Sixx in crowd attack

August 2, 2011

Crue bassist jumps into audience to grab camera from audience member at US festival as he continues feud with Godsmack

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Camera junkie: Nikki Sixx

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx jumped into a festival crowd and wrestled a camera from a member of the audience at the weekend.
Video clips show Sixx stopping the band’s performance and going to the edge of the Outlaw Jam stage in Frederick, Maryland, where he holds his hand open, demanding the camera is handed over.
When the fan refuses Sixx leaps over the security barrier and starts wrestling over the device. The rest of Motley Crue look on as security guards try to split up the fight.
Eventually Sixx is helped back onto the stage while the fan and camera are rushed away.
The bassist hasn’t commented on the event but recently updated his Tumblr account profile to read: “I’m a recovering addict. Cameras are my new drug.” He said on Facebook: “Major geekdom plans going down for me and Stevie from Buckcherry to each get an old-school black n white camera tattooed on us.”
Meanwhile Sixx has commented once again on the Godsmack track Cryin’ Like a Bitch, which is believed to be based on frontman Sully Erna’s experiences of touring as a support act for Motley Crue.
Asked by a fan “What is Godsmack’s problem with the Crue?” Sixx replies: “The singer is upset they’re headlining letter openings. I got no problem with that…”

Cowboys & Aliens,' 'Smurfs' Top Box Office In Big Overall Weekend

8/1/2011 11:32 AM ET

(RTTNews) - Though none of the new releases put up an enormous opening total, the box office as a whole did very well, as five movies earned at least $19 million or more this weekend. "Cowboys & Aliens" and "The Smurfs" both pulled in $36.20 million according to early studio estimates, though "Smurfs" finished with a weekend-high of $10,663 per venue and looks to be in better shape than "Cowboys." PG-13 comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" also landed in the top five with a decent $19.30 million. Meanwhile, "Captain America: The First Avenger" saw a big slip from its chart-topping opening and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" soared past $300 million domestically and became the first "Potter" release to cross $1 billion worldwide.

With a bevy of PG-13 action releases, "Cowboys & Aliens" struggled to get off the ground and ended up with one of the least impressive opening totals for a big-budget action release this summer. "Cowboys & Aliens" cost $163 million to produce yet made less than $10,000 per site, which is not a good sign moving forward for the Universal distribution.
As we move into August, the box office also tends to slow down and "Cowboys & Aliens" will have fresh competition next weekend from "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." All things considered, it looks like "Cowboys" will end up one of the bigger commercial disappointments this year and might finish with numbers similar to "Green Lantern."
But things look a little better for "The Smurfs," which has no family competition on the horizon and put up a solid $36.20 million at 3,395 venues - 355 less than "Cowboys & Aliens." It's unlikely that "The Smurfs" will really take off in the next couple of weeks, but it should still post solid numbers all the way up until kids head back to school in late August/early September. Though "Smurfs" won't put up a huge overall total, it might finish as one of the more commercially successful animated releases of the summer.
Also hitting theaters this weekend was Steve Carell's "Crazy, Stupid, Love," which grossed a solid $19.30 million according to early studio estimates. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" should continue to play well with date audiences for a few weekends and will likely land in the $70 to $80 million domestic range, which will be a nice total for a PG-13 comedy released at 3,020 total venues.
As the top new releases got off to mild starts, "Harry Potter" continued to rack up big numbers across the globe. With $1.01 billion in worldwide receipts now, the final "Potter" is the only one in the series to cross the $1 billion mark and it should easily surpass the $1.03 billion worldwide that "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" made, which will make it the top grossing movie of 2011 so far.
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FOREIGNER OFFER ANOTHER NEW PACKAGE THROUGH WAL-MART:

From Billboard.com: "Foreigner is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the band's formation by going acoustic, electric and live -- all on the same package.
"Feels Like the First Time" is a CD/DVD package that will be released by Razor & Tie exclusively via Wal-Mart on Sept. 13, while the audio components will also be available on iTunes. The set comprises a pair of CDs -- "Acoustique: The Classics Unplugged" and "Juke Box Heroes: Brand New Digital Recordings of Foreigner's Greatest Hits," along with the DVD "Live in Chicago," which was filmed in March during two shows at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill., and will also be shown during PBS' pledge drive this fall.
"This is an extra rubber stamp on our claim to this (catalog)," Kelly Hansen, who's been Foreigner's frontman since 2005, tells Billboard.com. "You are constantly having to re-establish yourself. There was a time in the late 90s when the band suffered in reputation, and I think we've spent a good part of the last six years going all over the world to re-establish that this band is very strong and relevant and full of great songs."
Hansen says he and the rest of Foreigner are particularly excited about the "Acoustique" disc, which features unplugged renditions of "Feels Like the First Time," "Waiting For a Girl Like You," "Cold as Ice" and other Foreigner favorites, plus a cover of the Arthur Crudup/Elvis Presley classic "That's All Right" and the first-ever Foreigner recording of "The Flame Still Burns," a song guitarist and founder Mick Jones wrote for the fictional band Strange Fruit to perform in the 1998 film "Still Crazy". [note - Classic Movie!]
Hansen says the acoustic sessions, which were recorded at the Hit Factory in New York, grew from a German radio tour the band did during 2010. "We were doing these live acoustic shows that were being broadcast," he recalls, "and we got a huge response. It was kind of shocking and surprising, and also something that was really new for us. We've never really done that, kind of laying yourself out naked, without lights and amps or anything. It was a real different feeling and a challenge, so we came back and decided to experiment."
The group played some additional acoustic shows in the U.S. and Canada, and Hansen says is considering more of those to help promote "Feels LIke the First Time." "We're still working out the details for that, but it should be interesting," he notes.
The 12-song "Juke Box Heroes" disc, meanwhile, features a new song called "Save Me" as well as the re-recorded hits. "We started doing that quite awhile ago with the intention of using those tracks for licensing," Hansen says. "When fans caught wind that those things were in progress, they let us know they wanted a piece of it, so we decided to put them out."
Foreigner is currently on the road with Journey and Night Ranger, a package that wraps up on Oct. 21 in Seattle. Hansen says the group also hopes to record a follow-up to 2009's "Can't Slow Down," the first original album by this incarnation of Foreigner, but so far "we haven't started talking about that yet. We just got done with ('Feels Like the First Time') and we're on this tour, but we'll get there."
The track listings for the component parts of Foreigner's "Feels Like the First Time" package include:
"Acoustique: The Classics Unplugged": Long, Long Way From Home; Cold As Ice; The Flame Still Burns; Double Vision; Fool For You Anyway; Say You Will; Starrider; Waiting For A Girl Like You; Feels Like The First Time; Juke Box Hero; That's All Right.
"Juke Box Heroes": Brand New Digital Recordings of Foreigner's Greatest Hits: Save Me; Feels Like The First Time; Cold As Ice; Long, Long Way From Home; Hot Blooded; Double Vision; Head Games; Dirty White Boy; Urgent; Waiting For A Girl Like You; I Want To Know What Love Is; Juke Box Hero.
"Live in Chicago (DVD)": Double Vision; Head Games; Cold As Ice; Waiting For A Girl Like You; When It Comes To Love; Blue Morning, Blue Day; Dirty White Boy; Starrider; Feels Like The First Time; Urgent; I Want To Know What Love Is; Hot Blooded; Juke Box Hero.
WebLink: www.billboard.com/#/news/foreigner-turns-35-for-the-first-time-with-1005297872.story.

Ozzy Osbourne film coming to US theatres for 2 nights in August

Ozzy on the big screen…nice.

The Ozzy Osbourne documentary, "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne,"is coming to US theatres nationwide on Wednesday, August 24 and Monday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. (local time).

Directed by Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne, the film – which debuted earlier this year at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival - is packed with never-before-seen Black Sabbath footage and recent solo tour clips.

Fellow musicians such as Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others will also share stories, while an exclusive interview with the Osbourne family explains why bringing Ozzy's storied history to life — through the eyes of his son Jack — was the perfect motivation to capture one of music’s greatest icons in candid splendor.

Tickets go on sale to the general public Monday, August 1.

For details on early access to the film, click here.

For a list of all participating theaters, click here.

Ozzy Osbourne

Rock denies changing Metallica on Black Album

August 1, 2011

Producer rejects blame for loss of classic sound – and says he just told band to listen more to Ulrich

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Changes: Black Album era Metallica

Producer Bob Rock knows many Metallica fans blame him for moving them away from their classic sound by producing 1991′s Black Album – but he says it was nothing to do with him.
Instead he insists the band had already made a decision to abandon the thrash musical ethic, and he just helped them go where they wanted to go by persuading them to follow drummer Lars Ulrich more than they’d done in the past.
And he admits the experience was so fraught he told the band he’d never work with them again – and he believed the feeling was mutual.
Marking the twentieth anniversary of Metallica’s self-titled release, known as the Black Album by most fans, Rock tells MusicRadar: “They had broken through to one level but they still weren’t on mainstream radio. When they came to me they were ready to make that leap to the big, big leagues.
“A lot of people think I changed the band. I didn’t: in their heads they were already changed when I met them.”
Rock says he band wanted to “groove more” and were using AC/DC’s Back in Black album as a yardstick. The producer thought he could assist.
“I noticed Lars played to James Hetfield’s guitar, much the way that Keith Moon played to Pete Townshend. That’s fine for some bands, but no every one.
“I told Lars that in order to get that Back in Black feel, he had to be the focal point musically. So on certain songs the band played to Lars – they followed him. It made a real difference.”
Rock says Hetfield experience a challenging time as he struggled to make his lyrics more realistic compared to previous outings. “James wanted to go deeper,” the producer explains. “He wanted his songs to really matter.
“We talked about the great songwriters, like Dylan and Lennon and Marley, and I think he saw he could write for himself – but still touch other people. He had a tremendous breakthrough as a writer.”
Rock refused to let Metallica record in sections, and instead made them play live, telling them: “You’re a great live band and that vibe is crucial to this album.” He asked Jason Newsted to “play more like a bass player and less like a guitarist” and the result, he says, gave classic track Enter Sandman a “killer groove.”
But the label didn’t want to release it as a single: “At first they thought it could be the first single, then they realised the song was about crib death. That didn’t go over too well.
“I told James: ‘What you have is great but it can be better. Does it have to be so literal?’ Not that I was thinking about the single – I just wanted the song to be better.
“He rewrote some lyrics and it was all there: the first single.”
During recording sessions Rock taught Metallica about the drop-D tuning, which allows guitars to play a full tone lower than their standard setting, offering deeper and darker tonality. The producer says: “I realised every song was in the key of E. They said, ‘Well, isn’t that the lowest key?’
“So I told them that on Motley Crue’s Dr Feelgood, which I’d produced and Metallica loved, the band had tuned down to D. Metallica then tunes down to D, and that’s when the riff on Sad But True became huge.”
Rock wound up working with Metallica on five more albums.

ONE KILLED, THREE OTHERS SHOT AFTER GEORGE CLINTON CONCERT

One person was killed and three others were shot after a fight broke out following a George Clinton concert in Cleveland last night, police tell TMZ.

Clinton performed at something called the eighth annual "Unity in the Park" festival, a free, day-long music event, which featured George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic as the headlining act.

According to police, four people suffered bullet wounds after someone opened fire in the crowd. A 16-year-old was shot in the head, a 20-year-old was shot in the neck, and a 14 and 23-year-old were shot in the leg. They were all transported to a local hospital for injuries.

Police would not say which of the four shooting victims died.

No arrests have been made.

Joe Pesci " I GOT FAT AND SCREWED BY "GOTTI" EXECS " Sues Producers!

Joe Pesci is suing the producers of  "Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father," claiming his deal was so iron-clad, he gained 30 pounds for his role, only to be told he wasn't wanted anymore.

In the lawsuit, Pesci claims reps from Fiore Films offered him the critical role of Angelo Ruggiero, Gotti's close friend and enforcer. Pesci says he made a deal for $3 million.

But Pesci says after he was lured into making public statements about how happy he was to appear in the movie -- which stars John Travolta as John Gotti, Jr. -- the producers pulled the deal, claiming Pesci breached the deal by trying to back out.

Pesci claims he was offered a lesser role -- playing Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso -- for the lesser fee of $1 mil.

But this is the best part. Pesci's lawyer claims his client relied on the contract by assuming the character of Ruggiero in every respect: "[Pesci] has since ended his very strict and healthy diet, and has so far gained approximately 30 pounds in anticipation of playing Ruggiero, who was well known for his heavy and stocky build."

Pesci is suing for $3 million minimum, as well as punitive damages.

Producers tell us they are unaware of the lawsuit.

2002 - Dave Matthews Band Hits #1 With ‘Busted Stuff’

Today In Music History - July 28

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The Dave Matthews Band hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart with their fifth studio release “Busted Stuff” on July 28, 2002. The album pulled together tracks that had initially leaked as part of the band’s aborted recording session with producer Steve Lillywhite.

According to Matthews, the sessions were axed because his songwriting had taken a dark turn as a result of increasing alcoholism:

"[The songs] inspired pity, self pity, or pity for the sad bastard that wrote them. I felt like I was in the process of failing, in the process of letting everyone down. In the process of not supplying the band with songs, not giving the producer the music, not giving the record company tunes—so inside that environment, I was continuing to do just that, come up with these sad bastard songs,” Matthews told Rolling Stone of the sessions.

A bootleg of those sessions, called “The Lillywhite Sessions,” soon gained popularity on the street. The band then decided to rework nine of the eleven tracks from that session for an album. They added to newly written tracks to the session titled "Where Are You Going" and "You Never Know.”

“Busted Stuff” took over number one from “Nellyville” by Nelly. It held on for a week, before being replaced by Toby Keith’s “Unleashed.”

Alex Trebek Injures Foot While Chasing Hotel Burglar

7/28/2011 10:37 AM ET

Alex Trebek is on crutches after chasing a burglar out of his hotel room. The longtime "Jeopardy" host first appeared on crutches Wednesday, when he arrived at the National Geographic World Championship in Northern California. He told the crowd that he hurt his foot on Tuesday morning, when an intruder broke into his San Francisco hotel room he was sharing with his wife. The intruder, 56-year-old Lucinda Moyers, was arrested by San Francisco Police.

Stevie Nicks Will Sing On America's Got Talent And Jay Leno

7/26/2011 1:17 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Stevie Nicks will be performing on America's Got Talent on Wednesday.

The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman will be joined by Fighting Gravity, last season's finalists, on the NBC show, which will feature the four remaining finalists after last week's twelve remaining contestants (Captain & Maybelle, Ian Johnson, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr., Lys Agnés, Mauricio Herrera, Monét, POPLYFE, Professor Splash, Purrfect Angelz, Seth Grabel, SH'Boss Boys and Summerwind Skippers) perform on Tuesday night and eight are eliminated. Nicks will also be appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday night, where she will join guests Matt LeBlanc (Friends) and Freida Pinto (Slum Dog Millionaire) and perform for the crowd.
Nicks noted in May that Fleetwood Mac would be reuniting for a live tour and a new album in 2012, and added that she would be interested in guest-starring on Glee.

Gene Simmons proposes to Shannon Tweed in Belize.

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Gene Simmons proposes to Shannon Tweed in Belize. "Shannon, if we fire Tommy, will you play guitar in KISS?" He's famously sworn that he would never get married ... but KISS frontman Gene Simmons is one step closer to breaking that vow ... proposing to his longtime GF Shannon Tweed in Belize recently. We don't know what her official answer is -- but based on her reaction, we can take a guess. The proposal -- caught on camera for “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” -- airs tomorrow night at 10 on A&E. Gene and Shannon met 28 years ago ... and have two kids together. This according to the mighty TMZ

Dan Peek, Founding Member Of America, Dead At 60

7/27/2011 3:17 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Dan Peek, who had a hand in founding the seminal folk group America, passed away this past Sunday at the age of 60, according to Billboard. Peek's cause of death remains unknown at this time.

"I am so sorry to learn of Dan's passing," former bandmate Dewey Bunnell stated on his website. "Dan, along with Gerry [Beckley] and myself, formed the band America as teenagers after being great friends in high school during the late '60s. It was a joyous time for the three of us, full of excitement and laughter. We created lasting music together and experienced a life that we could never have imagined. Dan was an equal and integral part of that early history, and I have never forgotten the good times we spent making that music and learning about life together."
Along with America, Peek scored eight Top 40 hits in the early part of the 1970's, including "Horse With No Name."
Peek's website simply stated "Dan went to Heaven on July 24." He is survived by his wife Catherine.

Tommy Mottola Documentary Almost Finished

Andrew Vaughan

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07.26.2011

Record business legend Tommy Mottola’s documentary movie is nearly complete, according to Music-news.com. Mottola ran Sony Records for 15 years, working with superstar acts like Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan and, notably, his ex-wife Mariah Carey.
An insider told the New York Post that: “The doc is of Tommy’s life, but also documents the history of music, from Elvis to the iPod.”
Director Richard Stratton also helped Mottola with his upcoming memoirs, The Last Starmaker, which will give insight into Mottola’s marriage breakdown with Carey.

Aerosmith Continue Work on ‘Old School’ Album

Peter Hodgson

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07.26.2011

An Aerosmith insider says the band’s new album will have a definite “old school” vibe, helped along by the work of legendary producer Jack Douglas.
In an update on their official website, the band’s “behind the scenes guru” John B. said the recording was shaping up to sound like vintage Aerosmith, although he stopped short of directly comparing the new tracks to the band’s classic ’70s output.
“The age-old question from most people is, Will it sound like Rocks? C’mon folks, I think that is an unfair question, but what I will say is that this will sound like vintage Aerosmith,” John B. wrote. “Joey’s playing with the precision of an ‘Omega Speedmaster Professional’ and gets as funky as Clyde Stubblefield on his best days. Go ahead and say ‘yeah that’s what he gets paid to say’ but I am telling you this stuff is going to blow you guys away, for shizzle.”
Aerosmith’s last album of original material was Just Push Play in 2001, although they released Honkin’ on Bobo, a blues covers album produced by Douglas, in 2004. Douglas was also behind the desk for 1974’s Get Your Wings and 1975’s Toys in the Attic.
“Jack reminds me of Doc Brown from Back to the Future,” John B. wrote. “He seems crazy as a loon but also as sane as a mental health counselor. He does bring an old school vibe with him but that doesn’t mean that this record is going to be the second coming of Rocks.”

Ace Frehley's 'No Regrets' Autobiography Coming In November

July 26, 2011

Legendary rocker and former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will release his memoir 'No Regrets' on November 1st. The 288 page book, co-authored by Joe Layden, will be published under Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books's VH1 Books imprint and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com.

Ace Frehley is known worldwide as the legendary original lead guitarist for the seminal rock band KISS and respected as a solo artist who has influenced generations of guitar players. KISS is known for its wild make-up, spectacular costumes, and theatrical live shows (not to mention their music)! Frehley will delve into his life as a kid growing up in the Bronx, his ups-and-downs and influences which catapulted him into a life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, and reveal what is was like to be one of the founding members of one of the most influential bands in the world.

In its nearly four-decade existence, KISS has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, ranking among the top-selling rock-and-roll bands of all time. The KISS Army remains vast and devoted, buying merchandise and concert tickets at sellout shows that continue around the globe. Now, Ace Frehley, long regarded as the most approachable and likeable member of the band, opens up about his unbelievable exploits as one of the founding members of KISS.

It all started in January of 1973, when this self-taught musician and Bronx native spotted an advertisement in the Village Voice posted by Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons: "Guitarist wanted with flash and balls." Frehley, figuring he had both, answered the ad, and the rest was history.

Within a few years, KISS was playing spectacular live shows to sold-out stadiums all over the world, decked out in their iconic costumes and makeup. The band was raking in millions of dollars on tours, albums, and merchandise, and the rabid KISS Army numbered in the six figures. Frehley, known as "The Spaceman," had transformed from a scrappy, music-obsessed kid to one of the most famous and revered guitarists of his era, hailed by critics and adored by fans. No Regrets goes behind the make-up, the money, the women, and the partying. Frehley recounts his battles with drug addiction and his brushes with death, sets the record straight about his complicated relationships with Simmons and Paul Stanley, and describes his evolution as a musician -- all with his characteristic humor and honesty. Without a doubt, No Regrets is a must-have for every KISS fan.

Ace Frehley said "I think Sinatra said it best...'regrets I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention.'"

Jennifer Bergstrom, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief of Gallery Books, said "NO REGRETS is sure to be the next must-read rock-and-roll memoir."

Gallery Books' Senior Editor Jeremie Ruby-Strauss negotiated the deal with Frank Weimann, President of The Literary Group International, which includes world rights.

Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com and acefrehley.com

The Who to Play Quadrophenia on Tour in 2012?

 

Bryan Wawzenek

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07.27.2011

Despite reports from Roger Daltrey that Pete Townshend’s hearing is preventing him from touring, the legendary guitarist has announced that The Who will tour next year. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will perform their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia on the road, according to a post on Townshend’s blog.
“The reason I am not on the road with Roger is that this is entirely Roger’s adventure, one that is bringing him great joy,” Townshend wrote. “I don’t belong on this Tommy tour. I wish him well, sincerely, and I look forward to playing with Roger again doing Quadrophenia next year.”
Townshend went on to dispute Daltrey’s comment that a tour would destroy his hearing.
“My hearing is actually better than ever,” he wrote. “Because after a feedback scare at the O2 Indigo in December 2008 I am taking good care of it. I’m 66, I don’t have perfect hearing, and if I listen to loud music or go to gigs I do tend to get tinnitus. DON’T WE ALL????”
The Who songwriter also confirmed that he’s working on a deluxe re-release of Quadrophenia.

Van Halen Turbo-Pop

Monday, 25 July 2011

Here’s a tale from Van Halen’s 1979 “World Vacation” tour, from David Lee Roth’s autobiography “Crazy from The Heat”:
Pretty soon, we were opening for bigger and bigger bands. In early ’79, we were playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum, some ninety thousand people, Aerosmith was top bill. And I had an idea of a way to make an entrance, having gone down to the stadium to see the lay of the land some weeks earlier. There’s a stairway comes from the great arches down to a landing- it’s a big landing, visible to everybody in the stands- and then another three hundred steps down to the football field where the stage was.
The idea was to park a Volkswagen on that landing, and since we knew the people who were running the PA system, we would have them make announcements all throughout the afternoon and into the evening that whoever it was from the Aerosmith team that owns the yellow Volkswagen, could you please move it? This is where they were stacking some equipment, whatever, it was visible to all ninety thousand people. It’s like up and behind the actual stage.
We rented an actual Sherman tank- in Hollywood, you can rent anything you want. The theory being that after all of these announcements throughout the day and the night, the lights would go down, they’d go, “Ladies and gentlemen… da-da-da… Van Halen,” the spotlights would hit us and the tank would come out from under a cover on that landing, run right over the Volkswagen and we’d pop out of the tank and run down the stairs to the stage.
We bought two old used Volkswagens so we could test one on a Sunday afternoon. We went down to the stadium, the band got in the tank. The driver, little southern guy, with a Rawlings football helmet on, he’s telling us all the movies this tank had been in, “Oh, yeah, The Longest Day, Kelly’s Heroes.”
We had taken the engines and the glass out of the VWs, but otherwise they were completely intact. You would never know the difference from two feet away. We all got in the tank and ran over the Volkswagen. This was before monster truckism graced our popular culture- monster trucks, bog racing, tractor pulls, I call these “turbo-pop entertainment.” This was pre-turbo-pop entertainment.
That Volkswagen smashed flat like a bad textbook, lug nuts shot off of those wheels in excess of two hundred miles an hour, everybody was ducking and jumping out of the way. I still have the door from that Volkswagen at my house, one of the souvenirs that I saved. The door burst off, flew like twenty feet, everything just exploded outward. We figured we were on to something good. And of course we would then play our show and Aerosmith would have to make an entrance.
We discovered several days before the show that Aerosmith had been put wise to our little scheme and had found some stock footage of airplanes blowing up tanks, and that’s what they were going to show when they came on after us. So here we are with a gutted Volkswagen sitting up on the dais and a Sherman tank under a tarp with gorillas standing around making sure nobody looks underneath.
We decided that because Aerosmith had a little trump card that we weren’t going to do the tank trick, so we never ran over the Volkswagen, we just ran down the stairs. We didn’t want to be one-upped on our one-upmanship, you know. I haven’t spoken with the boys in Aerosmith since then.

LOVERBOY NEWS!

RENO TALKS WEIGHT LOSS, LOVERBOY REVIVAL IN ROLLING STONE:
From 30 Rock to Fox and Friends and Rolling Stone, Loverboy continue �Working for the Weekend� 30 years after first getting together in Calgary, Alberta, when vocalist Mike Reno was introduced to local guitar hot shot Paul Dean, both veterans of several bands on the local scene.
With a full-scale revival in tow, Loverboy frontman Mike Reno told Rolling Stone in a recent interview that he has dropped close to 50 pounds over the past six months, almost bringing him down to the fighting weight he exhibited in the original �Working for the Weekend� video.
�I got tired of complaining about my knees being sore,� he said after a doctor put him on a strict diet and exercise regimen that included fruit, vegetables and fish. "I feel lighter on stage. I'm dancing around like the old days. I'm singing better. I'm breathing better. It's just a night and day difference. I did it rather quickly over the winter, so it's funny to see the jaws drop on our longtime fans in the first few rows when I walk onstage."
The weight loss coincides with the group's return to Bryan Adams' Vancouver studio to cut �Heartbreaker,� a brand-new single, with producer Bob Rock�the engineer on their debut album who went on to work with the likes of Metallica�which is now available on the band's website.
"Something's in the water," says Reno. "I go to these concerts expecting there to be 3,000 people, and there's seven or eight thousand people! And most of them are young! Even kiddies, like 10 years old. They even know all the words. It's freaking me out.�
To read the Rolling Stone article in its entirety, go to: www.rollingstone.com/music/news/loverboys-mike-reno-sheds-50-pounds-plots-comeback-20110722.

Jane's Addiction To Premiere New Music Next Week

07/26/2011
. (EMI) Jane's Addiction will premiere their new single "Irresistible Force" on Los Angeles radio station KROQ's morning radio show "The Kevin & Bean Show," next Tuesday August 2nd, a day ahead of its official digital release.The song is taken from the band's new album The Great Escape Artist (Capitol Records). Marking the first new studio album in eight years by Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins, it is due out Tuesday, September 29.
The album also features "End To The Lies," a pre-single teaser track which the band made available to their fans as a free download this past April.For The Great Escape Artist, Jane's Addiction joined forces with producer Rich Costey (Muse, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol), with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek on the team. Sitek, best known for his production work on TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Foals, is writing, programming, and playing bass on the album. The band, with Chris Chaney on bass, will be touring throughout 2011.

Disturbed Singer Announces Indefinite Hiatus

Peter Hodgson

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07.25.2011

Disturbed singer David Draiman has revealed that the band are preparing to enter an indefinite hiatus.
Speaking to KQXR in Boise, Idaho, Draiman said the band were looking at an extended hiatus, and had “some things going on internally …personal things going on.” Later Draiman took to Twitter to elaborate: “We don’t know what we’re doing yet,” he wrote. “All I can say is that we’re certainly going away for a long while.”
Draiman said the band would not be undertaking its Music as a Weapon tour in 2012, but might consider leasing the brand name out to other bands to use. “It has kind of become its own entity,” Draiman explained. “It’s something we have talked about in the past, and that’s possible. But you’re not gonna see a Disturbed tour for a while.”
There have been several Music as a Weapon tours to date, in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and this year, featuring bands such as Alter Bridge, P.O.D, Stone Sour, Drowning Pool, Suicide Silence, Killswitch Engage, Korn, Trivium, Lacuna Coil and Sevendust. The tour takes its name from the song “Droppin’ Plates,” from the band’s 2000 debut album, The Sickness.

Vince Neil: Mötley Crüe are a ‘Bunch of Idiots”

Andrew Vaughan

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07.25.2011

In the midst of Mötley Crüe’s summer tour, Vince Neil has been talking about the band’s enduring appeal. He told the Rochester City Newspaper: “It’s just a great show; lots of visuals, lots of pyro, dancing girls, the whole thing. Throw in some good music and there you go.”
Despite the passage of time, Neil still feels like a kid wen he gets on stage with the band. He said: “It doesn’t feel like we’ve been together 30 years. I still feel like we’re playing the Whiskey A Go Go. We’re still the same guys. We feed off the audience. They’re going crazy and we're just having a good time out there.
As for the band’s special appeal? “Individually we're a bunch of idiots, and together we’re one, big, crazy idiot.”

10 Things You Might Not Know About AC/DC’s Angus Young

Russell Hall

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07.26.2011

It’s been nearly four decades since Malcolm Young invited his kid brother, Angus, to join a new band he was putting together. Who could have imagined, at that time, that all these years later AC/DC would still be churning out some of the world’s greatest riff-rock?
Through the years, legions of guitar players and fans have delved deeply into Angus’ background, perhaps looking for the secrets behind his artful riff-making. Still, we managed to uncover some biographical facts that might have escaped all but the most diehard followers.
He still owns the very first Gibson SG he bought – 41 years ago.
Young purchased a late ’60s Gibson SG from a music shop located within walking distance of his family’s home in Sydney, Australia, when he was just 16 years old. To this day, it remains one of his main go-to guitars. “I think it was the little devil horns [that sold me],” he told the New Zealand Herald, in 2010. “I’ve still got it and it’s still my favorite guitar of them all.”
His main pre-AC/DC job prepared him well for the band’s bawdy lyrical content.
Young left school before his 15^th birthday. Not long afterwards, he took a job working as a typesetter at a “men’s” magazine that sported the title, Ribald. Malcolm, incidentally, had by then put in a couple of years doing sewing machine maintenance for a company that manufactured bras.
His older sister, Margaret, suggested something even more important than Angus’ trademark schoolboy uniform.
Most AC/DC fans know that it was the Young brothers’ sister, Margaret, who encouraged Angus to wear his schoolboy get-up on-stage. But fewer fans realize that it was also Margaret who christened her siblings’ band “AC/DC” after noticing the letters on a vacuum cleaner. According to biographer Susan Masino, Angus and Malcolm liked the fact that the letters denoted power and electricity.
He’s a closet fan of jazz great Louis Armstrong.
In a 1992 interview with Guitar magazine, Young hailed Louis Armstrong as “one of the greatest musicians of all time.” He went on to explain: “I went to see [Armstrong] perform when I was a kid, and that’s always stuck with me. It’s amazing to listen to his old records and hear the musicianship and emotion, especially when you consider that technology, in those days, was almost nonexistent. There was an aura about him.”

He regards solos as the easiest part of what he does.
Young once told Guitar Player that, while he couldn’t fill Malcolm’s shoes as a guitarist, Malcolm could likely fill his, at least with regard to solos. “That’s the easy part,” he said. “There’s no great thing in being a soloist. I think the hardest thing is to play together with a lot of people, and do that right. I mean, when four guys hit one note all at once – very few people can do that.”
He was “totally shocked” when Malcolm asked him to join the band.
“In the beginning, we never used to play together, even at home,” Angus told Guitar, in 1992. “Malcolm would be in one room with his tape recorder putting tunes together, and I would be in the other room pretending I was Jimi Hendrix. When I’d walk in to see what he was up to, he’d go, ‘Get out!’ I was amazed when he asked me to come down to a rehearsal and play.”
His riffs helped oust former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power.
In 1989, American government officials bombarded Manuel Noriega’s embassy refuge in Panama with “Hells Bells,” “Highway to Hell” and other choice riff-rockers. The tactic worked so well with Noriega, who was known to be an opera lover, that it’s since been employed by U.S. officials in other similar situations.
He’s always been a teetotaler.
Original AC/DC singer Bon Scott was known for his prodigious consumption of alcohol. Through the years, Malcolm Young has imbibed his share of booze as well. Not so with Angus. “Angus was always drinking a big glass of chocolate milk or coffee,” Nantucket guitarist Tommy Redd once recalled, years after touring with AC/DC. “Malcolm, however, used to walk around with Jack Daniels in a bottle that was as big as he was.”
One of his closest friends during the making of the Back in Black album was … ELP’s Keith Emerson.
In the wake of Bon Scott’s death, AC/DC traveled to the Bahamas to recover from the shock, and to record Back in Black. Especially therapeutic were the afternoons when Emerson, Lake and Palmer keyboardist Keith Emerson, who lived in Nassau at the time, took Angus and the other band members out on his fishing boat. “I think it was great excitement for them, and kind of introduced them to my way of the Bahamian life,” Emerson later said. “I think they grew to like it and it [helped them] settle into recording.”
He expects he’ll still be wearing his schoolboy outfit on-stage well into his 60s.
When asked by Guitar if he would still be donning his trademark “get-up” at age 64, Angus described his attire as distinguished and “classic.” “Have you seen what some of the younger [artists] are wearing nowadays?” he asked. “They look like they’ve stolen their mothers’ skirts! If that’s fashionable, then you could say I’ve maintained a distinctively classic look.”

Priest almost split when Downing quit

Tipton admits band thought it was all over when KK dropped his bombshell – until they found new man Faulkner

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Twin attack: Faulkner and Tipton

Judas Priest came close to splitting up when KK Downing told them he’d decided to retire from the band.
And guitarist Glenn Tipton reveals they’d never have toured again if they hadn’t found the right man in new member Richie Faulkner.
Downing dropped his bombshell in December but the band only revealed he’d left when they announced their Epitaph final world tour in April. They’re working on a new album with former Lauren Harris axeman Faulkner and do plan to play further live shows – but they won’t be embarking on any more large-scale global treks.
Tipton tells Everything Rocks: “It was a difficult time for us. We almost gave up; and if we hadn’t found Richie I don’t think we’d be here today.
“It had to be the right man for the job – we had to find that spark or it wouldn’t have worked. We could have looked and looked, and never found the right person.
“We’re lucky to have found Richie, and I think it’s fair to say he saved the band. Without being too dramatic, it had to be that way or we wouldn’t have gone out on tour.”
Discussing the fact that Faulkner is 30 years younger than his bandmates and doesn’t exactly match the classic Priest look, Tipton says: “It was the audio side of things that was important. We needed a person who fitted in musically – it wasn’t a concern for us whether he was 50 or 20 years old, as long as he could do the job.
“The beauty about Richie is he’s never tried to replace what KK did. We were amazed at the contradiction: he does his own thing but he really blends in well.”
Meanwhile, Priest singer Rob Halford admits he’d love to win a Brit award to add to his Grammy – and it becomes more important to him the older he gets.
He tells the Belfast Telegraph: “The Grammy was very important but it would be nice to get a Brit from our own country.
“It’s a double-edged sword, though: part of me wants the recognition and part of me has always felt like an underdog. Is it really important we don’t get the credit some lesser bands do? I don’t know; but as I get older I get more sentimental, and I think it might be nice to get some more recognition.”

Boyz II Men In The Studio For 20th Anniversary New Release

7/24/2011 4:16 PM ET

(RTTNews) - Boyz II Men will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with a new double CD release—their first new release in ten years.

The album—entitled Twenty—will feature 10 new songs and 10 reworked versions of the group's classics, including "Bended Knee" and "End Of The Road." The record, which is expected to drop in the fall, will include production from Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley, Rob Knox and Julian Bunetta.
Said one of the group's vocalists, Nathan Morris, of the new release: "No matter how many albums we have done throughout the years we always strive to put out the best sounding music possible. We are excited to be in the studio again with the guys who have been a part of some of our biggest hits to date, it's a really good feeling."
Added Shawn Stockman on the sound of the reworked classics: "Nothing too extreme or dramatic, but we've added a few things here and there."

VIDEO: Pearl Jam guitarist joins Soundgarden in L.A.

Monday, July 25, 2011

It was getting hard to tell which band was on stage at the Forum in Los Angeles Friday night, as Soundgarden were joined by Pearl Jam guitarist Mick McCready.

With PJ drummer Matt Cameron doing double-duty in both bands these days, McCready’s guest spot could have gone in a few different directions…into a song by either band, a Temple Of The Dog track, or a cover on its own.

Turned out McCready was there to jam on “Superunknown,” delivering a soaring guitar solo as the band was in full flight and firing on all cylinders.

McCready and PJ have been in L.A. for some time now working on a new album, in advance of their 20th Anniversary concerts this fall.

The reunited Soundgarden wrap up their month long tour – the first one in 14 years – July 30 at The Gorge in Washington state.

Soundgarden

Soundgarden – Superunknown
With guest Mick McCready of Pearl Jam
The Forum – Los Angeles, CA – July 22, 2011


Alternate angle:

Soundgarden – Superunknown
With guest Mick McCready of Pearl Jam
The Forum – Los Angeles, CA – July 22, 2011


See also:

Theory Of A Deadman News!

The new Theory of a Deadman album, The Truth Is…, was heavily inspired by singer Tyler Connolly’s divorce and move to Los Angeles. The singer/guitarist told Billboard that he felt that the songwriting was driven by the relationship "ending not to my liking, me having to deal with the consequences, continuing life in a strange city, all alone. It's all true, which is a good thing; it would be funky if people were like, 'Why does the album sound like this?' and I'd be going, 'I dunno…" Working with producer Howard Benson, Connolly explains that Benson would, "go over every single word with me and go, 'What does this mean? I'm not clear what you're trying to say here...' and that made everything stronger. Howard's point was when a 14-year-old girl listens to a song on the radio, she doesn't focus on what the bass is doing or the guitar noodling. She's just really listening to what I'm saying, so everything had to make sense." The group begins touring for the new album tonight (July 22) in Wisconsin, and will be part of the Carnival of Madness tour with Alter Bridge, Black Stone Cherry, Adelitas Way and Emphatic.

Phil Collins Leaves Awards Show In Agony

July 25, 2011

Collins in crippling agony

Phil is carried out of awards ceremony and admits he couldn’t perform even if he wanted to (and he doesn’t)

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Pain: Collins

Retired Genesis drummer Phil Collins was helped out of an awards ceremony in agony at the weekend, suffering from an attack of the nerve damage which forced him to give up performing.
And he admitted he couldn’t return to the stage even if he wanted to – which he doesn’t.
Collins, 60, was due to present a gong to Ringo Starr at the Mojo Awards, but had to be half-carried out before he could deliver the honour.
He told the Mirror: “I’m on my last legs. I couldn’t come back to music. All these aches and pains – I can’t do it any more.”
Collins revealed in 2009 that years of bad posture behind the drumkit meant his spine had crushed his spinal cord, leaving him in constant pain and making it impossible to grip his sticks.
In March he confirmed he was retiring from the music industry. He’d previously drawn criticism for effectively ending Genesis’ career with the words: “I think that’s more or less over.”
Before leaving the awards event he said: “I actually don’t like music that much. I don’t really listen to music.”