit by her ex-boyfriend, real estate developer Laurence Hallier. According to various sources, Hallier is suing Anderson after she refused to help him promote the sale of condos in a newly opened property in Las Vegas called Panorama Towers.

Anderson had reportedly agreed to give public appearances to promote the building in exchange for a condominium of her own. She filed suit against Hallier claiming that she never received the condo or the agreed upon fee of $1 million. Hallier claims the rights to the property were nullified when she refused to promote the building.
Anderson also made recent headlines when she and her two teen boys moved into a trailer park while their Malibu, California home was being renovated.
"The boys and me love the trailer park, it's a special community, we're happy here. It's the most beautiful place, it's where I take my motorcycle, my surf board. There are firemen with their children, surfers, all sorts. The children are so happy. I wouldn't trade my life with anyone," she told news sources recently.

Sebastian Bach shooting new videos

Monday, June 27, 2011

Sebastian Bach shooting new videos

Things are busy in the Sebastian Bach camp these days.

Earlier this month, Bach finished up mixing and mastering of his next solo album, “Kicking & Screaming,” due September 27.

Two weeks ago, the singer was reviewing extras for the release. “Working on bonus materials for CD Deluxe Editions!,” said Bach. “This will include unreleased songs, alternate mixes, & a bonus DVD ! With ProShot live concert footage! Going through footage now.”

Now comes word that the project has headed into full video territory, as Sebastian is set to film two new video videos tomorrow (Tuesday) in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment.

"We are actually going to have three videos, but one of them is mainly live in concert,” says Bach. “So, we shoot two concept videos tomorrow and then run through the third song to intersperse the live footage with studio video footage," adding, "It's gonna be a fun day."

The follow-up to 2007’s “Angel Down,” “Kicking & Screaming" was produced by Bob Marlette and features guitarist Nick Sterling and drummer Bobby Jarzombek.

Sebastian Bach

Sebastian Bach – American Metalhead
Movistar Arena – Santiago, Chile – March 20, 2010

Howard Stern Vs Mel Karmazin: Round Two

Journalist and attorney Allison Hope Weiner is a special correspondent to Deadline and files this exclusive breaking news:

Now it's getting personal in Round Two of the legal war between Howard Stern and his satellite radio boss Mel Karmazin according to affidavits filed today by Stern and his longtime agent Don Buchwald, reviewed exclusively by me. Only last January, both Stern and Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin were basking in the glow of Stern’s new contract, with Howard praising how well he’d been treated. But it turns out that, even as Stern was inking the new 5-year pact, the two men were already clashing over Karmazin’s refusal to acknowledge that the company owed Stern additional performance-based stock awards because he exceeded the subscriber targets set in his original agreement with Sirius. Three months later, Stern and Buchwald sued the merged Sirius XM. Now new details keep surfacing about what went wrong between Stern and Karmazin.
In the affidavits, Buckwald reveals that in early 2010, he contacted Sirius about why the performance-based compensation that Sirius then owed Stern for 2008 and 2009 wasn't paid. “Sirius claimed that no compensation was due,” writes Buchwald. He then had Stern’s lawyer write to Sirius’s General Counsel asking for an explanation. The company again refused to pay. “Sirius’s lawyer claimed that the subscribers on the XM platform did not count toward the total number of Sirius subscribers and pointed out that we had already received the 'merger bonus',” writes Buchwald. Finally, during the renegotiation of Stern’s original contract, Buchwald tried again. “I attempted to discuss the performance-based stock awards with Karmazin,” writes Buchwald. “Karmazin, however, refused to discuss any resolution of the matter.”
Buckwald alleges that only when it became clear they weren't going to “make any progress with Karmazin,” he and Stern decided to bring a lawsuit because Sirius was now trying to renege on the agreement. Buchwald points an accusatory finger at Karmazin in the affidavit. “Sirius’s CEO, Mel Karmazin, was not at Sirius when I negotiated the Agreement with the company. The CEO at the time was Joseph Clayton. Scott Greenstein has told me a number of times that Karmazin is unhappy with the size of the Agreement that was negotiated and agreed to by his predecessor, and that Karmazin has said that if he had been CEO at the time, he would have given Stern much less and not given into our demands. He might have tried to do that, but in this case, as I told Scott Greenstein more than once, Sirius would not have gotten Stern.”
Stern for his part, seems to be taking the lawsuit very personally. “Our Agreement is clear — the stock awards are based upon the total number of subscribers that the company has at the end of any given year,” Howard says in his affidavit. “When we were negotiating the agreement, Don raised with Sirius the possibility that Sirius and XM might combine. Sirius never said that, if that happened, it would not count the new subscribers for purposes of the stock awards.” Stern adds that he fulfilled his role of drastically increasing the subscriber numbers and now deserves to share in the company’s success.
Stern doesn’t specifically single out Karmazin as a target, but it’s clear that his patience is wearing thin. “Last year, Sirius celebrated having more than 20 million subscribers [by] taking out ads in the media and throwing a Paul McCartney concert to commemorate this historic event. I went to that concert, and it was simulcast on one of my channels,” he notes rather pointedly in the final paragraph of his affidavit. “I do not understand how the company can brag to the world that it has more than 20 million subscribers, and then turn around and tell me that only half of them count. All of these subscribers are subscribers of Sirius. Sirius has pointed to them as a measure of the company’s success, and the whole purpose of the performance-based stock awards was to allow me to share in that success.”

Monday, June 27, 2011

On This Day In 1973 – ‘Dream On’ Released By Aerosmith

1973 – ‘Dream On’ Released By Aerosmith

Today In Music History - June 27
6/26/2011 11:10:12 PM

Aerosmith released their iconic blues-rock anthem “Dream On” on June 27, 1973. The track was initially released as part of the band’s self-titled debut album and helped the band expand its rabid fan base in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.

In “Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith,” the band’s former manager Steve Leber explains how “Dream On” was critical to the band’s success:

“I called [CBS Records head] Clive [Davis]. I begged him. I said: ‘Clive, please release ‘Dream On’ for me [as a single].’ And he did. It went to something like #60 and got them some momentum so CBS at least understood something was there . . . So we did that and extended the option period so we could get the second album recorded.”

The track went on to peak at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and ranked in the top ten singles of the year on several New England radio stations.

The band would go on to bigger success with such hits as “Walk This Way” and “Crazy.”

Pink Floyd To Release Duluxe Reissues Of Their Biggest Albums

6/25/2011 2:03 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Pink Floyd are set to release new updated versions of their entire studio calendar later this fall, and now the band has also confirmed they will offer deluxe editions of their three signature releases.

According to a new report from gibson.com, the band will release a deluxe edition of Dark Side of the Moon on September 26, Wish You Were Here on November 7 and The Wall on February 27, 2012.
"We will do some more sort of in-depth versions of other albums, but I don't know what we've got in the pipeline for that, yet," drummer Nick Mason told Billboard.com.
The new editions will be chock full of special bonus materials including an alternate version of "Wish You Were Here" that Mason says really stands out.
"When I heard that for the first time, I couldn't for the life of me understand why we never put that on record in the first place," he said. "I felt like, 'This is great! Why didn't we use this?!'"

Gibson.com’s Top 50 American Rock Bands of All Time – #42 Cheap Trick!

Gibson.com’s Top 50 American Rock Bands of All Time – #50-41

06.27.2011

We’ve nearly arrived again at that most American of holidays: the Fourth of July. In celebration of the country’s independence, and legacy of amazing bands, Gibson.com is counting down the Top 50 American Rock Bands of All Time.
That’s right, we’re celebrating the good, old U.S. of A. with some pre-holiday musical fireworks , sure to ignite a fiery debate over who owns the title of the best American rock band – ever! We enlisted the talents of Gibson.com’s editorial and writing staff, along with you, the readers, to weigh in on this most patriotic of subjects.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce #50-41 on the list. Check back to Gibson.com each day, as we reveal 10 more American greats, with the Top 10 coming on Friday.
50. Green Day

Green Day are an American band who make ambitious music out of, well, questioning America. The music of their 2004 album, American Idiot, expresses the fear in the U.S. the days after 9/11, as well as the band’s disillusion with the government of the era. All politically charged lyrics aside, Green Day are a rare bunch who have sold millions of albums (at 15 million, 1994’s “Dookie” is the world’s best-selling punk rock album ever), launched a Broadway musical and earned generations of punkster fans. – Anne Erickson

49. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

Frank Zappa was undeniably a creative genius, and part of this genius was expressed in his ability to surround himself with unique musicians. The original Mothers of Invention encapsulated the dirtier side of the ’60s, yet were equally capable of off-key darkness (“Who are the Brain Police”) and note-perfect pop (“You Didn’t Try to Call Me”). Frank eventually found more musically able Mothers, but the original lineup had an almost naive charm that couldn’t be replaced. – Peter Hodgson

48. Yo La Tengo

The Onion once ran a spot-on mock news story in which 37 record-shop assistants were lost, feared dead, when a roof caved in at a Yo La Tengo concert – the New Jersey outfit being beloved of indie-elitists and alt-rock aficionados the world over. Ira Kaplan and Co.’s 27-year catalog is strong and deep, from 2006’s guitar-heavy I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass to their subtle soundtrack work and backing-band efforts for The Kinks’ Ray Davies. Zig-zagging genres like an iPod Shuffle, Yo La Tengo remain an American guitar treasure. – Michael Leonard

47. Elvis Presley and the Blue Moon Boys

Any band that includes Elvis Presley among its ranks would have to be blessed with true rock and roll cool. But the Blue Moon Boys also counted guitar legend Scotty Moore, a startlingly original fingerpicking innovator who practically invented the concept of rock and roll lead guitar. As if that wasn’t enough, the Blue Moon Boys’ fusion of rock and country meant they played a crucial role in the history of rockabilly, too. The group was rounded out by Bill Black on bass and D.J. Fontana on drums. – Peter Hodgson

46. Kings of Leon

Hailing from the Nashville suburb of Mt. Juliet, this band of three sons of a Pentecostal preacher and their cousin have taken the world by storm with their unique blend of indie-bluesy-southern-arena rock. Their initial success happened in the U.K. and Australia, where their first two albums racked up crazy sales and awards. Today, with 56 worldwide platinum certifications, including success in the good ol’ U. S. of A., Kings of Leon are now bona-fide rock stars. Amen! – Sean Patrick Dooley

45. The Lovin’ Spoonful

One of the most important progressions in 20th Century popular music was the influx of folk into rock and roll. The importance of lyrics and multi-part harmonies played a major role in turning “rock ’n’ roll music” into “rock music.” Near the center of that movement was a Greenwich Village-based band called The Lovin' Spoonful, whose pop sensibilities and sterling vocals made for several Top 10 hits (including “Summer in the City” and “Do You Believe in Magic?”) and made a star out of frontman John Sebastian. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. – Michael Wright

44. Alice Cooper

In the beginning, Alice Cooper was a full band led by vocalist Vincent Damon Furnier. Under that moniker, Furnier and his clan brought a highly theatrical and vicious brand of ghoulish music designed to shock and rock to the metal mainstream. Gallons of fake blood (it is fake, right?), electric chairs and huge syringes were the antics of the band’s one-of-a-kind live shows. After the group splintered, Furnier began a solo career as Alice Cooper – a name that would follow him to today. With Coop (and the band’s) recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this one’s a no-brainer. – Anne Erickson

43. The Strokes

If the music biz had a machine to manufacture millennial boho NYC guitar hipsters, it would undoubtedly spit out The Strokes. Yet the quintet are definitely for real: Fab Moretti has played drums since he was five, Albert Hammond Jr.’s father was a songwriter of note, Nick Valensi can be a dazzling soloist. Their debut Is This It (2001) is the must-have album, but The Strokes’ new wave smarts and intricate guitar interplay still seduce – with the eclectic brew of 2011’s Angles hitting dizzy heights. – Michael Leonard

42. Cheap Trick

Although they first made it big in Japan, these preeminent purveyors of power pop are a uniquely American force. Fans have been surrendering to Cheap Trick’s sizzling brand of super-melodic rock for more than 30 years. Why? Because few songwriters exist that are as strange, clever and enthralling as Rick Nielsen, few groups can claim a “Man of 1,000 Voices” like Robin Zander and no band – ever! – has worked as hard on stage to be so consistently entertaining. – Bryan Wawzenek

41. NRBQ

Few bands have ever been as wildly eclectic as NRBQ was. Especially during their ’70s heyday, the group incorporated everything from British Invasion pop to free-form jazz into a sound that seemed wholly natural and meant to be. Often called “the world’s greatest bar band,” the group counted Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan among their most avid fans. Chart success eluded NRBQ, but the band’s exalted status was assured when writers for The Simpsons made them the show’s unofficial “house band” for three seasons. – Russell Hall
Votes for the Top 50 Covers of All Time were included from Michael Wright, Bryan Wawzenek, Andrew Vaughan, Sean Patrick Dooley, Cesar Acevedo, Paul Burch, Arlen Roth, Ted Drozdowski, Russell Hall, Peter Hodgson, Anne Erickson, Michael Leonard, Paolo Bassotti and the Gibson.com Readers Poll.

Judas Priest Bassist: ‘K.K. Downing Couldn’t Spend Time Away from His Golf Course’

Michael Wright

06.27.2011

2011 may turn out to be the most memorable year in the four-decade history of Judas Priest. First, Rob Halford and company announced their farewell “Epitaph” tour. Then, just before they embarked on the two-year trek, founding member K.K. Downing abruptly quit the band. The group managed to recruit a new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, to take his place and has since launched the tour. But even so, the tour itself has not been without confusion, with the metal gods backpedalling a bit about its “finality.”
Wolverhampton’s Express and Star caught up with bassist and founding member Ian Hill to discuss the state of the metal mega-group, including the is-this-or-isn’t-this-a-farewell status of the Epitaph tour.
“Yeah, there was a bit of confusion with ourselves to be honest!” Hill laughed. “It’s the intensive touring. This tour is going to be the best part of two years by the time it’s all wrapped up… if it’s ever wrapped up; it’s open-ended at the moment. As long as people want to hear us, we’ll keep on going.
“But it was never going to be the end of the band. We always thought that we’d continue playing at festivals somewhere or some special gigs somewhere. But touring for two years… you have to wonder how many more two-years-worth of touring we’ve got left in us.
Regarding Downing’s departure from the band, Hill admitted he was shocked when it happened. Part of the reasoning behind the decision, he reckoned, was due to the guitarist’s newly built golf course in Shropshire, England.
“It came as bombshell to all of us,” he said. “I think Ken had just had enough. He’d got a lot on his plate with his golf course and I think he couldn’t spend the time away. This tour’s going to be—by the time it’s wrapped up—the best part of two years. It’s a long, long time to be away from things and I just think Ken couldn’t handle the time away.
“I’ll always be a friend of Ken’s and I’m sure he’ll always be a friend of mine. Still waters run deep and we’ve been together as colleagues and friends since we were about five years old. We went through school and everything together.”

Best of Both Worlds

Ex-Van Halen & Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony says there’s no competition between the bands as both prepare to release new albums

Reported by Bruce Henne

Published: June 27, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Runnin' with the Devil

Michael Anthony has lived in both worlds, so he’s probably more curious than most when it comes to the new VH album – the band’s first with David Lee Roth in 27 years, and first with his replacement, new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen.
“Yeah, I’m curious to see what they come out with, but there’s no type of competitive type thing,” the bassist tells Ultimate Classic Rock.
“It’s funny, I go online, and see what the fans are saying, you know, ‘Oh my God, it’s gonna be Van Halen against Chickenfoot this year, both things coming out, and what’s going to be better?’ and blah blah blah. If they out put out a great album, that’s great. I just know that ours is great, and I’m really proud of it.”
Anthony was unceremoniously dumped as VH bassist for reasons, he believes, have nothing to do with music.
“Some Van Halen fans say I left the band to hook up with Sammy, but I never said, ‘I quit’,” Michael told Mojo last year.
“There was nothing going on in the Van Halen camp, but Eddie kinda backed me up against a wall. . . Eddie felt that I was a traitor. I helped hook Sammy back up with them for the 2004 reunion tour, but Eddie didn’t want me to be a part of that originally, so I took a big pay cut.
“I’m not crying, I didn’t need the money. I did that because I wanted to play for the fans. I signed away any legal rights I had with the name, the trademark or whatever. I did it because if that was the last time Van Halen would ever be on stage, I wanted to be part of it.”
“The major reason why I’m not in Van Halen (now) is because I became friends with Sammy again. The Van Halen brothers never got over that. If they hold a grudge, they hold it forever.”
For Anthony, it’s all old news as the past is best left in the past.
“Well, you know what?! As far as people saying, ‘Do you miss Van Halen?’ or any of that kind of stuff, I’ve totally moved on. Man, I am just in my total happy place right now.”
Anthony celebrated his 57th birthday last week and let Chickenfoot fans know what’s up with their new record.
“Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes!,” wrote Anthony on Facebook. “The only thing that makes my day better is that mixing on the new Chickenfoot CD is done! It’s a lot heavier than the first record and I can’t wait to get it out there!”

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Van Halen Summer Essentials

Friday, 24 June 2011

Stay cool with this season’s hottest items at Van Halen Store!

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S, M, L, XL, XXL $48 $38

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Have a Rockin’ Summer in Van Halen Flip Flops!

These FUN and COMFORTABLE Premium Flip Flops sport the iconic Eddie Van Halen stripes! Choose between Red, Yellow, or White, or save on the Complete Set of all three! Just $29.95 each.

Eddie Van Halen High & Low Top Striped Sneakers

Keep your head cool in VH Headwear

Flex Fit Hat
$24.95

Classic Stripes Bandana
$5.50

Trucker Hat
$19.95

Mad Anthony award-winning Hot Sauces, Mustard, and BBQ Sauces

Put a kick into your Summer Barbeques with

Michael Anthony’s MAD ANTHONY line of award-winning sauces!

Hot Sauces, BBQ Sauces & Fiery Mustard - View all sauces

“Sammy” Sunglasses, Red Gasket, Red Polarized Lenses
$179 $139.00

Sammy Style Sunglasses

Liquid Eyewear sunglasses are made of unbreakable, hingeless aluminum, which makes them virtually indestructible. Sammy Hagar loves these shades, wears them often, and has special ordered the models below. View all 7 models.