David Bowie Earns His Very First U.S. No. 1 Album With Blackstar(Classic Rock)
David Bowie has topped the US album chart for the first time. The late singer's album (Blackstar) was released on January 8, just two days before his death from cancer.
The has debuted at the top of the Billboard chart after selling 181,000 copies in its first week and knocking Adele's 25 from the no.1 slot. (Blackstar) also reached no.1 in the UK album chart and much of the star's back catalogue has also made it into the US and UK charts. In the US, nine other Bowie albums made the Billboard 200 while 19 of his records charted in the UK top 100.
Bowie was 69 when he died after an 18-month battle with cancer which he kept secret from all but his family and closest friends. Tributes poured in from across the music and film worlds, with (Blackstar) producer Tony Visconti saying: "He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of art. Read more here.
Van Halen Reunion Rumors Addressed(hennemusic)
Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony has addressed rumors that he may be reuniting with his former band. Currently a member of supergroup The Circle - along with Sammy Hagar, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson - Anthony is preparing to launch a signature instrument and is aware that a new publicity image that includes a visual link to his Van Halen past has stirred up some gossip and speculation amongst fans.
"I want to clarify some confusion surrounding a recent picture from a video shoot for my new Schecter Signature Bass that will be debuting at NAMM next week," writes Anthony on his Facebook page.
"Apparently, because a road case with the name 'Van Halen' on it is in the photo (which was taken by someone off to the side of the shoot), there is speculation of me having involvement with the band. This is not true.
"The shoot took place in my warehouse and this is just one of the many road cases I still own from the VH days that happened to be there." Read more here.
Footage From Motorhead's Last Performance Goes Online(Classic Rock)
Footage of Motorhead's last ever show in Spain has been released by Resurrection Fest. Professionally shot footage of Motorhead performing Ace Of Spades and Overkill at the festival can be viewed below.
The band played at the event in Viveiro on July 17 - just months before ill health forced frontman Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister to cancel a number of US shows and walk off stage a few songs into a performance in Texas in September.
He recovered in time to play some North American dates and also led the band on a November European tour in support of their last album Bad Magic.
After returning home to Los Angeles, Lemmy celebrated his 70th birthday before being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer on Boxing Day. He died just two days later.
Tributes poured in after his death was announced, and his bandmates Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell said: "Please, play Motorhead loud, play Hawkwind loud, play Lemmy's music loud. Have a drink or a few. Share stories. Celebrate the life this lovely, wonderful man celebrated so vibrantly himself. He would want exactly that." Watch the video here.
Hellyeah Show Halted Over Chemical Leak(TeamRock Radio)
Hellyeah had to abruptly end a show in Texas after an ammonia leak at a nearby factory. The band were about three quarters of the way through their set at Warehouse Live in Houston on Friday night when emergency services called a halt to proceedings and evacuated the venue.
The Houston Fire Department eventually tracked the problem down to a cracked cooling system pipe at the nearby Freedman Food Services warehouse. Members of the public called police when they noticed the smell, which is said to have carried over a large area.
Nobody was hurt in the incident, Khou reports. Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul says: "We were pissed but we had no choice but to comply for the safety of our fans. We love you Houston, and we wanna come back and make it up to you soon." Read more here.
Black Sabbath To Pull Out Some Rarities On Farewell Tour(Classic Rock)
Black Sabbath have released another behind-the-scenes video from the rehearsals for their upcoming The End farewell tour. In the clip, frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler discuss the songs they are preparing. They promise some unexpected additions to the setlist to sit alongside classics like War Pigs and Iron Man.
Iommi says: "We're gonna run through some of the newer old ones that we haven't played for a while," before Ozzy introduces Hand Of Doom from 1970 album Paranoid.
Bassist Geezer Butler adds: "I like playing Hand Of Doom because we haven't done that since the early 70s." A setlist shown in the clip shows that the band are also rehearsing Fairies Wear Boots, After Forever, Into The Void, Snowblind and Behind The Wall Of Sleep.
Osbourne, Butler and Iommi reflect on the fact this will be the last tour they ever play together as Black Sabbath. Ozzy says: "It's not one of these final tours where we give it five years and do another one. This is it for Black Sabbath. It's a once-in-a-lifetime because there ain't gonna be another Black Sabbath tour." Read more and watch the video here.
Wayne Static's Widow Tera Wray Dead At 32(TeamRock Radio)
Tera Wray, the widow of the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static, has died at the age of 33. The news was confirmed by the former adult film star's attorney Michael Fattorosi on Twitter.
Fattorosi says: "I'm so sad today. My client and friend Tera Wray committed suicide yesterday. We were emailing back and forth on Tuesday. And today I got a call from her roommate letting me know what happened.
"Tera is once again with the love of her life, Wayne, and will be forever. May they both find peace together for all of eternity." Static died on November 1, 2014, aged 48. Read more here.
Weezer Announce 'White' Album and Tour, Stream First Song(Radio.com)
Weezer have announced their tenth studio album. The self-titled affair will be referred to as "The White Album," by virtue of its cover art, as has been the case with the band's previous eponymous releases. The self-released effort is set to drop on April 1 (and that's no joke).
The band also shared a new track titled "King of the World" and announced plans to tour the US this summer with Panic! At The Disco and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.
"The inspiration behind the songs were my experiences hanging around the Westside of Los Angeles, which has been our home since Weezer began," says singer Rivers Coumo. "Hanging out with people in Venice and Santa Monica, the beach, the Hare Krishnas, the Sikh on roller blades with the guitar, girls on Tinder within a 4 mile radius, seeing other bands, the kids from La Sera. I would just tweet out 'does anybody wanna hang?' and then I'd get together with people who responded and talk about life. I love California. I wanted the album to make you feel like you were there with us SoCal weirdos even if you're in Milwaukee in December."
Check out the track, and the album cover and tour dates here.
Guns N' Roses To Make Significant Amount From Reunion?(Gibson)
Guns N' Roses will reportedly receive $14 million for their performance at Coachella Festival in April 2016, according to ByZegut. The band will perform two concerts at the festival, on April 16 and April 23.
Based on Coachella's previous set times and general festival set times, the band will grace the stage for 1.5 hours maximum during each of the nights. So, $14 million for less than three hours of showtime. Tidy work!
Currently, Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan are confirmed for the shows. Rumors still abound about whether Izzy Stradlin will be joining Slash on guitar. Some think it might be Velvet Revolver's Dave Kushner. Read more here.
Ozzy Osbourne Explains Why He Won't Retire(Radio.com)
On the surface, retiring sounds great: if you've got the finances to not have to work anymore, why stay in the rat race when you can transfer to a life of rest and relaxation?
The problem is, sometimes too much free time can be too much of a good thing. Case in point: Ozzy Osbourne first retired over twenty years ago, when he went on his "No More Tours" tour in 1992. The problem? He hadn't figured out what he wanted to do next.
So, even though next week Black Sabbath is kicking off their final tour next week, Ozzy is quick to point out that he's not retiring. "I'm not stopping," he tells Radio.com. "If I stop, I'll die. When my father was alive, he said '[My job] offered me retirement and they're gonna give me a bit of cash and I'm going to work on my garden.' He took the retirement, spent the cash, did the garden, and then he had nothing else [to do] and he died!"
His advice? "You have to have something to retire to. If you want to go f-ing mountain climbing or sky-diving or walking, [do that]. But if you sit on your a-, you'll die! You have nothing to get out of bed for! If you sit on your butt watching the f-ing TV all day, everyday, your body will go 'OK, I'm not being used anymore.' That happens a lot, I think!" Read more here.
Judas Priest's Ian Hill Guests With Original Singer(Classic Rock)
Original Judas Priest singer Al Atkins is working on a solo 'best of' album that'll include guest appearances from Ian Hill, Dennis Stratton, Bernie Torme and Jess Cox.
Atkins' album will include re-recorded versions of tracks from throughout his 40-year career. It's as-yet-untitled, but former Maiden guitarist Stratton, Ozzy guitarist Torme and ex Tygers Of Pan Tang singer Jess Cox will appear - along with Priest bassist Hill who appears on two songs.
The idea for the album came about after his involvement in 2013's Atkins May Project. Atkins tells Power Of Metal: "It came about after Paul May and myself were asked to record a 'best of' album by our record company and so we recorded the Atkins May Project - Anthology. It then got me thinking about recording my own solo 'best of' album but set about re-recording all of my favorite songs from the last four decades and using guest players." Read more here.
Iron Maiden Releasing Legacy Of The Beast Video Game(Classic Rock)
Iron Maiden are to launch their own video game called Legacy Of The Beast this summer. The metal giants have teamed up with games developers Roadhouse Interactive and 50cc Games on the project, which is a described as an RPG (role-playing game) for iOS and Android.
Vancouver-based Roadhouse Interactive worked with Maiden's management firm Phantom Music Management and were given wide access to the band's vaults while developing the game - which they say is "an action-packed, free-to-play RPG steeped in Iron Maiden mythology."
Roadhouse CEO James Hursthouse says: "As a lifelong fan, I have always thought that Maiden's music, lyrics and cast of characters would provide the perfect basis for a deep RPG experience. With this game we're creating an outstanding RPG that will appeal to all mobile gamers, including those discovering Maiden for the first time."
Players take on the role of the band's iconic mascot, Eddie, in his many forms - each with unique abilities. Players explore new worlds, travel through time, and battle a cast of characters drawn from the catalogue of Maiden's albums and art. Read more here.
Linkin Park Off To A Good Start On New Album(TeamRock Radio)
Linkin Park mainman Mike Shinoda says he and the band are off to a "good start" on The Hunting Party follow-up. They began work on the as-yet-untitled album in December and returned to the studio earlier this month to continue sessions on what will be their seventh full-length release.
And while Shinoda reports it's still early days, they'll hopefully launch the record later this year. He says in a video message: "It's going well. It's going to be the second half of this year but we've started and we've got some songs.
"I feel like it's a really good start. We don't have any names for songs - mostly just vocals, piano and acoustic guitar and some samples. And as stripped down as that is, we're all really happy and excited about where things are going." Read more and watch the video here.
Marco Biazzi Leaves Lacuna Coil(TeamRock Radio)
Marco 'Maus' Biazzi has left Lacuna Coil after 17-years with the Italian metal outfit. The 42-year-old guitarist says he decided to leave because he wants to start a new music project.
He says: "I felt I couldn't add more to this project any longer so I decided to leave my second family, Lacuna Coil, to take a different path, for a new challenge in my life.
"I'm now looking for another musical project to start, as I want to get back on the road as soon as possible. I want to kick ass around the globe again, because this is what I want and what I love the most.
Biazzi thanks the band and their label Century Media, and adds: "Lastly, a big thanks to you all, friends and fans all over the world, who supported me since the beginning with your infinite dedication and love.
"This is not a real goodbye from me - it is just a change." Read more the bands comments and upcoming plans here.
David Bowie and Lemmy Receiving Oslo City Bell Tribute(Classic Rock)
Norway's capital Oslo will pay tribute to Lemmy and David Bowie by having its City Hall bells play a Motorhead and Bowie song every day for the next five months.
Oslo's 49-bell carillon will chime to the melody of Motorhead's 2015 single Electricity at 6pm every evening until the end of May, while the 7pm slot will sound the bells to Bowie's 1971 hit Changes.
Ian 'Lemmy' Kilmister died on December 28 at the age of 70, while 69-year-old Bowie passed away on January 10. Both men had cancer. The Oslo City Hall bells play various songs throughout the year, chosen by the public.
Carillonist Laura Marie Rueslaatten Olseng tells the BBC: "Just as I was arranging the chimes for January to May, people started talking about Lemmy's death. The public wanted more rock and heavy metal, and the lyrics of Electricity reflect an attitude that I feel fits Oslo very much."
On the inclusion of Changes, Olseng tells The Local: "Musically, the chords and the melody suit the programming machine. And it's a song that came out many years ago and which means something to a lot of people." Read more here.
Music Business Icon Giorgio Gomelsky Dead at 81(Classic Rock)
Music producer Giorgio Gomelsky has died aged 81. His long-term partner Janice Daley told the New York Times that he'd passed away due to complications of colon cancer.
A prominent figure in London's music scene in the early 60s, Gomelsky managed the Yardbirds and pioneered many other artists in his career including Soft Machine, Gong and Magma.
He opened London club Crawdaddy in 1963 and booked the Rolling Stones for their first paid shows. He also founded record label Marmalade and produced Soft Machine's first demos.
He's credited with organizing the UK's first blues festival in Birmingham - with a list of acts that included the Yardbirds, the Spencer Davis Group and Long John Baldry's Hoochie Coochie Men with Rod Stewart. Read more here.
Eagles Of Death Metal Nominated For Brit Award(Classic Rock)
Eagles Of Death Metal have been nominated for a 2016 Brit award. They're on the shortlist in the International Group category at this year's bash, which will take place on February 24 at London's O2.
And Jesse Hughes and co, who found themselves at the centre of the November 13 terror attacks at the Bataclan in Paris, say they're honoured just to be nominated.
The band say in a statement: "You know how you always hear people say that it's nice to just be nominated? Well, in this particular case, it honestly is so nice to just be nominated - especially alongside such other amazing artists like U2, Alabama Shakes, Major Lazer and Tame Impala.
"We are truly humbled by the outpouring of support Eagles Of Death Metal has received this year from all of the people of Europe, and we pledge to continue rocking and rolling for many, many more years to come." Read more here.
The Winery Dogs Tribute David Bowie With Moonage Daydream Cover(Classic Rock)
The Winery Dogs have released a cover version of David Bowie's Moonage Daydream in honor of the late star. The track was being kept back by the band for use as a future bonus track on an upcoming Winery Dogs release, but they opted to issue it now after Bowie's death from cancer this week at the age of 69.
Drummer Mike Portnoy says: "Just thinking of all the ways David Bowie's music affected my life for the past 45 years when I began listening to him. I loved the song Memory Of A Free Festival when my dad introduced me to it when it was released. I was about three years old.
"The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars to this day is still in my top five albums of all time. An absolute masterpiece from the opening of Five Years to the closing of Rock 'N' Roll Suicide.
"I don't think many people ever caught this, but look at the shirt I am wearing on the cover of The Winery Dogs' first album. Yep, Ziggy Stardust is right there with me, Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen. And one of the unreleased covers we recorded during that first session was Moonage Daydream.
"Thank you, David Bowie, for being a part of my entire life. Your music and memory will live with me and millions of your fans forever." Listen to the song here.
Soulfly Stream New Song 'Titans'(TeamRock Radio)
Soulfly have unveiled a lyric video for Titans. The song is lifted from latest album Archangel. The follow-up to 2013's Savages was released in August 2015. Soulfly issued the official video for title song Archangel last September.
Max Cavalera and co will kickstart their 10-date UK and Ireland tour at Nottingham Rock City Basement on January 29, with support from King Parrot, Incite and Lody Kong.
Frontman Cavalera says: "We're finally bringing the We Sold Our Souls To Metal tour to the UK. So all of you British headbangers, skull crushers and metal militia in general, get ready to destroy this f***ing place. See you in the pit." Check out the song here.
Metal Allegiance Not A Conflict With Megadeth For Ellefson(Classic Rock)
David Ellefson says that Metal Allegiance helps his "musical pedigree" when playing in Megadeth. The supergroup, which has a rotating all-star line-up including Alex Skolnick of Testament, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Charlie Benante from Anthrax and Slayer's Gary Holt, released its self-titled debut album in September.
The bassist admits that he had to learn to "say yes" to other projects after Megadeth broke up in 2002 - but that juggling multiple bands and interests is an increasingly common practice in the music industry.
He says: "People called and said, 'Hey, you wanna write some songs? Hey, you wanna play a tour? Do you wanna play on a record?' And I had to learn to start saying yes to things.
"I'm in Megadeth - make no mistake, Megadeth is my band. But when I do go off and play some shows or cut a record or something with some other people, in today's world, and even in today's record business, that's much more understood, accepted and just kind of part of the culture we live in now.
"A lot of people are doing a lot more other things outside of just their band, and, to some degree, fans like it. They don't look at it as, 'Oh, there's problems at home. Why is he out playing on something else?'"
He adds: "I think Metal Allegiance is definitely one of these that runs really concurrent with the Megadeth fan base and the audience." Read more here.
Chthonic Singer Wins Election In Taiwan(TeamRock Radio)
Chthonic vocalist Freddy Lim has been elected to government in Taipei's 5th district in Taiwan. The 39-year-old defeated veteran legislator Lin Fu Yang of the Kuomintang party (KMT) by more than 6000 votes.
Lim stood as a member of the New Power Party, a brand new pro-democracy party which was founded in January 2015. It emerged from the Sunflower student movement last year, advocating for universal human rights, civil and political liberties and protecting Taiwan's independence as a sovereign state.
NPP has risen to become the third biggest party in the country according to polls - as young people reject KMT and its core policy of reunification with China.
Lim told reporters at a campaign rally on Thursday: "From my point of view, Taiwan should become a 'normal country' step by step. Taiwan will only be able to safeguard its freedom and democracy after becoming a normal country." Read more here.
Hacktivist Release 'Buszy' Video(TeamRock Radio)
Hacktivist have released a video for their track Buszy and confirmed their debut album will be out in March. The Milton Keynes five-piece will release Outside The Box on March 4 via UNFD. Buszy is the first single to be taken from the record.
On the track, co-vocalist Ben Marvin says: "This song is about partying, tour life and dedication to our H team - living the life we want and not letting anything get in our way.
"Buszy in Milton Keynes is a place we've all grown up with. They used to put club nights on there and there's also a skatepark. It also was used for community projects, but unfortunately it is being shut down by the council in another example of profit over people.
"We did the best we could to keep it going but our voices were unheard. We decided to name our song after it and get a video shoot booked in before it got shut down, so I want people to take away from it the fact that no matter what, you gotta do what you love and you gotta fight for what you believe in. No matter what or who is against you." Read more here.
Sabaton Release 'Resist And Bite' Video(TeamRock Radio)
Sabaton have released a video for their track Resist And Bite. The promo is taken from the the Swedish outfit's upcoming live package Heroes On Tour which will launch on March 4.
Bassist Par Sundstrom says: "We have always aimed to be a band people love to see live, for the simple reason we love to play live. With this release we hope to share some of that feeling with you. We recorded two shows in case one is not enough for you."
The package will be issued on DVD/CD and Blu-ray/CD via Nuclear Blast. It features sets recorded at their own Sabaton Open Air festival in their hometown of Fulun, Sweden, and at last year's Wacken festival, Germany.
The dates were scheduled in support of their 2014 album Heroes. Watch the video and read more here.
Poly-Math Release New Song and Reveal Mini-Album Details(Prog)
Poly-Math have announced details of their upcoming Melencolia mini-album and have released a stream of the single "Ekerot". The three-track recording comes on the back of 2015 EP Reptiles and will be released on April 8 via Superstar Destroyer Records.
The band say: "We were much less afraid to lean on our prog and post-rock roots than we have been previously. It allows us to deal with our songs as movements or pieces."
Guitarist Tim Laulik-Walters, bassist Joe Branton and drummer Chris Woollison are expected to announce tour dates soong, while Melencolia pre-orders will be available soon via Superstar Destroyer Records online store. Listen to the single, see the artwork and track details here.
The Gift Revisiting Awake & Dreaming For 10th Anniversary(Prog)
The Gift have announced they'll reissue their album Awake & Dreaming to mark its 10th anniversary next month. It's set for re-release on February 13 - and mainman Mike Morton has also confirmed the return to the lineup of guitarist Leroy James for the band's future projects.
Morton tells Prog: "There's a lot of excitement in The Gift camp at the moment. The re-release of Awake & Dreaming means a lot to the band, and to me personally. It was a labour of love, and for a whole bunch of reasons was rather overlooked back then, so it's good to see it getting more love.
"On top of that, Leroy James has rejoined the band. He created the first album with me and is a good friend, so his is a kind of homecoming. When you add the fact that we now have Gabriele Baldocci, a renowned concert pianist, on keyboards, and Konchordat's Neil Hayman on drums, it's fair to say the jewels have been set in the crown." Read more including the track details and see the artwork here.
John Cale's M:FANS Will Be The Last Remake(Classic Rock)
John Cale says he won't remake any of his other albums after his reimagining of Music For A New Society arrives this month. Cale's M:FANS is released on January 22 via Double Six/Domino on 2CD, with the second disc including a remastered version of the original record featuring three previously unreleased bonus songs.
The former Velvet Underground man decided to remake his 1982 solo record in the wake of ex bandmate Lou Reed's death in 2013. But despite being thrilled with the results, Cale won't take on any similar projects.
On whether he has plans to remake any other albums, Cale tells the Guardian: "Not at all. I get the opportunity to do that anyway when I do a concert. I like tearing them apart and reassembling them. It keeps my interest.
"I get bored really easily. In April we have this Velvet Underground anniversary concert in Paris. That's going to be all about rearranging them again. You're always rearranging the furniture on the Titanic anyway." Read more here.
Cheap Trick Release Preview Of TV Concert Series Performance(hennemusic)
Cheap Trick have released a preview video of "Live From Red Rocks", a concert series set to premiere on AXS TV later this month. Cheap Trick will perform in the AXS TV series launch on Sunday, January 24 at 8 PM ET.
The program presents artists like Barenaked Ladies, Alan Jackson, Blues Traveler, Grace Potter and Counting Crows captured live at the famed Colorado venue.
The Rockford, IL band will enter the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during an April 8 ceremony at New York's Barclays Center alongside Deep Purple, Steve Miller, Chicago and N.W.A.
The group will release a new album, "Bang Zoom Crazy…Hello", on April 1. Produced by Julian Raymond, the project is the band's 17th studio set and their first in five years. Watch the preview here.
No comments:
Post a Comment