THE REUNION THAT NO ONE SAW COMING, BUT ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK...:
Fresh from the Michael Corby Facebook post-frenzy comes news that The Babys have quietly reformed - yes, you read that correctly, but it's not quite as you'd think. Here's the brief statement released: "The Babys are currently getting the band back together again in order to tour and create new music in 2013. Founding members Tony Brock (Drums) and Wally Stocker (Lead Guitar), have welcomed JP Cervoni (Rhythm Guitar) and John Bisaha (Lead Vocals/Bass) into the group. Stay tuned for more info regarding tour dates and new music!"
Former Babys frontman John Waite has just hours ago posted on his Facebook page: "Lets all wish the new line up of The Baby's a load of success!!!"
Former guitarist/keyboardist Michael Corby has meanwhile hinted at launching new legal action already over the use of a name he claims to own outright.
WHAT IS REALLY AT THE HEART OF THE BON JOVI/SAMBORA ISSUE?: Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora has stated fans paying to see the band without him are getting an inferior product. Richie Sambora left the US leg of Bon Jovi's tour abruptly in April, citing personal reasons. Promoters have not confirmed whether he will return for the Australian leg in December, but Sambora said Bon Jovi is making his return “very difficult”. As feuding between Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi goes public, the guitarist has hit out at being replaced on the tour. "The fans have paid money to see Bon Jovi and right now they are not getting the whole deal,"Sambora told the UK's Daily Mail. It follows Bon Jovi suggesting to UK paper The Guardian that Sambora left the tour due to substance issues that saw him also disrupt a Bon Jovi tour in 2011. "It's getting more and more difficult every day to not just sit here and say something ... because all I can say is this - it's for personal reasons," Bon Jovi said. "He's been through it before, fortunately for us the same guy who filled in last time was available this time."
In a messy case of he said/he said, Sambora told the Daily Mail: "I don't have any major problems in life right now, I love my fans and I feel bad for them at the moment. Bottom line. My opinion is Jon wants to see if he can pull off stadiums by himself. He is making it very difficult for me to come back. Enough with the trash talking! Jon needs to stop talking about me publicly. I am fine working very hard on my fashion company Nikki Rich and this is a private matter."
Bon Jovi also suggested Sambora - who has been in the band since 1983 - was easier to replace than U2 guitarist The Edge. "Life goes on, so if someone chooses not to be here - unlike if this were, God forbid, The Edge, and he for some reason couldn't make a U2 show - (then) it would be very difficult to just step in. You have a choice - you either figure it out, go and grow, not only survive but thrive. Or, you say, 'I hate my brother and I'm gonna quit the band'."
Meanwhile the band have sold out of the $1875 Diamond VIP packages on their Australian tour in every city except Melbourne. The $1875 packages include a souvenir chair which is put in the front row and which fans can take home with them, however does not include a meet and greet with the band. Bon Jovi also released a limited amount of $35 tickets for more budget-conscious fans.
NewsLink: www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/jon-bon-jovi-and-richie-sambora-trade-insults.
MELODIC BRIEFS: 42 Decibel stream the song Rocker Soul from their debut album Hard Rock N Roll: snd.sc/13HbW8s.
musicandartinterviews.blogspot.com has just posted a new in-depth, career-spanning interview with Bob Kinkel, the co-creator and keyboardist of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Among the topics we discussed was his time doing session keyboard work for Savatage, co-writing the signature Savatage/TSO song 'Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24', co-creating, producing, and arranging TSO's five albums, and his role as the musical director for their annual tours through 2009. We also discussed his new band, Cinema 12.
Acoustified are a new rock band from Portland "in the style of Seether, Def Leppard, Linkin Park, Shinedown". They have a new single out called I Believe plus a band new video: youtu.be/VXxQHZEbSGY.
MetalSymphony.com has uploaded some photos from JSS concert May 2, 2013 at Sala Razzmatazz in Barcelona, Spain. Also available are pictures of support act Alterevo, Airless. Check them out at this location: www.metalsymphony.com/?p=13270#gp. JSS's set list was as follows: Take U Down, 21st Century, Damage Control, One Love, Look Inside Your Heart, Soul Divine, Tears That I Cry, Broken Man, Afraid To Die, Eyes of Love, Risk (Jorge Salan), Break Your Chains / Day By Day / Give Me a Sign / Dangerous / Just Between Us / Mysterious (This Time It's Serious) (Medley), Frozen / Crazy, I'll Be Waiting, Bass Solo, Shot in the Dark, I'll Be Waiting (reprise), Livin' the Life, — Stand Up And Shout, Community Property (Steel Panther cover, cappella).
RECORD COVER ARTIST IOANNIS PAYS TRIBUTE TO URIAH HEEP'S TREVOR BOLDER:
"I got the call yesterday afternoon from a grief stricken management, and later an email from Mick Box, my friend and member of Uriah Heep, Trevor Bolder had died of pancreatic cancer. I am working on Uriah Heep - Live In Germany at the moment, I put it to the side and at the moment having a hard time completing the package. Trevor was a gentleman and a kind soul, have had many memorable after shows chats with him about his travels, and those Bowie years with Spiders From Mars. I had introduced my wife to him who was thrilled to meet him being a huge Bowie fan herself. Although I had been aware for some time of the illness there was always hope he would beat it. I will really miss him, my love and prayers go out to his family, friend and the other members of Heep who are numb and in shock. You will never be forgotten my friend. Cheers." ~ Ioannis / www.dangerousage.com.
SWEET SOUNDS MANAGEMENT ADD BLACK OAK ARKANSAS TO ROSTER: Sweet Sounds Music is proud to announce that Southern Rockers Black Oak Arkansas has been added to our family roster of musicians. Sweet Sounds Music is looking forward in working as the premiere booking agent for Black Oak. The band is set to release their latest CD through Atlantic Records which is due out this Summer. Sweet Sounds will be booking the bands USA tour dates. To read about the history of this legendary band, please read the information below. To book Black Oak Arkansas and other artists, please visit www.sweetsounds.us and e-mail Ron Berman at rberman48@aim.com or call 917-575-7384.
Black Oak Arkansas - Formed in 1964, the band that would become one of original Southern Rock pioneers was born!
Jim "Dandy" Mangrum, the long-haired blond dynamo... who was recently declared by Classic Rock magazine to be the 32nd front man of all time from anybody in music... has the power and stage presence to keep himself and this slamming rock band in front of the public eye for a half of a century now! He's been around the world many times, and this verbal fire-snatcher and master of stage antics has managed to make his name a household word in most of the civilized parts of Planet Earth!
His sidekick... co-writer, guitarist, lifelong friend and also a founding member of the band is Rickie Lee Reynolds. Having been with Jim Dandy since junior high school, theirs has been an adventure that only a handful of human beings can claim to have experienced! With many Gold and Platinum albums to their credit... these two scallywags have left a deeply engraved mark on the minds and hearts of millions of people worldwide over the years. And they're not done yet!
The backbone and backbeat to this gang of rock maniacs is Mr. Johnnie Bolin. Brother of the world-famous Tommy Bolin, Johnnie has played, recorded and adventured with Black Oak Arkansas for almost three decades now! His is the job of keeping these crazy people locked down to that up-tempo stage magic that Black Oak Arkansas is so known for... and he does his job very well!
When Pat Daugherty, (Black Oak's original bass player), chose to come off the road to be put out to stud, he helped pick the man to give these hooligans the bottom they needed! From Fort Smith, Arkansas... we give you George Hughen... king of the low notes! Another home-spun Arkansas ingredient thrown into the recipe, George has spent many a year now with the BOA boys... and that takes talent and endurance!
Finally... Hal MacCormack finishes off the necessary spice needed to bind this conglomeration! Former member of BOA friends Jimi Jameson and Survivor, Hal has been cranking out his extraordinary guitar work for the Raunch and Rollers for the better part of the decade!
BEROCK RADIO TO RELEASE MELODIC HARD ROCK CD COMPILATION: BeRock Radio is to release a melodic hard rock CD collection named "Under The City Lights" in June 2013. With unique songs (17 Tracks) from favorite and emerging bands of the melodic hard rock, and rock music scene (10 Bands). The CD will be available in luxurious jewel box with 6 pages color booklet inside! The CD is not for sale, it is absolutely free + Free of charge delivery worldwide! You can order the CD on this email address: admin@berock-radio.com.
Band Line-Up: Metal Scent, George Gakis, Impulsia, Cyanide 4, Wild Kitten, Heart Attack, Junkyard 69, Steelrush, Hammrock, Marylou & The Blues Trackers!
Promo video of the CD and information page: minizine.berock-radio.com/html/news/cd_collection_2013/under_the_city_lights.html#.UZw_8qN--Ht.
POPULAR ROCK 'N' BLUES FEST TOUR TO RETURN THIS SUMMER:
The summertime blues are back and better than ever as the popular Rock 'n' Blues Fest tour returns for a second consecutive year with such well-known artists as Ten Years After, Edgar Winter Band, Canned Heat, Rick Derringer and Pat Travers. All inspired to pick up their instruments due to their love for rock and blues, these five artists will be hitting the road together for approximately a month beginning July 27 at The Cannery Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer return from last year, where they performed many a sold out show with Johnny Winter, Leslie West and Kim Simmonds.
In 1967, four young musicians from Nottinghamshire, England -- Leo Lyons, Ric Lee and Chick Churchill together with Alvin Lee -- formed Ten Years After and became one of the biggest names in music and one of the most explosive quartets on the world stage. Their now legendary encore, "I'm Going Home," performed at Woodstock in August 1969, was captured on film and exposed their jazz, blues, rock amalgam to a large audience, who were blown away by the intensity of the band's performance when the Academy Award winning documentary was released. Their ten-minute appearance in the film is an acknowledged highlight and established Ten Years After a place in rock history. In 1971, the band had a Top 40 hit with "I'd Love To Change The World." After Alvin Lee left the band for a solo career, Ten Years After ceased recording and touring. A chance opportunity in early 2002 for the other three original members of Ten Years After (bassist Leo Lyons, drummer Ric Lee and keyboardist Chick Churchill) to work together again gave them an insight into the intense, re-awakened interest in the band. In 2003, vocalist/guitarist Joe Gooch joined the line-up and the band soon released a studio album titled Now, which was followed by a live effort in 2005. Today, they are recreating the music, energy and excitement they've been known for over the past several decades.
"All the members of Ten Years After are enthusiastic about reuniting with Edgar, Rick and especially Canned Heat again," states Ric Lee. "Original members Chick Churchill, Leo Lyons and I first performed alongside Canned Heat at the legendary Fillmore Ballroom on our first tour of the United States in 1968 and have remained good friends ever since. We are also excited to tour the U.S. as we pay tribute to band-mate Alvin Lee, while igniting a new wave of youthful excitement and appeasing long-term fans."
Alvin Lee, for those unaware, passed away earlier this year from "unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure."
Joining Ten Years After for the Rock'n'Blues Fest "ride" will be Edgar Winter, who has certainly met with considerable acclaim in his own right with such monster hits as "Free Ride" and the chart-topping rocker, "Frankenstein."
A multi-instrumentalist (keyboards/sax/percussion) whose music encompasses many different genres including rock, blues, jazz and pop, Edgar Winter first hit the national spotlight with his early recording of "Tobacco Road," featured on his 1970 debut album, Entrance. Edgar would soon form the band White Trash and release two hit albums in '71 and '72 titled, Edgar Winter's White Trash and Roadwork. Hot on the heels of the certified gold album, Roadwork, Edgar would put together an entirely new outfit called The Edgar Winter Group that would originally feature guitarist Ronnie Montrose. In 1973, the band's first effort, They Only Come Out at Night, would spawn both the hit singles, "Free Ride" (#14) and "Frankenstein" (#1), and remain on the charts for an incredible 80 consecutive weeks. The pivotal album would eventually reach double-platinum status, selling more than 2 million copies. With over 20 albums and numerous collaborative efforts to his credit, Edgar Winter has not been satisfied to ride the wave of popular music stardom. His music has been featured in several major national television and radio and advertising campaigns. In addition, his music can be heard in no fewer than fifteen film and television projects.
"This is Edgar Winter, and we will be rockin' the blues again this year on the Rock'n'Blues Fest Tour. For those of you who saw us last year, we will be doing a new and very different show. 2013 marks the fortieth year since the release of 'Frankenstein' and 'Free Ride' on the album, They Only Come Out At Night. So we intend to celebrate the occasion by playing some of the songs from that album I haven't done in years -- like 'We All Had A Real Good Time,' 'Hangin' Around,' and 'Undercover Man.' We are very excited, this one's going to be a blast! It means the world to me to be playing the music I love, and see you all out there having a good time. So we look forward to seeing you at one of the shows, and get ready to Rock 'N' Roll!!!"
Joining the tour for the first time is Canned Heat who rose to fame because their knowledge and love of blues music was both wide and deep. Emerging in 1966, Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan Blind Owl Wilson and Bob The Bear Hite. Drawing on an encyclopedic knowledge of all phases of the genre, the group specialized in updating obscure old blues recordings. Canned Heat™s unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie has earned them a loyal following and influenced many aspiring guitarists and bands during the past four decades. Their Top 20 country-blues-rock songs from 1968, "On The Road Again" and "Going Up The Country," became rock anthems throughout the world with the latter being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock. Their cover version of Wilbert Harrison™s "Let's Work Together" was actually their biggest hit as it rose to #1 in 31 different countries around the world.
"We are all looking forward to a great tour with our longtime friends of Ten Years After and Edgar Winter," says Skip Taylor, Canned Heat's longtime manager. "It should be as much fun for us as for the audience."
Next on the bill is rock guitarist Rick Derringer, who's had an illustrious career as both a solo artist and critical band member.
Air guitarists will surely be out in force when Rick breaks into his well-known rock anthem, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo." The song, released in '73, continues to be a staple on rock radio and was featured in several movies including The Spirit of '76, Rush, Stag, What A Girl Wants and the cult classic, Dazed and Confused. It's a little known fact that years before his success as a solo artist, Rick had a band at the age of 17 called The McCoys that had a #1 hit in 1965 called, "Hang on Sloopy." The song would eventually be knocked out of the top spot by The Beatles' "Yesterday." A year after its release, The McCoys would find themselves as the openers for the entire Rolling Stones American tour. In 1977, Rick would appear on the last Led Zeppelin North American Tour and, in the years to follow, would perform with such artists as Alice Cooper ("Under My Wheels"), Steely Dan ("Show Biz Kids" and "Chained Lightning"), Kiss, Todd Rundgren and Weird Al Yankovic among others including the Winter brothers, Johnny and Edgar. From 1986 to 1992, Rick would tour with Cindy Lauper and co-write a song from her True Colors album titled, "Calm Inside The Storm." In 2011, Rick toured Europe with Ringo Starr as a member of Ringo's All-Starr Band just prior to embarking on that year's Hippiefest tour.
While most bluesy hard rock acts of the ˜70s and ˜80s hailed from the United States, there were several exceptions to the rule, such as Canadian singer/guitarist Pat Travers who also joins the Rock'n'Blues Fest tour for the first time. Born in Toronto, he first picked up the guitar just prior to entering his teens, after witnessing a local performance of the great Jimi Hendrix. His first touring gig came his way when he hooked up with ˜50s Rock & Roll vet Ronnie Hawkins. But Travers main love was hard rock so, after a year, he headed to London before returning to North America and setting his sights on the U.S. rock market. With the new Travers band, Pat enjoyed his most commercially successful period, resulting in a pair of Top 30 releases, "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)" from the album, Live! Go For What You Know, and "Snortin' Whiskey" from Crash and Burn. Travers continues to tour and record regularly, rocking the masses wherever he goes...
"I am so excited to be part of a tour that has some of my favorite artists on it playing some of best music ever written and performed. This is Pat Travers and I'm champing at the bit to get the chance to play a lot of Rockin' Blues on the Blues Fest Tour this Summer 2013."
For more information: www.tenyearsafternow.com / www.edgarwinter.com / www.cannedheatmusic.com / www.rickderringer.com / www.pattravers.com.
Rock 'n' Blues Fest Tour 2013
Saturday, July 27 - The Cannery Casino - Las Vegas, Nevada
Sunday, July 28 - The Winery - Saratoga, California
Tuesday, July 30 - Humphrey's By The Sea - San Diego, California
Friday, August 2 - The Grove - Anaheim, California
Saturday, August 3 - Pepsi Amphitheater at Fort Tuthill Park - Flagstaff, Arizona
Sunday, August 4 - Fox Tucson Theatre - Tucson, Arizona
Wednesday, August 7 - The Zoo - Minneapolis, Minnesota
Friday, August 9 - Country Club Hills Theater - Chicago, Illinois
Saturday, August 10 - Freedom Hill Amphitheater - Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sunday, August 11 - Empire City Casino - Yonkers, New York
Tuesday, August 13 - NYCB Theatre - Westbury, New York
Wednesday, August 14 - The Keswick Theater - Glenside, Pennsylvania
Thursday, August 15 - The Park Theater - Providence, Rhode Island
Friday, August 16 - Bergen Performing Arts Center - Englewood, New Jersey
Saturday, August 17 - Casino Rama - Rama, Ontario, Canada
Sunday, August 18 - Fraze Pavilion - Kettering, Ohio
Wednesday, August 21 - Hampton Beach Casino - Hampton, New Hampshire
Thursday, August 22 - Melody Tent - Hyannis, Massachusetts
Saturday, August 24 - Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater, Florida
*More dates to be announced.
MRX UPDATED: MRX has been updated with the following two new Feature Albums -
- John Kilzer - Memory In The Making
- Glen Stace - Buddha Hotel Join MRX now.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
FRONTIERS RECORDS MAY 2013 RELEASES SPOT: Frontiers Records May 2013 Releases Spot - Featuring Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Burning Rain and The Poodles. For more info: www.frontiers.it - www.frontiers.it/usstore.
DEBUT RELEASES FROM NEW VENTURE MUSIC: New Venture Music is a new cooperation between the Avenue Of Allies label and Germusica PR. The first two releases (out June 14) are as follows. Coming soon: www.new-venture-music.com.
Indicco – Karmalion / When Indigo Balboa and Paco Cerezo started to work together in 2008 they felt that their musical talents are a perfect match. At the time the Spanish duo started to compose songs together and founded the band Indicco, Indigo Balboa had just returned from California where he was working on his second solo album with the well known musician/song writer/producer Mark Spiro and Paco Cerezo had just left the internationally renowned Spanish Melodic Rock band 91 Suite of which he was the co-founder and guitar player. Three years in the making, “Karmalion” marks Indicco's debut album, a pure Melodic Rock affair of international quality, combining fresh new ideas with the classic AOR trademarks of the bands that inspired Indicco's sound, like Survivor, Giant, John Waite, Toto and Bad English. “Karmalion” unites the Spanish Melodic Rock elite with three iconic AOR heavyweights, underlining the high musical standard the band is aiming for: Jimi Jamison (Survivor), one of the best vocalists of the AOR genre, is sharing lead vocals with Indigo Balboa on three tracks, did backing vocals and co-wrote a song as well. Mark Spiro (Bad English, Giant, John Waite, Mr. Big) co-wrote and recorded vocals for three songs of the album. He also played piano and keyboards and took care of parts of the production at his studio in Carlsbad, California. Tim Pierce (Rick Springfield, John Waite, Eric Martin), one of the most in demand session guitar players on the globe is featured on additional guitars.
The album was produced by Indigo Balboa, Paco Cerezo and Mark Spiro and the band Indicco is completed by Antonio Muñoz (ex-91 Suite) on bass, Lean Martinez (ex-91 Suite) on drums and Angel Valdegrama on keys. In their home country where they toured with Jimi Jamison and several other international acts the band already won praise for their powerful live sound. This year Indicco will be on tour again to promote their album “Karmalion”, on some dates they will be sharing the stage with Jimi Jamison.
Indicco are: Indigo Balboa – Lead Vocals and Additional Keys; Paco Cerezo – Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals and Additional Keys; Antonio Muñoz – Bass and Additional Keys; Angel Valdegrama – Keyboards; Lean Martinez - Drums.
Special Guests: Jimi Jamison – Vocals on “Days Of Wine And Roses”, “Feel So Good”, “Ride The Wave”; Backing Vocals on “Feels So Good” and “Life In Your Lightness” Mark Spiro – Vocals on “Wrong”, ”Leaving Me”; Backing Vocals on “All About You”; Piano and Keys on “Wrong” and “Leaving Me” Tim Pierce – Guitars on “All About You” and “Leaving Me” David Palau – Additional Guitars
Produced by Indigo Balboa, Paco Cerezo & Mark Spiro. Mastered by Nick Litwin.
WebLink: www.indicco.com.
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Markonee – Club Of Broken Hearts / Markonee originate from the lively Rock scene of Bologna, Italy, where the band was founded by guitar player Stefano Peresson (ex-Danger Zone) back in 1999 together with guitar player Carlo Bevilacqua. Adapting their band name from the Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi the band's sound carries on the Classic Hard Rock in the tradition of genre favorites such as Winger, Ratt, Warrant, Skid Row, Pink Cream 69, Firehouse and Gotthard. So far the band has released two records, “The Spirit Of Radio” (2006), a concept album about the invention of the radio, and “See The Thunder” (2009), which was mixed and mastered by Beau Hill (Alice Cooper, Europe, Ratt, Winger). Markonee toured mainland Europe and the United Kingdom extensively in support of their second album, performing dozens of shows with the likes of Winger, Gotthard, White Lion, The Sweet, Molly Hatchet, Tyketto, Soul Doctor, Y&T, L.A. Guns and House Of Shakira.
“Club Of Broken Hearts”, their brand new, third release, marks the recording debut of singer Alessio Trapella, who joined the band in 2011. For their latest effort the Italian five-piece recorded 12 original tunes and delivers their strongest set of songs up to today.
This time the album was mixed & mastered by Roberto Priori (Danger Zone, Wheels Of Fire), “Club Of Broken Hearts” also features a guest performance by Michele Luppi (Los Angeles, Secret Sphere, ex-Vision Divine). The album sees the band rocking a little harder than on their previous record, offering driving guitars, majestic vocals and a driving big time groove. Highlights include the rock anthem “I Say No”, the catchy title track, the cleverly arranged “Shaken & Stirred” and the musical tribute to their hometown, “Rock City”.
Markonee are: Alessio Trapella - Vocals, Stefano Peresson – Lead, Rhythm & Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Carlo Bevilacqua - Guitars, Luigi "JJ" Frati - Bass, Ivano Zanotti - Drums.
Special Guests: Michele Luppi – Piano on “Never Ever Loved Me”, Germano Giusti - Horn solo on “Never Ever Loved Me”, Alessandro Cosentino – Violins on “Never Ever Loved Me”
Produced by SonicRobots in association with Oderso Rubini & Roberto Priori. Mixed & mastered by Roberto Priori.
WebLink: www.markonee.com.
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NOW WHAT?! ROGER GLOVER OF DEEP PURPLE ANSWERS THAT AND MORE INTHESTUDIO.NET:
Dallas,TX- May 22, 2013. InTheStudio.NET, the web home for North American syndicated Rock radio show InTheStudio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands catches up with Deep Purple's Roger Glover to discuss their critically acclaimed new album Now What?! After a seven year absence in the studio, it appeared that Deep Purple were content to tour themselves (loudly) into rock history as the recognized Godfathers of Heavy Rock. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Could any one of us have predicted that 45 years after their first hit “Hush” we would be raving about a Deep Purple album in 2013, produced by Pink Floyd/Alice Cooper veteran Bob Ezrin, Bass player/songwriter Roger Glover points out to program host Redbeard how Now What?! answers an important creative challenge for the band. “I suppose the object of the exercise is not to become a parody of yourself. And that requires change... People are scared of change, including us in a way, but you have to embrace it when it comes... A lot of the influence for Now What?! came from the (2011) orchestra tour, using an orchestra not as backing or sugary sweetening behind everything, but to really make it a part of the band. I hear that (on Now What?!) It wasn't a conscience thing, but listening to the record now I can hear it.”
Stream the entire Deep Purple Now What?! program this month as part of InTheStudio's Medium Rare “online-only” rockumentary series. www.inthestudio.net/online-only-interviews/deep-purple-now-what-roger-glover.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
AVENUE OF ALLIES PRESENTS ITS NEXT RELEASE, THE BRAND NEW STATE COWS ALBUM: Avenue Of Allies presents its next release, the brand new album The Second One by the amazing Swedish Westcoast band State Cows is due out on May 24.
“The Second One” with its stellar song writing, the perfect arrangements, the great harmony vocals and the impressive list of guest musicians is the perfect addition to the CD collection of everyone looking for the classic Westcoast sound along the lines of Airplay, Pages, Steely Dan, Marc Jordan, Michael McDonald, David Roberts, Toto and Chicago. For the recordings of “The Second One”, Daniel Andersson and Stefan Olofsson invited an amazing cast of musicians, Bill Champlin, Jay Graydon, Michael Landau, Ian Bairnson, Peter Friestedt and Sven Larsson are among the featured session cats on this highly anticipated trip back in time.”
When Daniel Andersson and Stefan Olofsson released the self titled State Cows' debut album (Avenue 1008 0016) in 2010, the feedback from the fans and the media alike was nothing short of phenomenal. The reviewers wrote, “Westcoast music at its best“, “a future classic among Westcoast fans”, “by far the best release in the Westcoast genre in recent years”, “an absolute must for anyone who is seeking a contemporary Westcoast outfit”, “they totally nailed the classic Westcoast sound but they have a unique style all their own”. And one of the true icons of the genre, Jay Graydon, who contributed a guitar solo to the song “New York Town”, said: “These guys have surely taken West Coast Pop to another level adding the freshness of youth. Great songs, arrangements and performances!“ Accolades galore, raising the expectations for the follow-up to a very high level and with their sophomore album aptly titled “The Second One” the Swedes have definitely managed to live up to their reputation as one of the best Westcoast bands since the glory days of the genre ended almost 30 years ago.
For the recordings of “The Second One”, Daniel and Stefan invited most of the musicians who already conduced to the success of the first album again. Jay Graydon returns for a guitar solo on upbeat “In The City”, but he is not the only one of the former L.A. session cats who makes an appearance, Michael Landau plays the guitar solo on “This Time” and you can listen to Bill Champlin's vocals on “Finally Fair and Balanced” with the typical arrangement you expect when you hear Bill's voice. Ian Bairnson of Alan Parsons Project / Keats fame played a guitar solo on “I Got Myself Together”, while the local Swedish guitar talents, Peter Friestedt and Sven Larsson paid a courtesy visit for a guitar solo on “Mister White” and “Hard Goodbye” respectively.
“The Second One” with its stellar song writing, the perfect arrangements, the great harmony vocals and the impressive list of guest musicians is the perfect addition to the CD collection of everyone looking for the classic Westcoast sound along the lines of Airplay, Pages, Steely Dan, Marc Jordan, Michael McDonald, David Roberts, Toto and Chicago.
All songs written, produced and arranged by Stefan Olofsson and Daniel Andersson. Recorded at White Cherry Hill Studios. Mixed by Stefan Olofsson. Mastered by Stefan Olofsson. Horn arrangement on “In the City” by Per Bejstam. Flugelhorn solo on “Mister White” arranged by Hans Hjortek.
State Cows are: Daniel Andersson: vocals, guitars; Stefan Olofsson: keyboards, synth bass.
Guest musicians: Bill Champlin: vocals on “Finally Fair and Balanced”; Michael Landau: guitar solo on “This Time”; Jay Graydon: guitar solo on “In The City”; Peter Friestedt: guitar solo on “Mister White”; Sven Larsson: guitar solo on “Hard Goodbye”; Ian Bairnson: guitar solo on “I Got Myself Together”; Peter Holmqvist: guitar solo on “Scofflaws”; Göran Turborn: guitar solo on “California Gold”; Samuel Muntlin: EWI solo on “Nineteen Eighty-One”; Pär Wretling: flugelhorn solo on “Mister White”, flugelhorn on “California Gold”; Per Bejstam: trumpets, flugelhorn on “In The City”; Peter Olofsson: drums; Lars-Erik Dahle: bass; Mikael Emsing: percussion; Marcuz Granberg, Christian Thomsen: backing vocals.
WebLinks: www.statecows.com / www.facebook.com/statecows.
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In further news, Avenue Of Allies will start a new section for releases called New Venture Music. Everything will be handled like for any other Avenue Of Allies release, but for internal reasons we decided to establish this new brand for signings of bands delivering us a finished album, rather than our own projects on which we will continue to work on with Avenue Of Allies, and the high quality re-issues of the Avenue Archives series.
Our partner for the promotion activities of New Venture Music is Germusica (www.germusica.com). The first two releases on New Venture Music are due in mid-June 2013, they are the debut album by the Spanish Melodic Rock / AOR act Indicco and the third album by Italian Hard Rockers Markonee.
THE WINERY DOGS FEATURING ROCK VETERANS SIGN WITH LOUD & PROUD RECORDS: The Winery Dogs, the power trio featuring rock veterans Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison), have signed with Loud & Proud Records. The Winery Dogs' self-titled debut album will be released in North America on July 23. The Winery Dogs was self-produced and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour, Steel Panther). It features a classic rock/power trio sound which seamlessly melds the immense talents of the three veteran rockers.
The band has already released two videos from the new album, “Elevate” and Desire, the latter of which recently premiered on Ulitmateclassicrock.com. Both videos can now be seen on their official YouTube page.
Of The Winery Dogs' signing, Mike Portnoy commented, “I am so excited about The Winery Dogs and am proud and honored to be working with two of the greatest musicians on the planet! Richie Kotzen is such an unbelievable talent, as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. I think The Winery Dogs will finally get him the attention and recognition that he so richly deserves. And what can be said of Billy Sheehan that hasn't been said already? He is one the true pioneers of the instrument and a legend. I am looking forward to working with the great staff of Loud & Proud Records, some of whom I worked very closely with during their time at Roadrunner and my time with Dream Theater. I look forward to continuing that relationship with The Winery Dogs!”
Loud & Proud Owner & President Tom Lipsky added, “The debut by The Winery Dogs absolutely rocks and we are very excited that Loud & Proud is their label partner. This body of work showcases not only their renowned skills as musicians and vocalists, but also the depth of their talent as songwriters. Billy, Mike and Richie delivered some of the best performances of their illustrious careers and I am confident this album will be recognized as one of the truly great rock albums of the year."
Touted as one of the best guitar players in the world, Richie Kotzen also possesses a voice on par with some of the greatest rock/soul singers and is highly regarded as a gifted songwriter. With guitar styles ranging from rock, blues, jazz and fusion to pop and soul, Kotzen has built a remarkably diverse 20-year career as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. A prolific songwriter, Richie has written several songs that have gone on to become hit singles around the world and he continues to appear in countless books, magazines and websites, being acknowledged as one of the top guitarists in the world. Mike Portnoy is one of the founding members of Dream Theater, with whom he played drums for 25 years, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. Portnoy's long list of awards include 26 Modern Drummer magazine Reader's Poll Awards, including Hall of Fame Inductee in 2004, MVP of the Year in 2010, Best Progressive Rock Drummer (for the magazine's record of 12 years in a row), Best Clinician (twice), Best Educational Video/DVD and Best Recorded Performance of the Year (seven times) while in Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold. He also holds the distinction being the second youngest drummer ever inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame (at age 37) and is currently the youngest in the magazine's Hall of Fame. DRUM! Magazine named him Drummer Of The Year for the last two years in a row (2011 & 2012), and he won the Revolver Golden Gods Award for "Drummer Of The Year" in 2011.
As a founding member of Mr. Big, Billy Sheehan forged his place in hard rock history. Mr. Big's trademark virtuosic musicianship with stellar vocal harmonies and earned them numerous hit songs, including the ubiquitous "To Be With You,” which was a Billboard Hot 100 #1 single in 15 countries, propelling the band to major international success and record sales in the multi-millions. Sheehan was voted the "Best Rock Bass Player" 5 times in Guitar Player magazine's Readers Poll, earning him a spot in their “Gallery of Greats” along with Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, Eddie Van Halen and more, and he has won several Reader's polls around the world. He won the prestigious Player magazine (Japan's #1 Music mag) Reader's Poll for Best Bass Player an unprecedented 14 consecutive times and Burrn! magazine's (Japan's #1 heavy metal mag) Readers' Poll five times. His hands and signature are preserved in cement on the Rockwalk at Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA.
Stay tuned for U.S. tour news, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
About Loud & Proud Records:
Loud & Proud Records was founded in 2007 by Tom Lipsky, and is currently in an exclusive distribution, marketing and label services agreement with RED Distribution, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The label's mission is to provide a true and transparent partnership between artists and their record label. Loud & Proud aims to establish and proliferate a new business model which will appeal to both veteran and emerging artists of all levels and status. Labels under Lipsky's direction in the past (CMC International, Sanctuary) have been among the market leaders in the veteran artist space, delivering Gold and Platinum albums and DVDs for Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, KISS, The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, Iron Maiden, Styx, Megadeth, Bad Company, REO Speedwagon and more. In a previous joint-venture with Roadrunner Records, Loud & Proud was responsible for new albums by Rush, Rob Zombie, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kiss, Lenny Kravitz, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Steve Miller Band, Collective Soul, Meat Loaf and Ratt. Loud & Proud Records is a registered trademark of Lipsky Music, LLC.
Track Listing: 01. Elevate 02. Desire 03. We Are One 04. I'm No Angel 05. The Other Side 06. You Saved Me 07. Not Hopeless 08. One More Time 09. Damaged 10. Six Feet Deeper 11. Criminal 12. The Dying 13. Regret.
NEWMAN RETURN WITH 10TH STUDIO ALBUM:
UK melodic rock band Newman will release their new album entitled Siren through AOR Heaven in July. Songs include the storming opener "Scar Of Love", the anthemic "Had Enough", and "Feel Her Again", a song which features Robert Säll (Work Of Art, W.E.T.) on guitar. Other album tracks include the uplifting "When It Comes To Love" co-written by Nick Workman (Vega, Kick) who also adds background vocals and the driving rhythm of "Some Kind Of Wonderful", one of two songs written by Steve Newman and Pete Newdeck (Tainted Nation, Eden's Curse).
Full track listing: 1. Scar Of Love 2. Had Enough 3. Arcadia 4. Another Bitch Of A Night 5. Feel Her Again 6. Some Kind Of Wonderful 7. Siren 8. When It Comes To Love 9. Crossfire 10. Waiting For The Day 11. The Foolish One 12. Don't Know Why.
More details to follow soon.
Newman will make their U.S. live debut at MelodicRockFest 3 - September 27-29 in Chicago, IL. www.melodicrockfest.com for tickets and details.
WebLinks: www.newmansound.com / www.aorheaven.com.
GLENN HUGHES WAS ASKED TO JOIN THE BABYS IN REUNION ATTEMPT:
Former Babys keyboardist/guitarist Michael Corby has added a series of sensational Facebook Blog posts to his page, dishing up previously unknown details behind an attempt to get The Babys back together in the mid-part of the last decade.
His first post - under the heading The Babys - Reunion Attempt 2003-2007; Corby posted the letter he originally wrote to singer John Waite, attempting to get a reunion rolling. Waite denied ever getting the letter: "For those who never saw the story regarding The Babys reunion attempt, details of which were posted in 2008 after John Waite refused to acknowledge that he had ever received the letter which follows a short introduction here. A few months ago John finally admitted ihe had received it but refused to open it. This was after lying about it over and over again. He now formally claimed, in his delusional mind, that he thought it was a letter from me trying to get free tickets to attend a Country Music concert with his ex-fiancée, Alison Krauss in London, England."
Post: www.facebook.com/notes/michael-corby/the-babys-reunion-attempt-2003-2007/494569077263973.
It gets better with Corby's second post, describing a plan he hatched to bring in Glenn Hughes to replace Waite, as the band expected the notoriously difficult singer to bail: "Now, there was a 'Plan B' to all this. It was a guy on standby in case Waite was still as idiotic and impossible to deal with as he was back in 78. So, enter one Glenn Hughes, an old acquaintance of mine. If Waite wasn't going to do it I fancied replacing him with a guy who can out-sing him a thousand times over and can play a bass like a god instead of like a complete 4th rate amateur, at best... and let's not delude ourselves here, I'm being generous to Waite. Musically speaking, he can barely play a note and has no real right to refer to himself as a musician. This, Plan B would give The Babys the finest rhythm section in the world. The heritage of an ex-Deep Purple player was also a great mix with the rest of us."
Full post (and worth a read): www.facebook.com/notes/michael-corby/the-final-reasons-for-the-babys-2003-2007-reunion-failure/494749673912580.
Trevor Bolder, the bass player who was one of the founding members of David Bowie's legendary backing band the Spiders From Mars, died Tuesday at the age of 62, after suffering from pancreatic cancer for several years. The English musician and record producer was also known for being a member of British rock group Uriah Heep, joining them in the late 1970s and playing with them throughout his career. He appeared on the band's most recent album, Into the Wild, in 2011, and was planning to join them for their performance at the Download Festival in June, reports NME.
The famed bassist underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer earlier this year, in which he had part of his pancreas removed. "They've cut out the bad bit. I've had a bit of chemo, got to have that, which I'm doing now, in case there's anything hanging about,” Bolder told Classic Rock magazine in February. Bolder played on several classic Bowie albums, including Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, and Aladdin Sane.
Uriah Heep issued the following statement about Bolder's death: "It is with great sadness that Uriah Heep announce the passing of our friend the amazing Trevor Bolder, who has passed away after his long fight with cancer. Trevor was an all time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced. His long time membership of Uriah Heep brought the band's music, and Trevor's virtuosity and enthusiasm, to hundreds of thousands of fans across the world. He joined the band in 1976 and, barring one short break, was a fixture until his ill health forced him to take a step back early this year."
Lead guitarist Mick Box said, "Trevor was a world class bass player, singer and songwriter, and more importantly a world class friend. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core."
Bolder also played with Mick Ronson, Wishbone Ash, and the Cybernauts.
British journo Dave Ling posted earlier today in tribute of Trevor: "What truly awful news. At 7.30pm we lost Trevor Bolder, one of the most talented and likable guys in rock music. Heep's Mick Box says: "Trevor was a World Class bass player, singer & songwriter, and more importantly a World Class friend. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core." RIP, Trevor 1950-2013."
SEBASTIAN BACH READY TO SING HIS FACE OFF:
From: www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abc-orders-celebrity-competition-sing-448417 / The network home to Dancing With the Stars and Splash has picked up six episodes of Sing Your Face Off, a talent variety competition featuring five celebrities transformed to train as a legendary musical icon, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The series, based on Endemol Spain's Your Face Sounds Familiar, will feature celebrities -- who have yet to be cast -- taking on iconic musicians as they undergo hours of makeup, choreography and vocal coaching. Each episode will feature the complete physical transformation -- including the icon's walk, talk, mannerisms and more -- as the celebrities compete in front of judges and a studio audience. In addition to being tasked with a physical transformation, participating talent also will have to actually perform music from their assigned icon each week. Participating celebs will transform to play -- and sing -- multiple musical performers during the series. Details on prizes still are being worked out.
Here's an exclusive though - one of the "celebrities" for Season 1 is none other than Sebastian Bach! And here is the man in action during rehearsals:
PHIL VINCENT GETS HIS FACE TO IT:
News from Phil Vincent: "Greetings to my friends in the music community, Well, here we are, 16 years and 28 releases later (14 solo albums and 14 from my bands Tragik, Legion, D'Ercole, Presense & Circular Logik) and I'm still introducing myself! For those of you not familiar with my work please go to: philvincent.com or www.philvincentbands.com to check out my entire discography. Face It is the most recent representation of my work as a songwriter, vocalist and musician. I play all the instruments on this release and have written all the songs. This is truly a solo album. No loops, no drum machines, no sequencers, just a human being playing musical instruments. I hope you enjoy listening to the material as much as I enjoyed making it.
As I reflect back on my 16 year career, I see one thing hasn't changed……my passion for creating music. I'm not doing this for the money and if I total up all the money I've spent trying to create, promote and produce my music, I would be a wealthy man today. J But I have no regrets. I'm healthy, have a great family, have friends that I treat like family and still get excited about music. I listen to a lot of music, old and new, and I'm still amazed by how powerful it is. I try to incorporate all my influences in everything I write. From the Beatles to Foreigner to Judas Priest to Queen to Pantera to Dokken to the Backstreet Boys to Winger, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I hope you find something in this CD that appeals to you and makes you feel the way I have felt. Like the first time I heard Boston's debut album, or “Fragile” by Yes, or “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath……you get the picture. And make no mistake…… I'm in no way making any kind of comparisons with “Face It” to those masterpieces but my intent when creating new music is always to move the listener, in any way I can.
If you like “Face It”, please direct your readers/listeners to visit philvincent.com, www.philvincentbands.com, www.cdbaby.com, iTunes, and all the other digital outlets so they may listen to samples and purchase this double CD. Oh, I forgot to mention there is a second CD “Solar Flare”, last year's digital only release now on CD included in the package. 2 Cds for a one CD price. My way of saying “Thank You” for allowing me the opportunity to do this for 16 years.
So crank it up loud and immerse yourself in the music. I hope it moves you."
Take Care and Keep Rockin', Phil Vincent.
COMING UP FROM SPV GERMANY:
Some updated release news from SPV Records in Germany:
September 23: Running Wild “tba” – new studio album "Adrian" will be back!!!!; Lita Ford “tba” – new live album; Hirax “Immortal Legacy” – new studio album.
October 28: Vengeance "tba" - new studio album; Mad Max "tba" - new studio album.
Coming in 2014: New studio albums from Axel Rudi Pell, Magnum, Lita Ford and Freedom Call.
VIDEO RELEASE -"FOR THE LAST IN LINE" - A TRIBUTE TO RONNIE JAMES DIO:
A reminder of the Dio tribute song from Fatal Smile:
Today May 16 it´s three years ago Ronnie James Dio sadly passed away... A true rock'n roll hero was taken from us as he - as so many others do - lost his battle against the most fierce enemy mankind has met so far: cancer!
This is a day of mourning, for us who loved him and his music, his fans and most of all those close to him. We´re really happy that we had a chance to support Dio on his Scandinavian tour in 2008 and to meet him in person. He will be remembered as the kind-hearted and most gentle soul we´ve had the honour to tour and share the stage with...
We strongly believe that Ronnie will be remembered forever, by generations to come. He will never be forgotten. Anyone as influential and unique becomes a legacy. We will surely do our best to keep this legacy alive, to honour it and the great man behind it.
Fatal Smile a video for the song that we wrote in great sorrow after we got word from Dio´s management of his passing on May 16, 2010. A song that means so much to us. It is a song filled with respect and love, and the first ballad in Fatal Smile history. The song is called "For the last in line" and is taken from our latest album "21st Century Freaks".
Lyrically it focuses on the fact that Dio´s fight for cancer must go on, that we must pull together to keep the fight alive until it's won, and that Ronnie can rest assure that we will never give up no matter how many heroes are made and lost. This is the most important fight humanity has before him, and it is a shame that so much is spent on destroying one another and so little in the fight of survival. Let Ronnie be a reminder of that. A never ever forgotten reminder!
He would surely have wanted to be a part of the victory to come! So let´s all get together and help us to fight cancer by donating to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund - diocancerfund.org.
Enjoy the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vY5D43WQJw.
And never ever forget - Ronnie James Dio - R.I.P.
KINK'S LEGEND DAVE DAVIES TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM 'I WILL BE ME' JUNE 4:
Los Angeles, CA - The man who forever changed the sound of rock 'n' roll when he invented distortion, Kink's legend Dave Davies, has recorded a brand new solo album of all original material! To be released on Cleopatra Records on June 4, 'I Will Be Me' features guest appearances by The Jayhawks, Anti-Flag, award winning UK blues guitarist Oli Brown, Chris Spedding, US stoner rock band Dead Meadow, Aussie rockers The Art, Geri X and others! In support of Dave's new album release, a special engagement of Live performances in New York and Los Angeles are scheduled for the end of May to mid-June! Dave Davies founded the Kinks in the early 1960s and forever changed music after he sliced up the speaker cone of a little green amp and created a revolutionary, distorted guitar tone and frenetic solo on the song "You Really Got Me". Musicologist Joe Harrington described the Kinks influence: " 'You Really Got Me', 'All Day And All Of The Night' ... were predecessors of the whole three-chord genre ... The Kinks did a lot to help turn rock n roll into rock." In 1998, writer Bill Crowley wrote, "As lead guitarist and founder of The Kinks, Dave Davies is one of the most unpredictable and original forces in rock, without whom guitar-rock styles including heavy metal and punk would have been inconceivable. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Dave's massive guitar sounds have inspired bands from Van Halen to Green Day."
Dave's new album 'I Will Be Me' is a return to his ground-breaking guitar sound and innovative songwriting. His classically English voice shows off a new depth but still hits his famous high notes in this collection. The hard rocking track "Livin' In The Past", takes a look at obsession with all things retro but, ever the Mod, Dave surprises with the lyric, "No matter what they do or say, the future's here to stay!" He takes a look back with "Little Green Amp", a playful, punk homage to days when his jagged, blues driven sound wave ripped ahead of the British Invasion through stereos the world over. "Cote du Rhone (I Will Be Me)", an uncensored look at ugliness in the world today, is as angry and biting as any song in Dave's repertoire with an innovative yet heavy slide guitar tone. Soothing lyrics and sounds of Jonathan Lea's sitar playing on "Healing Boy" show Dave's sensitive side. In a recent radio interview he said, "Rock music is a positive force for good." This hopeful and optimistic vision manifests and bridges themes personal, social and universal in 'I Will Be Me'.
To pre-order Dave Davies – 'I Will Be Me' CD: www.amazon.com/Dave-Davies-Will-Be-Me/dp/B00CA9VQBQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1366047104&sr=1-17&keywords=dave+davies.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
TWO CLASSIC ROBERT HART ALBUMS REMASTERED AND DUE IN JUNE: Escape Music is pleased to announce the release of a Robert Hart double album retrospective. The vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Bad Company and The Distance), Robert Hart's two acclaimed solo albums are – Cries and Whispers and Robert Hart. Both albums are now to be released as a two CD Set – plus *2 bonus tracks fully re-mastered will be released in Europe June 21.
Track List: Cries and Whispers: White Lies And Promises / Heart / Dear Mary / Such An Easy Revolution / Cries And Whispers / This Has Got To Be Love / A Little Love Is Overdue / Mankind / High On Love / One To One / She's On The List / Heart-Arty Olive Mix / *Your Hurt As Much As Love Someone (bonus track).
Robert Hart: Heart And Soul / Angel / Ridin' On The Wind / I Don't Want To Be Here When You're Gone / Boys On The Corner / Fooled Around And Fell In Love / Someone To Watch Over Me / Better Than The Rest / Running Man / A Little Love Is Overdue / * Faster Than The Speed Of Love (bonus track).
The 2CD set will be packaged in a deluxe digipack along with full booklet and lyrics to every song.
Robert Hart is a British Rock Vocalist and songwriter. His career has seen him play with the likes of The Distance, Bad Company and Company of Snakes, as well as the Jones Gang and more recently Manfred Mann's Earth Band. His recording styles have varied and he can range from West Coast to Blues Rock to Hard Rock, such is his ability.
In 1989 Robert recorded a solo album "Cries and Whispers" which can be described as prime time AOR and has been a highly sought after recording ever since. The Album was originally released on Atlantic Records with Stewart Levine at the production desk.
Three years later Robert was the first recording artist to be signed by Hollywood Records which was owned by Disney and had the pleasure of working with the great Russ Ballard. The resulting album "Robert Hart" charted in more than 18 countries and it was a great AOR Rock Album that got him noticed by Bad Company's Mick Ralphs who then asked him to front Bad Company following the departures of Paul Rodgers and Brian Howe. In 1995 Robert Co-wrote the album "Company of Strangers" and he has since become a household name in Rock Circles.
These two albums in one package are a dream comes true for all fans of hard Rock and AOR, and it "essential" list should be placed on the "as soon as possible!
At the moment Robert Hart is working with Jim Kirkpatrick (FM guitarist) on a new project name Diesel and is due to be released in autumn 2013.
WebLinks: www.Escape-Music.com.
MELODICROCK.COM & ROCK SOLDIERS PRESENTS PAUL LAINE DOWNUNDER IN DECEMBER: Paul Laine will be heading to Australia in December 2013 and will be playing two live shows backed by Oz rockers The Radio Sun. This will be Paul's first ever live dates in Australia and he will be playing a selection of songs from his solo work, Danger Danger and Shugaazer catalogue. Paul Laine & The Radio Sun will play in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday December 3 at The Cherry Bar and in Sydney, Australia on Thursday December 5 at The Valve Bar & Venue. A night not to be missed by fans of AOR/heavy rock! Tickets are $20 AUD plus $5 AUD for registered mail delivery (total $25 AUD) and can currently be purchased through Paypal at: powerpopski@hotmail.com.
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW - THE UNAUTHORIZED YNGWIE BIOGRAPHY:
The long awaited As Above, So Below - The Unauthorized Yngwie Biography by Sweden's legendary rock journalist Anders Tengner was released world wide in English on May 8 on the Kindle platform. The book was a smashing success in Sweden and received praise. "Impossible to put down" and "The best rock bio in a decade" according to Swedish media. The foreword is written by Joe Lynn Turner and among the interviewed are Graham Bonnet, Ron Keel, Jeff Scott Soto, family members, ex-wives and girlfriends, managers and other musicians like Eric Singer from Kiss. This is the most revealing look ever into the controversial life of the King of Shreds. The book includes over 60 never-before-seen pictures.
Readers say:
”A lot better than the official one!” - Andy Gavin
”This book gives a lot more details about his life.” - William Philips
”Very good! I like how someone who wasn't even there every minute (Anders) managed to put together this awesome way to give us a glimpse of how it all started” - Behshad Kowassarie
”I feel like a door has been opened to Yngwie the man, his inner-child, his failings and success and the reasons why all hell broke loose” - Steve N. Mavronis
”The Amber chapters are an eye opener.” - Alex Kaalund
”Don't let the unauthorized tag lead you to believe this is some kind of gutter journalism.” - Reader review on amazon.com
”I feel ALOT closer to Yngwie after reading about his young life and teen pranks” - Beverly Bonneau
”Enjoyed the book thoroughly. It was quite addictive. I don't know that we'll see characters quite like these again!” - Chris A. Brooks
”Fabulous book! I've just finished reading it, and feel compelled to start again. I think it's infinitely more interesting than Yng's book. Very well written and thorough...loved it!” - Suzanne Marie
The English version is not available in print, only as an ebook. Here's a link to order: www.amazon.com.
Follow us at Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheYngwieBio.
RICK DERRINGER DOCO HITS KICKSTARTER:
Gary Mayes, Wayne Johnston, and Doug Kovach in Dallas, TX have been working on a Rick Derringer documentary for the last 3-4 years and have had the opportunity to interview a number of legendary names in the music industry. The project is 100% endorsed by Rick and is in the final stages of production. They have reached out to the classic rock community through a kickstarter campaign to help bring this documentary to fruition. Please visit: www.kickstarter.com/projects/992140502/rick-derringer-all-american-boy-still-alive-and-we to view a preview and maybe pledge a donation. Every little bit makes a difference and there are some cool perks at different price levels. So be a part of Rock and Roll history in bringing Rick Derringer's life story to the World!
THE FIRST EVER SOLO ALBUM OF SAVATAGE MASTERMIND JON OLIVA:
More than thirty years after the start of his career with Savatage, and successive projects/bands like Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Jon Oliva's Pain, now legendary songwriter and performer Jon Oliva releases his first ever solo album, titled Raise The Curtain. On June 21st (USA: July 2nd) the master's new piece of work will be available as CD Digipak (first edition) and 2-vinyl (gatefold, limited to 800 copies worldwide). The album will be released simply under the banner Oliva and you can expect a mixture of Jon Oliva's early influences and the material he wrote and recorded throughout his whole artistic career.
Tracklisting: 01. Raise The Curtain 02. Soul Chaser 03. Ten Years 04. Father Time 05. I Know 06. Big Brother 07. Armageddon 08. Soldier 09. Stalker 10. The Witch 11. Can't Get Away 12. The Truth (Bonus Track).
STATION OFFERS MELODIC METAL FOR THE MASSES:
With a seemingly renewed appreciation of classic melodic metal sounds throughout the world (Sirius' Hair Nation, 'That Metal Show,' etc.), New York City-based rockers Station couldn't have picked a better time to issue their EP, Wired, and launch their latest tour, which will focus primarily on the east coast. Comprised of members Patrick Kearney – vocals, Chris Lane - guitar, Mike Anderson – bass, and Brian Karl - drums, Station iss looking to record a full album worth of anthemic rockers. And as evidenced by such tunes as "Everything" and "Don't Take Heaven Away from Me," such an album would be a rocking good time. "I think we offer songs not heard in today's rock scene. Our songs range from upbeat to powerful and stay anthemic the whole way through. We incorporate our emphasis on musicianship into the performance. Essentially, I feel Station is a rock band in the classic sense (like they were forever until the late 90s modern day came around)," explains Lane. "Our music has a pop quality to our brand of hard rock not seen since bands like Guns N' Roses. We offer anthemic songs that everyone can relate to and sing along with. We believe it's rock music you can feel. It's what comes out of us and is very honest."
And the group already has producer Michael Wagner on their side (who has worked with everyone from Dokken to Metallica over the years). As Kearney adds, "We contacted Michael about working together since he is one of our favorite producer's based on his past work. He responded to us within 15 minutes that he would love to work together. Michael is an all-around fun and really good-natured person, not to mention an incredible talent. He made recording (which could be 15 hour days) a fun and rewarding experience the whole time. He has true passion for music and loves what he does. Nobody would ever know he's sold something like 95 million albums by talking to him, very humble and down to earth. He also flew up to NY in March to come to our EP release party; which was amazing."
In addition to their union with Wagner, Station has been invited to perform at this year's Rocklahoma Festival. "We are really looking forward to the festival and honored to be playing alongside some of our heroes, including GNR, Alice in Chains, Cheap Trick. Rocklahoma is a big step for us and having been invited to play is extremely exciting."
As far as what the future holds in store for Station, the quartet have some big plans in store. "The band is looking to record a full length album and bring our music to everyone who will listen, all around the world. The next few months will see us performing around the country."
Confirmed Station Tour Dates [with more to be announced]:
5/23: Acoustic performance at ROK, Pryor, OK
5/26: Performance at ROK, Pryor, OK
6/15: The Room, Brookfield, CT
6/29: Arlene's Grocery, New York, NY
7/13: Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
7/19: The Huntington Manor Fireman's Festival, Huntington, NY
8/6: Performance at Musikfest, Bethlehem, PA
For more information, visit: www.stationband.com / www.facebook.com/stationnyc / www.twitter.com/stationnyc.
JACK RUSSELL TO BE FEATURED IN UPCOMING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT NASHVILLE: Jack Russell may not be the first musician that comes to mind when you think of Nashville, but the city of Nashville holds a special place in his heart, which is why he is one of the featured artists in the upcoming Music City USA, a documentary by Chris McDaniel. This film is about the resiliency of this legendary town, and the musicians that call it home, have been inspired there and the incredible spirit of Nashville- Music City. The film features musicians from all genres, country, reggae, rock, etc. and the antagonist in the film is the Nashville flood. Also featured in this inspirational movie are Naomi Judd, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels and MANY MORE. Jack talks about the healing powers of music, which have played such a huge part in his life, his recovery and his recent comeback to once again command the stage he was born to be on.
This will be a must see for any musician, and anyone ever touched by or inspired by music. For more information go to: www.musiccitymovie.com.
ECLIPSE LIVE IN SPAIN: MetalSymphony.com has uploaded some photos from Eclipse concert May 18, 2013 at Sala Rockitchen in Madrid, Spain. Also available are pictures of support act Strangers. Check them out at this location: www.metalsymphony.com/?p=13219#gp.
Eclipse's setlist was as follows: After The End Of The World, Hometown Calling, To Mend A Broken Heart, Wild One, Battlegrounds, A Bitter Taste, Guitar solo, Bleed And Scream, Ain't Dead Yet, S.O.S, Unbreakable, Hard Time Loving You, Drum solo, The Unspoken Heroes, About to Break, Wake Me Up -- Under the gun, One love, Breaking My Heart Again.
American fans can finally witness the band live in the USA at MelodicRockFest 3 - September 27-29 as part of W.E.T. and with their own set. Tickets available now at: www.melodicrockfest.com.
KROKUS - "DIRTY DYNAMITE" GOES PLATINUM:
From the Krokus Newsletter: "Right before the first concert of our sold out "Closer Contact Doeg Tour" our record label Sony Music presented us with gold and platinum record awards. Swiss boulevard paper "Blick" reports in today's edition: For almost 40 years they have been in the charts with every one of their releases. During the presentation the band's founder, producer and bassist Chris Von Rohr points out: "We worked extremely hard on this album and gave it our all. Bottom line, it was worth it". And vocalist Marc Storace adds: "It's an incredible feeling after so many decades to still be on top of the Swiss music scene".
During the bands long spanning career they have sold over 14 million albums worldwide. All concerts of their current tour are sold out. Chris Von Rohr adds: "We would like to thank all of our fans from the bottom of our hearts for their continuous support over the years. We never had so much fun as a band with this album than any other and we will rock (for you) till the very end".
Meet Our New Drummer Flavio Mezzodi
For Flavio Mezzodi a childhood dream has come true. "At age 10 I wanted nothing more than playing in a rock band and play all over the world", he states. "And now that dream has become reality". The drummer from Solothurn, where Krokus is from, is officially the new drummer of the band. Bassist and producer Chris Von Rohr says it best: "The precision and groove of his drum work is exactly what our band needed. We are extremely happy that we found him." Three years ago Freddy Steady left the band that had sold over 14 million albums worldwide, establishing Krokus as the most successful Swiss rock band ever. The new platinum awarded CD Dirty Dynamite was recorded with a session drummer. Adds Marc "The Voice" Storace: "Now we are complete again."
Flavio learned his drum skills at the Dante Agostini Drum School in Paris. He also teaches at numerous schools drumming, whenever he is not touring with Krokus. He played professionally with Swiss acts Stefanie Heinzmann and the band Fox. Mezzodi grew up listening to Krokus. One of the first records he ever heard was the band's 1980 "Metal Rendez-Vous" release.
Over the almost four decade's time, the band's drumming job has been often vacant. Freddy Steady left the band multiple times. The other Swiss drummer, Dani Crivelli, tragically passed about three weeks ago. Marc Storace further explains: "Flavio is a great human being and musically fits perfectly into our line-up. With him on drums, we will rock with even more power."
Sold Out Shows - In support of our Platinum CD Dirty Dynamite we kicked off 5 sold out concerts in Zurich (2) and the band's hometown of Solothurn (3). It was a magic experience for us to connect with you, the fans. Zurich and Solothurn, You rocked!!
OUTLOUD SINGER CHANDLER MOGEL NEEDS YOUR HELP TO WIN "BEST UNSIGNED ARTIST OF THE MONTH": Chandler Mogel has been nominated for "Best Unsigned Artist of the Month" in the popular Australian publication Starcentral Magazine. But he needs your help! If you'd like to see Chandler win and receive a big feature in the magazine next month, please vote by clicking on the link below, scrolling down to the bottom and clicking on Chandler's name where it says "Vote". There's no registering or signup required - you simply click and vote and that's it. And you can vote once per day so multiple votes are welcomed!
Contest ends May 23rd, 2013. Click here to vote now!
A NEW BAND FOR GLYDER'S BAT KINANE: Maggy Simpson is the brainchild of Bat Kinane and Shane Counter. Having known each other for over 10 years, and sharing a passion for high quality original Rock music, this is the first major work the pair will release. There have been a few collaborations in the past: Shane wrote some music for Bat's first solo album, 'A Lifetime to Kill', and they put together a small library of production pieces in 2009, as The Random Event Factory. However, this is the first time they have been able to commit to something truly substantial over an extended period. With initial discussions taking place in June 2012, the final work steadily came together over a 10 month period, culminating in a mid-2013 release.
Guitarist, Singer & Songwriter Bat rose to prominence as leader of Classic Rock merchants, Glyder. A number of Bat's musical contributions here started as demos for Glyder albums. Shane has released several Instrumental Progressive Rock albums, and also has a keen ear for the more direct melodic requirements of Production Music. The album also features Davy Ryan (ex-Glyder) on drums throughout. Renowned for his precision, reliability and versatility, Davy is a top class session player working regularly in both the live arena and studio settings.
Today, we are delighted to announce the first public airing of the opening track from the album 'Lab Rat and Lobster'. Here are a few words to explain more about the song called 'High Time to Die': soundcloud.com/maggysimpson/01-high-time-to-die.
Bat: 'This song is about the old cliché of a drink, drugs and rock n' roll lifestyle: If you want to get high, you must be prepared to die. It's often true that the best career move any rock star can make is to die.'
Shane: 'Rage Against the Machine-inspired riff seeks belting chorus with monster sludge riff to form a meaningful relationship! Based on a song Bat wrote about the 'value' of artists once they have passed away, we played around with this one a lot to get the right tempo and key, slowing it down and making it progressively heavier. In the end we made fullest use of a 7-string tuning, taking a C# riff and re-rooting it 14 semi-tones down to a low B. The music is at times dirty and sleazy, and at other times it is buoyant and aggressive (this is Rock 'n' Roll, after all!). The outro section features a sick sounding Whammy lead, harmonised with both 1 and 2-octave shifts.'
A YouTube clip has been also released for the track "Gun Fun" A Song about our obsession with guns and how they make up so much of we watch as entertainment on TV every day, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDkEfiBK0_0.
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