|
| |
 |
  |
16 èþë 2024
METALLICA's 'Black Album' Has Now Spent 750 Weeks On Billboard 200 Chart
 METALLICA's self-titled album, commonly known as the "Black Album," has now spent 750 total weeks on the Billboard 200 chart (No. 178 this week). It is the fourth album in history to reach the milestone, after PINK FLOYD's "The Dark Side Of The Moon" (990 total weeks),Bob Marley's "Legend" (843 total weeks) and JOURNEY's "Greatest Hits" (813 total weeks).
Back in September 2021, "Metallica" re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at position No. 9. It marked the first time in 29 years that the LP had cracked the Top 10 following the set's 30th-anniversary reissue on September 10, 2021.
Prior to September 2021, "Metallica" was last in the top 10 in August 1992 after spending four weeks at No. 1.
The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Its 1991 release not only gave METALLICA its first No. 1 album in no fewer than 10 countries, including a four-week run at No. 1 in the U.S., its unrelenting series of singles — "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad But True" — fueled the band's rise to stadium headlining, radio and MTV dominating household name status. The album's reception from the press was similarly charged, building over the years from the top 10 of the 1991 Village Voice Pazz & Jop national critics poll to becoming a constant presence in the likes of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album's impact and relevance continue to grow — as proven by one indisputable fact: The Black Album remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 33 years.
To commemorate its 30th anniversary in 2021, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified Black Album received its definitive re-release via the band's own Blackened Recordings.
METALLICA's self-titled LP in 2014 became the first album to sell 16 million copies since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991.
"Metallica" was the first of four collaborations with producer Bob Rock, with whom the band clashed throughout the recording of the disc.
METALLICA performed The Black Album in its entirety at a number of European festivals in 2012.
. @Metallica's 'Metallica' has now spent 750 total weeks on the #Billboard200 (No. 178 this week).
It's the fourth album in history to reach the milestone, after @pinkfloyd's 'The Dark Side of the Moon' (990 total weeks), @bobmarley's 'Legend' (843) and @JourneyOfficial's…
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) July 15, 2024
 | +8 |  |
|  |
16 èþë 2024
Watch DOKKEN Perform In New Buffalo, Michigan
 The zztopeurope YouTube channel has uploaded video of DOKKEN's July 12 concert at Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Michigan. Check out the clips below.
Last month, DOKKEN postponed what was being billed as the band's European "farewell" tour due to frontman Don Dokken's ongoing health issues.
On June 21, DOKKEN released the following statement via social media: "It is with heavy hearts we have to inform you that all scheduled DOKKEN European Summer dates need to be postponed.
"Due to ongoing complications after extensive neck surgery and a recently fractured ankle, Don will not be able to stand for prolonged periods time nor travel overseas at this time.
"Don believes the European fans deserve the best possible farewell. With this in mind, he will do his best to make good in 2025. Thank you for your understanding and continued support."
In a recent interview with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic, Don spoke about the difficulties he has had preserving his voice as he gets older and the issues he has encountered trying to reproduce DOKKEN's classic material in a live setting. He said in part: "I've had a lot of complaints. I see fans, when I go, 'The kiss of…' [in the song 'Kiss Of Death'] and I hit this B flat above A, this super soprano note, and I wouldn't hit it, and you see people go, 'Well, hey, you didn't hit the note.' I'm, like, 'Dude, I've done, like, three thousand concerts. It's like a motor car. It's getting worn out.'"
He continued: "When you're in your twenties, I don't know if we're gonna have another record or another hit or anything — I don't know. So here I am just singing up [in the high register]. I was trying to copy [Rob] Halford [JUDAS PRIEST], or all those bands and Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS by singing] so high, but you go on the road for a year and a half and do four hundred shows and five albums and then you start — like me, I'm husky today just from talking to everybody. And that's just the way it is. And you get older. I'm 70, man. And some of these fans go… I've had people say, 'Don needs to give it up. He can't hit the high notes.' I'm, like, 'Let's see you hit those high notes 24-year-old. Go ahead. Go for it.'"
Don went on to say there would still be the naysayers even if he sang "perfect like [he] did in '83". He added: "My daughter used to go on our web site and we used to have an open forum. So anybody could say anything they wanted. And a guy called Acorn, who didn't even use his real name, and he made a comment when he goes, 'I went to five DOKKEN shows this summer and Don sucked.' And I went, 'Then why'd you come to five shows?' And my daughter would fire back. And we finally blocked him. And I said, 'Sweetie, you've gotta remember, this guy works at Subway and he makes tuna sandwiches all day, and he has this new thing called the Internet and he can go on and post whatever he wants,' 'cause I wasn't censoring, 'and that's their way of getting attention.' Then you get the people to say, 'Screw you' and 'I agree with you.'"
Don said that he plans to "keep going until it's not fun anymore", and he had a special message to those DOKKEN fans who are disappointed that he can't reproduce his vocal performance from four decades ago.
"If I can't sing the way they remember me, then just don't come to the show," he said. "I've got no problem with that."
Back in April 2022, ex-DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson addressed Don's vocal issues in interview with Tulsa Music Stream. He said: "Well, listen, to be fair, not all vocalists keep their range… You don't have a lot of Glenn Hugheses and Ronnie Dios out there in the world, whose voices seem to just never get affected. I can't sing like I could 35 years ago. So you've gotta keep that in mind.
"With that, I hope Don takes care of himself and I hope he can keep singing for as long as possible and I hope he has a little bit of a breakthrough," Jeff continued. "I know he's had a lot of health issues and he's had — it's just a lot of issues — so there's a reason why he's probably had some difficulties. But I wish him the best; I really do. I think he's just got a wonderful voice, and when it's working, it's a unique, magical voice. So I hope he has less problems in the future."
Don previously talked about his vocal issues in a 2020 interview with Antihero Magazine. At the time, he said: "Yes, it's been a problem. We get older, and our voices are not like they were when I was 27 or 30 or 35 or 40. When you get older, your voice is not as high as it used to be, so you lose your high notes. And I know every singer in this business, there's only a few singers that I know that when I see them live, I say, holy shit, they sound just as good as they did when they were 30, and now they're 70. Klaus Meine still sings amazing. He's got an amazing voice. He still sounds the same. So I guess it's a God thing. Maybe God just gives people a gift."
He continued: "You see Glenn Hughes go out and do DEEP PURPLE songs. And Glenn Hughes, he's [72]. He sings amazing. Ronnie James Dio, to almost the end of his life, when he had cancer, he did a concert at Radio City Music Hall [with HEAVEN & HELL] and he was fighting cancer, and he still sounded amazing, just like he did forever. So I guess some people are blessed and some people are not.
"In my world, I have good days and I have bad days, and I don't want to put the blame on anybody," Don added. "But when you're flying on an airplane for five hours in a pressurized cabin, and then you go to a hotel and the air conditioning's on, and it's 100 degrees outside, and then you go in your room and it's 60 degrees, then you get back on a plane, your voice goes out."
After DOKKEN's previous studio album, 2012's "Broken Bones", failed to meet his expectations commercially, Don publicly questioned whether the band should or would make another record. He was also ruthlessly criticized by fans after radiation treatments from a bout with stomach cancer and eventual vocal-cord surgery hurt his performances.
He told the Bradenton Herald that he took a year or so off after "Broken Bones" to regroup and reassess the band's place in the rock marketplace.
"I was getting so bad I had to say, 'Guys, I'm just destroying our brand. I suck,'" Dokken said. "I put on 40 pounds. I couldn't sing. I just didn't look good; I didn't feel good. I just had to get the radiation over with and rehab and come back."
Don underwent neck and spine surgery in November 2019, leaving him unable to play guitar.
DOKKEN released its 13th studio album, "Heaven Comes Down", on October 27, 2023 via Silver Lining Music. The follow-up to "Broken Bones" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN). | 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
New VIXEN Singer ROSA LARICCHIUTA Wasn't Familiar With Band's Music Prior To Being Asked To Join
 New VIXEN singer Rosa Laricchiuta, who joined the band last month as the replacement for Lorraine Lewis, spoke to the "All Bets Are Off" podcast with Robby Vegas about her experience so far with the long-running all-female rock outfit. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's amazing. I'm absolutely loving my time on stage, but I have to say it has been challenging — probably the most challenging of my entire career. [Laughs] I haven't had to learn 11 songs in such a short period of time, but the songs are amazing. I love the songs. I love melodic rock, and every song I was learning just got better and better. And I was, like, 'Oh my God. I love this. I love this. I love this melody and I love this song.' And I worked really hard. But I'm really proud of myself. And singing them — next level. The girls welcomed me from day one rehearsal, right from the start. And now I have — what? — three performances under my belt. And I honestly feel like I found a family."
Laricchiuta made her live debut with VIXEN on June 21 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California alongside GREAT WHITE, SLAUGHTER and QUIET RIOT. Asked what was going through her head at that first show, Rosa said: "Well, I was really excited because I'm all over the place because I'm so overwhelmed and it's all so surreal. But growing up, I always wanted sisters, so now I feel blessed to have three sisters. And I feel — this is funny, but I feel like I'm a part of an incredible hockey team doing what I love. [Laughs]"
As for the vibe on stage, Rosa said: "My heart was beating so fast and I was really grateful that the first show was only six songs. [Laughs] Oh my goodness. Of course it was adrenaline and the good stress. But, like I said, the girls really welcomed me from the start. And immediately, when we were on stage, I felt the energy. Britt's [Lightning, a.k.a. Brittany Denaro, VIXEN guitarist] infectious vibe, Julia's [Lage, VIXEN bassist] energy is just wow. And sometimes I had to tell myself, 'Rosa, focus on the crowd,' because I was so — I forgot. I was so lost in the energy that I forgot there's a good crowd in front of us. And then Roxy [Petrucci] on the drums, it's so fun. I just wanted to jump on her riser, but I couldn't because the riser was so incredibly high. And then the second and the third show, I had a moment. I like to look everyone in the eye. And I'm telling you, it's intense, it's amazing, but most of all, I'm having a blast."
Asked if she was aware of VIXEN's legacy prior to being asked to join the band, she said: "Sadly, no… The first thing, the first thing I said was, 'Oh my God. It's an all-female band. Is this really happening?' Because, again, growing up, I never had a sister, and I always dreamed of being in an all-girl, all-female band, always. And then the second thing that came out of my mouth was, 'This is so badass.'"
Laricchiuta is a singer, songwriter, and performer from Montreal, Quebec. After several years cutting her teeth with live shows, she auditioned for the third season (2015) of "La Voix", Quebec's version of the popular TV show "The Voice". Rosa had an instant connection with the legendary francophone rocker Éric Lapointe and chose him as her coach. Rosa showed a solid stage presence, with remarkable intensity and a voice so powerful it sent her straight to the Grand Finale where she shared the stage with DEF LEPPARD, Kelly Clarkson, Jean Leloup and her idol, Melissa Etheridge. She left a lasting impression as she won over millions of viewers who named her the new "it" female rocker of Quebec. She then released one album in the Quebec market before beginning work on her first English language album in 2016. That album, "Free", was released the following year and at the end of the year, she joined the popular American band TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA for their annual mega tour of the United States.
Laricchiuta's hard rock project BLACK ROSE MAZE released its self-titled debut album in August 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl.
VIXEN has more than a dozen more shows scheduled for the summer and early fall.
Laricchiuta's hard rock project BLACK ROSE MAZE released its self-titled debut album in August 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl.
VIXEN has more than a dozen more shows scheduled for the summer and early fall.
During a recent appearance on the Battleline Podcast, Britt discussed the decision to part ways with Lewis. Asked what she would say to fans who are concerned that VIXEN bears little resemblance to the band that broke through in the late 1980s, with Roxy as the sole remaining member from VIXEN's classic lineup, Britt said: "Yeah, well, I think Roxy is definitely dedicated to maintaining the musical integrity of the classic VIXEN. And she said that. And I think for whatever reason, she feels that this change is gonna be a positive one… So, I'm excited. I trust her. She's been doing this a long time, and she knows what feels right."
Britt continued: "Sometimes things run its course. And, again, I'm not involved in in this decision or at liberty to really speak about … the reasons in it. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter, I guess. We're forging forward, we're forging ahead, and there will be new music. And I think it's gonna rock. So I'm very excited."
Britt went on to discuss the importance of getting along with VIXEN's new singer on a personal level, explaining: "At the end of the day, obviously you have to be talented, but just being a good person and being a cool person, 'cause we spend a lot of time together. I mean, that saying, musicians, we get paid to travel and then we play the gig, but what do we get paid for? The travel. I mean, I've flown to South America for one 30-minute show and then flown right back. So that's a lot of travel time and not a lot of playing. And that's a lot of time that you have to be with each other, and if you're with somebody that just drives you nuts, that's the worst thing ever. And then you can tell on stage too. So you know there's good chemistry when — you can feel it, is what I'm saying, on stage. And I think the audience can always feel it too."
In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.
Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.
Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Petrucci, bassist Share Ross and Lightning vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."
Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan 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 full-length release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".
More than two years ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.
Last year, VIXEN released a new single called "Red". The official music video for the track, which was written and produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury, was directed by Drew Johnston and Vicente Cordero and edited by Ryan Conion. | +1 | |
| |
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif) |
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
Former VIXEN Singer LORRAINE LEWIS Was 'Definitely Shocked And Surprised' By Her Dismissal From The Band
 In a new interview with The Bay Ragni Show, former VIXEN singer Lorraine Lewis opened up about her recent exit from the band, saying she was "definitely shocked and surprised" by her dismissal from the group.
In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.
Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.
Speaking about her time with VIXEN, Lewis told The Bay Ragni Show (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did my first show with them in 2018 when Janet had a brain issue. And I think that I can remember it was Choctaw, Oklahoma, and it was a fabulous show and really great. And then Janet decided to leave and do her own thing. And I was invited to be the lead singer of VIXEN, which was a great honor and a privilege and a pleasure for sure. And, yeah, and that's basically what happened. So I was invited to come into the camp. I think that they needed me at that time. Yeah, and five years of rocking and rolling and having a blast."
Asked if she was surprised when she was let go from VIXEN, Lorraine said: "You said that a lot of people were shocked or surprised. I was definitely shocked and surprised. I thought that my statement [that I released announcing my departure] was pretty clear. I think that a lot of people have misunderstood it. So I guess it's important for me to say, because, look, the bottom line for me, I had the best time, I love the girls. We had an amazing time. We totally kicked ass together and I am really proud, really proud of what I brought to the brand. And I know that I did a great job. No one can tell me that I didn't. I know this. You can say whatever you want about me, whatever, but I know I brought it and I brought it every night and I do what I do, which I am a rock and roll singer through and through and I love the crowd and I love the people. I live for the people. I mean, I live for the music, too — don't get me wrong; it's all about the music at the end of the day — but I'm here for the people. I'm an entertainer. I'm born to entertain. That's what I do. So, for me, I wanted to let the fans know that I was no longer going to be the front person for the band."
She continued: "It was not my decision to leave. And I think that that's something that I do want to have be clear and known, and that's not for anybody else or any musicians or anything. It's for the fans, 'cause I had a lot of fans reach out to me and say, 'Why did you quit? Why? Why did you leave? Why?', and upset that I 'left'. And plain and simple, it was not my choice to leave. And I think that that is all I really need to say about that. It was not my choice. I was surprised. I thought we were getting ready to go out on tour for the summer. So, I was ready to rock and roll. And again, I miss the girls. I love the girls. And we had the best ride. And I am still honored and so humbled and grateful to have been a part of VIXEN and what I brought to the table and the amount of touring that I got to do with them and have a blast. And I think that the fans really loved it."
Lewis added: "Here's to the fans and the friends of the band. You are the people that really matter to me and I love you all so much. And it was important for me to let people know, because shows were coming up and I felt it was my right to say what I wanted to say as gently as I could, and so I released that statement on a Sunday and let people know. And yeah, I'm sure that people were surprised and shocked. I know that they were, because my phone blew up like crazy and hasn't really stopped. But that's really all I can say about that. I had a great ride with them."
Lorraine, a former singer for the 1980s hard rock band FEMME FATALE and current senior casting producer at the production company Renegade 83, went on to say: "That band is a chapter of my life. That's a chapter. My life is pre-that, my life is television, my life is vast. I've been on the planet a very long time and I have lived many lives. I've worn many different hats. I am a million different people from one day to the next… Yeah, I'm a million different people and this is just a segment of my life that I've enjoyed to the fullest and to the max. And now it is on to the next."
Asked if she was fired from VIXEN in a phone call or an e-mail, Lorraine said: "I'm not really wanting to talk about all that yet. I just really have no need to talk about all the details. I think that a lot of people really want to know, and I think that there might be a time and place to do that. But I heard a quote from Cher recently, and I posted it, actually, today. And she said — she gave someone advice, she gave a really famous actress some really good advice, and she said, 'If it's not going to matter in five years, if it doesn't matter in five years, it doesn't matter.' And that hit me like a ton of bricks, because that was a message I felt for me, because in the big picture of my life, this is a segment that I have just stepped away from and that's okay. Life goes on life."
Lewis continued: "My life has been up and down and all around. So this is nothing that fazes me in the least. Yes, I can say I was surprised. Yes, I didn't know this was gonna happen; I thought we were just killing it. But, really, in the big picture and what Cher said, in five years, will it matter? No. In five years, this segment, this chapter is definitely not going to matter. So that's really how I choose to live my life. That's it."
VIXEN's new singer Rosa Laricchiuta (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, HEADPINS) made her live debut with VIXEN on June 21 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California alongside GREAT WHITE, SLAUGHTER and QUIET RIOT.
During a recent appearance on the Battleline Podcast, VIXEN guitarist Brittany Denaro (a.k.a. Britt Lightning) discussed the decision to part ways with Lewis. Asked what she would say to fans who are concerned that VIXEN bears little resemblance to the band that broke through in the late 1980s, with drummer Roxy Petrucci as the sole remaining member from VIXEN's classic lineup, Britt said: "Yeah, well, I think Roxy is definitely dedicated to maintaining the musical integrity of the classic VIXEN. And she said that. And I think for whatever reason, she feels that this change is gonna be a positive one… So, I'm excited. I trust her. She's been doing this a long time, and she knows what feels right."
Britt continued: "Sometimes things run its course. And, again, I'm not involved in in this decision or at liberty to really speak about … the reasons in it. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter, I guess. We're forging forward, we're forging ahead, and there will be new music. And I think it's gonna rock. So I'm very excited."
Britt went on to discuss the importance of getting along with VIXEN's new singer on a personal level, explaining: "At the end of the day, obviously you have to be talented, but just being a good person and being a cool person, 'cause we spend a lot of time together. I mean, that saying, musicians, we get paid to travel and then we play the gig, but what do we get paid for? The travel. I mean, I've flown to South America for one 30-minute show and then flown right back. So that's a lot of travel time and not a lot of playing. And that's a lot of time that you have to be with each other, and if you're with somebody that just drives you nuts, that's the worst thing ever. And then you can tell on stage too. So you know there's good chemistry when — you can feel it, is what I'm saying, on stage. And I think the audience can always feel it too. So, I know it'll be great though. Roxy also is more familiar with her as a person, and if she greenlighted it, then I know it's gonna be good."
When VIXEN announced Lewis's exit from the band on May 27, the group said in a statement: "First of all we want to extend a special thank you to Lorraine Lewis. We're grateful for her contributions to VIXEN and wish her all the best in her career moving forward."
On May 26, Lewis released the following statement via her social media: "VIXEN Tribe and devoted fans: The band has taken a different direction, and as much as I will miss you please know that more Rock & Roll from me is on the way!
"It has been an honor to front the band since that first show in 2019 & I am forever grateful for the opportunity and memories that came with it! I've had the time of my life and have loved rockin' with ALL of you! I can't wait to rock your faces off again soon cuz trust me babes, I'm not going anywhere!! I love you."
Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Petrucci, bassist Share Ross and Lightning vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."
Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan 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 full-length release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".
More than two years ago, Ross announced that she was "taking a hiatus" from VIXEN. Her replacement is Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen. Lage made her live debut with VIXEN on February 8, 2022 at the pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida.
Last year, VIXEN released a new single called "Red". The official music video for the track, which was written and produced by CINDERELLA drummer Fred Coury, was directed by Drew Johnston and Vicente Cordero and edited by Ryan Conion. | 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
IRON MAIDEN Singers BRUCE DICKINSON And PAUL DI'ANNO Meet For The First Time
 IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson met the singer he replaced in the band, Paul Di'Anno, for the first time earlier tonight (Saturday, July 13) in Croatia.
Bruce, who is promoting his new solo album, "The Mandrake Project", performed with his solo band on Saturday at Hala Zagreb in Zagreb, where Di'Anno has been receiving treatment after undergoing major knee surgery nearly two years ago.
Stjepan Juras, a MAIDEN fan and author of many MAIDEN-related books, who has been managing Di'Anno and taking care of Paul while he has been getting physiotherapy treatments in Croatia, shared a photo of today's encounter between the two heavy metal legends. In a caption, Stjepan wrote simply: "History is rewritten once again! For the first time ever!"
In his book "666 Days With The Beast", Stjepan described all the key moments of Paul's recovery and new life, including Di'Anno's 2022 meeting in Croatia with Steve Harris. A special limited edition of this book can be ordered exclusively at www.maidencroatia.com/666days.
In a recent interview with Joel McIver for Record Collector magazine, Bruce was asked when he first encountered IRON MAIDEN. He responded: "The first time I saw MAIDEN was at what was then the Music Machine in Camden. SAMSON [Bruce's then-band] were headlining because our management had bankrolled the gig and said, 'We want the top slot,' although we didn't really deserve it. That became obvious when MAIDEN came on, because the whole place was rammed. I'd heard rumors about how good they were, and I thought I'd better see them. When they came out, I thought, 'I've never seen DEEP PURPLE, but this is what it must have felt like to see DEEP PURPLE in their prime, rocking up a storm.'"
Asked what he thought of MAIDEN's then-frontman Di'Anno as a singer, Bruce said: "He was okay, but he didn't have a lot of flex to his voice. I thought his voice had come as far as it was going to get. I saw what the rest of the band were capable of straight away, and I remember thinking, 'Good God, I'd love to front that band.' And as soon as they finished playing, everybody in the venue left and we were headlining to about three people."
Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.
In 2005, Di'Anno was asked by Classic Rock Revisited editor Jeb Wright about his previous comment that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than he was. He said: "Yeah, I did admit that Bruce is a better singer for MAIDEN than me. I still do think that but only related only to the MAIDEN albums that were made after my first two initial MAIDEN classic albums. My feeling is that I could never have stamped my mark properly on the MAIDEN albums that came after 'Iron Maiden' and 'Killers' because Bruce's voice is much better suited to that material than my voice ever could be. However, that aside, I am not actually comparing our voices against each other either, as I feel as much as I could not sing Bruce's period of MAIDEN songs, Bruce definitely does not have — and never did have — the voice to replace me on the first two classic albums either. My voice is, and always will be, mega aggressive and that is what helped make those first two classic albums what they are. On the other hand, Bruce's high-pitched, and sometimes operatic voice, is what has helped give the later albums their different character. I will say this though: Bruce sounds incredible on many later MAIDEN tracks such as 'The Trooper', 'Number Of The Beast' and 'Two Minutes To Midnight' but let's face it — without meaning to sound arrogant here, just saying what everyone knows — when Bruce tries to emulate me on classics such as 'Remember Tomorrow', 'Running Free', 'Wrathchild', 'Killers' or anything from the first two MAIDEN albums, he just does not have the tools for the job as the aggression just isn't there. Your voice can often explain a lot about your background, and I think my voice shows the kind of rough, lower-class background I came from. Bruce's voice kind of gives an impression of a public schoolboy background."
In a 2022 interview with Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine, Di'Anno addressed the circumstances that led to his departure from MAIDEN and whether it's true that it has something to do with his vocal performance. He said: "My record stands for itself. I've played more shows than IRON MAIDEN have ever played… They play a lot of concerts, but I played a hell of a lot more than they ever had. So it was nothing to do with my voice. It was nothing to do with that. I was just upset about certain things, which were private things in the band. And the way I dealt with them maybe was not right, but I dealt with them. And that's the end of it. And that's as much as I'm gonna say."
Pressed about whether it's true that he wasn't properly compensated for his work on the first two IRON MAIDEN albums, Paul said: "I have nothing to comment on that at all, because, to be honest with you, it's nobody's damn business. I got paid very well. I'm very happy with that. See, if I try to say, 'Oh, IRON MAIDEN didn't pay me enough money,' it's a bad reflection on IRON MAIDEN. And I'm not taking that. I got paid very well. They looked after me. End of story."
In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier that year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić. The resulting LP will be made available on July 19, 2024 under the PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE banner.
Photo courtesy of Stjepan Juras
History is rewritten once again! For the first time ever! If you want to see and hear more details click here:
www.maidencroatia.com/666days
Posted by Stjepan Juras on Saturday, July 13, 2024
| +8 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
Watch Pro-Shot Video Of GREAT WHITE Performing On 'KLOS Helpful Honda Rock Room' Stage
 GREAT WHITE recently appeared on the KLOS Helpful Honda Rock Room stage, the exclusive concert series featuring private interviews and performances. Check out the band's performance and interview with Matt Pinfield below.
In an April 2024 interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to 2017's "Full Circle" album. He said: "I've been having [our new singer Brett Carlisle] out recording new stuff. Because I want him to be inspired and just not singing our [old] songs perfect but put his name on some new stuff. So we've been recording. I got a friend, his studio is a little bit more upgraded than mine. This guy Tracy G [Grijalva], he's like a teenage friend of mine who was in DIO. He just has a better studio. So I go down there and lay down ideas and then I have Brett out and go, 'Check this out,' and we sit together. And it's coming out amazing."
Regarding how GREAT WHITE is planning to release its new music, Mark said: "We're not sure how we're gonna put it out, with this day and age. We're talking to a lot of people about it. 'Cause we don't want the music to kind of get lost, with this downloading world. It's not like when we were growing up, we'd buy a record and sit there and listen to [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Physical Graffiti' all day. Now they just download a couple of songs from this [album], a couple of songs [from that record]. So we're thinking maybe the idea could be [to] just put two or three songs out, maybe a video, and just keep coming with three at a time or something. That way, the music isn't wasted; it actually gets to the people. That's all we're concerned about. We know it's gonna be free on the Internet immediately."
He continued: "Even in our heyday, I was always more interested in the feedback. I want people to tell me, 'Man, I really like this song' or, 'I hate it,' or whatever. I used to go straight to a friend of mine, as soon as we were done, before it was out or anything, because you've gotta wait about four months. So I'd ask him, I go, 'Man, please tell me I'm great. Tell me something good.' He would always pick the singles. And the guy can't — he can't hold a tune in a bucket. I mean, he's so tone deaf, it's insane. But he can listen and he could always pick the singles. I'm going, 'What are you judging by? Is it the beat?' He goes, 'I don't know.' So there's no answer there. But I always like to get the feedback 'cause I wanna know… You have to wait this waiting period after you finish a record to find out if you're good or not, or if people are gonna be accepting. So it is a frustrating time. So I always race all my friends and play it for 'em. So that's what I'm more interested in than the dollars, really, is what people think. And maybe we have a chance to create some more memories."
Asked if he and his bandmates were "a little bit apprehensive" about the fact that Carlisle is only 27 years old while GREAT WHITE, as a group, has been in existence more than four decades, Mark said: "He's in his late 20s, but, believe it or not, he's kind of an old soul in a way. Nothing overwhelms the guy. He just goes out and just totally handles it every night, engages the crowd. He's real good with the interaction. He sings perfect all the time. And he's got really good song sense for a young man. I'm used to feeding people melody ideas when I write a song because that's the way I do it. Everybody has their own way to do it, but I always know that there's a lot of melody available, and he sometimes comes up with something way better than I had. So that's a good sign. And the way he delivers the new stuff, he really has a good handle on the music. And I don't know — I think he was born in the wrong time or something. In other words, we can stand together. It's not like he's standing next to his grandpa or something. It's not like we're CROSBY, STILLS & NASH, and, 'What's that 13-year-old doing there?' When we stand together, it just looks like a band. It doesn't look like we're with a little kid or anything. He's a little better-looking than us, but apart from that…"
Carlisle was officially named GREAT WHITE's new vocalist in October 2022. Brett joined the group as the replacement for Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE),who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.
Regarding what it has been like working with a singer who wasn't even born when some of GREAT WHITE's classic songs were written, the band's rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie told Robert Miguel of Uvalde Radio Rocks: "Well, I think he gets what we're trying to do. It's been a godsend to have someone with his youth, but at the same time he has what a lot of people would deem as an older soul. His parents did a great job bringing him up on '70s and '80s rock, so he's pretty well versed in that. And he comes from the South, so he's got a little bit of that blues and gospel edge to him."
Michael went on to say that he is "really looking forward" working on the new GREAT WHITE album with Carlisle. "In fact, before we were going on the other night, I was playing him a little bit of a thing that he and I are working on, and he's going, 'Oh, yeah, I got this idea,'" Lardie said. "So he's really psyched about working with us. And it's a joy to be onstage with him. He's turned into a great little performer, and when he's offstage, he's the most down-to-earth, righteous young man that I've come across in a while. And it's been a joy."
Michael added that Carlisle has the singing ability to handle anything from GREAT WHITE's catalog. "With his energy and his vocal range, we can do pretty much anything," he said. "If somebody throws out a tune, no matter how obscure it might be or how high it might be in terms of range, he's, like, 'Yeah, I can do that.' Like one of the songs we are doing from the very, very first record is 'Stick It'. And he hits every one of those notes spot-on every night. So it's awesome."
Regarding the musical direction of the new GREAT WHITE material, Lardie said: "It's hard to say. I would love the album to be kind of an amalgam of '...Twice Shy' [1989], 'Hooked' [1991] and 'Psycho City' [1992]. I mean, that, to me, would be a great combination of things."
In March, Kendall told The Logan Show about Carlisle: "Even though he's younger than us, he's kind of, like… Nothing overwhelms the guy. He's respectful and everything, but he's not, like, 'Oh, my god. Look at this. Oh, my god. [Look at] that.' He just goes out and just totally handles it every night. Yeah, he's younger than us and whatnot, and, like you said, he wasn't even born in our heyday or whatever, probably, but he just goes out, he really brings the crowd into the show. He's really good and natural at… He doesn't have a script when he goes out there; he just kind of whatever he's feeling, and he sings like perfect, no matter what. It's pretty incredible, really. We're looking forward to doing an album with him, I can tell you that much."
After interviewer Logan Crosland noted that "quite a few people online" have commented that Brett is "probably the closest-sounding singer to Jack Russell," GREAT WHITE's original vocalist, and asked if that was a criteria when hiring Brett to front the band, Mark said: "Not necessarily. What it was is he just sang the songs correctly and he has the range to sing 'em. I don't think his voice sounds that much like Jack, but he has the range of Jack in his heyday. And so we're able to play anything we want, and we really haven't been able to do that in the past. Like we're playing 'Stick It' off the first album, which is up in the astral planes with the vocal range, and he's hitting all those notes full power. I mean, it's not like a falsetto, weak high notes. He's like straight from the gut just like screaming these notes, like full power from A to Z. There's not a song in our catalog that he can't totally handle. And I've been writing with him."
Regarding whether he has any songs already completed, Mark said: "Oh, yeah. I probably have seven complete songs on tape right now. [They're] just absolutely killer. But we haven't collaborated. The way we do it is we get together and we sit in a circle and say, 'What do you got? Let's hear it. What do you got?' And if a riff kind of pokes out, we say, 'Let's work on that. That's badass, dude. That's killer.' And that way it's more of a group effort."
Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Brett, he felt welcomed by his new bandmates and the GREAT WHITE fans from the get-go.
"After meeting [the GREAT WHITE guys], they're all super-cool dudes," he told Kevin McKay of the 99 Rock WKSM FM radio station. "In Vegas, we had a rehearsal the day before, and I already knew half the songs well enough to be able to do it. So I wanted to do the best that I could on 'em. But after we hung out, everybody was cool and stuff. I mean, it's a big crowd. I love big crowds; they're fun."
Carlisle has been playing guitar and singing since the age of eight and counts bands like VAN HALEN, SKID ROW and METALLICA as his main influences.
In May 2022, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.
Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).
The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.
This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell.
In January 2023, Kendall told the "Mark 2.0" podcast that he was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to Carlisle's addition to GREAT WHITE. "It was world news," he said. "I'm seeing stuff on the Internet from Italy, Germany, the U.K. And even some of the more online dirt-seeking-type entities that normally are just huntin' for the headline to say, 'He said his singer sucks'. That's the article. That's the way it starts. These guys actually said good things and posted some of the [fan-filmed videos]. They're cellphone cameras, so the quality probably isn't… But you can hear it. You need to sing great."
In October 2022, Carlisle was asked in an interview with AL.com about his approach to singing GREAT WHITE's classic songs. He said: "I just want to do the songs justice, because that's what people expect to hear. They want to go to the shows and hear the songs the way they remember them, the way they know them. It's not about me and how many high notes I can hit or anything like that. I just want to do the give the people, and the band, what they want."
Brett went on to say that he is honored to be singing for a band whose songs — including "Save Your Love", "Rock Me" and "Lady Red Light" — he had previously covered with his other band ALL OR NOTHING.
"I just want to learn from them," Carlisle said of his new bandmates "It's just really cool to be included in what I've grown up listening to, like looking at the CDs and everything. And then now people are coming up after the shows asking me to sign like original GREAT WHITE cassettes and stuff. And I'm sitting here feeling like I'm not worthy. Because I didn't record that. But I'm like, I just sang with them, so, sure, if you want me to." | 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
Watch: GUS G. Joins STEEL PANTHER On Stage In Thessaloniki For Cover Of OZZY OSBOURNE's 'Crazy Train'
 Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who served as Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist from 2009 to 2017, joined STEEL PANTHER on stage last night (Friday, July 12) at the Moni Lazariston festival in Thessaloniki, Greece to perform the Ozzy classic "Crazy Train". Video of his appearance can be seen below.
In a recent interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Gus was asked if there is a "signature song" on Ozzy's 2010 album "Scream" where he "really put [his] stamp" on. He responded: "I think the main single, the lead single, 'Let Me Hear You Scream', that's the one. Because I remember recording the album in Ozzy's studio and spending four or five weeks there doing guitars. And I remember flying back to Greece, 'cause that's where I live, and I remember, I was, like, 'Okay, I'm done with guitars. Everything is done.' And then I got an e-mail from Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager], and she was, like, 'We need you to come back to re-record one solo for 'Let Me Hear You Scream'.' And I'm, like, 'Why? I thought it was great.' And she's, like, 'Well, look, this is gonna be the first song that people will hear you on. You're gonna be the new guy and people will be checking you out on that one. So, I just think you can do better.' And, man, she was right. I was taken a back for a little bit. I was, like, 'What?' But then I sat down — I don't know. I just dissected each part down. It was a different vibe of going into it. Like, 'Okay, I have to think that this is gonna be the first thing that somebody is gonna hear me on that has no idea who this guy is. So we have to grab their attention.' So I think that solo is very representative of my style. There's a lot of those kind of things that I do a lot on my playing. And it's just such a cool track. It's a big song, man. So I'm really proud of that."
Asked if he is a guy who normally writes out the solos or he just "freeforms" it, Gus responded: "I do write the solos. I do. I come from the Randy Rhoads kind of school — construct the solos part by part. I do think the parts out. I mean, I do improvise a little bit over the backing track to get some initial ideas and stuff, and then I kind of narrow it down to what it would be like and then piece it all together."
Back in November 2019, Gus was asked during a clinic in Copenhagen, Denmark about the experience of recording the "Scream" album. He said: "You can say it was nerve-racking. They made sure that I was very comfortable. We were recording in Ozzy's house. He had this amazing million-dollar studio in his basement. And they were, like, 'Just take your time. Play your guitars. Take as long as you like.' So it was cool. I was hanging out there for a few weeks with his producer, Kevin Churko. It was great times. He didn't stress me. He just let me do my thing down there. We had a lunch break, and he would come down and take a listen to what I'd done for the day and tell a joke.
"It was also an interesting album for me, because I'm so used to writing the stuff," he continued. "But [the basic music] was already there. It was kind of weird, because the songs were there — the basic song structures — but they had no solo parts, and the riffs were not really there either; just like themes. The producer would come and chop them in Pro Tools. So my job was to come in and replay this and make it sound as natural as possible. I redid all the stuff. I did all the solo sections; there was no solo parts or melodies or anything like that. So it was a very fun experience.
"Of course, when you're there, you can't help but think of all the guys that were there in that band," Gus added, referring to previous Ozzy guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee and Zakk Wylde. "You're, like, 'Oh my God. How are we gonna release this? How can that thing compare to any of that?' So it's always there; that ghost is there somehow. But at the end of the day, you just do your best. It is what it is for the time being.
"I look at music albums as photo albums, in a way, of your life and where you are at a certain point, how your playing is, how your style [is], how your feelings come out. At the end of the day, you do what you can do for the time being, and then you obviously want to get better for the next album."
In 2018, Gus told TrueMetal.it that "it was a little bit of a relief" to find out that Ozzy was getting back together with his longtime axeman Zakk Wylde seven years ago. "I was just kind of tired of waiting around for all these years, not hearing anything about potential tours or recording activities," Gus said at the time. "Of course, [Ozzy] was very busy with BLACK SABBATH — I understand that — but then in between of all that, there would be all these one-off [solo Ozzy] shows popping up and I had to make myself available for that. But there was never any… I felt like there was no… I didn't see stuff coming up for the future, you know? So, as much as I loved being in that band and working with him, in a way, it was a little bit of a dead end for me, speaking personally. Of course, now he's gonna go on a big tour again and do his farewell thing, and that's great for him, but it was not a creative thing for me."
Gus's band FIREWIND released its latest studio album, "Stand United", in March via AFM Records.
Steel Panther και Gus G on stage !
Raising hell on crazy train .....
Posted by Elias Aravides on Friday, July 12, 2024
| +2 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
DREAM THEATER's JORDAN RUDESS: 'Having MIKE PORTNOY Come Back To Us Just Feels Like He's Coming Home'
 In a new interview with Brazil's 89FM A Rádio Rock, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess was asked about the band's reunion with founding DT drummer Mike Portnoy, who rejoined the progressive metal titans last October after a 13-year absence. Jordan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel, in a way, like we haven't even missed a beat with this lineup. Having Mike Portnoy come back to us just feels like he's coming home. He was so welcome and we were so happy, we just jumped right into it. From day one, when he walked in the studio and we started to work, literally it was like there was no break. I mean, he just belongs here and he is so engaged, so passionate about what he does, and having that energy come into our group has been a beautiful thing."
Rudess also talked about DREAM THEATER's upcoming sixteenth album, which will mark the progressive metal legends' first LP since Portnoy's return to the group. Asked if the recording process has changed with Portnoy coming back to the band, Rudess said: "Well, it's definitely changed because he's a very strong musical personality and a strong personality in general. And so he has a lot of thoughts about things. He's a very conceptual thinker, and I think that as fine as we were just doing our own thing when he was gone, having him back, it's just like, wow, this is so great to have your mind and your spirit involved in it. It really does change things. So I think when people hear the new album that we're working on, they'll kind of see that and they'll feel that. I definitely think it's reconnecting with some of the spirit of the magic that we produced in the years that he was in the band."
Regarding whether Portnoy's time away from DREAM THEATER will help Mike bring new things to the group now that he has rejoined his longtime bandmates, Rudess said: "Well, I think everybody grows, everybody changes and we bring what we learn into the mix. So, I think while we're revisiting and kind of enjoying this feeling of connecting with who we were, we're also different people, we've been through all these different experiences, so there's a lot of other things we all bring to the situation — on every level, just musically, personally, everything."
Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.
Mike Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".
Rudess previously spoke about Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER earlier this month in an interview with Serbia's Highwaystar Magazine. Jordan said at the time: "Well, it was so great to have him back. In many ways it feels like we never lost a beat. Because he was one of the ones who started this band, and he loves it so much, the welcoming process was really immediate and we're all so happy to kind of re-establish what we had. I mean, it feels like getting the core band together again."
Rudess also talked about DREAM THEATER's upcoming "40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025". The trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — is the first outing since Portnoy's return to the band. The European leg of DREAM THEATER's "40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025" consists of stops in 23 cities, including in Zagreb, Croatia, and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. Asked what fans can expect from the Zagreb show, Jordan said: "Well, it's gonna be a very, very exciting concert, as you know, because everybody's so excited about this reunion of all of us. And Mike will also have a lot to do with helping to pick the songs that we play in the setlist. That's one of his great talents, to decide things like that. And it'll be just a celebration. We're gonna play a bunch of songs from our catalog. We'll pick some ones that everybody really wants to hear. And, yeah, I think they can expect probably one of the most exciting DREAM THEATER shows that they've ever been to. I can almost guarantee it."
Asked by Brazil's Marcelo Vieira and Matheus Ribeiro if DREAM THEATER's upcoming LP picks up from where the last DT album he played on, 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", left off or if it's a different thing entirely, Portnoy said: "If I'm being honest, I think it picks up right where 'Black Clouds' left off, to be honest. There's a certain style that the five of us have when we write together. And if you listen to the album with this lineup from 1999, '[Metropolis Pt. 2:] Scenes From A Memory', through 2009's 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings', if you look at that string of five or six albums, that's the sound and style of these five people. So I think that's a good indication of what you can expect with the new DREAM THEATER album. It definitely sounds like classic DREAM THEATER."
Last month, Portnoy told The Prog Report about the writing and recording sessions for DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album: "It's going great. The writing is done. My drum tracks are done. Guitars are done. So, this week we're in bass land. I'm home at the moment. So I'm kind of jumping back and forth between the studio as needed. I'm not there 100 percent of the time. But I'm gonna go back for keyboards in a few weeks and then we're gonna start the vocals, I think, next month."
He continued: "So, yeah, it's a long process. I haven't spent this much time making an album in a long time, because usually [Mike's other projects] NMB [NEAL MORSE BAND] or FLYING COLORS or whatever, you kind of get together, do the writing and the tracking, and everybody does it at home. But DREAM THEATER is still old school where the band is in the studio the whole time. And it's not like anybody's doing anything at home separately. We do it all together, coming in one at a time to work and record. So, yeah, it's a longer process than I've had in quite some time. But it's great… It's the old way. It's the way I always made records with DREAM THEATER. I just hadn't done it that way in so long, but it is good. And the process is really detailed this way. All these other bands and projects, everyone kind of just does their own thing on their own time at their own place. But this really gives a real unified kind of band vibe. Even a couple of weeks ago, James [LaBrie, DREAM THEATER singer] flew back out, came down from Japan and we spent time collaborating on vocal melodies, so lyrics can be written to those melodies, which is kind of the way the process is in DREAM THEATER. So, yeah, it's nice to just be a part of each one of these steps, like the old days. It's been a while since I made a record this way."
Portnoy went on to say that he "can't give away much details" about DREAM THEATER's next LP, "but we are all just really, really excited about it, really proud of it. And just can't wait to unleash some info, but I can't do that just yet," he added.
In April, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie was asked by Rolling Stone magazine why he and his bandmates wanted Portnoy to return. He said: "I think we had to return the band back to its strongest form." Petrucci added: "It wasn't one singular thing; it was sort of a series of life events that caused an organic conclusion. We all talked about it. It was like, 'Yeah, this makes sense right now.'" Keyboardist Jordan Rudess chimed in: "There's so many factors involved, and each of us has our particular relationships. And it was just a moment when everything seemed to come together, and we went, 'You know what? Let's do this. Now's the time.'" Myung concurred, saying: "It was a collective moment of certainty."
Asked if he was surprised when he was invited back into the band, Portnoy said: "Before the Covid pandemic, if you had asked me or any of these guys, 'Was a reunion in the cards?' I probably would've said I doubted that it could happen. I think if the lockdown hadn't happened, you guys probably would've been on tour, and I would've been on tour with one of my 48 bands. But once we were all locked down, John asked me to play on his solo album. Then, from there, Jordan, John, and myself did the LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT album. And then I did John's tour. So there were just these series of events of reconnecting us — not only on a musical level but also on a personal level for many years prior to that.
"All of our families are friends," he continued. "And my daughter and John's daughter shared an apartment together for many, many years. And John Myung lives right down the block from me, and his wife's at my house every night. There was just a series of events both personally and musically that started to feel like, 'Well, maybe this really is in the cards. Maybe this is the right time.'"
Asked if they see this reunion as healing a fractured band, Portnoy said: "I don't want to be over-philosophical about it, but as we're all getting older. Here we are in our 50s and 60s. You start to think of the reality of, 'How much time do we have left?' I would hate it if this were to become a Roger Waters-PINK FLOYD or Peter Gabriel-with-GENESIS situation where the fans want it, but it never happens."
Petrucci added: "When Mike left the band, it was traumatic for all of us. We had to figure out how we were going to move our career forward. And those years that went by, they were also healing years because you don't just have something like that happen, and all of a sudden, you're all best buddies a week later. There's some trauma there that had to heal. Thirteen years was enough time for that to happen and be, like, 'Hey, you know what, man? We love each other like we're brothers.'" | +2 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
Watch: HALESTORM's LZZY HALE And I PREVAIL Perform 'Can U See Me In The Dark?' Live For First Time
 HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale joined I PREVAIL on stage on July 9 at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh, North Carolina at the opening concert of the two bands' joint North American tour to perform their collaborative song "Can U See Me In The Dark?" Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.
"Can U See Me In The Dark?" is an epic and explosive pairing, just like the tour itself, thanks to the vocal chemistry between I PREVAIL's Eric Vanlerberghe and Hale, stormy riffs, and unforgettable chorus.
Produced by Live Nation, HALESTORM and I PREVAIL's summer 2024 co-headlining tour runs through August 17 in Las Vegas. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and FIT FOR A KING are serving as support.
When "Can U See Me In The Dark?" was first released in June, Vanlerberghe said in a statement: "We're excited to finally have a song come out. It was a fun challenge to blend the HALESTORM and I PREVAIL sounds together. We really focused on creating a music bed that felt very much I PREVAIL and letting Lzzy just shine and do what she does best. I feel we found a very sick way to blend the two identities of our bands into one massive song. I'm really looking forward to this tour and possibly playing this song live together for everyone."
Hale added: "In celebration of our upcoming tour together, we joined forces with the boys of I PREVAIL and wrote an original song together. 'Can U See Me In The Dark?' is written for our collective fan bases, our community, our family. We want you to know that you are seen and you are not alone shining through life's myriad of joy and pain. We can't wait to feast our eyes on you this summer!"
HALESTORM has partnered with mental health organization Sound Mind Live to engage fans to pledge support that will provide free-to-the-community mental health programming across the country for fans and the broader community.
Regarding the inspiration for "Can U See Me In The Dark?", Lzzy told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast": "We were talking a lot about the analogy of we're all in the same circus together, as in this is all of our shows. It's not just we're saddling up our wagon against a band, 'We're playing. Here's your set. Here's my set.' We really wanted to create this this haven, this sanctuary for our collective fan base, be, like, 'Hey, he's my buddy too. We come from different walks of life, but here's how we come together,' [and] really showcase that togetherness, especially considering, we all have this different flavor and these different influences. And so it's a really beautiful, powerful song that we're gonna be able to just kind of, like, 'Hey, here's something special for the tour.' So we're very much looking forward to being out with each other. And those guys inspire me to no end. Every time I hear their songs the radio, I'm, like, 'How did they do that?' I want a drop like that' — you know, that kind of stuff. So I'm looking forward to being inspired every night and hanging out with all those boys."
Having amassed over 2.5 billion streams globally, the Grammy Award-winning band HALESTORM has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Most recently, the band released "Back From The Dead", their fifth full-length studio album which has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Fronted by the incomparable Lzzy Hale with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".
I PREVAIL have established themselves as the forerunners of the genre in the 21st century. Their latest release, "True Power", once again produced by Tyler Smyth, features the sort of stadium-sized riffs that will rattle your teeth loose from your gums and unforgettable, supremely catchy melodies that will camp out in your brain for weeks at a time. The band also alternately mixes screamed vocals that sound as though they crawled from the depths of hell with soaring, emotional vocals and heartfelt, intimate lyrics that go so deep, they hit marrow. The end result is an album that resonates with the listener in the most personal way. Rising to an arena level and receiving two Grammy nominations — "Best Rock Album" for "Trauma" and "Best Metal Performance" for crushing lead single "Bow Down" — I PREVAIL proved that they were built to last. To date, they've racked up more than 4.1 billion global streams, are approaching 716 million YouTube views, and saw both "Hurricane" and "Bad Things" singles top Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2020 and 2022, respectively. A number of their singles and album "Lifelines" have now been certified gold and platinum, and they have been praised by press far and wide, including Forbes, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and NPR. | 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
DINO CAZARES Says Fans Can Expect 'Classic'-Sounding FEAR FACTORY Album In 2025
 In a new interview with Germany's MoreCore.TV, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares was asked what the response has been to the live performances so far with the band's new lead singer, Milo Silvestro. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the funny thing is we missed [what was supposed to be] our first show [with Milo in February 2023]. Because in California we got some really bad snow weather, so we got stuck in the snow. So we missed our first show. And it was really unfortunate because a lot of people from other parts of the world flew in to see him at his first show — people from Holland, people from Germany. So they were very upset. But luckily, we went back and made it up. But we missed our first show. But the reaction has been 100 percent positive ever since."
Milo concurred, saying: "We were all very thankful to the fans that they accepted this new era, because you don't take such thing for granted, because you're replacing a member, a singer in a such iconic band. It's always almost like a Russian roulette. Dino was, like, when we were doing the audition, 'Get ready for some backlash,' and stuff like that. Fortunately, the majority of the fans were, and still are, super happy about it. And I'm so thankful to them."
Added Dino: "I think people are happy just in general for us to be back. And because of Milo, to get these opportunities, and, of course, the legendary status of FEAR FACTORY that we're able to come back and do these well-established, legendary festivals."
Asked about what fans can expect from FEAR FACTORY in the future, Dino said: "Classic FEAR FACTORY record. Next year. For sure. We've been touring since February of 2023. We've been touring non-stop. And I think we're very lucky that a lot of the promoters and a lot of fans are happy to have us back, and we're excited to get out there and play for them."
At last month's Download festival in the United Kingdom, Cazares told Primordial Radio about how things are going with the band's current lineup, also featuring Silvestro, Tony Campos on bass, and Pete Webber on drums: " At the moment, smooth sailing. And it's been great. Everybody's on point. Pete Webber's on drums. He's sick. He came from a thrash metal band called HAVOK. Killer drummer. We call him Pete The Feet. Milo Silvestro — new kid on the block. He came straight from Rome, Italy. He sounds like a young Burton [C. Bell, original FEAR FACTORY singer], you know what I mean? [He sounds like Burton did] back in the day. He sounds amazing. He's probably the most musically talented in the band. And then Tony Campos, my old friend. He's been with the band since, like, 2015. He comes from a band called STATIC-X. He's been my mate for 30-plus years, and it's always good to play with him, and I'm glad he's with us."
Dino continued: "It's a great place right now. We are trying to avoid any of that drama. And luckily we have for the past year and a half since we came back."
Silvestro's addition to FEAR FACTORY was officially announced in February 2023.
In a recent interview with Brutal Planet Magazine, Dino was asked whether Milo is a "good lyricist". Cazares responded: "Oh, yeah. He's got some other little projects that he works on and the lyrics are really good. So we're not gonna have any issues with that. That was one of the main things that a lot of people have been complaining — not complaining, but the Internet type of bitching. It was, like, 'Okay. Yeah, he could sing great live. He could do all the songs great live. But what's it gonna be like when he does the record? How's his lyrics gonna be? How's this gonna be?' Relax. It's all gonna be good. Don't worry."
Cazares went on to say that FEAR FACTORY fans can definitely expect to hear new music in 2024. "We've gotta at least put a single out before the end of the year," he said.
Last fall, Dino told Nyva Zarbano that Milo "brings obviously a freshness that FEAR FACTORY needed. The last singer that we had [Burton C. Bell], obviously he had a lot of vocal issues and he really couldn't sing or do any of this kind of heavy touring," he explained. "It just was a big setback for us. So bringing Milo into the band, obviously he's got a great voice, he's very talented, he's a multi-instrumentalist. He could play more than one instrument. The kid's very talented. Of course, the story is I found him on the Internet. He was releasing videos of him doing FEAR FACTORY covers and he was posting them on all the FEAR FACTORY fan sites. And I saw him there, and I was, like, 'Okay, that's really got my attention.' But we had many people audition, but he was the one that really stood out. And he's a huge fan of FEAR FACTORY. And he pretty much learned from listening to our older vocalist. So he learned a lot of his stuff. And so, I mean, if you close your eyes, you think it's the original singer."
In a separate interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Cazares was asked if Silvestro was "getting more comfortable" with his position as the frontman of the long-running California metal act. Dino responded: "Oh, yeah. I mean, from the first day, we talked about a lot of stuff. Before the tour started, we rehearsed, and we were, like, 'Okay, these are the kind of things that we've done before. And I think you need to do this, this, this.' And he goes, 'Okay.' So then the first day [of the tour] comes, he just goes wild. And I'm, like, 'Oh, shit.' I was, like, 'Calm down.' I go, 'You don't need to go insane everywhere. Just focus on singing, focus on getting everything, giving the crowd all equal attention,' blah, blah. There's certain things you just gotta teach him a little bit, right? And so he pretty much nailed it the first day."
FEAR FACTORY played its first headlining concert with Silvestro and touring drummer Pete Webber on May 5, 2023 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.
Earlier last year, FEAR FACTORY completed the "Rise Of The Machine" U.S. tour as the support act for STATIC-X marked the Cazares-led outfit's first run of shows with Silvestro and Webber.
Webber had been filling in for FEAR FACTORY's longtime drummer Mike Heller who was unable to play with the band due to "scheduling conflicts."
Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral
| +5 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
| 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
FLAT BLACK's JASON HOOK: COREY TAYLOR Is 'Actually A Sweetheart'
 Two months ago, FLAT BLACK, the band formed by ex-FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook, released a new single, "Nothing To Some". The track, which features a guest appearance by SLIPKNOT vocalist Corey Taylor, will appear on FLAT BLACK's upcoming debut album, due later this year via Fearless Records. The LP, produced by Hook, was recorded at both Jason's home studio and The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas.
Regarding how he ended up collaborating with Taylor on "Nothing To Some", Hook told Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station at this past weekend's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I developed a friendship with Corey in 2020. He hit me up, actually. I was working in Los Angeles with his producer, and I think the producer said, 'I've got Jason Hook here. We're working on some material.' He said, 'Oh, give me his number.' And so all of a sudden we're texting back and forth. And we hit it off right away. He's just a fucking fantastic guy. Maybe he doesn't want anyone to know that, but he's actually a sweetheart. [Laughs] He's a really sweet dude. And he was, like, 'Look, if you're trying to build something and you don't have anyone to work with, I'll write with you. So it was just perfect for the time and the emotions I was going through at the time. He really helped bolster my spirit, like, 'Yes, let's do something.' And we ended up doing five songs together. Four will probably never get heard, but we used 'Nothing To Some' on the record."
Hook is joined in FLAT BLACK by singer Wes Horton, bassist Nick Diltz and drummer Rob Pierce.
In an interview with Jake Daniels of the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station, Hook stated about how FLAT BLACK came together: "Well, I was pretty hell-bent on starting a new band. Music's in my blood. It's a part of my DNA, and I just knew that… I didn't really care how long it took. It just had to be potent. And so, one [musician] at a time… I found Rob first, and he's awesome. And then, of course, Nick; he's from Los Angeles. All my guys are just stellar players. And I wanted to have a good pack of songs. And so here we are."
Regarding the importance of getting along with his bandmates on a personal level, Hook said: "Well, it was a bit of a prerequisite to find guys that were mentally stable and free of drama and that we could hang. It's all about the hang. When you're on tour, you're stuck in this submarine, this rolling submarine, for 18 months. It's important that everyone is compatible. The personalities, I wanted to be very specific about that this time around… We're getting along great."
Having left his prior band in February 2020, which was right before COVID-19 put the entire world on pause, Hook wanted to assume creative control and let his musical free spirit soar in a project that was truly his. He opted to gamble on himself. With great risk comes great reward and the decision to form FLAT BLACK clearly worked out in his favor.
"As a musician, I crave freedom and I wasn't ready to stop creating," Hook shared.
"Life is short," he continued. "We all want to feel satisfied and happy with what we are trying to accomplish in life."
The pandemic shutdown allowed him the opportunity to assemble the right musicians and carefully craft their debut album. FLAT BLACK is armed with an arsenal of riffs that'll rattle your teeth loose from your gums, stadium-sized hooks, arena-ready anthems, and choruses that are guaranteed to touch a nerve. All of those factors combined make FLAT BLACK poised for success.
The origin stories of the rest of the players are indicative of a lifelong love of music and plenty of road-worn experience. The desire to play courses through their veins and propels them forward, which is why they all meshed so well with Hook.
Horton was introduced to music at age 13, thanks to his sister and Guitar Hero. He honed his vocal chops by playing in local bands and making online videos. Various music industry friends and acquaintances would become the connective tissue between himself and Hook. Horton knew he wanted to be a frontman, and FLAT BLACK afforded him that opportunity. Wes loves the fact that his bandmates prioritize songcraft — and that allows him to be the singer he has always wanted to be.
Diltz, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, is the son of a legendary rock music photographer who brought him to concerts during his formative years. He recalls being inspired by watching a VHS video of U2 performing at legendary venue Red Rocks. Seeing fans clamoring for a piece of Bono in the footage is a vision that never left his head. This first exposure to the power of a true rock icon solidified Nick's destiny as a live performer.
Pierce hails from Nashville, a.k.a. Music City. His dad was a race car driver and his grandfather was a pastor. He grew up racing go karts and at first, wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps until he joined the fourth-grade band and was bitten by the music bug. He chose the snare drum over the saxophone and from that moment on, music was the only thing that mattered. Rob got his first drum kit at age 11, which he set up in his dad's car shop. He learned to play his instrument next to 1,000 horsepower engines, which influences his highly energetic style to this day.
FLAT BLACK made its live debut on August 24, 2023 at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California as the support act for GODSMACK.
FLAT BLACK is:
Jason Hook - Guitar
Wes Horton - Vocals
Rob Pierce - Drums
Nicholas Diltz - Bass
In October 2020, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH confirmed that it had officially parted ways with Hook eight months earlier during the band's sold-out European arena tour. He has since been replaced by renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who made his recording debut with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of the group's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction - Volume 2".
After his recovery from emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of 2019, Hook had to leave midway from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's tour of Europe to address further complications.
Jason, who joined FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2009, said about his exit from the band: "As for the reason I'm leaving… well, there really isn't just one. I've been in bands my entire life and I feel like I've done all the good that I can here. It's time to pass the baton and move on to new challenges." | +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
BAD MARRIAGE Feat. Former TESLA Guitarist TOMMY SKEOCH: 'The Pennyman' Single Released
 BAD MARRIAGE, whose current lineup includes former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch, has released a new single and lyric video titled "The Pennyman". Expertly produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mike Fitz, "The Pennyman" also showcases Fitz on lead vocals. This is the second single to feature Skeoch, further highlighting the band's dynamic collaboration.
In addition, BAD MARRIAGE is set to embark on an exciting tour starting in October, sharing the stage with former WHITESNAKE guitarist Adrian Vandenberg. They will also make an appearance at this year's Monsters On The Mountain festival on August 23.
BAD MARRIAGE is not just another band out of Boston. They come out of the gutter swinging with a thunderous rock and roll swagger that would make the "Bad Boys Of Boston" smile. Indulging their mutual thirst for tone and overdriven guitars, BAD MARRIAGE pays homage to the British blues-hard rock of the past while etching their own signature style and sound.
Formed in 2015, BAD MARRIAGE exploded on to the hard rock scene, setting the bar high with their airtight, energetic live shows that has created a massive following of support.
BAD MARRIAGE has toured nationally with TESLA, Glenn Hughes and BUCKCHERRY, to name a few. They have had the honor of opening for EXTREME, Stephen Pearcy, L.A. GUNS, Geoff Tate, LAST IN LINE, Scott Weiland and many more. As a result of the band's success, they were welcomed to play on the 2022 Monsters Of Rock cruise and 2022's Monsters On The Mountain where they shared the stage with legends such as Alice Cooper, QUIET RIOT, KIX, NIGHT RANGER and Tom Keifer.
BAD MARRIAGE has released two full-length albums, titled "Bad Marriage" and "Bad Marriage 2" and one EP, "Artificial Mind", that was produced by Brian Wheat of TESLA.
BAD MARRIAGE is:
Jonny P - Lead Vocals
Mike Fitz - Lead, Rhythm Guitar
Tommy Skeoch - Lead Guitar
Ian Haggerty - Rhythm Guitar
Todd Boisvert - Bass Guitar
Mike Delaney - Drums
Skeoch left TESLA in 2006 and went on to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues. He has since been replaced by Dave Rude. | +1 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
RICHIE KOTZEN Announces 'Nomad' Album, Shares 'On The Table' Single
 Guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richie Kotzen has signed a label deal with global music company BMG. During his performance in London on Saturday, July 13, the final date of his European tour, Kotzen announced the September 27, 2024 release date of his brand new solo studio album, titled "Nomad". The effort will be available digitally, on CD and standard black vinyl.
Michael Kachko, BMG senior vice president says: "After working with Richie on the successful SMITH/KOTZEN project, we knew what an incredible songwriter and artist he is so we were excited to hear what he was working on as a solo artist. When he played us the new material, we knew immediately we wanted to be involved."
Kotzen states: "I was very much elated with the news that BMG wanted to release this album as I envisioned it without artistic compromise. I love the fact that the BMG team put their creative trust in me and my vision without re-design. So many times the business side of things can really interfere with the creative progress of a writer and with a team like this the focus is on what can we do to help you beyond what you've already done as a recording artist. The attitude seems to be, 'you've done the work as a writer, producer [and] musician, now let us take the ball and run'. This feels like the beginning of an amazing journey for me and a bit of a re-set in an industry that is becoming more complex to navigate for a lone artist."
Written, recorded and produced by Kotzen, "Nomad" features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen's multi-faceted musical styles with Kotzen playing almost every instrument on the album. On "Nomad", Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, from hard rock to '70s-infused soul and funk, jazz fusion to R&B. It's all intertwined with his own unique playing and songwriting approach, while retaining his ever-evolving signature style.
"I came up exposed to soul, funk and R&B music extensively but at the same time I was a hard rock fan all the way," explains Kotzen. "So I've got this sort of interesting dynamic happening with my music where you hear elements of PARLIAMENT or Curtis Mayfield but then at the same time you've got the BAD COMPANY early Rod Stewart influence as well. Then when I started taking the guitar more seriously, I was drawn into fusion bands like THE DIXIE DREGS, RETURN TO FOREVER and Allan Holdsworth's work. It is a wacky mixture but that is the formula for Richie Kotzen."
Earlier this year, Kotzen released the first track from the album, hard-driving single "Cheap Shots" to critical acclaim. And today Richie premieres the follow-up single, "On The Table", a heavy-hitting rocker that had been living on his hard drive, waiting for the perfect lyric to complete it. A subconscious memory of his Brazilian father-in-law's first English words "The book is on the table" sparked inspiration and perfectly tied it all together.
While "Nomad" has no shortage of heavy guitar rockers, the sheer diversity of the album as heard on tracks such as "Nihilist", "This Is A Test" and the title track "Nomad" showcases not only Kotzen's musical range and vocal prowess, but his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already globally renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with "Nomad" Kotzen stands tall as a truly remarkable all-round lyricist-producer/arranger and singer.
"Nomad" track listing:
01. Cheap Shots
02. These Doors**
03. Insomnia
04. Nomad*
05. Escape
06. On The Table
07. This Is A Test
08. Nihilist
* Dan Potruch plays drums on "Nomad"
** Kyle Hughes plays drums on "These Doors"
Press photo credit: Juergen Spachmann
| +1 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
ANVIL's LIPS On Being 'Successful': 'How Many Records You Sell Is Not Even Relevant'
 Guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL, whose documentary, "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil", revived the group's career, has dismissed suggestions that he and his bandmates are not successful. He told Signals From Mars in a new interview (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The people calling out saying we're not successful — you go and record 12 albums. Before you say that I'm not successful, you go record 12 albums and live in obscurity and deal with having to have a day job and then finally get a movie out, and then you tell me what's going on, what's successful or not.
"Being successful in the music industry is writing a bunch of songs, recording them with the guys that you love like brothers and make the best pieces of music that you possibly can and get it out in the public domain," he continued. "That's being successful. How many records you sell is not even relevant because at the end of the day, it's about how many songs did you write? How much did you contribute? What did you bring to this world? That's what living is about, is what you bring to the world, not what the world gives to you. If you have to judge everything on what the world gives to you, you've got fuck all. Even if you've got no one that loves you, you've got fuck all. And if you haven't got someone to love, you've got fuck all.
"Money is only one small aspect of our human existence," Lips added. "And until you put it in perspective of what it actually is, it's a means to an end. It's to feed yourself. That's what you're using to make money. So once you've fed yourself, everything more is abundance. If you're a minimalist, you feed yourself and you go out and you enjoy your fucking life and get as much and put as much of yourself out there as you can to actually be responsible for as much as possible and get as much done in your life as you can. That's what it's all about. So, the guy who wins, the guy who, the guy who records a thousand songs in a lifetime — that's the guy who wins. He was successful. That's real success, man."
ANVIL released its 20th studio album "One And Only", on June 28 via AFM Records. The effort was recorded in the summer of 2023 with longtime producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and Jörg Uken at Uken's Soundlodge studios in Germany. The same production team was responsible for ANVIL's last four albums, "Anvil Is Anvil" (2016),"Pounding The Pavement" (2018),"Legal At Last" (2019) and "Impact Is Imminent" (2022).
When it comes to the most influential bands in the history of heavy metal, authorities on the subject regularly vote ANVIL among the top positions. The group from Toronto, Canada, with its two masterminds, Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, and bassist Chris Robertson, not only looks back at an impressive career with countless highlights — as well as a number of well-documented difficulties — but has also had a lasting influence on lots of internationally renowned musicians, from METALLICA to SLAYER and beyond.
In January 2023, MVD Marquee Collection released the "Ultimate Edition" Blu-ray and "Standard Edition" DVD of "Anvil! The Story Of Anvil". The new version of the film features remastered picture and sound, as well as a new exclusive epilogue interview with director Sacha Gervasi and Lips and ANVIL drummer Robb Reiner moderated by former MTV host Matt Pinfield.
| +5 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
Ex-WHITE LION Singer MIKE TRAMP Is Available For Private/In-House Shows In Your Living Room
 In a new interview with The Logan Show, former WHITE LION frontman Mike Tramp spoke about his recent social media post in which he revealed that he and the rest of his current band MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION would be available for "private/in-house shows" during their upcoming U.S. tour this summer and fall. When interviewer Logan Crosland noted that "the idea of going to a stranger's house to play songs" would "terrify" him, Tramp said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It would only terrify me if they stood there with shotguns and locked the door and said, 'You ain't leaving.'"
Tramp continued: "I've done many of those things with an acoustic guitar. We're doing it full band because we're carrying a full digital system. So, in reality, we can almost hook up straight into your stereo and not even make any more noise than if you just had a couple of friends over playing."
Circling back to why he is doing private/in-house shows in the first place, Mike said: "There were just a couple of dates along the road that we would like to fill because we're doing a lot of driving, so we wanted to throw it out. Who knows? Maybe the next tour will be all in-your-living-room concerts. Who knows?"
Tramp will release "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" on August 23 via Frontiers Music Srl. The album's ten tracks once again see Tramp re-imagining select cuts from his former band WHITE LION.
Back in 2019, Tramp revealed in an interview that he had apologized to guitarist Vito Bratta for trying to resurrect his former band without his onetime songwriting partner and bandmate.
The Danish-born singer hasn't played with Bratta since WHITE LION performed its last concert in Boston in September 1991.
In the 33 years since WHITE LION broke up, Bratta's public profile has been virtually nonexistent, while Tramp has remained active, recording and touring as a solo artist and with the bands FREAK OF NATURE, THE ROCK 'N' ROLL CIRCUZ and, more recently, BAND OF BROTHERS. Tramp also attempted to revive WHITE LION with the 2008 album "Return Of The Pride", featuring new members. Two years later, Tramp ceded ownership of the name WHITE LION to Bratta in an out-of-court settlement.
Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, WHITE LION released its debut album, "Fight To Survive", in 1985. The band had its breakthrough with the double-platinum-selling "Pride" album, which produced two Top 10 hits: "Wait" and "When The Children Cry". The band continued its success with the third album, "Big Game", which achieved gold status.
By the time WHITE LION released its final album, 1991's "Mane Attraction", alternative rock was in the ascendancy, leading to a swift decline of the so-called "hair metal" scene in terms of sales, popularity, radio play, and most importantly, relevance.
Mike released "Songs Of White Lion", in April 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.
“Many people have asked about us doing some private/in house shows on this tour - And when you ask, you shall receive....
Posted by Mike Tramp on Sunday, July 7, 2024
| +3 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
Watch: HAGAR, ANTHONY, SATRIANI And BONHAM Perform VAN HALEN Classics In Tampa
 Sammy Hagar played the second show of his summer 2024 tour Sunday night (July 14) at the at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. Fan-filmed video can be seen below (courtesy of concertsrock).
For "The Best Of All Worlds" tour, Hagar and his bandmates in THE CIRCLE — ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Jason Bonham — are being joined by guitarist virtuoso Joe Satriani, who has recorded and performed with Hagar and Anthony in the band CHICKENFOOT, and multi-instrumentalist Rai Thistlethwayte.
As was the case with the opening concert on Saturday in West Palm Beach, the 21-song set in Tampa consisted largely of VAN HALEN material, including the opening track "Good Enough", from 1986's "5150" album, as well as two songs from 1991's "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", "Poundcake" and "Runaround", and a pair of David Lee Roth-era VAN HALEN classics, "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", as well as a section of "Jump".
The rest of the set included Satriani's "Satch Boogie", the rousing rock-swing guitar instrumental that put him on the map in 1987 and helped propel his second album, "Surfing With The Alien", to platinum status. and several of Hagar's solo classics, such as "There's Only One Way To Rock", "Eagles Fly", "Heavy Metal" and "I Can't Drive 55".
The full setlist was as follows:
01. Good Enough (VAN HALEN song)
02. Poundcake (VAN HALEN song)
03. Runaround (VAN HALEN song)
04. There's Only One Way To Rock
05. Judgement Day (VAN HALEN song)
06. Panama (VAN HALEN song)
07. 5150 (VAN HALEN song)
08. Summer Nights (VAN HALEN song)
09. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (VAN HALEN song)
10. Top Of The World (VAN HALEN song)
11. Best Of Both Worlds (VAN HALEN song)
12. Satch Boogie (Joe Satriani song)
13. The Seventh Seal (VAN HALEN song)
14. Right Now (VAN HALEN song)
15. Why Can't This Be Love (VAN HALEN song)
16. Eagles Fly
17. Mas Tequila (SAMMY HAGAR AND THE WABOS song)
18. Heavy Metal
19. I Can't Drive 55
20. Space Station #5 / Oh Yeah / Jump
21. When It's Love (VAN HALEN song)
Produced by Live Nation, the 28-date "The Best Of All Worlds" tour will conclude on August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.
This past January, Satriani spoke to Australian Musician about how he plans to play Eddie Van Halen's parts on the tour that will focus largely on the music of VAN HALEN. Asked about how he plans to approach the concerts from a "tonal" standpoint, Joe said: "Yeah, there's a couple of things that you can zero in on. This is one of the guitars I used during 'The Howard Stern Show' [when Joe, Sammy, Michael and Jason first announced the tour and performed on the early-morning program]. It's tuned to a D standard, which is really low, and the strings were 11. That was my first two big mistakes. [Laughs] 'Cause I can't play 11s. And tuned down to D, I just wasn't used to it. Sammy and the guys, they've been doing it for years, but it was foreign to me. So a lot of things don't happen.
"Eddie played at 440 and then E flat, and he played light strings. He played nines and even sometimes the lower strings were lighter," Joe explained. "Every time I talk about Eddie, I finish it by saying 'besides the fact that he was a genius.' You always have to add that in, 'cause he was just amazing — period. 'Cause every time he picked up a guitar, no matter what it was, it was amazing. He had the hands and the heart, everything. I'm just catching up.
"What I learned from 'The Howard Stern Show', besides it's still important to rehearse and you can't do gigs without rehearsals… But what, what it confirmed was a couple of things I was thinking about, which was that Eddie had specific gear — he really did," Satriani continued. "He didn't play with the gear I used or Steve Vai or Slash or Tom Morello or any of his contemporaries. He actually had a very specific setup. And you ask yourself, 'Well, why?' Well, it's because, besides he was a genius, as we know, he knew that in order for him to play those parts, he had to have his gear tweaked a certain way; otherwise it wouldn't work. So, like when you go to play the beginning of 'Mean Street', if your setup is not allowing those harmonics to jump out, it's gonna sound like you're not hitting them. You've gotta get the setup right.
"If you refer to the first… Let's say, if you go to [VAN HALEN's 1986 concert video] 'Live Without A Net' or any of those things, even the early period, '5150' period, from [David Lee] Roth to the early Hagar period where he's still using Marshalls, when he goes to do things like that, it's a success. Every time he goes to hit a harmonic, boom, there it is. And it's low noise, big round fidelity, still sounds organic. You fast forward to live at the Tokyo Dome [2015's 'Tokyo Dome Live in Concert'], it's a totally different thing. He's playing an entirely different amp. When he goes to do those things, he's getting an overt amount of harmonic information, but he's also getting a ton of noise and none of the body that was part of the earlier sound.
"Now I learned that because of those two [EVH] amps right there. I got those back when Alex [Van Halen] and Dave called and asked me to do the [seemingly abandoned] Eddie tribute tour, and I thought, 'Well, I've gotta figure this out.' So the first thing I did was I got a couple of those and I thought, 'Well, this is great. You get all the harmonics, but, man, this is really small sounding. This is like for modern…' If I was 20 years old and I was playing modern rock, those would be the best amps ever. But I'm not, and I still wanna hear sort of the body of the guitar and I wanna hear a more dynamic mix. So I started to think, 'Well, what's my favorite VAN HALEN section?' And I did find that period in '86. I talked to Sam quite a bit about it and he said, yeah, that first 5150, he was still using Marshalls. In Sammy's view, his favorite sound that Eddie ever made. It wasn't small and then stereoized. So I reached out to Dylana Scott at 3rd Power amplifiers, and she is building me what we believe is going to be the amp that does it…"
Joe added: "This goes back to what I said earlier about how the gear is so important for the performer. I know that when we step out on stage and whether I'm playing 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' or '5150', I'm gonna need to feel and hear that sound to convince myself to keep going. And if it's not working, then I'm just gonna say, 'Well, let me just have my solo rig.' But my solo rig is designed — it probably has a little too much gain, and is designed to make the high strings really fat sounding, because I play all the melodies. I play very little rhythm guitar all night long. It's just solo melody, solo melody. And I can't play the Hagar set like that. It's just the wrong sound. CHICKENFOOT, it kind of worked. But for the for the VAN HALEN stuff to really pop, and then we're doing MONTROSE, we're doing Sammy Hagar solo stuff, we're doing my stuff, we're doing CHICKENFOOT. It's a really fun setlist. Great setlist. But I know, in my heart, that I wanna hear that sound in my head, that mythical Eddie Van Halen sound that we all sort of hear in our mind, and I wanna be able to feel it. And so I've been getting these clips from Dylana every week, and the stuff that she's building is really amazing."
Last December, Satriani spoke to Ultimate Guitar's Justin Beckner about how he plans to play Eddie Van Halen's parts on the upcoming tour. Asked if there are some VAN HALEN songs that he found most challenging to perform, Joe replied: "The main thing is that for the last five decades I've tried so hard to be myself and to be me and not copy anybody. I've been lucky, since the late '80s, to have a solo career, so I really had a job that forced me to be myself as much as possible. So I made a point not to play like anybody. But it happens eventually when you're having fun, you're at a party and someone says, 'Oh, can you play this song?' and you realize, 'I have no idea how to play that song. I love that song. I've listened to it a million times. I don't know what the guy's doing.' And then you go to learn it and you go, 'Wow, that's really weird. It feels so awkward for me to be like this.' And it's not the parts, 'cause I can hear the chords and I know what everything is when I hear it. It's just the sensibility of timing, vibrato, picking. If you're so deep into your own thing, it's really hard to get out of it and try to properly emulate somebody else's playing. It would almost be like if you gave a guitar to Eddie and you said, 'Okay, Eddie, we want you to play 'Summer Song' note for note.' He'd be, like, 'What? I don't play like that. I don't do that. I just kind of do this, this and this.' Of course we'd love it no matter how he did it — it would be fun — but it wouldn't be exactly the same."
Joe continued: "When I was young and I was in cover bands, I knew what it was like to try to get as close as possible when you were playing — for me, it was [LED] ZEPPELIN and [BLACK] SABBATH and THE [ROLLING] STONES and stuff like that; that's what we played. But eventually, you'd have to go, 'I don't play like that. That's not my vibrato.' If I go to play AC/DC, there's no way I can do Angus's [Young] vibrato. He just has his own vibrato. If you're gonna try to play like Jeff Beck — he's so personal. You can play the notes and remind people of this part he did and that part, but it's not gonna sound quite the same.
"If we heard Eric Clapton trying to play 'Since I've Been Loving You' by LED ZEPPELIN, there's no way it would sound the same. It would be great, but it wouldn't sound the same. So, what I noticed right away, when I realized, 'I really have to figure out these songs,' [I asked myself] what is Eddie — what's he operating on?
"So here are a couple of things I've noticed," Satriani added. "Number one, he plays so on the beat and makes it feel like he's pushing the beat, but he's actually not. It's really amazing how he does it. And I realized, when I went back and I listened to my stuff back to back, I thought, 'Oh, that's me, sitting on the backbeat as much as I can,' because I'm playing the melody. When you play the melody, you don't wanna be on top. Actually, you want the band to be pushing, and you're sitting back here, like a singer, playing. I like the way Robert Plant sings in 'Since I've Been Loving You'. He's so behind. Or listen to any hip-hop song — the vocals are way in the pocket; they're just late on purpose. So that's something I've worked on my whole life is 'sit back, sit back, sot back,' and all of a sudden you go to play a song like 'I'm The One', and it's like, 'No, you have to be the guy way in front.' And Alex [Van Halen] is gonna be going, 'No, no. Sit back here.' And that's a difficult sensibility when every nerve ending in your body is saying, 'Sit back.' But to make the song work, you've gotta sit forward. That's the first thing I noticed, like the difference between Eddie's sensibility in timing and mine in terms of timing.
"Our vibratos aren't that different," Joe said. "He holds hick pick [with his thumb and middle finger], so he's always got [his index] finger for tapping, and I don't. So I always have to do something. And what I started to do early on was to use my pick for a lot of hammer-ons because I just wanted to be different, and I thought I'd get a better sound, I'd be able to do some different things that other players weren't doing. And I saw guys using their fingers back in the early '70s, when Eddie was my age, just a young teenager. There were other guys doing tapping for decades before, but as my generation started to figure out how to do tapping, I saw the thing was a split. There's tapping for effect, tapping for riff, and then there's tapping to create an entire musical piece. And Eddie did all of it. The way that he would do the tapping, when he would use it, [was] totally opposite of the way that I had forced myself to go with it.
"The third thing is… Again, we're talking about someone who was just an incredible virtuoso in several areas. One of the things that Eddie had was this super-tight swing that was ultrafast with his right hand. And that is something, again, that once… I remember hearing for the first time and thinking, 'Well, I'm gonna have to work on that.' That's gonna take me, I thought, I bet, three months of 45 minutes a day just working with a metronome to work that into my bag of tricks.' 'Cause that's kind of like what it is."
Satriani went on to say: "I think when you're getting ready for a tour and you're gonna play a song that you haven't played in 20 years, you remember it but you go, 'Ah, I don't do that anymore,' and it physically feels odd. So you say, 'Okay, I've got six weeks before the tour. I'm gonna play this thing ten times a day and I'm just gonna keep working, and start slow and figure out all the different ways of doing it so that when I hit the stage, I can relax and play it the way it should be played.'"
Hagar and Anthony previously worked with Satriani in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. They recorded two albums between 2009 and 2011 and toured across America but never performed any VAN HALEN material. More recently, Hagar and Anthony have played some of the VAN HALEN catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and Bonham in SAMMY HAGAR AND THE CIRCLE.
Hagar mended his relationship with Eddie Van Halen months prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's October 2020 passing.
Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour. In exchange for taking part in the tour, Anthony reportedly had to agree to take a pay cut and sign away his rights to the band name and logo.
Although Hagar and Anthony normally play five or six VAN HALEN songs" on the road with THE CIRCLE, Sammy told Stern they were planning to only play "five or six of my songs" alongside VAN HALEN classics and deep cuts.
"When we go out next year in July, it will be almost exactly 20 years since Mike and I did a reunion with Ed and Al in '04," Hagar said. "Mike and I just said, 'We can't wait another 20 years. How long can I even sing these songs? How long can I do this stuff? I just thought it's time to serve the fans."
"There's stuff we're going to do on this next tour that we haven't played since that tour in 2004," Anthony added.
Regarding the challenge of learning legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen's parts, Satriani said: "There are things that are so iconic, you have to nail it. But if you go deep with what he did live, he never played the same thing twice. He kept evolving; he kept pushing. He'd do the recorded version a little bit, but then he moved on.
"It's a daunting task when you do the deep dive into what he did," he continued. "But it's good to start at the beginning, and then you just learn all his little improvs and you get the idea of what he was trying to do. It's thrilling; it's fun."
Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed. | 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
YES Legend JON ANDERSON Says He Has Started Writing His Autobiography
 In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, founding YES frontman Jon Anderson was asked if fans can ever expect to get a memoir or an autobiography from him. The 79-year-old singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was reading one that was… I actually wrote an autobiography up until when I first met my spiritual teacher, this little lady from Hawaii and when I met her. And she looked at me and said, 'Your name is Jon?' I said, 'Yeah.' And she said, 'You know that God is free?' And I said, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' And I sat with her for an hour, and I just knew that I was in love with life and in love with the idea of learning. And that's been my life. That was 30 years ago, just before I met [my wife] Jane. And I wrote an autobiography up to that moment in time, and now I showed my manager Larry the autobiography, and he said, 'Can you not do the rest of your life, please?' I said, 'Okay.' I have to start thinking about that."
After a highly successful 2023 tour with THE BAND GEEKS, Jon decided to expand the creative partnership with the band to create new material for a potential new studio album. The result of this effort is "True", which will be released on August 23 by Jon's new label, Frontiers Music Srl.
"True" is a nine-song album which will be a welcome gift to all fans of Jon's 40 years as lead vocalist of the multi-platinum Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee YES. The LP's collection of songs harkens back to YES's classic 1970s sounds as well as to their latter-day success with the album "90125".
The album was co-produced, engineered and mixed by THE BAND GEEKS bassist and musical director Richie Castellano.
Jon and THE BAND GEEKS embarked on their 2024 U.S. tour on May 30 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The tour will encompass three legs and will run through September.
In a recent issue of Mojo magazine, Anderson said that he was open to reuniting with his former YES bandmates Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe.
"I was talking to THE BAND GEEKS and said, hopefully we can play in London and Steve will get up and do a couple of songs with us, maybe Rick too," Anderson said. "It just means talking. When I'm out there singing on my own, I still think I'm part of YES. They still feel like my songs."
Anderson co-founded YES in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire, and remained with the band until 2008, when YES replaced him with Benoit David, an Anderson sound-alike who previously fronted the YES tribute band CLOSE TO THE EDGE. David left YES in 2012 and was replaced by Jon Davison.
In July 2020, Howe told Rolling Stone that there is virtually no chance of the surviving members of YES reuniting for a tour.
"I don't think [the fans] should stay up late nights worrying about that," he said. "There's just too much space out there between people. To be in a band together or even to do another tour like 'Union' is completely unthinkable," referencing the group's 1990 "Union" LP and tour, which brought together the previous YES album's lineup (Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Trevor Rabin, Alan White, Tony Kaye) and the then-ex-YES members' group ANDERSON BRUFORD WAKEMAN HOWE (Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe). "It was difficult when we went through that, particularly because of the personalities," Howe said. "I'm not saying any one person is to blame, but when you get a big hodgepodge like that together, it's pretty much a nightmare. We made a nightmare of possibly a good thing back in 1990. I don't think there is the stamina or the appetite for that kind of thing again."
Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin had started touring as ARW: ANDERSON, RABIN AND WAKEMAN in 2016 and then adopted the YES FEATURING JON ANDERSON, TREVOR RABIN, RICK WAKEMAN moniker shortly after the group's 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
Howe last toured with Anderson and Wakeman in 2004.
YES has released over 20 albums across its career, including its self-titled debut in 1969 and "Tales From Topographic Oceans" in 1973.
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
SCORPIONS' MATTHIAS JABS On His Songwriting Relationship With RUDOLF SCHENKER: 'The Most Important Thing Is That The Band Is Successful'
 In a recent interview with former THE HOURGLASS guitarist Rudi Messiah, Matthias Jabs spoke about his songwriting relationship with fellow SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To me, the most important thing is that the band is successful. So if we have great songs, I mean, I have enough to do to do all the guitar arrangements, or most of them. But if we have enough good songs, it's not absolutely necessary to start writing something else. It might be as good, it might be better, it might be not as good, but the important thing is that the album is great — at least that's what we're all thinking at the time we are making it. Looking back, sometimes you have a different opinion, but that's the most important thing, that the band continues to be successful, and that's what, in the team, everybody should look for."
He continued: "I know some bands have their disputes about 'I do this, and I wanna do the same,' and blah blah, and sometimes it works but many times bands break up because of that stuff. So I think if you have a far vision, then you know that… We are celebrating our 60th anniversary next year. You can't do that when you have a dispute about relatively minor things or small things. You have to [see] the big picture. It's more important."
SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been Schenker, although singer Klaus Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.
SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Last month, Deadline reported that a SCORPIONS biopic, "Wind Of Change", is currently being developed and produced by ESX Entertainment, the company founded by actor, producer and former race car driver Ali Afshar.
"Wind Of Change" will tell the story of "three unlikely friends whose passion for rock 'n' roll fueled their rise from the ashes of post-World War II Germany to the global stardom in the 1980s as the multi-platinum rock band SCORPIONS," according to Deadline. French-born filmmaker Alex Ranarivelo ("American Wrestler: The Wizard") will direct. | +3 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
BLACK SABBATH's GEEZER BUTLER Says THE BEATLES 'Were A Massive Influence' On Him
 In a recent interview with 107.7 RKR's "The Rocker Morning Show", BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was asked if THE BEATLES were an early influence on him like they were on his bandmate, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They were a massive influence, because there was nobody else like them at the time. And up until then, it was, like, my brothers were into like Elvis [Presley] and Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly, that kind of thing. And there was no real English [rock bands]. All the English rock and rollers were trying to sound American and copy of an American [band], and they never succeeded. And then when THE BEATLES came along, they had a completely original sound. And they were all literally from Liverpool, which is 90 miles from where we were born. And it just like gave us some hope that British musicians could actually become successful. And as soon as THE BEATLES were successful, then you had THE ROLLING STONES and THE KINKS and THE WHO, HERMAN'S HERMITS, a whole explosion of British pop music."
Back in 2004, Ozzy was one of 20 leading musicians who were invited by the music magazine Q to nominate their heroes for the compilation of a songwriters' Hall Of Fame. Osbourne's picks, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, were the "fucking catalyst for me to get into music," Ozzy said. He added: "To me, they're the Mozarts of our time. THE BEATLES were the only band in rock 'n' roll history to go from a fucking boy band to a psychedelic rock band."
In a 2007 interview, Ozzy said that he "couldn't describe" how he felt when he was told Lennon had been assassinated. He told Britain's BBC Radio 1 "Legends" show: "The world stopped for me when Sharon told me that John Lennon had been shot in New York. I can't even describe how I felt. If he was a politician, a soldier, anything else, it would be, 'Oh yeah, well he is in that kind of business,' but the amount of joy and hope that he gave people was just remarkable."
Ozzy also said he would have loved to see THE BEATLES perform, and thinks they would have reunited if all four members — John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Sir Paul McCartney and the late George Harrison — were still alive. He added, "I often daydream about whether they would ever have reformed. I never saw THE BEATLES, I saw Paul McCartney play but never saw THE BEATLES — I would have loved to have seen them play."
Butler served as BLACK SABBATH's bassist for the majority of the years since their 1968 inception in Birmingham, England, as well as serving as the band's chief lyricist — which in turn, played a major role in the creation of heavy metal. Additionally, his unmistakable bass playing served as an influence on such subsequent renowned four-string players as METALLICA's Cliff Burton, PANTERA's Rex Brown, and TYPE O NEGATIVE's Peter Steele, among others.
Geezer's autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond", was released on June 6, 2023 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books and June 8, 2023 in the United Kingdom.
"Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond" is described by the publisher as "a rollicking, effusive, and candid memoir by the heavy metal musician and founding member of BLACK SABBATH, covering his years as the band's bassist and main lyricist through his later-career projects, and detailing how one of rock's most influential bands formed and prevailed."
Butler, Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi reunited in late 2011 and released a comeback album, "13", in June 2013.
In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.
"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.
| +5 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
See KK'S PRIEST Perform In Kraków, Poland During Summer 2024 European Tour
 Fan-filmed video of KK'S PRIEST's July 13 concert at Kwadrat in Kraków, Poland can be seen below.
According to Setlist.fm, the setlist for the show was as follows:
01. Hellfire Thunderbolt
02. Strike Of The Viper
03. One More Shot At Glory
04. The Ripper (JUDAS PRIEST song)
05. Reap The Whirlwind
06. Night Crawler (JUDAS PRIEST song)
07. Sermons Of The Sinner
08. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST song)
09. Beyond The Realms Of Death (JUDAS PRIEST song)
10. Hell Patrol (Judas Priest cover)
11. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
12. Breaking The Law (JUDAS PRIEST song)
13. Victim Of Changes (JUDAS PRIEST song)
Encore:
14. Raise Your Fists
As previously reported, KK'S PRIEST, which features former JUDAS PRIEST members K.K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE),and German/American metal legends ACCEPT will join forces this fall 2024 for a North American tour. Both bands are touring in support of their brand new albums, out now via Napalm Records.
The massive run will begin on August 31 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7.
KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.
KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.
KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.
Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the 1980s.
Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in November 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.
Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.
In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.
In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."
Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.
Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.
| +3 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
WISHBONE ASH - "No Easy Road - WISHBONE ASH Live In The 70s" Coffee Table Book Available In August; Includes CD With Previously Unreleased Live Recordings
 Madfish are proud to present No Easy Road, an exclusive Wishbone Ash Coffee Table Book and the first official tribute to the band’s life on the road during their classic years from 1970-1980. This beautifully crafted 216-page set, set for release on August 30, offers a unique glimpse into the band’s journey and features contributions from Martin Turner, Andy Powell, Steve Upton, Laurie Wisefield and head roadie Mark Emery.
Watch a video trailer below, and pre-order here.
No Easy Road includes many previously unseen photographs captured by renowned photographers Jill Furmanovsky (Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin), Michael Putland (The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney), Barry Plummer (Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley) and Dick Barnatt (Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart), alongside personal photographs from the band members' private archive plus images of rare memorabilia and tour ephemera.
Limited to just 1,000 copies, each book comes with a photo signed by four band members: Laurie Wisefield, Andy Powell, Steve Upton and Martin Turner.
The book comes packed in a rigid slipcase containing a bonus 10-track KRO-NCRV concert CD, originally broadcast in Holland during the landmark Startruckin' 75 Tour - an essential addition for any Wishbone Ash enthusiast.
The ultimate chronicle of one of the world's greatest live bands, No Easy Road follows Madfish’s recent 50th anniversary edition of the band’s 1972 classic, Argus. | 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
THE ZOMBIES Founder ROD ARGENT Recovering From Stroke; Announces Retirement From Touring
 The Zombies founder, Rod Argent, is recovering from a stroke, and has announced his retirement from touring. Argent founded The Zombies in 1961 and went on to form Argent in 1969. The following message was issued by The Zombies’ Management:
"We are saddened to report that Rod Argent, founder, keyboardist & primary songwriter of The Zombies, has suffered a stroke. Rod had recently returned home from a triumphant Zombies tour of the UK, and spent a weekend in London with his beloved wife Cathy, celebrating his 79th birthday and their 52nd wedding anniversary, before the stroke occurred. He was hospitalized overnight, and released the next day. Doctors have advised that Rod will need several months of rest and recuperation.
"Rod has asked us to convey that he has made the very difficult decision to immediately retire from touring in order to protect his health. He was already preparing to wind down his live performance schedule after health scares on recent tours (a Fall 2024 USA run was in the works that was intended to be his final overseas tour, and a farewell to the country that launched The Zombies’ career in 1964). However, the stroke was an unmistakable warning sign that the risks are too great. Rod still firmly intends to continue his other creative joy of writing and recording with The Zombies, and has already been back at his piano for some much-needed “Bach therapy”.
"We have managed The Zombies together for the past 11 years, and Chris was their US booking agent for the 11 years prior. We have witnessed hundreds of times how Rod transforms back into an 18-year-old during the 100-minutes he’s on stage each night with The Zombies. The energy he receives from his musical symbiosis with the current lineup - original singer Colin Blunstone, drummer (and cousin) Steve Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomey and bassist Søren Koch - is doubled by the energy that flows back from the audiences, with fans of all ages joyfully singing along to their classics and new songs. Each year, we’d secretly marvel at how this band could possibly be playing at an even higher level than the previous year, instead of diminishing with age. That being said, the other aspects of touring can be grueling, and can take their toll on 18-year-olds, never mind a musician approaching 80. As heart-breaking as this is for us, the band, our crew and our team, we are a family and fully support Rod in this decision.
"Rod had retired from touring once before, in 1975 after spending his late teens and 20’s on the road with both The Zombies and his eponymous band Argent, in order to focus on his family, along with songwriting and production. This didn’t change until 1999, when Colin coaxed him to fill in on 6 of his solo gigs, after a keyboard player had dropped out at the last minute. Rod reluctantly told him, “I’ll do it…but 6 shows, that’s it.” On tour last month, Rod remarked to us how incredible and unexpected it was that those 6 shows turned into 25 years of touring and recording with the new incarnation of The Zombies, almost a third of his life.
"And it’s been a helluva run.
"The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Festivals like Glastonbury, StageCoach and KAABOO. Unforgettable shows like Central Park Summerstage, Santa Monica Pier, Stern Grove San Francisco, London Palladium, and Stubb’s at SXSW Austin. TV appearances with Jimmy Fallon and Jools Holland. Sharing stages with Tom Petty and Brian Wilson. Too many moments to count. The UK tour The Zombies just completed in June added two more highlights - a sold-out show for 2000 fans at London’s Barbican Centre with special guests like Paul Weller, and closing to a multi-generational crowd rapturously cheering them despite endless rain and mud at the Eden Festival in Scotland.
"As Rod’s experience shows, we don’t know what the future holds.
"What we have to tell fans today is that all upcoming performances by The Zombies will be canceled. However, our 2nd annual “Begin Here Festival” in St Albans UK (November 8-10, 2024) will continue. This fan weekend celebrating The Zombies and the historical and vibrant city where they formed is made even more important by this news. Our hope is to replace the scheduled Zombies performance with a special show honoring Rod, and ask fans to hold on to their tickets until we’ve had time to regroup and announce new plans. Colin Blunstone’s upcoming November performances of his seminal 1971 solo album One Year, at Begin Here Festival and other UK cities, will also continue as planned. Most importantly, know how much you are loved and appreciated by the band, and how grateful we are for your continued support. In the meantime, we will all get to enjoy The True Story of the Fake Zombies, an 8-episode true-crime Podcast detailing the 1969 story of an imposter version of the band on iHeart Radio starting today, and the official Zombies documentary, Hung Up On A Dream, directed by Robert Schwartzman, slated for theatrical and streaming release later this year.
"Our last message is that if a classic artist that has made music you love is performing nearby, don’t miss the opportunity to see them. You can sit on the couch and binge Netflix another day. The communal experience of a live performance by a veteran artist is a singular and joyous moment. These artists are treasures who have stood the test of time and are giving their all, but they are fragile human beings like all of us. Don’t miss out." Chris Tuthill & Cindy da Silva - The Rocks Management | 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
Former HYDROGYN Guitarist JEFF WESTLAKE's BIG F'N DEAL Release New Single / Video "Don'tcha Walk Away"
 "'Don'tcha Walk Away' is the second video released from Big F'n Deal's upcoming album, Fire, due out in just weeks. The release will be a soft release with no concrete date set. More details to come.
BFnD, fronted by the charismatic Sammi DeVille, is the new outfit led by Jeff Westlake from Hydrogyn. Many familiar names from Westlake's past were brought in to charge this album with great players. Jeff Boggs, Ryan Stepp, John Cardilino, Todd Long, Jacob Freed, Patrick Liotard, Anthony Dura, Mickael Jublin, Joe Migz to newcomers like Kayla Watson along with Alex St.Clair, round out the people involved in the project. There is also an appearance from the late Chris Sammons on the album as well, to honor the great bass player and bandmate of Westlake's while in Hydrogyn.
Check out the official video for "Don'tcha Walk Away" below.
Following is Westlake's initial introduction to Big F'n Deal:
"There are always things going through ones mind when you have been stricken by the creative bug. I am a musician that loves many different types of music and I never want to lock myself just into one style, so I don't.
Through the years I have been blessed with some amazing voices to help me get my passion across to you in many different styles. Now is no different than it has ever been.
I am proud to be able to bring this new phase to you. This phase will be different than any of the rest, as I have someone who wants to tell stories and be as edgy as possible in the process of telling them. I have wanted to take this avenue for years but just never had that accomplice to truly get the idea across. Now, not only did I get one, but I have blessed with two. We have used a couple different drummers in this process, but the band nucleus has been myself, Sammi DeVille, Alyx St.Clair and Ryan Stepp. This entire story will come out at some point no doubt but we just do not have the time here for it.
Over the next year there will be many videos and a lot of music coming from what will now be known as Big F'N Deal (BFD), fronted by the amazing Sammi DeVille. This track entitled 'I've Seen The Devil' is release one off of the product out this year called Fire. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
All of this comes to you courtesy of Rapid Fire Global Music and Dangerous Doug Music." | +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 èþë 2024
LIMITLESS Reveals New Album And Video, "Last Train"
 Limitless, the power trio from Latin America, unveils their new album and music video "Last Train". Blending intense metal with captivating storytelling, the video for "Last Train" stands out not only for its powerful music, but also for its carefully crafted visual aesthetic.
Regarding the video, Limitless vocalist / bassist Luis Kooper comments: "The video shows us the story of a person (who could be you or me) who is escaping from life, running away from reality, from those situations that mark and define us in the end. In that context, La Sombra (who is the villain of the video) represents precisely those situations. 'Last Train' is set in a time when people traveled by train, so we chose the El Melocotón Train Station (in Chile) as an ideal location. We were very pleased with the final result, it was a great effort made with a lot of love, despite the limited budget. Everything was recorded in one day."
Last Train artwork and tracklisting:
"Word Of A Gun":
"126":
For further details, visit Limitless on Facebook.
| 0 | |
| |
16 èþë 2024
MILLE PETROZZA Has 10 Song Ideas For KREATOR's Next Studio Album: 'I'm Writing Music Constantly'
 In a recent interview with Portugal's Look Mag, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Hate Über Alles" album. He said (a transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm writing music constantly. I know that 'Hate Über Alles' came out in 2022, but it was lying there for over a year. So, to us, the album came out almost in '21 because the music was done and we didn't release it because there was still lockdown and we wanted to wait until the whole pandemic is over. So, I have written since '21 or '22, when we recorded it, I've already written, like, 10 songs or something, or 10 ideas for songs. And I could record an album today, but I want to wait until the right moment comes, where I have a lyrical concept and everything feels right. To me, it's not important to release something just for the sake of it. I think it needs to just feel right… I'd rather be quiet than saying something where I don't have anything to say."
Asked if he and his KREATOR bandmates have an idea of when the group's next album will be released, Mille said: "Yeah, we have a rough idea. We have scheduled the record for 2026, maybe — but if everything goes right. We're probably gonna take the year '25 off for just for songwriting and recording. And let's see where it takes us. But if everything goes by plan, then there will be a new KREATOR record in the beginning of '26."
On the topic of the "secret" to KREATOR's success, Mille said: "There is no formula or secret. I think it's basically believing in what we do and trying to be us rather than trying to be something that we're not. And endurance is another factor, a little bit of luck, of course, and being at the right place at the right time. We have started very early, as teenagers in the '80s, and I think that kind of helps, being one of the first bands that play extreme metal in Europe."
Petrozza also talked about KREATOR's multigenerational appeal, saying: "It's just the way it goes. I guess when you're around for that long, it's just natural that the people are getting older and younger kids are discovering the music that we play. And therefore I feel very privileged to be able to see that. Not many bands endure that long, and I know that not many bands are staying together for more than 10 years or even 20 or five years sometimes. We were prepared to do this when we were kids, and I dedicated my life to this, and I'm happy that there's so much interest and there's still so many people, like almost two or almost three generations of an audience that still enjoy extreme metal from Germany. It's a cool thing. I think it's really cool."
KREATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Hate Über Alles", was released in June 2022. The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.
The "Hate Über Alles" cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.
"Hate Über Alles" marked KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.
In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.
KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.
Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.
In May 2023, KREATOR released a music video for the song "Conquer And Destroy" from "Hate Über Alles". The performance footage was filmed on March 4, 2023 in front of 6,000 of KREATOR's mighty hordes in their spiritual home of Essen.
KREATOR and TESTAMENT will join forces for the North American leg of the "Klash Of The Titans" tour this fall. The 33-date trek will kick off on September 12 in Reno making its way across the U.S. and will include seven Canadian dates before concluding in San Francisco on October 27. Joining the night are special guests San Francisco Bay Area death metal pioneers POSSESSED.
Photo credit: Christoph Voy
| +3 | |
| |
15 èþë 2024
ROBERT FRIPP & TOYAH Perform RAMMSTEIN's "Keine Lust" For Sunday Lunch (Video)
 King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, shared the video below for this week's Sunday Lunch session. Check out their performance of Rammstein's "Keine Lust" below.
A message states: "We take another trip to middle England for a vintage Sunday Lunch, this time with a slightly German feel!!"
| +5 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15 èþë 2024
BULLETS AND OCTANE Release New Single / Video “No One Gets Out Alive” Feat. BILLY IDOL Guitarist STEVE STEVENS
 “Although friends would constantly tell me you have to check out Bullets And Octane, somehow, I was only peripherally aware of the band. Then recently I stumbled upon singer Gene Lewis’s morning tick-tock posts, a truly charismatic fellow, a positive thinker, and an absolute rockstar. This sent me to check out their recent music, which I’m knocked out by. We connected and a scheme was hatched for a collaboration. It’s an absolute honor to be a part of the new single and video,‘No One Gets Out Alive’.” - Steve Stevens
Bullets And Octane, the hard-hitting rock band from Southern California, have unleashed their latest single / video “No One Gets Out Alive”. featuring renowned guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol). On the new track, vocalist Gene Louis raves,"Working with Steve Stevens on 'No One Gets Out Alive' has been an electrifying experience, blending his iconic guitar prowess with our relentless energy. Steve is not only a virtuoso but also an incredible collaborator who brought out the best in all of us. This hard-hitting track is a testament to our shared passion for pushing musical boundaries and delivering an unforgettable experience. Get ready to feel the adrenaline surge as we prove that with Steve's legendary touch, nobody rocks harder than Bullets And Octane."
Formed in 1998, Bullets And Octane has been a powerhouse in the rock music scene, sharing stages with iconic bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Social Distortion, and Eagles Of Death Metal. With a career spanning over two decades, the band has solidified their position as one of the most dynamic and engaging acts in the industry.
Their journey began in 2003 with the release of their debut EP, One Night Stand Rock N Roll Band, followed by the explosive debut album, The Revelry. Since then, Bullets And Octane have continued to captivate audiences with their high-energy performances and infectious melodies.
In addition to their musical prowess, Bullets And Octane has garnered critical acclaim for their relentless work ethic and unwavering passion for their craft. As Gene Louis, the band's leader, singer, and chief songwriter, eloquently puts it, "I believe that if you have a passion, you die for it no matter what."
"No One Gets Out Alive” is poised to be another standout addition to Bullets And Octane's impressive discography. With its pulsating rhythms, shredding guitars, soaring vocals, and punky lyrics, the single promises to leave a lasting impression on listeners. Stay tuned as Bullets And Octane continue to defy expectations and push the boundaries of rock music.
| 0 | |
| |
15 èþë 2024
LED ZEPPELIN - Previously Unseen Concert Footage From 1973 In Vienna Surfaces Online
 "It's very nice to be here in Vienna, you've even got some good groupies," says Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant on stage in Vienna, Austria on March 16, 1973.
The following previously unseen Super 8 film footage, courtesy of Mead Eblan and LedZepFilm, is something of a holy grail... the now earliest known footage from 1973 of Led Zeppelin's legendary show at the Stadthalle in Vienna.
Catch Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on the second leg of their North American tour beginning August 8th in Missoula, Montana at KettleHouse Amphitheater.
The Can’t Let Go Tour will see Plant, Krauss and their all-star band bring spellbinding vocal performances and uncanny arrangements to amphitheaters, pavilions, opera houses and other historic venues from coast to coast. Tickets and more information at plantkrauss.com.
Can’t Let Go Tour 2024:
August
8 - Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater*
9 - Missoula, MT - KettleHouse Amphitheater*
11 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Folk Music Festival!
13 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
14 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre*
16 - Seattle, WA - Venue TBD*^
17 - Seattle, WA - Venue TBD*^
19 - Eugene, OR - The Cuthbert Amphitheater*
21 - Murphy's, CA - Ironstone Amphitheatre*
22 - Stanford, CA - Frost Amphitheater*
24 - Paso Robles, CA - Vina Robles Amphitheatre*
25 - Highland, CA - Yaamava’ Theater*
26 - Flagstaff, AZ - Pepsi Amphitheater*
28 - Santa Fe, NM - The Santa Fe Opera*
29 - Santa Fe, NM - The Santa Fe Opera*
31 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunset Amphitheater*
September
1 - Vail, CO - Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater*
* with JD McPherson
| +3 | |
| |
15 èþë 2024
BLACKTOP MOJO Frontman MATT JAMES Releases Official Music Video For New Solo Song, "Bad Guy"
 Blacktop Mojo vocalist Matt James has released the official video for his new solo song, "Bad Guy", which can be seen below. The track is currently streaming everywhere.
"Thank you to Philip Mosley and David Ray for trusting me to cut this one, and Phil for bringing it to life in the studio," begins Matt. "A HUGE thank you to the otherworldly players on the session. It's always fun to watch those guys work. I'm extremely grateful to get to work around so many talented people all the time!"
Check out some of Matt James' previously released solo songs:
"From Outside":
"Chainsmoking Whiskey":
"Runaway":
Catch Matt James live with Blacktop Mojo on The Pollen Tour 2024. Confirmed venues are listed below. Tickets and VIP packages are available now at BlacktopMojo.com.
July
19 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop
20 - Springville, IN - ABATE Boogie
21 - Lakewood, OH - The Winchester
23 - Columbus, OH - A&R Bar
25 - Hampton, NH - Wally’s
28 - Worcester, MA - Off The Rails
29 - Syracuse, NY Song & Dance
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Crafthouse
August
1 - Streator, IL - Streator Fest
3 - Spillville, IA - Turkey River Music Festival
4 - Des Moines, IA - Lefty’s
6 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
7 - Sioux Falls, SD - Club David
10 - Three Forks, MT - Rockin’ The Rivers
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Metallica
