In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, Janet Gardner was asked how she feels about VIXEN carrying on with drummer Roxy Petrucci as the sole remaining member of the band's "classic" lineup. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What's the alternative? That it doesn't exist anymore? It is what it is. Obviously, [founding guitarist] Jan [Kuehnemund] will never be a part of it anymore, and I left, and then Share [Ross, bass] left. And the alternative is for it not to exist anymore. So, no, it doesn't bother me. Roxy, she loves playing. So, God bless her. Have fun."

She continued: "There's a lot of bands out there playing with very few, if any, original members. And it's really upsetting to people. But nobody is holding a gun to your head. You don't wanna go see it? Don't go see it.

"I got some messages from some people, 'You need to stop them. They're ruining the VIXEN legacy. Why are you letting them do this?' It's, like, well… I don't understand. I don't understand why people are so upset. Don't go see it if you don't want to."

Speaking about her replacement in VIXEN, singer Lorraine Lewis of FEMME FATALE, Janet said: "Lorraine has always been really supportive and nice to me, always. So, yeah, it's cool."

Janet, who released her debut self-titled solo album in 2017, broke the news of her exit from VIXEN in a social media post in January 2019.

Elaborating on her reasons for leaving the band, Janet told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" back in November 2021: "The summer of 2018 was insane with life in general. 'Cause between [me and my husband Justin James], we have three kids [and regular] jobs… And [Justin and I] were doing our [project]. And VIXEN, we were doing tons of the great, the big festivals — we did Graspop, we did Sweden Rock, we did a whole bunch of… Barcelona, whatever… Lots of stuff was going on. And we were still trying to do shows. It was just insane. And I was so stressed out. I literally went to work — my job as a dental hygienist — didn't have time to change clothes. Went to [John F.] Kennedy airport [in New York], got on a plane, flew to Spain. Then we did a bunch of shows. We had a 2:30 in the morning lobby call, and we got to Germany and had to get in a van and drive and do a 90-minute show. I couldn't do that when I was 25. And then a few other times, [Justin and I] had a show and then I had to get on a plane and fly somewhere else and do a VIXEN show, like, in the afternoon. And literally one time I didn't even get a shower. I wore my makeup from the night before on stage the next day. It was that bad. No sleep, no nothing."

Janet went on to say that she is still on good terms with her former bandmates in VIXEN. "Absolutely. I love 'em to death," she said.

When Janet announced her departure from VIXEN, she said in a statement that it was time for her to step aside and let Petrucci and Ross "pursue their vision for the future of VIXEN."

In January 2018, Gardner underwent surgery to remove blood clots in her brain, a condition known as a subdural hematoma.

While Gardner was recovering from her surgery, VIXEN played a show in Durant, Oklahoma in March 2018 with Lewis as a fill-in singer. In January 2019, Lewis was announced as Gardner's official replacement.

Asked if she had anything to do with Lorraine replacing her in VIXEN, Janet told "Trunk Nation": "No. It was totally their call. I expected it. She filled in when I had brain surgery. And they were all comfortable together. Roxy had worked with Lorraine in a different project. Share had worked with Lorraine in a different project. So they all knew each other, and I wasn't surprised at all that that's how it all happened. And I love Lorraine — I think she's great. She's a great singer, a fantastic talent, great frontwoman and a nice person. So I'm happy for them — all of 'em."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988),"Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".

Last week, Janet's collaborative project with her husband, GARDNER/JAMES, released its latest album, "No Strings", via Pavement Entertainment.

"No Strings" is the second Gardner/James album to be released under the GARDNER/JAMES banner. The couple previously collaborated on 2020's "Synergy" and Janet's first two solo albums, 2018's "Janet Gardner" and 2019's "Your Place In The Sun".

Photo courtesy of Pavement Entertainment

ENVY OF NONE, the new band from Alex Lifeson (RUSH),Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, has just released a new EP, "That Was Then, This Is Now", on June 9 via Kscope.

The all-star lineup continues its exponential growth of its trippy, edgy atmospheric sound that took the world by surprise. The new EP is made up of very adventurous tracks that consist of remixes of "Dumkoptf" and "Dog's Life" alongside "Lethe River" and "You'll Be Sorry", only previously released on the deluxe edition of their debut record.

Following these, the EP culminates with a newly recorded track "That Was Then". The song undulates with progressive dexterity and is a perfect example of the unbound writing ability this incredible band showcase.

All tracks were written, arranged, recorded and produced by ENVY OF NONE.

In celebration of the EP release, ENVY OF NONE has revealed a beautiful and striking new video for "That Was Then" created by Olivier Boscovitch, who has previously worked with David Guetta. The artist was handpicked by Curran to create a video that was inspired by Wynne's lyrics representing both a metaphorical and literal chase. It recalls the idea of retro pop art genius Roy Lichtenstein seen through the lens of a psychedelic graphic novel in the beautiful clip's vibrant and stylistic imagery.

Curran comments: "The video was created by the super-talented Olivier Boscovitch. I discovered some of his work online and reached out to him and he loved the song 'That Was Then'. He was inspired by the dark and haunting lyrics that Maiah wrote for the song. He pitched the concept of a girl riding a chopper and travelling through a fictional trippy landscape, basically her life, while being chased by a bad assed villain in a muscle car. The driver of the car represents the person in our lives that we're getting away from. Olivier's amazing graphics are a testament to his unique creativity. We're very lucky to be working with him."

He continues: "I'm super proud of the new song. Ty Dennis played a killer drum track that breathed new life into the song and we're very grateful that Alex reached out to him. I think the track itself shows a real growth for ENVY OF NONE. It's like we've hit out stride creatively and a nice marker to punctuate that our first record was not a one-and-done thing. It really opened the floodgates for us writing wise and we-re well on our way to a second record."

"That Was Then, This Is Now" remains in canon with the band’s sound of their eponymous debut whilst also pushing the boundaries and is a fantastic prologue to the next chapter of ENVY OF NONE's story as the band have been in the studio creating new music and remixes.

"That Was Then, This Is Now" track listing:

01. Lethe River
02. You’ll Be Sorry
03. Dog’s Life (Remix)
04. Dumb (Der Dummkopf Remix)
05. That Was Then

Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of RUSH, he's been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there — taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years, Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is ENVY OF NONE.

"Envy Of None"'s 11 tracks — which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock — throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.

However, it was only when Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is — by the admission of her own bandmates — what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making.

"Maiah became my muse," said Lifeson. "She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like 'Liar' and 'Look Inside'. After hearing her vocals on 'Never Said I Love You', I felt so excited. I've never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she's special, it's because she's really fucking special."

The album closer, "Western Sunset", was penned by Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It's a highly emotive piece of music to honor a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him.

"I visited Neil when he was ill," says Lifeson. "I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There's a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book."

ENVY OF NONE is:

* Alf Annibalini - Guitar, Keyboards, Programming
* Andy Curran - Bass Guitar, Synthesized Bass, Programming, Guitar, Background Vocals, Stylophone
* Alex Lifeson - Guitar, Mandola, Banjo, Programming
* Maiah Wynne - Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Keyboards

Photo by Richard Sibbald

ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna closed out his four-night solo residency at Wally's in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire on June 11. The performances, which were billed as "Joey Belladonna's Jukebox", saw the 62-year-old vocalist deliver karaoke-style covers of classic songs from such artists as DIO, JETHRO TULL, RUSH and VAN HALEN. Fan-filmed video can be seen below (courtesy of Smash Machine!).

When he is not busy touring and recording with ANTHRAX, Joey Belladonna fronts a JOURNEY tribute band called BEYOND FRONTIERS (formerly JOEY BELLADONNA'S BEYOND THE BAND and JOURNEY BEYOND). He also plays drums and sings for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group, which also features Dave Mickelson on bass, Joe Precourt on guitar and John Goodwin on keyboards, plays versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others.

BEYOND FRONTIERS also features keyboardist Doug Carter, bassist Paul Arntz, guitarist Matt Basford and drummer Justin Ward.

Belladonna's JOURNEY tribute made its live debut in March 2020 at The Beacon Theatre in Hopewell, Virginia.

In a 2019 interview with Sweetwater's Nick D'Virgilio, Belladonna stated about CHIEF BIG WAY: "We do four hours straight. I sing and play [drums] the whole night. We do about 60 songs a night. There's no setlist — just pulling stuff out of the hat… RUSH, JOURNEY, BAD COMPANY, LED ZEPPELIN, [THE ROLLING] STONES, ZZ TOP, [JIMI] HENDRIX, PINK FLOYD… It's a full, full slot of that type of music. Not many deep, deep cuts, but popular songs. Maybe people can't dance to it, but it's cool. 'Cause a lot of people just sit around and just listen. So it's okay. But I can't do that with [ANTHRAX]. [ANTHRAX] is an hour and a half — 45 [minutes] or an hour. And I'm bantering with the crowd during the songs, after the songs — a lot of that stuff. And it's moving. I'm more beat [playing with ANTHRAX] than I am in four hours [playing with CHIEF BIG WAY] — other than my butt, sitting for four hours. I literally don't get up; I just sit down for four hours."

Asked what the appeal is in performing with CHIEF BIG WAY, Joey said: "To do other music, and to do melodic-type stuff that I love, and just be able to get out and just play. It's just that certain thing that you get when you play. Driving in the car with the equipment, unloading it and setting it up, and then, 'Okay.' And we just start up — no banner. Just play, play, play and then go home. Put [the equipment] back in the car and go home. And these [other] guys [in ANTHRAX] wouldn't do that — there's no way. They wouldn't even walk in some of these bars — they really wouldn't."

Back in 2011, Belladonna admitted to Attention Deficit Delirium that "it's not an easy thing" singing and playing drums at the same time. "I never thought that I would sing and play 'Tom Sawyer' [RUSH] at the same time. Something that you think is easy to play is often not. 'Heartbreaker' by LED ZEPPELIN has so many different [drum] accents that have nothing to do with the song vocally. It's a good challenge."

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, 2016's "For All Kings", which was called by some critics the band's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".
New Hampshire! Performing solo, 4 nights in a row at Wally's in Hampton, NH! For more info, visit https://t.co/T7AjiusWVQ. We'll see you there on these dates:

Jun 08 - Hampton, NH -Wallys
Jun 09 - Hampton, NH -Wallys
Jun 10 - Hampton, NH -Wallys
Jun 11 - Hampton, NH -Wallys pic.twitter.com/S5qCfvIaAE

— Joey Belladonna (@jbelladonna) May 15, 2023

In a new interview with Cassius Morris, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to 2021's "Too Mean To Die" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Actually, I'm sitting here every day working on songs, believe it or not. And I just talked to Mark Tornillo, our singer. He's gonna come over to Nashville this month for some intense demoing of the new songs. So the stuff is in progress. And I think we're planning on having Andy Sneap, our producer, come over in August to actually lay down the tracks. And then, yeah, before you know it, there's gonna be a new album. I don't have a title yet. I have some songs — about a little more than half are written, I'd say."

Asked where ACCEPT is planning to record the next album, Wolf said: "Well, we have this place in Nashville that we have made the last five albums in. And we basically do drums at a place — it's not quite sure where we're gonna do it this time. And then guitars are usually happening here in Nashville and mixing happens in England. Nowadays, with technology, we don't really need to be together in the same place for four weeks at a time; we do it here and there and everywhere. But it's still important to know that we're doing it kind of together; we're not just sharing files over the Internet. 'Cause that has never worked for us. So, in other words, Andy has to be in the room, if possible, and then whoever gets to record their tracks, and then a bunch of others are usually around. So it's a group thing, for sure, but it's not [like] everybody's there the whole, all the time together."

Last fall, ACCEPT completed a North American tour with support from NARCOTIC WASTELAND. The band played a career-spanning set of new and classic tracks, including mega-hits "Balls To The Wall", "Princess Of The Dawn", "Fast As A Shark" and many more.

In February 2022, it was announced that ACCEPT had inked a worldwide deal with Napalm Records.

"Too Mean To Die" came out in January 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was the group's first without bassist Peter Baltes, who exited ACCEPT in November 2018. He has since been replaced by Martin Motnik. ACCEPT's lineup has also been expanded with the addition of a third guitarist, Philip Shouse, who originally filled in for Uwe Lulis during 2019's "Symphonic Terror" tour, before being asked to join the band permanently.

"Too Mean To Die" was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH),who has been responsible for the studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die".

In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler, who is promoting his newly released autobiography "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond", addressed his current relationship with the band's fellow original members. Speaking about the fact that he mentioned guitarist Tony Iommi in the book acknowledgments, where he wrote that Tony "actually still keeps in touch", Geezer said: "Yeah, he's always been there for me. You know, he's a good friend. We can slag each other to death. It's like marriage, really. You have terrible arguments, you fall out and you come back together. But he's always there. He always is. I hope he is after this book as well. I still love Bill [Ward, original SABBATH drummer], but he's not on the Internet. If you want to talk to Bill, you have to e-mail his wife and she has to tell him. It's really awkward. [Laughs] Ozzy I don't speak to at all." Asked if he thinks there's a chance those lines of communication will open back up at some point, Butler said: "I very much doubt it. We didn't fall out; it was the wives."

In the book, Geezer wrote about Ozzy: "Me and Ozzy are fine, it's just that we're both ruled by our wives. He's got a big heart and was always there for me."

Butler and his wife, Gloria Butler, split their time between Henderson, Nevada and Utah while Ozzy and his wife, Sharon, are preparing to move back to the United Kingdom after living in California for the last few decades.

Last year, Ozzy described Tony to Metal Hammer magazine as "incredibly supportive" while admitting that he hadn't spoken to Butler in a while. "Last I heard, he was living in Vegas," Ozzy said.

During an August 2020 appearance on Steve-O's "Wild Ride!" podcast, Sharon Osbourne was asked if it's correct to say that when the original BLACK SABBATH lineup reunited more a decade ago, it was done on her terms, with her husband owning the SABBATH name and the other members of SABBATH acting as "employees" of the band. She responded: "It's about right, but Ozzy and Tony own the name — Geezer and Bill don't. So it's Ozzy and Tony that own the name, and they are partners in BLACK SABBATH. So you're kind of right. Ozzy and Tony are equal, and at the time, the other guys, you know, it's kind of like pay-for-play."

Ozzy filed a lawsuit against Tony in May 2009, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band's name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Osbourne sued Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.

The Manhattan federal court suit also charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.

Lawyer Andrew DeVore argued that Osbourne signed away all his rights to the BLACK SABBATH trademark after he quit the band in 1979.

Osbourne's lawyer, Howard Shire, called that agreement a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined in 1997 and took over "quality control" of the band's merchandise, tours and recordings.

In June 2010, Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio that the lawsuit between him and Tony had been settled and that everything was okay between them.

According to Rolling Stone, Butler had sold his share of the BLACK SABBATH band name to Iommi in 1984 and has since gotten over any regrets. "I still get a quarter of everything, so it doesn't matter financially," he told the magazine. "It's just that I can never go out on the road and call myself BLACK SABBATH."

In his book, Butler wrote that the original SABBATH reunion didn't go as planned after it was announced in November 2011, adding that "there was a big row about the SABBATH name, all over again. I was under the impression that since the original members were back together, writing and recording a new album, the name would revert to all four of us, whatever had happened between Tony and Ozzy a couple of years earlier," Geezer wrote. "But when the name was discussed, it became clear that Tony and Ozzy had no intention of sharing the SABBATH name with me or Bill. I felt cheated, so I left the band again. They got someone in to replace me, but a couple of weeks later I got a call from Tony, begging me to come back. In the end, I got my lawyers on the case and they managed to sort everything out. I was assured that despite not part-owning the SABBATH name, everything would be split equally, and the band wouldn't be able to tour as SABBATH without my approval, if needed."

"Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond" was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books. The book will arrive in the United Kingdom on June 8.

It’s been a decade since veteran rockers Coney Hatch, a band renowned as one of Canada’s hardest rocking exports, have released a new studio recording. So the arrival of the band’s brilliant new single, “It’s About A Girl”, is genuine cause for celebration. Even more so since it comes on the eve of the band’s triumphant return to the stage at the Sweden Rock Festival as well as the announcement about a forthcoming live album, Postcard From Germany, the first in the band’s lengthy career.


Fans of the band have been anxiously awaiting an official concert recording of the group, after all it’s the band’s captivating live shows which earned them a place on tours with everyone from Judas Priest to Iron Maiden to Peter Frampton to Cheap Trick and many more back in their '80s heyday.


Today, however, the band proudly introduces a new studio recording, and like all great rock songs, it’s about a girl. Women have been powerful figures throughout history; we idolize and woo them; we emulate and pursue them. That’s the story behind “It’s About A Girl,” the new single with a soaring melody, a punchy rock track, and an insanely catchy hook. This is what Coney Hatch sounds like in 2023.




Stream/download the single here, and listen below.


While the new single premieres today on all digital platforms, it will also be featured on the band’s forthcoming Postcards From Germany, released under EX1 Records and Cleopatra Records under their new collaboration, which Andy Curran, Coney Hatch’s co-lead vocalist and bassist, is as excited about as the fans, saying, “We’ve always taken a lot of pride in our live show, so finally releasing a live Coney Hatch record after many decades together is a bucket list check mark for us. We’re equally thrilled that the record includes 2 new studio tracks and to hit the road this summer!”


Postcard From Germany will be available everywhere August 11 on digital and on a special limited edition CD hand-signed by the band. Order the CD here.





Tracklisting:


"It's About A Girl" (Studio Recording)
"Heaven's On The Other Side" (Studio Recording)
"We Got The Night"
"Stand Up"
"Blown Away"
"Boys Club"
"She's Gone"
"This Ain't Love"
"Wrong Side Of Town"
"Girl From Last Night's Dream"
"Fantasy"
"Fallen Angel"
"Don't Say Make Me"
"Devil's Deck"
"Monkey Bars"


"It's About A Girl":

In a new interview with Joe Rock of Long Island, New York's rock station 102.3 WBAB, Nancy Wilson revealed that she is working on fresh music with her sister and fellow HEART member Ann Wilson. The 69-year-old musician, who is currently on tour with her new band NANCY WILSON'S HEART, broke the news of her latest collaboration with Ann while discussing some of her current recording projects, including "Tomboy", which involves covering songs written by her male friends.

"I think right now I've been working on 'Tomboy' the most because I love the title, for one thing; it's almost like 'boy genius' or something," she explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But I've got a bunch of new ideas for songs. But I've also been writing new music with Ann too. So it's a real creative time. I think being on the tour right now, when I get home, I'm gonna really dig into the other projects, including finishing some new material with Ann. So it's really a good time to be creative. And I've got a new studio in my house, and so I can't wait to sort of run tape on stuff."

Asked if there is anything that she feels is really exciting because she feels it's something that's so different from what she's done before, Nancy said: "Yeah. Some of the stuff I've been working on with Ann is like that. I've also worked a bit with Sue Ennis, who used to work a lot with me and Ann for HEART music. And so I have some lyrics mainly that I worked on with Sue and took to Ann. And there's a couple of things that I'm really excited about. Very cool. Like stuff that you wouldn't have heard us do in the '80s. [It's] closer to what you would have heard us originally do in the '70s, late '70s. So it's really fun. It's just exciting and inspiring."

Nancy went on to say that she is really pleased to be collaborating on new material with her sister. "It's been a really nice kind of rediscovery of our relationship, working on music together again," she said. "So, yeah, I'm really happy about that."

Last July, Ann told Grammy.com that she and her sister had plans for the band to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. "Yes, we do," she said. "I'm not at liberty to say exactly what they are yet because it's such early days, but sure. It will be next year. And we're doing a thing. Definitely. We're still formulating it now."

Ann's comments came three months after she denied rumors of a rift with Nancy. In an interview in the 300th issue of Classic Rock, Ann said that she was "not" feuding with her younger sister. "It's a myth," she insisted. "Nancy and I are okay with each other. We just have different ideas for what HEART should be, and we haven’t figured out a compromise yet.

"Fifty years on, I still want it to break barriers and rules, and she's more satisfied to ride the L.A. imaging thing and just do legacy stuff," Ann explained. "So that's a real split between us. Things like this will happen, though, but then they'll get better, and we'll love each other more."

Relations between the two sisters were considered to be at an all-time low after a much-publicized incident when Ann's husband was arrested during a HEART tour in 2016. But in a recent interview with Rock Candy magazine to coincide with the release of her new solo album, "Fierce Bliss", Ann said: "Things happen in families. And that was a really good example of something that happened within a family, and we worked it out. But the part that made it hard was that it happened in the public eye. If it had happened privately, we'd have got the family in a room and sat down and worked it out between us. Instead, the police were called, and this myth was born that Nancy and I were feuding, and we were at each other's throats all the time. And it's really not like that at all."

A proposed HEART tour fell through last year after the two sisters failed to agree on which backing band to use. Ann wanted her guys, Nancy didn't. But Ann now says that another HEART album, which would be the band's first since 2016's "Beautiful Broken", is a definite possibility, especially considering the fact that 2023 marks HEART's 50th anniversary.

"It depends on the songs," she said in her Rock Candy interview. "The songs lead everything. And I'm writing songs again now. I don't know if they'll be for my solo thing or for HEART. But yes, I would like to make another HEART album."

Ann previously said that HEART would celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023 "because next year's the 50-year [anniversary] of when we actually got together and got going," she told Liz Barnes of Planet Rock's "My Planet Rocks". "Nancy didn't join until '75, but the band got going in '73. So, yeah, we have a bunch of stuff planned for next year. So I can definitely see HEART doing something."

In February 2022, Nancy spoke to Joe Rock about why HEART had been inactive for most of the previous three years.

"HEART had a big offer on the table [in 2021] for a bigger tour, but Ann wasn't interested in going out with my lineup of guys that we were out with before," she said. "She has a new lineup of guys that she wanted me to join up with. And I sort of [thought] I don't really know them and don't have loyalty yet for anybody like that."

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after the aforementioned nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

Ann and Nancy had a falling out during HEART's 2016 tour, when Ann's husband Dean Welter was arrested for assaulting Nancy's then-16-year-old twin sons in a backstage altercation at a gig near their hometown of Seattle. He pleaded guilty to two lesser assault charges to avoid jail time.

After completing HEART's 2016 tour, Nancy formed a new band called ROADCASE ROYALE and released an album, "First Things First". ROADCASE ROYALE featured three members of HEART along with Liv Warfield from Prince's NEW POWER GENERATION band and her guitarist Ryan Wilson.

In Nancy's new band NANCY WILSON'S HEART, she is joined in the group by her longtime collaborators, guitarist Ryan Waters, drummer Ben Smith, bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker, along with powerhouse singer Kimberly Nichole.

Swedish vocalist, Kent Hilli, has announced the upcoming release of his second solo album, Nothing Left To Lose, on August 4. The first single and video from the album, the title track, are out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save the new album here.


Produced by Jimmy Westerlund (One Desire) with co-production by Hilli and Ulrick Lönnqvist, Nothing Left To Lose is yet another melodic rock gem from Hilli, who has established himself as one of the premiere vocalists in the genre.


Hilli’s debut solo album, The Rumble, which was produced and written with Michael Palace, was the culmination of the musical path that the Swedish singer started journeying down since he debuted with Swedish melodic rock upstarts Perfect Plan. Kent’s career in music started later in life than your average musician, at the beginning of '00s after he decided to quit his career as a football player. While he started singing with a cover band in 2001, it was not until 2014--when he started to write his own songs and playing with Perfect Plan--that he started to take a career in music more seriously.




In 2017, when Perfect Plan completed their debut album, ALL RISE, the band got a deal with Frontiers Music Srl. Upon the release of their first single, ”In And Out Of Love,” Kent’s astounding vocal abilities were suddenly known to an international audience and no longer a secret. Since that debut single, he has released three studio albums with Perfect Plan, and one live album.


Additionally, he also participated on both Restless Spirits albums, a melodic rock project masterminded by Tony Hernando (Lords Of Black), where he was showcased alongside great artists and singers like Deen Castronovo (Revolution Saints, Journey), Johnny Gioeli (Hardline), Chez Kane, and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Jorn), among others. And, of course, Kent also took on the seemingly impossible task of stepping into the lead vocal role for a reactivated Giant on their new album, Shifting Time (2022). The album was met with critical and fan acclaim, showcasing why Kent is one of the most revered talents in the current melodic rock scene.


Nothing Left To Lose is going to be a true delight for melodic rock fans, as has come to be expected from Hilli.





Tracklisting:


"Too Young"
"Nothing Left To Lose" (Ft. Jimmy Westerlund And Kai Hahto)
"Could This Be Love"
"A Fool To Believe"
"Every Time We Say Goodbye"
"Stronger"
"Does He Love Like Me"
"Start It All Over"
"Heard It All Before"
"Saving Us"
"Only Dreaming"


"Northing Left To Lose" Video:





Lineup:


Kent Hilli - Lead Vocals and Backing Vocals
Jimmy Westerlund - Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals, Additional keyboards, FX, Percussion
Ulrick Lönnqvist - Bass, Backing vocals. Acoustic guitar on ”Every Time We Say Goodbye” and ”Every Time We Say Goodbye (Acoustic Bonus track Japan)
Kai Hahto - Drums on ”Nothing Left To Lose”
Felix Borg - Drums
Pete Alpenborg - Rhythm Guitars and Keyboards
Jimmy Hedlund- Guitar solos on ”Start It All Over” and ”Only Dreaming”
Kristian Fyhr - Backing Vocals
Mike Palace - Guitars and Backing vocals on ”Saving Us” and ”Heard It All Before”
Alexander Jonsson - Keyboards on ”Only Dreaming” and ”Stronger”
Oleg Lavrentev - Saxophone on ”Does He Love Like Me”
Jussi Vuorijää - Keyboards and Organs on ”Nothing Left To Lose”
Rick Altzi - Additional Backing Vocals on ”Nothing Left To Lose"

German traditional heavy metal hope, Then Comes The Night, have released their new single/video "Start The Change". Stream the song via digital platforms here, and watch the lyric video below.


- Music, Lyrics & Production by Selin Schönbeck
- Video Production by Selin Schönbeck







In 2022, Then Comes The Night released their debut album, Chapter 1, which is available on all well-known streaming platforms. Listen here.





Tracklisting:


"Opportunity"
"Go To Hell"
"Metal Meat"
"Madhouse"
"Build Your World"
"Big Fat Banker"
"Master Of Marbles"
"Death And The Maiden"
"Living After Midnight"
"Bella Ragazza"
"Mirror Of The World"
"Dear Universe"
"Burning Thumbs"
"Rock Drink 'N' Funk"
"Money And Beer"


"Arose From The Graves" video:





Lineup:


Selin Schönbeck (Vocals, Guitars)
Frank Fkey Schmidts (Guitars, Backing Vocals)
Martin Baumann (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Roland Grandpa Klein (Drums)

Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard's current stadium tour landed at Rockfest 2023 in Hyvinkää, Finland on June 9. The Crüe have released this recap video:





Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe continue their 2023 co-headline The World Tour with the recent announcement of three exclusive Australian dates.




Produced by Live Nation and presented by Triple M, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard will bring their electrifying stage shows to Australia, commencing with Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on November 8, Giants Stadium Sydney on November 11, and Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on November 14.


Tickets are on sale now.


“After getting back on the road this past summer, we’re beyond thrilled to bring this massive tour to a global audience including some special dates in Australia!” said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard.


“We had an incredible time playing The Stadium Tour in North America and we truly can’t wait to continue taking the show around the globe with The WORLD Tour in 2023. Crüeheads get ready because we have a few amazing Australian dates set for you!” Mötley Crüe said in a joint statement.





Australian dates:


November
8 - Brisbane - Suncorp Stadium
11 - Sydney - Giants Stadium
14 - Melbourne - Marvel Stadium

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played the eighth concert of their "The Future Past Tour" on Sunday (June 11) at the Quarterback Immobilien Arena in Leipzig, Germany. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be found below.

"The Future Past Tour" features previously unperformed songs from the band's most recent studio album, "Senjutsu", along with a focus on 1986's "Somewhere In Time" LP, plus other classic cuts.

As was the case at all the previous gigs on this tour, IRON MAIDEN's 15-song set at the Nokia Arena included "Days Of Future Past", "The Time Machine", "Death Of The Celts" and "Hell On Earth" from "Senjutsu", along with "Alexander The Great" from "Somewhere In Time".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Caught Somewhere In Time
02. Stranger In A Strange Land
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past
05. The Time Machine
06. The Prisoner
07. Death Of The Celts
08. Can I Play With Madness
09. Heaven Can Wait
10. Alexander The Great
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell On Earth
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years

Asked in a radio interview a number of years ago why IRON MAIDEN had never played "Alexander The Great" live, singer Bruce Dickinson answered, "Because Adrian [Smith, guitar] can't remember the guitar solo." While Dickinson may have been joking, he did go on to say that, when the song was originally written, they put the solo through a load of then-very-advanced music computer wizardry, and it just couldn't figure out the time signature.

"Senjutsu" came out in September 2021. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci have weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (AI) to create music.

The two musicians, who are preparing to launch the "Dreamsonic" tour with DREAM THEATER, made their stance clear during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" on Monday (June 5).

"It's a very big topic, and I personally am very excited about it," Jordan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "If people are being nice, that know about AI, like artists, musicians, graphic artists, they'll usually say, 'Oh, we can use it as a tool. And we've had tools before. And that's kind of a cool thing.' But the reality is that the technology — as it's really always done, but now maybe even more — opens up all these incredible possibilities for new levels of creativity that we haven't seen before. So, it's, yes, a tool, but it's a complete door opener and it kind of shatters what we know in a lot of ways. And it can be used in so many ways so we can hear and we can see things that we've never really seen or heard before.

"I myself am somebody who works not only in the audio domain, but I'm also really involved in the visual domain. I'm what's called an ambassador for a company called Lightricks, which is out of Israel, and they do incredible things with AI and photo and video. And I've also been involved in the AI part of music as well. And I'm very excited about it. How much of it will roll over into the DREAM THEATER world or even need to, that's a whole another question. We've actually been pretty open to the technologies that I bring in, although it doesn't completely take over, obviously, what we do, 'cause we've been doing this for a long time. But in general, [I'm] really, really excited about it. I think it's cool. People should pay attention to it. And as a creative person, I'm very involved in, let's say, the positive sides of it."

Petrucci said: "Well, you might have to start calling me Nostradamus, 'cause a few years ago I wrote a story called 'The Astonishing'. Jordan and I wrote the music to it. It was DREAM THEATER's record about, basically, the end of the world due to the fact that AI takes over and there's no need for humans to be creative anymore. And the NOMACs, or Noise Machines, take over and create this horrible music that starts controlling people. And it takes a musical savior named Gabriel to kind of get us out of it. So I predicted it. It's gonna happen. It's happening. That's my take. The NOMACs are coming."

Last month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows said that he "would love to" have his voice cloned using artificial intelligence in order to create new songs. The singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, was also enthused about the possibilities, saying that "AI can be incredibly useful" for songwriters. M. Shadows went on to say that AI gives fans the opportunity to use the work of their favorite acts as a machine learning library to create their own songs.

Pop singer Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, recently said she would "split 50% royalties on any successful AI-generated song that uses my voice".

"Same deal as I would with any artist I collab[orate] with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty," she tweeted.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor expressed his disdain for AI during a recent interview with "Loudwire Nights". He said: "It's cheap shit. I don't know what it is about human beings — they keep fucking opening Pandora's box for God's sake. It's scary, dude. I thought deep fake was bad and now here comes AI and all you do is teach this thing to do this or you type this thing to do that and all of a sudden it's just there. How much more do we want to lessen — and I mean lessen as in detract from — what we actually do as human beings? How much more do we want to take away from our own creativity? How much more do we want to make reality completely fucking pointless or better yet, how much do we completely want to devalue true talent, true creativity, true hard work, true persistence and heart to the point now that people are going to question whether it's you or not. It's so fucking ridiculous."

Photo credit: Rayon Richards / InsideOut Music

Guitar legend Steve Vai is currently on tour in Latin America. He has shared video footage from his June 6th show in Buenos Aires, shot by Pablo Gaston Ferri. Check it out below.


Fan-filmed video is also available.










On June 3rd, Vai performed at the Best Of Blues And Rock Fest 2023 at Parque do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. Fan-filmed video of his entire show is available below.


Vai checked in with the following message after the gig:


"The show in São Paulo at the Best Of Blues And Rock fest was outstanding. It was a beautiful, clear night with a full moon and 8000 enthusiastic people. Thanks to all the fans and to the promoter for inviting me. Brazil rocks, hard and beautiful."


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Avalancha"
"Giant Balls of Gold"
"Little Pretty"
"Tender Surrender"
"Building the Church"
"I'm Becoming"
"Greenish Blues"
"Bad Horsie"
- drum solo - (Jeremy Colson)
"Teeth of the Hydra"
"Zeus in Chains"
"For the Love of God"











Vai recently announced the next leg of the Inviolate North American Tour. Tickets and EVO Experience passes are now on sale at vai.com.


Dates are as follows:


July
16 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
18 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theatre
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Revel
20 - Midland, TX - La Hacienda
21 - Little Rock, AR - Little Rock Hall
23 - New Orleans, LA - Joy Theater
25 - Nashville, TN - CMA Theater
26 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
27 - Peoria, IL - Civic Center Theater
28 - Clarksburg, WV - The Robinson Grand
29 - Harrisburg, PA - Whitaker Center
30 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - FM Kirby Center


August
1 - Bar Harbor, ME - The 1932 Criterion Theatre
2 - Halifax, NS - TBD
3 - Saint John, NB - TBD
5 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
6 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
8 - Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall
10 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
11 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre
12 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall
13 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
15 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
16 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
17 - Bend, OR - Midtown Ballroom
19 - Monterey, CA - Golden State Theater

Relentlessly pummeling and delivering old-school thrash vibes with modern production values, UK thrashers Chupacabra are primed to release their debut EP, Fortified With Ashes, on August 4. 


Check out a lyric video for opening track "Burn The Clowns":







Fortified With Ashes artwork and tracklisting:





"Burn The Clowns"
"F.T.T.D."
"Fortified With Ashes" 


And that's not all! Chupacabra is providing all the music for the new audiobook edition of DX Ferris' best-selling Slayer biography, Slayer 66 & 2/3: A Metal Band Biography, Postmortem Remastered Edition, as well as the accompanying podcast, Talkin' Slayer: A Metal Podcast and Half-@ssed Audiobook.


Chupacabra is the new project from three battle-scarred members of Bristol's flourishing metal scene. Nige Savage (all instruments except lead guitar) and Heather Taylor (vocals) are former members of well-known local band Wytch; Heather was also the lead singer for acclaimed Bristol band Cybervoid. Alex Brent, formerly of Captive, rounds out the recording line-up on lead guitar.


Chupacabra bring the full-frontal, in-your-face force of relentless thrashing riffage as a platform for soaring, aggressive vocals that explore issues of toxic relationships, female empowerment, social injustice and the laid-bare rage of one disaffected member of a broken society. Heather Taylor reveals layers of herself threaded through the songs on a journey of venting unbound rage, breaking conditioned compliance and growing a new authentic skin.


(Photo by Serena Hill)


 

The Dead Daisies are going to "Make Some Noise" with Blackstar Amplification at their shows in 2023. Welcoming back frontman John Corabi and, new to the fold, Michael Devin on bass. Together with band mates Doug Aldrich, David Lowy, and Brian Tichy, they’re going to rock your world! Check out this killer version of "Make Some Noise" filmed in New York.





Ten years ago, The Dead Daisies burst onto the music scene with a mission to gather some of the finest musicians in the world and simply put, play some good old fashioned, no bullshit rock n' roll! After a decade of recording and touring the planet, there have been some incredible one-offs and special highlights including sharing stages with some of the world’s biggest rock bands.




To mark this milestone, a collection of songs from six of the band’s previous studio albums have been chosen. The upcoming Best Of album release will include some of the collectives’ favorite tracks and others that have become a staple part of every Daisies touring setlist.


Two previously unreleased tracks from the last recording session are also included. It will be available on double CD & vinyl on August 18th. Pre-order your copy here.





(CD cover art)


Tracklisting:


Disc 1
"Miles In Front Of Me"
"Lock N’ Load"
"Face I Love"
"Mexico"
"Midnight Moses"
"With You And I"
"Something I Said"
"Fortunate Son"
"Long Way To Go"
"Song And A Prayer"


Disc 2
"Make Some Noise"
"Resurrected"
"Rise Up"
"Holy Ground (Shake The Memory)"
"Unspoken"
"Bustle And Flow"
"Hypnotize Yourself"
"Born To Fly"
"The Healer" (Unreleased track)
"Let It Set You Free" (Unreleased track)





(Vinyl cover art)


To celebrate a decade of rock, The Dead Daisies will kick off touring in late August with some dates in Canada and the US. Late October will see The Daisies head back to Japan, followed by dates in the EU throughout November and December. Confirmed shows are as listed;


August
22 - Mickey's Black Box - Lititz, PA
23 - The Landis Theater - Vineland, NJ
25 - The El Mocambo - Toronto, ON
26 - London Music Hall - London, ON
27 - The Hub - Kitchener, ON
29 - First Ontario Concert Hall - Hamilton, ON
30 - Théâtre Fairmount - Montréal, QC
31 - Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON


September
2 - Hollywood Theatre - Vancouver, BC
4 - Alberta Rose Theatre - Portland, OR
5 - Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music - Berkeley, CA
6 - Goldfield Trading Post - Roseville, CA
8 - Ramona Mainstage - Ramona, CA
9 - Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill - Las Vegas, NV
10 - The Roxy Theatre - Los Angeles, CA


October
31 - Umeda CLub Quattro - Osaka, Japan


November
1 - Spotify O East - Tokyo, Japan
4 - Konzertfabrik Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
5 - La Machine du Moulin Rouge - Paris, France
7 - La Rayonne - Lyon, France
8 - Live Club - Trezzo Sull'Adda, Italy
9 - Airport Obertraubling - Regensburg, Germany
11 - Cultuurpodium Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
12 - Poppodium 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
14 - Pumpehuset - Copenhagen, Denmark
16 - Moriska Paviljongen - Malmö, Sweden
17 - Valand - Göteborg, Sweden
19 - Vulkan Arena - Oslo, Norway


December
2 - Masters Of Rock Cafe - Zlín, Czechia
3 - Barba Negra - Budapest, Hungary
5 - Szene - Vienna, Austria
6 - Majestic Music Club - Okres Bratislava I, Slovakia
7 - Cvetličarna D.O.O. - Ljubljana, Slovenia
9 - Hirsch - Nürnberg, Germany
10 - Columbia Theater - Berlin, Germany
12 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
13 - Zeche - Bochum, Germany
15 - Rock Out Festival - Augsburg, Germany
16 - Knock Out Festival - Karlsruhe, Germany


"It's been an amazing decade with The Daisies! We've rocked out with some of the best in the business, toured the globe, released eight albums and are thrilled to be showcasing the body of work from over the last decade with our upcoming Best Of album release and tour. I'm excited to be welcoming John Corabi back to the band. Can't wait to get back on the road again in 2023 to perform for our fans!" - David Lowy


 

Shinedown is currently taking the month of June to tour a few of their favorite US cities and radio stations.


"Follow us along our journey as we take our time to connect with our supporters and bring awareness to our single 'A Symptom Of Being Human'," says vocalist Brent Smith. "We believe that rock ‘n roll is a spirit, it’s a way of life and for us it’s about being able to reach as many people as possible."


Episodes 1 and 2 of Shinedown "meeting people and spreading love and positivity," can be seen below.










Earlier this year, Shinedown released a music video for their single, "A Symptom Of Being Human", taken from the band's 2022 album, Planet Zero.


Says the group: "As human beings, we are all unique and that’s what makes us original. Embrace it, don’t run away from it. Live every moment to the fullest and don’t worry, it’s all just 'A Symptom Of Being Human'."





Shinedown have announced a string of US dates in September and October, with special guests Papa Roach and Spiritbox. Tickets are on sale now.





Tour dates:


September
3 - St Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
4 - Kansas City, MO - T-Mobile Center
6 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
8 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
9 - Blue Ridge Rock Festival - The Virginia International Raceway
12 - Detroit, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
13 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
15 - Ocean City, MD - Ocean City Bike Fest
16 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
19 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
21 - Bangor, ME - Maine Savings Amphitheater
23 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
24 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
26 - Simpsonville, SC - CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
27 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
29 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater
30 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live


October
3 - Franklin, TN - FirstBank Amphitheater
5 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
6 - Allen, TX - Credit Union of Texas Event Center
8 - Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
9 - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
13 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
15 - Irvine, CA - FivePoint Amphitheatre
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
20 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena





 

The StickHits YouTube channel, found here, has shared another remastered live Rush video. Check it out below.


StickHits: "It only took 4.8 years to upload, but I hope you enjoy the first of multiple follow-up videos to my 'The Trees / Xanadu / Hemispheres / Tom Sawyer Medley' video from the same concert (found here) with the same editing idea that I uploaded in 2018. I am really happy with how the audio turned out on this one - the primary audio is a soundboard recording, which had amazing potential but was in mono and quite dry with almost no ambience, so I used another audience recording to fill in the far left and right stereo image and also used a few different effects to enhance and rebalance the mono track. 


I have always loved the Counterparts era live sound. Neil's drums are very punchy and full with a crisp dry snare sound, Geddy went back to his vintage basses in full force, and Alex emulated the super heavy grunge inspired guitar tones of the time, and I think for the most part it was a big step in the right direction away from their more pop tones of the late 80's to this album.




I definitely want to continue songs from this amazing show, and I may have to go back and upgrade the medley as well!"





Gibson TV has released a new episode of "My First Gibson", featuring Rush guitar hero, Alex Lifeson. Watch below.


A message states: "As a kid, Alex Lifeson would spend every Saturday playing guitar at Long & McQuade, his local music shop, until they kicked him out. Watch this episode of My First Gibson to hear the story of Alex’s first Gibson and the guitar players that inspired his choice."

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Mark Knight and his band, The Unsung Heroes released their new album, Lonesome Songs, from Knifewound Records on June 6th.  ·


Produced by Knight and co-producer Adam Hamilton (L.A. Guns), and primarily recorded at Knight’s Los Angeles home studio, Lonesome Songs features 11 new tracks written by Knight. Adam Hamilton provided additional recording, engineering and mixing at his Palm Ranch Studio. Additionally, Wayne Lothian (The English Beat) co-produced "Stop The Rain" and "San Fernando Valley".


Lonesome Songs is Knight’s tenth studio album and the fourth release with his band. The revolving lineup of The Unsung Heroes featuring longtime drummer and original Bang Tango member, Tigg Ketler,  Wayne Lothian (bass / additional keys / strings),  Adam Hamilton (additional drums / percussion / bass/ background vocals / strings / piano) and background vocals by special guest, Scarlet Rae Knight on "I Do".  All guitars and lead vocals are performed by Knight.




Knight comments: "My last record was very reflective and more experimental in terms of the sound.  This album really feels like going back to almost my classic rock roots with guitars in pride of place, while still weaving in some of the dreamier introspection from Days of a Dreamer.  


 I still write about the things that I’ve always written about.  Sometimes that’s something someone says to me that sparks an idea, or a situation I see someone going through, or that I’m experiencing, and we become fictional characters grounded in the reality of our trials and tribulations.  As life goes on, and I evolve personally and musically, so do the ideas."


Following a critically acclaimed early career as the founding member of ‘90s funk metal band Bang Tango, Knight has long since grown comfortable in his skin as a singer  /songwriter, enabling us to reflect on our own years passed and futures to be had while presenting to us the unity of our experiences.


The album is available via digital platforms and can be purchased here.





Tracklist:


"Beg"
"San Fernando Valley"
"Last Night’s Parade"
"Shut Down"
"Put It On Yourself"
"Lonesome Songs"
"These Days"
"Ain’t the First Time"
"I Do"
"I Don’t Know Anything"
"Stop the Rain"