Phil Mogg has confirmed that next year's 50th anniversary tour with UFO will be his last as the frontman of the long-running hard rock band. Consequently, it seems almost certain that at that point they will cease to exist. UFO were formed in London in 1968 and Mogg is their only ever-present member, performing on all of the group's 22 studio albums.
'This decision has been a long time coming, I've considered stepping down at the end of UFO's previous two tours,'Mogg explains. 'I don't want to call this a farewell tour as I hate that word, but next year's gigs will represent my final tap-dancing appearances with the band."
'2018 marks UFO's 50th anniversary, so the timing feels right,' he continues. 'There will be a final tour of the UK and we will also play some shows in selected other cities that the band has a strong connection with. But outside of the UK this won't be a long tour. Being out on the road isn't always tremendously luxurious and although the playing is as great as it ever was, the stuff that surrounds it becomes very tiresome. I always told myself that when I reached that stage I would step down, and that's what I'm going to do. This is the right time for me to quit.'
Mogg turned 70 back in April and although his voice remains strong, he admits that age played its part in his conclusion.
'I'm a big reader of obituaries, and my finger always goes down to: 'I wonder how old they were…',' he chuckles. 'The last few years have been tough, losing Lemmy was awful and I was sad that Jimmy Bain passed on a cruise ship. That distressed me quite a lot.'
While many veteran bands in such a position simply cease playing live and continue to record, UFO will no longer be releasing new music. "A Conspiracy Of Stars" in 2015 and last year's covers collection 'The Salentino Cuts' are set to become a signing-off point, though Mogg insists that however unlikely the prospect might seem – the singer is a lone strrand of consistency throughout a 50-year history – he would have no problemm with UFO continuing with a replacement.
The band's current line-up – completed by keyboard player/seconnd guitarist Paul Raymond, guitarist Vinnie Moore, drummer Andy Parker and bassist Rob Le Luca – have of course been informed of Mogg's decision.
'I've told the guys that this is how it is,' he says. 'They know it's my time to go and they know that they can do whatever they want to do without me but I don't want to play live or make records anymore, though having said that I might go on and do an album of my own. I'll have to see how I feel about that.'
Of course UFO have either split up, retired or gone on hiatus several times before but Mogg is keen to make the distinction that next year's dates don't just mark the end of his touring commitments with UFO – for Phil, therre will be no further concerts of any kind.
'For me, this is the end of my stint with UFO,' he clarifies. 'This is a line in the sand. I'm suggesting we call the tour 'Last Orders', though I also like 'The Bar Is Closing'. I'm also tempted to name it 'The Drinks Are On Parker',' he chuckles, referring long-suffering sticksman Andy Parker.
You'll have gathered that Mogg is not about to slash his wrists anytime soon. Of course he is sad that the finishing line is now within slight but has had sufficient time to live with and process such a massive personal decision.
'Maybe the best word to use is 'bittersweet',' he concludes. 'But my time has arrived and all that remains is to make sure that we have a good tour.'
(Press release written by Dave Ling)
First confirmed date 2019:
March 14th-17th GB-Gwynedd/North Wales - Hard Rock Hell
Singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Robert Berry’s new album, “The Rules Have Changed,” will be released under the name 3.2 on Frontiers Music Srl on August 10, 2018.
The full-length album will feature musical contributions by the late KEITH EMERSON, whom Berry was a bandmate with in the band 3.
This is the last musical project in which Emerson was involved prior to his untimely passing in 2016.
A preview of the album, the track, “Somebody’s Watching” has been released. It is available on all streaming services as well as an instant download with digital pre-orders.
The working relationship between Emerson and Berry began in 1987 when former Yes manager Brian Lane and Carl Palmer arranged a meeting between the two prolific musicians. The plan was to form a more melodic, song oriented band, compared to the complex symphonic rock compositions for which Emerson, Lake & Palmer was known, which would allow Emerson, Berry and Palmer to follow in the footsteps of the success that Asia and GTR were enjoying during that period.
The result of that collaboration between Emerson, Berry and Palmer was the band 3 and the album “... To The Power of Three,” was released worldwide by Geffen Records in 1988. The first single, “Talkin' 'Bout” reached #9 on the Billboard charts and the band successfully toured the U.S. to support the album.
With the success of the first release, Geffen urged the band to go back into the studio to begin work on a second album, but Emerson felt uncomfortable with Geffen’s momentum stifling, inconsistent strategy that ultimately cut the first album's success short, consequently prompting the band to call it quits. At the time of the band’s dissolution, several songs were already written for the band’s second release with some of the songs later being released on Robert Berry’s solo album, “Pilgrimage To A Point”.
In October 2015, conversations about a new 3 album started between Robert Berry and Frontiers’ President Serafino Perugino as Robert had been speaking to Emerson about releasing the band’s long delayed follow-up album. Berry relayed those conversations to Emerson and in turn sparked revived enthusiasm from him for pursuing the project. The exchange of musical ideas ultimately paved the groundwork for “The Rules Have Changed.”
After Emerson’s death in 2016, Berry was left with Emerson’s final musical ideas for the project. From old cassette tapes, keyboard parts written over the phone and long discussions between the two friends about style, the framework of the album was set and ready to be brought to life.
After several months of grieving and contemplation about what to do with these co-written songs and musical fragments from Emerson, Robert decided to resume work on the material that was created and craft a record that would ultimately be a fitting tribute to Keith Emerson’s musical legacy and at the same time re-energize and update the musical style started with 3 some 30 years ago.
“Keith and I developed together a vision of what the new album would be like, explains Berry. “There were many times over the past 30 years since 3 had come out that Keith either played on a session for me or we just talked on the phone. The new album consists of some past 3 writing from 1988, some newly written last efforts from Keith, and some songs written exclusively by me after Keith’s death. “
The final result is “The Rules Have Changed,” a reboot of the original 3 project, centered on Robert Berry’s amazing musical talents.
This is a record that deserves to be heard by every fan of the great Keith Emerson and includes many exquisite musical adventures, which every progressive music fan will be delighted to experience and enjoy.
“Every second I worked on writing, recording, and performing those songs I had one thing on my mind,” says Berry. “The phrase... ‘What would Keith do’...drove me, it guided me, it consumed my creativity. It was so important to me to fulfill our vision for this album. I believe Keith worked through me. I especially felt him with me when I did the solos. The songs we had worked on together but the solos were to be improvised while recording. You will hear his flare coming through on the solos. The solos are played by me, but, at the same time, also by him. I would never say I was even close to being the player Keith was. But I believe you can hear his spirit in the sound and in my playing. I am so proud of this album. I can’t help but think somehow he is proud of the results too.”
TRACKLISTING:
1. One by One
2. Powerful Man
3. The Rules Have Changed
4. Our Bond
5. What You’re Dreaming Now
6. Somebody’s Watching
7. This Letter
8. Your Mark on The World
PRODUCED BY: Robert Berry
SONGWRITERS: Keith Emerson, Robert Berry
ARRANGEMENTS: Keith Emerson, Robert Berry
RECORDED and MIXED BY: Robert Berry at Soundtek Studios, Campbell, CA
Richmond, Virginia-based rockers Red Reign are ready to unveil a brand new video, for one of the standout tracks from their self-titled EP - “Red Reign.” Specializing in a sound that recalls vintage rock and metal acts of the mid to late ‘80s, the striking video and rocking song are a perfect representation of this fast-rising band.
“The song ‘Red Reign’ is about when a person is so pissed off and overwhelmed, that the anger is finally unleashed,” explains the band’s singer/guitarist, Carlton “Bubba”McMichael (who is also joined in the band by guitarist Stevie Shred, bassist Larry Moore, and drummer Sammy Lee). "It was really great working with Tim, Monica and the whole team at Aisthesis Productions on this video as they were able to capture the bands attitude and stage presence. We look forward to working with them again on future projects".
Other standout tracks include “Not That Way,” which the band’s McMichael describes as “one of those songs that is about a love gone bad and then the girl realizes she made a mistake in our relationship and wants to get back into the same relationship she poisoned. But the guy has gotten over her and moved on.” A lyric video for the track can also be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bObJneh54U
Other tracks include “Chains” (“About the feelings of being held back and looking for that escape”), “Toxic” (“The feeling of hopelessness in a relationship”), and “What is Love For” (“About you pouring yourself into a relationship, knowing it’s not going to go far”), in addition to the aforementioned “Red Reign.”
In addition to the new music video, Red Reign will be hitting the stage on August 17th on a bill with Jackyl, at Phase 2 in Lynchburg, Virginia, and appearing on SUMMERBASH that will be held on Saturday, August 25th at Fiore’s Entertainment Complex in Wooster, Ohio. The event will feature Billy Morris and the Sunset Strip, Every Mother’s Nightmare and Red Reign.
LEGENDARY singer/bassist Glenn Hughes says working with guitarist Andrew Watt showed him “millennials want all the power and all the money of people who’ve already got it without working for it”.
California Breed, a project in which now-65-year-old Hughes worked with 27-year-old Watt along with drummer Jason Bonham, broke up after one album in 2015.
“It was a very stressful band for me to be in,” Hughes told the White Line Fever podcast (please use this link https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/white-line-fever/id494213902?mt=2). “I was, you know, bamboozled into forming this band with a young man, Andrew Watt - a very talented young man - but it was the wrong move for me.
“The guy is a millennial. The guy is 25 years old and it was difficult to play with somebody with a different head space to me and Jason not wanting to tour was a difficult thing.
“Looking back at California Breed, I should never have toured behind that. I should have just released the album and moved back onto my solo work.
“A great record by the way but I don’t have very fond memories of that period. I’d was just recovering from open heart surgery, it was a difficult period for me but I look back on it and I learned so many different things.”
Asked for this thoughts on millennials, the former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath man answered: “The way I see it is this, and this is a generalisation: millennials want all the power and all the money of people who’ve already got it without working for it. I’m sorry, that’s the way I see it.
“People of my age group have worked their asses off to get this and a lot of youngsters - some youngsters don’t feel that way - they want it all and they want it now. They want what you got and they’re not willing to work their asses off for three of four decades to get it.
“And it just doesn’t work that way.”
When asked if he was linking these thoughts to Watt specifically, Hughes said: “He comes from a group of people from that generation. You’re born in the early nineties and you have a different angle and a different viewpoint of the world. You have the whole internet thing. You grew up with the internet in front of your fingers. It’s a different demographic. It was difficult for me to work with people who had a different angle on life.
“I’m old school. I’ve had a heart attack. I’ve been shot at, pistol-whipped, run over in a car. I’ve been, you know, stabbed and all of a sudden I’m working with people who have no idea what I’ve been through and they just want success. And success, you just don’t get it overnight.”
Hughes returned to another high profile collaboration, Black Country Communion, which currently has a album in circulation entitled BCCIV. Hughes is also touring a show of Deep Purple classics with his solo band.
Episode 283, May 22, 2018. This week we are joined by drummer Bobby Rock. Bobby was the drummer in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Bobby shares his memories and amazing stories of auditioning for the VVI. Who was the brains behind the band. When the wheels first started to fall off. How the VVI eventually imploded. Thoughts on why the VVI never broke big. Changes in management. We guarantee you will learn something new about Vinnie Vincent and the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. Bobby just released his book, The Boy Is Gonna Rock available at www.bobbyrockstore.com. Press requests please contact Michael Brandvold at www.MichaelBrandvold.com
YOU CAN’T KILL MY ROCK ‘N ROLL New album from Hardcore Superstar out September 21st 2018!
You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘N Roll is the 11th album from Gothenburg’s HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, consisting of 12 ear splitting anthems that drive home the fact that Rock isn’t dead, it is in fact alive and well and thriving in Sweden.
Recorded throughout 2017 and early 2018 at the beautiful Österlyckan (Wooden Hybrid) Studios near Gothenburg, the album was produced by the band themselves and mixed in Stockholm by Dino Medanhodzic.
Celebrated worldwide for their explosive and uplifting live performances that are bursting with integrity and passion, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR have managed to somehow harness and capture all that passion and raw energy and translate it into the 12 songs that make up “You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘N Roll”. This is a huge sounding album on all levels, overflowing with sure fire hits and guaranteed future fan favourites.
The albums first single “Have Mercy On Me” was released to great critical acclaim at the end of 2017 and quickly became play listed on radio stations all over the UK, Europe and their native Scandinavia, making it a runaway success. The following singles “Bring The House Down”, “Electric Rider” and “Baboon” have built enormously on this success, creating massive amounts of excitement and anticipation amongst the fans and media in preparation for the albums release on September 21st 2018. Further singles are also planned to coincide with the bands ambitious World Tour that will see them playing to audiences far and wide throughout all of 2018/19.
Its safe to say You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘N Roll is an unapologetically confident and assured album full of big hooks, attitude and aggression that doesn’t let up from the moment the opening track “ADHD” kicks in all the way through to the closing track “Goodbye” with the title track being an uplifting, rallying call to arms for all fans of Rock music to stand proud, united in the celebration of who we are and the music we love. The message very much setting the tone for the album as a whole.
All the elements that that make up a great HARDCORE SUPERSTAR album are here in abundance. At its core there is the great song writing and big choruses that are synonymous with every HARDCORE SUPERSTAR release, however each song stands on its own as well as complementing the album as a whole, taking the listener through a rollercoaster of snarling riffs, heavy bass lines and relentlessly driving drums, all of which are intertwined with enslaving melodies and Jocke’s unmistakeable vocals.
It’s safe to say, “You Can’t Kill My Rock N Roll” isn’t just the bands finest album to date, but it could quite easily also be their most career defining.
You Can’t Kill My Rock N’ Roll Tour
May 19-20 Radio Rock Cruise, Finland
May 25 Backstage Rock Bar, Varberg, Sweden
Jun 6 Sweden Rock, Norje, Sweden
Jun 7 Malt Generation Music Festival, Milan, Italy
Jun 8 Garage Sound Festival, Madrid, Spain
Jun 14 Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, Australia
Jun 15 Prince Bandroom, Melbourne, Australia
Jun 16 Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane, Australia
Jun 17 Fowlers Live, Adelaide, Australia
Jul 20 Rockfesten i Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, Sweden
In a world where music legends are claiming ‘Rock is Dead’ and the music buying population are being force fed manufactured TV show wannabes, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR stand defiant with the most hard hitting album of their career
“You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘N Roll”
“You Can’t Kill My Rock ‘N Roll” isn’t just a statement of confrontation and rebellion, it’s a celebration of everything we love, the music, the lifestyle, this is our religion, it’s our choice, and it’s everything we believe in”
