Guns n' Roses, Korn and Alice in Chains are headlining the Rocklahoma festival this weekend. It takes place Friday through Sunday at the Catch the Fever Festival Grounds in Pryor, Oklahoma. The lineup also includes Bush, Cheap Trick, Bullet for My Valentine, Papa Roach, Skillet, Hollywood Undead, Ratt, Halestorm, Device, All That Remains, Escape the Fate, Dokken and Young Guns. Rocklahoma's promoters have announced that they'll be be donating a portion of every ticket sold this weekend to local relief efforts, as well as auctioning autographed memorabilia, artist meet-and-greets and more. There will also be cash donation stations located throughout the venue. But promoters ask that fans not bring clothes, food, toiletries and other similar items to the festival for donation.
A legal headache that Sammy Hagar thought was behind him has popped back up. The former Playboy bunny who claims that he fathered her now-deceased child has appealed a judge's ruling tossing out her lawsuit against him. Identified as Jane Doe, she filed the appeal on Wednesday in Iowa. She's suing over Hagar's autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock. In the book, Hagar wrote that the woman had tried to extort money from him in the '80s, and that he settled rather than face a prolonged paternity battle. Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed the original suit, ruling that Hagar did not mention the woman by name and that she'd failed to prove that the book injured her.
Rocknotes for Thursday May 23, 2013
Joe Walsh, Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde make guest appearances on the new album from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen -- who started the Experience Music Project in Seattle -- and his band The Underthinkers are also joined by The Allman Brothers Band's Derek Trucks and Los Lobos' David Hidalgo on Everywhere at Once, which is due out on August 6th. All proceeds from the album will go to fund educational programs through the EMP.
Bon Jovi continues to tour without guitarist Richie Sambora, and Jon Bon Jovi continues to do interviews in support of it. But Jon says he finds it difficult not to discuss Sambora's absence. “It’s getting more and more difficult every day to not just say something. Because all I can say is this: it’s for personal reasons. He’s been through it before," which could mean that he indeed is back in rehab for drinking. And, like the last time he checked in, guitarist Phil X has checked in to take Richie's place. Bon Jovi start a U.K. tour on June 8th in Manchester, England.
Metallica's James Hetfield says they have enough material for a new album, but that doesn't mean fans will be able to get their hands on it any time soon. He tells "Billboard" he and his bandmates have done a little jamming, but they've just been too busy to start "whittling" out new songs for what would be their first full-length album since 2008's "Death Magnetic." Metallica have been busy with live performances around the world lately, and Hetfield says they're currently focused on their upcoming 3D concert film and their second Orion Music + More festival. "Metallica Through the Never" is scheduled to hit IMAX theaters on September 27th, while the Orion fest kicks off June 8th in Detroit.
Rocknotes for Wednesday May 22, 2013
The Rolling Stones featured Mick Taylor on more than one song Monday in Los Angeles. By now you know that the Stones have brought along their former guitarist on their 50 and Counting tour, but have used him on just two songs -- "Midnight Rambler" and, occasionally, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." That number increased slightly Monday at their second and final L.A. show when -- perhaps because they had no other special guests -- they brought Taylor out for a whopping three songs: "Sway," which was voted in by the fans, "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking" and "Midnight Rambler." Also making its first appearance on this tour was "Faraway Eyes." Mick Jagger says they try and change around the set list, especially when they do multiple nights in the same city. It's now time to head north as the Stones play the first of two shows in Toronto on Saturday. They then have three in Chicago before heading back to Toronto on June 6th.
Sammy Hagar is taking his Four Decades of Rock tour on the road in August. He'll play songs from throughout his career -- from Montrose to Van Halen, and from his solo days to Chickenfoot. Joining him will be Denny Carmassi and Bill Church from Montrose, and Michael Anthony from VH and Chickenfoot. He also has a few dates with his band, The Wabos. The tour starts August 18th in Jackpot, Nevada.
Rocknotes for Wednesday May 22, 2013
The Rolling Stones featured Mick Taylor on more than one song Monday in Los Angeles. By now you know that the Stones have brought along their former guitarist on their 50 and Counting tour, but have used him on just two songs -- "Midnight Rambler" and, occasionally, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." That number increased slightly Monday at their second and final L.A. show when -- perhaps because they had no other special guests -- they brought Taylor out for a whopping three songs: "Sway," which was voted in by the fans, "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking" and "Midnight Rambler." Also making its first appearance on this tour was "Faraway Eyes." Mick Jagger says they try and change around the set list, especially when they do multiple nights in the same city. It's now time to head north as the Stones play the first of two shows in Toronto on Saturday. They then have three in Chicago before heading back to Toronto on June 6th.
Sammy Hagar is taking his Four Decades of Rock tour on the road in August. He'll play songs from throughout his career -- from Montrose to Van Halen, and from his solo days to Chickenfoot. Joining him will be Denny Carmassi and Bill Church from Montrose, and Michael Anthony from VH and Chickenfoot. He also has a few dates with his band, The Wabos. The tour starts August 18th in Jackpot, Nevada.
Rocknotes for Tuesday May 21, 2013
Ray Manzarek, a founding Member of The Doors, has died at age 74. The keyboardist, born Raymond Daniel Manczarek, Jr., succumbed this afternoon (Monday) at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. He was surrounded by his wife of 46 years, Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek (the original spelling of the family name). Just last week, Doors guitarist Robby Krieger told us Ray was sick, but was hoping to play a show they had scheduled in Los Angeles in August. He has issued a statement saying, "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life, and I will always miss him." In addition to his wife and brothers, he is survived by his son Pablo, his daughter-in-law Sharmin and their three children. Funeral arrangements are pending. The family asks that its privacy be respected at this time. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ray's name to Stand Up 2 Cancer at StandUp2Cancer.org.
The folks behind Gibson instruments have compiled a list of the Top 10 albums to feature a Gibson guitar on the cover. Among them are ZZ Top's First Album, Bob Marley's Live at the Roxy, Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and AC/DC's High Voltage. Among the ones that did not make the list are Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive, KISSAlive, Eric Clapton's The History of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow. The rest of Gibson's Top 10, in no particular order: Chuck Berry - Is on Top Earl Slick - Zig Zag Larry Carlton - Plays the Sound of Philadelphia Sheryl Crow - C’mon C’mon Frank Zappa - Shut Up ‘n’ Play Your Guitar Warren Haynes - Man in Motion
Rocknotes for Friday May 17, 2013
Rob Halford is on his way back to England to resume to work on the next Judas Priest album. In New York this week for the premiere of the new Priest concert film, Epitaph, Halford tells us, "The writing is pretty much complete and we're tracking now. It's coming along great." As for when it will be out, he says, "We should have the bulk of it wrapped up by the end of this year." Epitaph will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on May 28th.
The fans are now getting a chance to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcome the Class of 2013. Rush provided the highlight of the April event. In his acceptance, drummer Neil Peart admitted that the band had underestimated the significance of the honor. Other honorees include Heart, Randy Newman, and the late Donna Summer, as well as Public Enemy, Quincy Jones, blues great Albert King, and record producer Lou Adler. John Fogerty, Jackson Browne, the Eagles' Don Henley, Carole King, and Cheech and Chong were among the many stars who took part in the event, along with Harry Belafonte and members of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, and others. Highlights from the ceremony will air as an HBO special Saturday night.
The Who will have to do without drummer Zak Starkey on its European tour, which gets underway June 8th in Dublin, Ireland.
The son of Ringo Starr is nursing a tendon injury he suffered on the band's North American tour last winter. Scott Devours from Roger Daltrey's Tommy touring band of two years ago will fill in.
Rocknotes for Wednesday May 15
Black Sabbath goes prime time Wednesday night when they appear on the season finale of the CBS drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The band is shown in a club performing “End of the Beginning” from their new album, 13, in stores June 11th. Ozzy Osbourne also has a brief cameo with one of the episode's characters. Bassist Geezer Butler, who, like Ozzy, lives in Los Angeles, says he's a big fan of the show, having never missed an episode. CSI airs at 10 ET/PT.
The legal firestorm between Boston founder Tom Scholz and the widow of lead singer Brad Delp got even bigger Tuesday. The Massachusetts Appeals Court has reinstated Scholz's defamation suit against Micki Delp. It all stems from comments she made to the Boston Herald that could be interpreted as blaming Tom for her husband's 2007 suicide. The article described Brad Delp as despondent over Scholz's firing of another long-time member of the band and quoted Micki as saying Brad remained upset over various firings and break-ups. Appeals Court judge Judd Carhart said today that a jury should probe whether Scholz has "met the burden of demonstrating malice." His attorney days Tom "is pleased the Appeals Court has confirmed the statements attributed to Micki Delp in the Boston Herald are actionable and should be put before a jury." A separate suit against the Herald was tossed back in March.
The Cult will play their 1987 album Electric in its entirety on their U.S. tour this summer. It will be the second time Ian Astbury and company have done a full album on tour -- they performed 1985's Love during their 2009 trek. The Electric '13 tour starts July 25th in San Diego and hits 32 cities before wrapping up on September 8th in Hollywood. Electric will be reissued later this year in a two-disc set called Electric Peace. It will add tracks from Peace, the album The Cult abandoned in 1986 to work with producer Rick Rubin.
Rocknotes for Tuesday May 14, 2013
The mom of late Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott says she's relieved the damage done to the statue of her son was unintentional. Philomena Lynott tells Ireland's "Hot Press" she's learned that the bronze was accidentally knocked over by "a bunch of high spirited boys who meant no harm," so she's "not annoyed with them" and is "only hoping that none of the lads got hurt." Two men reportedly turned themselves in last Friday in connection with the incident, which happened in Dublin Thursday night. Authorities still plan to file charges against the men. But police say the court might go easy on them, since they're taking responsibility for their actions. An unnamed source says it was a stupid accident, with "drink having been taken." The men have also reached out to Philomena, who is thanking the men for coming forward. Meanwhile, the statue is being repaired. It's expected to be returned to Harry Street by the end of the week.
R.E.M.'s Mike Mills says the band's 1988 album "Green" was all about moving away from the "traditional R.E.M." The bassist tells "Rolling Stone" that they wanted to try something different and have fun with their major label debut, which is available in a deluxe 25th anniversary edition today. Mills explains that they made a conscious effort to "shake things up," which meant a wide variety of musical styles and less electric guitar. Case in point, he says it was actually drummer Bill Berry who came up with the mandolin riff they used on the song "Hairshirt." Mills says they just took the best songs, and knew that frontman Michael Stipe's voice would help hold the final product together.
The 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of "Green" features a remastered version of the original album plus a live recording of the band's show in Greensboro, North Carolina from the tail end of their extensive "Green" tour. Mills says everyone was "really tight" during that gig, and calls it R.E.M.'s "best sounding show from that era."
Rocknotes for Friday May 10, 2013
The marketing arm of KISS knows no bounds. Their latest venture is a partnership with the Professional Bull Riders association. On Friday, at the Last Cowboy Standing event at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, the KISS Kam will debut. This expands upon the kiss cams found at many sports venues in which if you are caught by the camera, you have to kiss the person next to you and your image is shown on the big screen. With the KISS Kam, you are timed and have to kiss for eight seconds -- the length of time required for the rider to stay on the bull. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer cheer fans on and provide constructive criticism via video during the promotion. Videos from the eight-second kissing couples will be recorded and posted online at PBR.com/KISS where visitors can vote for the best (or worst) kiss and register to win prizes. KISS will not be in attendance at Friday's event.
Van Halen's biggest selling album, 1984, is on the charts for the first time since July 13th, 1985. It's sitting at number-147 on Billboard thanks in large part to being on sale in the iTunes Store. It sold 3,000 copies last week, which is the most it has sold since December 2009. And in other VH news, they have added another U.S. date this summer -- July 24th in Paso Robles, California at the California Mid-State Fair. This is their second U.S. date this year. The first is the Rock U.S.A. festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 20th. Next month the band does a three-city, four-show tour of Japan.
Rocknotes for Thursday May 9, 2013
Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee don't really worry about drummerNeil Peartriding his motorcycle between tour stops. Rush are down to the last two U.S. shows on this leg of their Clockwork Angels tour before heading over to Europe later in the month, and like he does on all their tours, Peart has been driving his bike to each venue. Last week, while traveling in the Southeast he ran into some fog in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and posted a photo on Twitter with the caption, "This is how it feels to ride inside a cloud!" But despite the ever-changing elements, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson aren't concerned about him missing a show. Alex says, "He's very cautious," and Geddy adds, "He doesn't take unnecessary chances." Peart is now making his way to Uncasville, Connecticut, where Rush perform on Thursday night.
Kid Rock is looking for a fan to be his personal bartender at three stops on his summer tour. Rock has teamed up with Jim Beam for the contest -- only fans 21 and over, sorry -- that will give the winner $10,000, training in being a bartender and transportation to shows in Irvine, California July 26th; Detroit August 10th and Chicago August 30th. For more details on how to enter, head to JimBeam.com/Music/Kid-Rock.
Rocknotes for Wednesday May 8, 2013
Gibson Guitars has put together its list of the 10 Great Rock Guitar Instrumentals. In compiling the list they explain that "virtuosity is less a consideration than pioneering impact." In no particular order the list consists of: “Beck’s Bolero” — Jeff Beck > "Recorded in May of 1966, this instrumental piece had a profound impact on the development of heavy metal and prog rock... The track also inspired Duane Allman to take up slide guitar." In addition to Beck, this song also features Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano and Keith Moon on drums. "Black Mountain Side” — Led Zeppelin “Jessica” — The Allman Brothers Band > "This Dickey Betts-penned classic from the Allman Brothers’ 1973 Brothers and Sisters album has been called 'a true national heirloom' by none other than the Wall Street Journal... A live version of 'Jessica' won a Grammy in 1996 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, 23 years after its initial release." “Sparks” — The Who “Rebel Rouser” — Duane Eddy “Frankenstein” — The Edgar Winter Group > "This classic from 1973’s They Only Come Out at Night actually topped the Billboard chart, a rarity for an instrumental. Ronnie Montrose played guitar on the recorded version." “Walk, Don’t Run” — The Ventures “Maggot Brain” — Funkadelic “Mood for a Day” — Steve Howe “Eruption” — Van Halen > "Amazingly, Eddie Van Halen feels he could have improved on the take that was used. He says, 'There's a mistake at the top end of it. To this day, whenever I hear it, I always think, 'Man, I could've played it better.'”
Rocknotes for Tuesday may 7, 2013
The plans to erect a statue in honor of the late AC/DC singer Bon Scott in his hometown of Kirriemuir, Scotland are moving forward. A pledge drive to raise just under $80,000 was launched this past weekend at the annual BonFest celebration, which is held there. Scott lived there until 1952 when his family packed up and moved to Australia. He died in 1980 in London following a drinking binge. He was 33.
Robert Plant is pushing 65, but he's still a ladies man -- well at least for one woman who he says is stalking him. Alysson Billings, who he has never met, believes they're in a relationship and has been harassing him for three years. He says she leaves him hotel keys, flowers, random packages and shows up at his shows all over the world. She has also threatened his partner, Patty Griffin, saying, "Your betrayal with another woman still stabs my mind... She's got you so p***y whooped and henpecked, it makes me want to puke ... and I'm telling you that rotten crotch is ruining you... This woman is literally evil for you and your life ... you are about to fall for that dirty old crotch. And I'm not joking, I cannot, will not, shall not live this way anymore . “ As a result, Plant has filed a restraining order and hired security. In regards to the other woman, Patty Griffin, there has been speculation that the two are married, which Plant denies. Patty, who has been quiet on the subject, now says they are not "legally married... We both have similar places that we come from as singers. He inspires me. He goes far and deep" Plant is not the only artist to encounter a stalker. Just last week Alice Cooper told us, "I used to have people leave like a cat's heart in a box for me and I'd go, 'Find this person now. Have them incarcerated.'"
Rocknotes for Monday May 6, 2013
The Rolling Stones kicked off their 50 and Counting tour Friday at L.A.'s Staples Center, and the show was book-ended by two very different versions of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." The song was first performed by the UCLA Marching Band in the aisles at the back of the hall just before the Stones hit the stage. Then it served as the final number of the Stones' two-hour-and-20-minute, 23-song set.
The concert actually began with a short film about the band, featuring such fans as Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys explaining why they love The Rolling Stones. Stars like Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Nicole Kidman, Vanessa Hudgens, Paul Stanley and members of Foo Fighters and No Doubt watched the film, and the show, from their seats.
Celebrities also appeared on stage:
Gwen Stefani -- sporting a spangled T-shirt of the Stones' tongue-and-lips logo -- sang with Mick Jagger on "Wild Horses." Afterwards Jagger asked, "Where do I get one of those T-shirts?"
Country star and American Idol judge Keith Urban traded guitar licks with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on "Respectable," as well as joining Mick on the mic.
Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor played on "Midnight Rambler," in an arrangement that extended the song's slow, grinding middle section.
The first thing Jagger said from stage was, "Good evening, Los Angeles! Or it is really just Beverly Hills, Brentwood and parts of Santa Monica," an apparent reference to the tonier areas of the city. Seats were initially priced from $250 to $600, but promoters AEG Live eventually began selling $150 and, finally, $85 seats, which resulted in a full house, with last-minute buyers filing into the arena as the concert got under way.
The band appeared happy and played with spirit and intensity, while the 69-year-old Jagger seemed to gather energy as the evening progressed. The set included such rarely performed numbers as "Factory Girl" (from 1968's Beggars Banquet) and the 1980 hit "Emotional Rescue," which Jagger noted they'd "never ever done on stage before." The chorus to the early hit "The Last Time," seemed particularly appropriate to the 50 and Counting tour: "This could be the last time / This could be the last time / Maybe the last time / I don't know."
Rocknotes for Thursday May 3, 2013
The Rolling Stones will release more cheaper seats at each show on their 50 and Counting tour. The Stones kick things off on Friday in Los Angeles, and perhaps feeling the heat over high ticket prices, they've announced that fans will have a second opportunity to buy the $85 dollar seats, which sold out immediately when they first went on sale. Tickets will be available at this price once production at each venue is loaded in and availability can be determined. Some will be among the best seats in the house in the Tongue Pit, with others spread around the arena. The Stones are asking that you register for the offer through their Facebook page, which you can also access through RollingStones.com. If you're among the lucky ones, you'll be notified the day of the show with sales on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ozzy Osbourne has reportedly been staying clean ever since his big admission a few weeks ago -- and his daughter Kelly's wedding is a big motivator. A source tells RadarOnline, "He says he’s motivated by the fact that Sharon left him, and now he’s promised Kelly that he would walk her down the aisle only if he’s clean. Kelly even threatened that if he wasn’t coherent by the time of the wedding that she would have her brother Jack give her away." However, those nuptials to vegan chef Matthew Mosshart have never been confirmed. Kelly told an Aussie radio station this week, "I'm not telling you guys anything. When I have a ring on my finger, then you'll know I'm engaged." In Sabbath news, the Best Buy version of their new album, 13, will contain a bonus track, "Naïveté in Black." 13 comes out on June 11th. A deluxe version of the album will come with four bonus tracks -- “Methademic," "Peace of Mind," "Pariah" and "Naïveté in Black."
Rocknotes for Wednesday May 1, 2013
The Todd LeTorre-fronted version of Queensryche have pushed back the release of their album. The self-titled project was originally due out June 11th but has been delayed until June 25th. The band recorded with producer James "Jimbo" Barton -- who engineered and mixed 1988's Operation: Mindcrime and 1990's Empire.
Keith Richards and former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman were saddened to hear about the death of country legend George Jones last Friday at the age of 81. Jones was planning a farewell tour that was set to wrap up in Nashville on November 22nd, with Keith making a surprise appearance. In a note to Jones about the show, Richards wrote, "Thank you so much for asking me to your gig. It's a real honor for me. I'll be there by hook or by crook." Keith is featured on two of George's recordings -- the 2005 greatest hits release The Bradley Barn Sessions and the title track of 2008's Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets. Bill Wyman says Jones was "the greatest country singer of all time. As a tribute to him, I played a selection of his music to myself all afternoon from my iTunes collection. I have 184 songs by him." A public funeral will be held for Jones Thursday in Nashville.
ZZ Top and Billy Idol will be turning in more than one set at this summer's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. They're among the artists slated to play the Bonnaroo late night sets. They're part of a lineup that boasts a number of acts, including "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Animal Collective. Paul McCartney, Tom Pettyand the Heartbreakers, Mumford And Sons, and Wilco are among this year's Bonnaroo headliners. The four-day event will take place in Manchester, Tennessee from June 13th through the 16. Additional details are available at Bonnaroo.com.
Rocknotes for Tuesday April 30, 2013
Axl Rose is reportedly looking for a new jungle -- New York City. According to the New York Post, the perpetually late Guns n' Roses frontman is looking for a permanent pad in the city. He's previously rented an apartment in downtown Manhattan, but this time he's looking to buy. Axl owns a mansion overlooking the Pacific in Malibu, California.
The members of Geoff Tate's Queensryche are going to need name tags to introduce each other soon. After shuffling the lineup repeatedly as he recorded Frequency Unknown -- and announcing last week that ex-Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy will fill in for Simon Wright for the entire month of June -- Tate has now announced that Disturbed bassist John Moyer will be replacing Rudy Sarzo for shows in mid-May and early June. Sarzo will be in Russia playing with his band Rockstar during that time.
Zakk Wylde will be heading to a horror convention next month. Wylde will be one of the main attractions at Spooky Empire’s May-Hem, May 24th through the 26th at the Rosen Center in Orlando, Florida. He'll sign copies of his book Bringing Metal to the Children as well as Black Label Society memorabilia. The convention also features appearances by cast members of The Walking Dead and American Horror Story.
Rocknotes for Monday April 29, 2013
Cheap Trick celebrated the 35th anniversary of their first night at the Budokan in Tokyo -- April 28th, 1978 -- by performing their Live at Budokan album in its entirety Sunday in designer John Varvatos's Bowery boutique in New York City, the former home of the legendary club CBGB. They did the entire 19-song set that was released as part of the Complete Concert and 30th Anniversary packages. The original album, released in February 1979, only contained 10 songs. Sunday night's show was streamed on LiveStream.com. The Tricksters are good friends with Varvatos, having appeared in his 2008 ad campaign. On Tuesday, Cheap Trick will do the same thing in Los Angeles at the El Rey, and that night they'll play the set they did on April 30th, 1978 at the Budokan. This show will air live on AXS-TV.
The Rolling Stones warmed up for their 50 and Counting tour with a club show Saturday night at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. The 14 song, 90 minute set for 700 fans -- including actor Bruce Willis and No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani -- mixed classics like "Street Fighting Man," "Start Me Up" and "Brown Sugar" with covers of songs from Otis Redding ("That's How Strong My Love Is"), Chuck Berry ("Little Queenie") and The Temptations ("Just My Imagination"). Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor joined the band for two songs from Let It Bleed -- "Love in Vain" and "Midnight Rambler." Tickets to the Echoplex concert were sold earlier in the day for $20 in an unconventional lottery system that left some people who waited in line for hours empty-handed while later arrivals got in. Cameras and smartphones weren't allowed inside the Echoplex during the show. The Stones' actual tour begins Friday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Rocknotes for Friday April 26, 2013
Heart's Nancy Wilson is auctioning off a jacket on eBay that she wore in the 1987 video for "There's the Girl." It comes professionally mounted in a frame and ready for display. There's also a full description and certificate of authenticity signed by Nancy. The only issue with this piece is that the placard was mislabeled as "Nancy Wilson These Dreams-1985." The bidding starts at $700 and as of 5 p.m. ET on Thursday there are no bids. The auction ends Sunday night at 10:09 ET.
Bruce Springsteen has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Along with Pete Seeger, Bruce is among the academy's 198 members of the class of 2013 -- a group of accomplished individuals from a wide range of fields -- including mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, philanthropy, the humanities, business, government, public affairs and the arts. Joining them in the Performing Arts – Criticism and Practice category are Herbie Hancock, Robert De Niro and Sally Field. This year's class will be inducted at the academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 12th. Seeger is a big influence on Springsteen's career, and Springsteen tipped his hat to Seeger with his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. He was also on Seeger's last album, A More Perfect Union, released last fall.
30 years ago today, Thursday, Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers played with Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.They were part of Wyman's side project, Willie and the Poor Boys, and on this day in 1983 they recorded their interpretation of the Otis Redding classic "These Arms of Mine."Page has posted the song's video on his website, and earlier today we spoke to Rodgers. He told us, "That was an amazing video, because Jimmy and I actually took the place in the Stones in a way, of Mick and Keith... It was a great honor. For a minute I was part of the Stones."
Rocknotes for Thursday April 25, 2013
Lynyrd Skynyrd have landed themselves a nice piece of publicity. Their song "Winning Isn’t Everything” will be played during the opening of the new season of Pawn Stars. They wrote the song specifically for the show, and it will be available for download via iTunes beginning next Tuesday. Pawn Stars premieres on May 30th on the History Channel. Skynyrd will also play a free show at a Party Like the Pawn Stars event this Friday at Pawn Stars’ Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas.
The release of Metallica's 3-D movie has been pushed back. Metallica Through the Never, which was originally set to come out in August, will now debut in every IMAX theater in North America -- that's well over 300 screens -- on September 27th. The film will then be in regular 3-D theaters starting on October 4th. Metallica Through the Never mixes actual concert footage from the band's Vancouver, Canada show in August 2012 with a storyline about a roadie sent out on a mission during their set.
Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron"Bumblefoot" Thal has a special gig coming up next month. He'll be joining reps from the music education charity Little Kids Rock in bringing guitars to students at Mott Hall Community School in The Bronx. And the rocker isn't just making a stop-and-drop visit. While he's there he'll strap on his own guitar and jam with some of the kids. He'll also field questions in a Q-and-A session. Bumblefoot's trip to The Bronx is set for May 1st. The instruments come courtesy of Gibson, which has promised to deliver more than 75-thousand-dollars worth of electric guitars to schools throughout New York and New Jersey to replace equipment lost in Hurricane Sandy.
Rocknotes for Friday April 19, 2013
Music fans will be hitting independent music stores across the country on Saturday for Record Store Day.
Here's a list of some of the goodies you could pick up this weekend:
The Rolling Stones’ Five by Five EP will be available on seven-inch vinyl for the first time since 1964.
Aerosmith's 1973 self-titled debut, 1974's Get Your Wings and 1975's Toys in the Attic have all been re-mastered for vinyl and will be released in individually numbered jackets.
Soundgarden will release a collection of King Animal demos. The six tracks -- including the demo for "By Crooked Steps" -- will be available on 10-inch pink vinyl and include a digital download card for all the songs.
The Cure will reissue 1987′s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me on red vinyl.
Dave Matthews Band will release Live Trax Volume One as a vinyl box set.
Bon Jovi Live is a 12-inch picture disc with four songs, including "Livin' on a Prayer."
Dio and Killswitch Engage will split a seven-inch single with two versions of "Holy Diver."
Rarities from Young Guns, Creed, Finger Eleven and Seether appear on a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl release from their label, Wind-Up Records, to mark its 15th anniversary.
A Cleveland-area Cheap Trick fan who thinks they deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has named his band Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Colin Gawel, who once had a major-label recording deal with his band Watershed -- ironically with Epic, Cheap Trick's first label -- is a dyed-in-the-wool Trick fan. He once ranked every one of their singles and provided notations that explained his picks. And seeing as how tonight (Thursday) is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are playing a set of Cheap Trick covers at the Beachland Tavern in Cleveland, site of the Hall of Fame and Museum. At Rick Nielsen's recently ended Rick's Picks exhibit in Rockford, Illinois, visitors were asked if Cheap Trick should be in the Hall of Fame and if so to fill out a small form and put it in the box. Thousands did just that, and the organizers of the exhibit plan to make it known to the Hall of Fame.
Rocknotes for Thursday April 18, 2013
The Midwest Rock n’ Roll Express Tour with Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent rolls into its second consecutive year as it gets underway Thursday night in Grand Forks, North Dakota. REO singer Kevin Cronin says seeing these three acts together is probably best because they all push each other. Besides, he adds that, “If you don’t rock hard every night with Ted he may be waiting in ambush downstairs after the show. I don’t mess around when we’re playing with Nugent.” While Styx and REO will flip-flop on who headlines most nights, Nugent will be the opener, so get there early. Following the opening night in Grand Forks, the tour heads to Minneapolis on Friday, Moline, Illinois on Saturday and Toledo,Ohio on Sunday. It runs trough May 19th in suburban Pittsburgh.
David Lee Roth will once again step out of Van Halen, but this time it’s just for a very special one-off show. He says, “I’m going to be playing, probably this November, the 25th anniversary of the Blue Note in Tokyo with a big band. The Duke Ellington Big Band just called recently to see if I wanted to play with them. That stuff is way downtown. There’s some dirt under the fingernails, if you do that kind of music right.” Roth, who lives in Tokyo, adds, “Big band is the original hard rock. You know, they load up on those low saxophones -- they load up on all the baritones. You can feel the boom in the room. If you look at your beer glass, it’s making those little circles that start in the center. You could feel that in your stomach. The hips don’t lie!” Roth and Van Halen are now Down Under for the Stone Music Festival in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.
Rocknotes for Wednesday April 17, 2013
Aerosmith are Down Under in Australia for their first dates of the year, but their hearts are with their hometown of Boston after Monday's bombings. Joe Perry tweets, "Sending out prayers to everyone in Boston and our Blue Army. Deepest sympathies to those who lost family members and those with injuries." Drummer Joey Kramer, who now lives in Austin, Texas, says, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Boston. My heart is truly saddened."
Paul Rodgers, along with the late John Bonham's sister, Deborah Bonham, recently held a benefit concert in the U.K. to help various animal welfare organizations. This year's show raised more than $80,000, which brings the three-year total since starting these fundraisers to $180,000.
Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard will release his first solo album in 12 years on June 25th. The first single from Moonlander, "I Need Something Different," is available now as a free download from Pearl Jam's website. The song also appears on a digital EP called Apollo that will be released on iTunes on May 7th.
The Rolling Stones new documentary, "Crossfire Hurricane," is headed to DVD. Band members teamed up with director Brett Morgen on the 2012 project, which commemorates the Stones' 50th anniversary. The movie incorporates film footage and interview clips to tell the story of the legendary group's five-decade run, from their beginnings in the early '60s as outsiders and their heyday in the '70s, up through their current status as rock royalty. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, and drummer Charlie Watts all contribute to the film, along with former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. The Stones' "Crossfire Hurricane" will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray as well as digital video on May 21st.
Rocknotes for Tuesday April 16, 2013
Rush is in Los Angeles this week getting ready for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame there Thursday at the Nokia Theater. Despite being eligible for induction since 1999, they weren't nominated until last year. But for Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, the fact that they had never been nominated was not something they thought about. "It certainly was not in the forefront of our minds ever," says Geddy. "We felt really strongly for our fans because it seemed to be a cause that they championed...so I feel very happy that they got the monkey off their back...because it's their victory more than our victory." They will be inducted by Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins from the Foo Fighters. Also being inducted this year is Heart, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones, the late Donna Summer, the late Albert King, producer Lou Adler and Public Enemy. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will take part in a Q&A session following a screening of the Rush documentary, Beyond the Lighted Stage, Tuesday night at the ArcLight Cinema in L.A.
The 3D craze is now coming to concert releases. Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction and Guns n' Roses will each release 3D DVDs and Blu-rays this year.
The Pumpkins’ Oceania: 3D in NYC was filmed last December at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Billy Corgan and company performed their new Oceania album in its entirety, along with a selection of the band’s biggest hits. It's due in stores June 25th.
Jane's Addiction's Live in NYC was filmed July 2011 at Terminal 5 and originally streamed online as a 3D event. It's due in stores June 25th.
GNR's Appetite for Democracy in 3D was shot on November 21st, 2012 during the band's 12-date residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It's due out in the late summer.
Rocknotes for Monday April 15, 2013
Queen drummer Roger Taylor is putting the finishing touches on his first album since 1998′s Electric Fire. With a working title of Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken), he says it's "taking its final shape, after a lot of work and worry. Hope you like? Nearly there.” Song titles include “Dear Mr. Murdoch,” “I Am the Drummer in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band," “Smile” and “When We Were Young.” This week, Taylor did a photo session for the album with his friend Pattie Boyd -- the ex-wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton -- behind the camera.
Nikki Sixx is being pretty cryptic about the next Sixx A.M. album -- but he's hinting at a Foo Fighters collaboration. The Motley Crue bassist took to his Twitter account Friday to say he's working on songs. He then tweeted, "Exploring uncharted territory with James Michael writing more new Sixx A.M. today." He followed that up with, "I really would love [Foo Fighters'] Taylor Hawkins to play drums on some new Sixx A.M. tunes. One of my favorite drummers."
Def Leppard wrap up their Viva Hysteria Las Vegas residency this weekend with the last two shows set for Friday and Saturday nights. Joe Elliott tells us that before this engagement, they'd never been tempted to play an album in its entirety. "It's exciting to do a little something off the wall... Now, because we're not promoting anything new, this is a perfect opportunity to actually indulge that itch that needed scratching -- playing an album in sequence from start to finish."
Rocknotes for Friday April 12, 2013
Metallica have announced they'll have three pinball machines with their name on it -- and they'll start showing up next month. After previewing the pinball game on YouTube earlier this week, the band's website has announced that there will be a limited edition, a pro edition and a premium edition. Stern Pinball dealers and Metallica's Met Club members order machines now through Metallica.com. The pro version retails for $4995. The premium version can be had for $6995, and the limited edition version is going for $7595. All of the machines will arrive next month.
Jon Bon Jovi says the media has it all wrong about the departure of guitarist Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi. There's been speculation that they had a falling out over money, that Sambora wanted more control over the band and that Sambora was drinking again, but Jon cautions, "Don’t believe what you read on TMZ –- because it’s the furthest thing from the truth... It’s a personal matter... I think Richie’s doing all right. I haven’t spoken to him." Phil X is filling in for Sambora. Bon Jovi performs in Dallas tonight (Thursday), Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday and Des Moines, Iowa on Sunday.
Producer Andy Johns died from complications from an ulcer, according to his family. He passed away Sunday following a brief hospital stay. He was 62. Johns, the sound engineer and producer for Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Steve Miller and many others, is survived by his wife Annette, three sons, four grandchildren, his sister Susan Johns and his brother, producer Glyn Johns.
Rocknotes for Thuesday April 9, 2013
Eric Clapton is teaming with the Hard Rock Cafe on a line of souvenir merchandise that will benefit his pet charity, Crossroads Centre Antigua. Specially designed men's and a women's T-shirts have gone on sale, as well as two collectors' pins. The legendary guitarist says in a statement, "It is a great project and I hope that people will be proud to wear the T-shirts and pins in the knowledge that those in need of rehabilitation from alcohol and drugs will benefit."
Iron Maiden are coming back to the U.S to do a few shows. They'll hit a bunch of cities they haven't visited in a while on their way to their Rock in Rio performance in Brazil on September 22nd. The tour starts on September 3rd in Raleigh, North Carolina and wraps up on September 13th in San Bernardino, California. Megadeth are on board as the opening act.
Sammy Hagar thinks Eddie Van Halen looks like he's got things together. Hagar was interviewed by Vegas Rocks Magazine and was asked what he would say if he ran into him one day. Hagar said, "Well, right now I'd say, 'Wow. Great. I've seen some pictures of you recently. You look like you're healthy and doing great. I'm really proud of you and I'd like to see you continue doing that. Here's my phone number. Call me up if you wanna hang and just have some fun and goof off.' And whatever that led to." Hagar added that if he ever played with Van Halen again, someone else would have to be on board -- ex-bassist Michael Anthony. Hagar says, "I would do it again under different circumstances. So it'd be like that. And then I would also say, 'And also here's Mikey's phone numbers with mine.'"
Rocknotes for Monday April 8, 2013
Ozzy Osbourne seems pretty happy with the new Black Sabbath album, 13. In all the international press he's done so far, he's raved about the reunion album, and in a chat with Australia's Triple M he says, "We wrote 16 songs…and I put it on my CD player, expecting me to be unhappy with the end result, but this big grin came on my face and my hair on the back on my neck [stood up]… It's better than my wildest dreams. It's so good." Osbourne adds, "People have been quoting me that this album was quite possibly the most important album of my career. What I meant by that is I didn't want it to sound like a follow-up to Never Say Die!, 'cause that was when we were dying out within the band." 13 is due out on June 11th.
Keith Richards says The Rolling Stones’ 50 and Counting tour may not be their last. Keith, who's been answering this same question since the mid-’60, says, “Do you know how many times that one's been asked? Who knows… If the guys are flying and rocking and everybody feels good, I don't see why they wouldn't do 51 and Counting, 52... But at the moment, we're well aware that we're getting up there." The tour starts in early May in Los Angeles. Watts up with Charlie? Drummer Charlie Watts says he’s not looking forward to the Stones' gig at England’s Glastonbury festival. “I don't want to do it. I don't like playing outdoors, and I certainly don't like festivals. It's not what I'd like to do for a weekend. Glastonbury, it's old hat really. I never liked the hippie thing to start with." The Stones will be there on June 29th. The Stones’ other big U.K. show, in front of 65,000 people on July 6th in London’s Hyde Park, sold out in less than five minutes, and a second Hyde Park show is being planned for July 13th.
Rocknotes for Friday April 5, 2013
Richie Sambora cited "personal reasons" for bailing on Bon Jovi's current tour of North America, but at least one source has narrowed those reasons down to two -- a bottle of red, and a bottle of white. While reports out of the band's camp yesterday indicated that Sambora was arguing with his longtime pal Jon Bon Jovi over respect and cash, some other folks are insisting that Richie has fallen off the wagon with his biggest thud yet. The New York Daily News quotes a friend of Richie's as saying that the guitarist was actually in the building for Tuesday night's show in Calgary, Canada, but was "too messed up" to take the stage. Sambora, who has done three stints in rehab for various substances, mostly alcohol, has allegedly been "hiding the extent of his drinking" from his bandmates this time around. He's been quiet on the matter, tweeting only: "Thank you everyone for your concern. I'm well, but had to stay in L.A. to take care of a personal matter. Love you all and see you very soon."
With Wrestlemania 29 this Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Ultimate Classic Rock put together a list of the Top 10 rock acts that could transform themselves as wrestlers and at the top of the list is David Lee Roth. The writer of the piece claims Roth knows how to fight -- he is trained in martial arts -- has the gift of gab and is "willing to dress like a peacock. No rock star fulfills these three job responsibilities better than Roth."
Following Roth is: 2) Axl Rose 3) Zakk Wylde 4) Phil Collen (Def Leppard) 5) Nikki Sixx 6) Alice Cooper 7) Steven Tyler 8) Angus Young 9) Dee Snider 10) Gene Simmons
Rocknotes for Thursday April 4, 2013
Richie Sambora's decision to leave Bon Jovi's current tour isn't about substance abuse -- it's about respect -- and money, TMZ reports. The gossip website cites sources with a direct connection to the band who compare the rift to a "classic Jagger/Richards blowup." They add that "Jon constantly belittles Richie" and the two are feuding over money. Jon put on a brave face Tuesday night in Calgary, telling the crowd, "I had two choices: pack up and go home or give you everything I got…Richie Sambora won't be performing for a while. If there's ever a night I need you, it's tonight, Calgary!" Richie is reportedly spending time with his daughter, but there's hope that the two can settle their differences in time for Richie to rejoin the tour by the time it hits Sambora's adopted home town of L.A. on April 19th.
Rush, Heart, Randy Newman and the rest of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2013 won't be inducted until April 18th, but an exhibit of their artifacts will go on display two days earlier.
The exhibit, which will be anchored by a three-screen multi-media presentation, will include:
A Fender bass from Rush frontman Geddy Lee
A 1987 Dean electric guitar from Nancy Wilson of Heart
A custom Bolin electric guitar given to Albert King by Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top
An Emmy Award from Randy Newman
A jacket worn by Flavor Flav of Public Enemy Quincy Jones’s musical score from “Thriller”
The Rock Hall's induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on April 18th.
Rocknotes for Wednesday April 3, 2013
The Rolling Stones have announced the first dates for their 50 and Counting tour. The first show will be in Los Angeles in early May, but has not been exactly scheduled because of NBA and NHL playoff games. Guitarist Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood's predecessor in the group, will be a special guest on the entire tour. The band will also play the Glastonbury festival in England on June 29th and London’s Hyde Park on July 6th.
Judas Priest will release another live set, this one celebrating their 40th anniversary. Epitaph -- recorded on the last night of their 50-week Epitaph World Tour at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 26th, 2012 -- will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 28th. This collection contains 23 songs, with at least one from every one of their 14 studio albums. Priest is currently working on a new studio album.
Tom Scholz has had his 2010 defamation lawsuit against the Boston Herald thrown out by a Massachusetts judge. The Boston guitarist claimed that two of the paper's columnists, Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa, implied that he had something to do with Boston singer Brad Delp’s 2007 suicide in a series of articles published after the tragedy. The judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the columns are covered by the First Amendment. A lawyer for Scholz disagrees and may file an appeal.
Rocknotes for Tuesday April 2, 2013
Billy Gibbons and his pre-ZZ Top band, Moving Sidewalks, did their first show in 44 years Saturday night in New York. They turned in an 80-minute set that featured tracks off their only album, Flash, their 1968 EP, a few singles and covers including Jimi Hendrix's "Foxey Lady." Hendrix was one of the acts they opened for before splitting up. Their next show is set for April 28th in Austin, Texas.
It has been revealed that Freddie Mercury took a great story to his grave. According to U.K.comedienne Cleo Roccos, she, Mercury and U.K. comic Kenny Everett had Princess Diana dress as a man and accompany them to a gay bar in London in 1988 after she broke up with Prince Charles. Wearing a camouflage Army jacket, black leather cap and aviator sunglasses, Lady Di bought a wine and a beer and Cleo says, “She sort of disappeared. She loved it.” The princess was at Everett’s apartment and he was scheduled to go to dinner with Mercury. He invited Mercury over and before they went out they spent the afternoon drinking champagne and watching The Golden Girls with the sound turned down so they could improvise the characters’ voices -- “but with a much naughtier storyline,” says Cleo. Mercury died of AIDS in 1991. Everett from an AIDS-related illness in 1995 and Princess Diana was killed in an auto accident in Paris in 1997.
The Smoking Gun has dug out a copy of Metallica's 1983 tour rider. The one-page document stipulates that the band should be provided with a case of beer, and that a deli tray, a case of soda and other beverages had to be split with their tourmates Raven. The rider also says that when possible, each band should get its own dressing room. If not, "one capable of accommodating 15 people will be provided." The Smoking Gun also obtained a contract for a 1983 concert that calls for Metallica to be paid $625 up front and the same amount on the day of the show.
Rocknotes for Monday April 1, 2013
The Rolling Stones will announce their tour on Wednesday. A post on their website says, "Five days and counting," and we have confirmed that it will be the long-awaited tour announcement. But unlike their past announcements, which have featured lavish press conferences, there will be no spectacle. The post on their website also includes a video of them performing "Doom and Gloom" last fall during one of their five shows in London; Newark, New Jersey; and Brooklyn, New York. "Doom and Gloom" is one of the two new songs on their recent hits collection, GRRR! The only Stones show announced so far is England's Glastonbury festival on June 29th, and that show's promoter, Michael Eavis, says they're not being paid an exorbitant amount to appear. He explains, “There’s a...standard price for the headliner. We get headliners for a tenth of the normal price. They’re not being paid very much. Headliners are always good to us because they want to do it. They get TV and huge record sales straight after the show.”
What's the craziest musical collaboration you can think of? Well, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine has your idea beat. Mustaine tweeted Thursday night that he met Willie Nelson at a restaurant in Austin, Texas. Mustaine has been house-hunting in Austin, and the country legend lives just outside the city. Mustaine followed that by tweeting a picture that was captioned, "I'm talking to Willie about a guest appearance on 'The Blackest Crow.'" The track, which Mustaine has said features him playing slide guitar, is on Megadeth's Super Collider, which is due out June 4th.
Rocknotes for Friday March 29, 2013
The collaboration between KISS and the Hello Kitty animated characters that Gene Simmons first spoke about last year is now a reality. KISS Hello Kitty is the working title of an animated series in development for The Hub and is based on the line of KISS-Hello Kitty products, which made its debut in 2010. The show will feature four KISS Hello Kitty characters "living their rock 'n' roll dreams and bringing pink anarchy to every situation they are in." Paul Stanleysays, "Knowing and viewing The Hub as I do daily with my three children, it is the perfect home for us to bring the KISS Hello Kitty juggernaut to yet another generation." Simmons will be one of the executive producers.
Eric Clapton says it was David Bowie who gave him the title of his new album, Old Sock. Clapton was watching the news in England in January when they did a story on Bowie's new song, "Where are We Now" -- which he loves, saying it gives him "cold chills." He then said he had his office send Bowie a note, to which Bowie responded, "Thanks for the shout out, old sock. Really appreciate it." Clapton was going to name the album 50 Years Adrift in an Open Tuning, which would have been a tip of the hat to the memoir of the late Beatles press agent, Derek Taylor, who called his, 50 Years Adrift in an Open Shirt.
Rocknotes for Friday March 29, 2013
The collaboration between KISS and the Hello Kitty animated characters that Gene Simmons first spoke about last year is now a reality. KISS Hello Kitty is the working title of an animated series in development for The Hub and is based on the line of KISS-Hello Kitty products, which made its debut in 2010. The show will feature four KISS Hello Kitty characters "living their rock 'n' roll dreams and bringing pink anarchy to every situation they are in." Paul Stanleysays, "Knowing and viewing The Hub as I do daily with my three children, it is the perfect home for us to bring the KISS Hello Kitty juggernaut to yet another generation." Simmons will be one of the executive producers.
Eric Clapton says it was David Bowie who gave him the title of his new album, Old Sock. Clapton was watching the news in England in January when they did a story on Bowie's new song, "Where are We Now" -- which he loves, saying it gives him "cold chills." He then said he had his office send Bowie a note, to which Bowie responded, "Thanks for the shout out, old sock. Really appreciate it." Clapton was going to name the album 50 Years Adrift in an Open Tuning, which would have been a tip of the hat to the memoir of the late Beatles press agent, Derek Taylor, who called his, 50 Years Adrift in an Open Shirt.
Rocknotes for Thursday March 28, 2013
Drummer Nick Mason says Pink Floyd could have done things differently with Dark Side of the Moon. Mason stopped by Abbey Road Studios in London last Friday for a playback of Dark Side, which was released 40 years ago this month. Afterward, he did a Q&A with members of the European press. First, Mason praised the album's engineer, Alan Parsons, saying, "Without him I think it would have ended up not quite as good." But when asked if they should have done anything differently, he said, "What we should have done was we should have toured Dark Side for much longer, which almost certainly would have left us with a film of it... We have no record of what we did... [Also], it would have been great to play the whole thing beginning to end live a number of times and then recorded it. I think we would have sequenced it differently now, looking back on it." Dark Side was recorded in Studio 3 at Abbey Road, where last Friday's event was held.
After months of rumors, The Rolling Stones have been officially announced as headliners of the Glastonbury Festival in England. The band will be closing the Saturday night of the festival, which runs June 28th through the 30th. Mick Jaggertweeted after the news was announced, "Can't wait to play Glastonbury. I have my wellies [boots] and my yurt [tent]!" Ron Wood added, "I've been using all my persuasive charm on the boys for a few weeks now. Really pleased to be doing it, can't wait to be getting out on that stage." The festival appearance is part of what's expected to be a small run of Stones dates this year.
Rocknotes for Wednesday March 27, 2013
Since Def Leppard play just three shows a week during their 11-date Viva Hysteria residency in Las Vegas, they have plenty of time to work on other stuff. Singer Joe Elliott tells us, "We're gonna write songs for a down the road future release of new material." Def Lep performed the first two shows last Friday and Saturday, and show number-three is tomorrow (Wednesday). The residency runs through April 13th at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Eddie and Alex Van Halen have given a rare radio interview, speaking to Triple M in Australia ahead of Van Halen's appearance at the Stone Music Festival in Sydney on April 20th and 21st. When asked about the reunion with David Lee Roth in 2007, Eddie said it was "an overwhelming sense of coming home. That's the best way I can describe it." He then joked, "We picked up the fisticuffs right away."
Rocknotes for Tuesday March 26, 2013
Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora recently went back to playing for tips for a day -- for a good cause. The guitarist took part in CBS.com’s music performance series Tip Cup, which features well-known artists playing undercover in unexpected locations to raise money for MusiCares. Wearing a raincoat, hat, scarf and sunglasses to hide his identity, Sambora set up and began playing at Chelsea Market in New York City. For his last number, "Livin' on a Prayer," Sambora was joined by saxophonist Alvin Flyte, who'd contacted MusiCares after he was unable to work following heart surgery. After sponsor Motorola added the money to bring Sambora's tips up to $10,000, they presented a check for that amount to Flyte.
ZZ Top have filled out the dates for their U.S. spring tour. The trio will kick things off on May 2nd in New Kirk, Oklahoma and hit 15 cities before they wrap up their U.S. dates with an appearance at Bonnaroo the weekend of June 14th. Then they'll head to Europe for a month's worth of shows.
Eddie Van Halen has sent us "We're the Greatest," the song he co-wrote and co-produced with LL Cool J for the rapper-actor's new album. The track features Blink 182's Travis Barker on drums. The other song Eddie appears on is "Not Leaving You Tonight." Barker plays on two other songs and Tom Morello is featured on another. The album, Authentic, will be in stores April 30th.
Rocknotes for Monday March 25, 2013
What is it with these Beantown bands? Seems like they're spending more time in court than in concert. While The J. Geils Band is being sued by its namesake and former guitarist over the use of his name, a manager from the group Boston's early days has filed suit against its leader, Tom Scholz. The dispute is over who owns the songs from the group's first two albums -- the ones that contain most of the hits. Based on a 1975 contract, Paul Ahern and his company, Next Decade Entertainment, claim publishing rights to everything Scholz wrote between 1975 and 1980. Scholz points to a 1978 modification that he says makes him the rights owner. By law, copyright reverts from the record company to the author after 35 years, and since Boston's second album, Don't Look Back, turns 35 this year, there could be lot of money at stake. The courts will decide.
Led Zeppelin have added another award to their trophy collection. The band received the inaugural International Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday at the ECHO Awards in Berlin, Germany. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones accepted on behalf of the band. Robert Plant was unable to attend due a concert date in Singapore. Page told the audience, "As long as we can be an inspiration, either as a group or individually or whatever…I mean, as far as I'm concerned, that's my lifetime achievement: that people will be inspired by the music."
Rocknotes for Friday March 22, 2013
Groundbreaking albums by Pink Floyd, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Simon and Garfunkel and The Ramones are about to be immortalized in Washington, D.C. They're among 25 "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" recordings being added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. The albums, which were announced Thursday, are:
The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd from 1973, which was released 40 years ago this month.
Cheap Thrills by the Janis Joplin-fronted group Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1968.
Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel from 1966.
The Ramones by The Ramones from 1976.
The other recordings include vintage pop, classical, jazz, country, spoken-word broadcasts by Will Rogers and President Dwight Eisenhower, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and original cast album of South Pacific.
Art Garfunkel tells the Associated Press, "When you look at the little mesh wire microphone...and you address people on the other side of the mic, you hope that your performance will be special, and you hope that it will have lasting power."
Zakk Wylde now has his own burger. Wylde has teamed up with Grill 'Em All in Alhambra, California for the "Berzerker Burger." This burger has "two blackened half-pound patties, Eagle Rock Solidarity battered onion rings, white truffle pomme frites, chipotle ketchup, cheddar and thick-cut bacon all smothered in chili." No, the restaurant doesn't list how many calories this burger contains. The "Berzerker Burger" will be unveiled April 20th at Grill 'Em All.
Rocknotes for Thursday March 21, 2013
Slash has officially started work on his third solo album. He tweeted on Wednesday, "Started the demo process for the next Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators record last night; lots of material to work up. It's going to be good." Of course, it will likely be a while before that album comes out, as Kennedy will be making another album with Alter Bridge first.
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx is the latest rocker to have his family follow him into the music world. Sixx posted a note on his Facebook page announcing that his oldest son Gunner has started a new group called Figs Vision and posted a link to their Facebook page. Sixx writes, "They are gearing up for their first EP, so this is all creativity in progress. I shot the photos of them to go with the music." He adds, "I have been very open about creativity and supporting music over the years in my books and blogs. As a father, you hope to pass this on to your kids." Other rockers who have kept music in the family include Bob and Jakob Dylan, John and Julian Lennon, John and Jason Bonham and George and Dhani Harrison.
A month after he was fired from Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland still seems to think things will work out. Weiland tells the Youngstown (Ohio) Indicator, "They’ve done it before, and they can do it again. They’re good players. I respect them. Every band has issues. I just think sometimes people say things before they really think about it." Weiland adds that he's "definitely" open to working with STP again.
Rocknotes for Wednesday March 20, 2013
Word has it The Rolling Stones will announce their tour at the end of the month and that it will be promoted by AEG after a deal with Australian promoter Paul Dainty and Virgin Music fell through. Billboard Biz says the deal fell apart after Dainty and Virgin failed to come to financial terms with the band on a guarantee believed to be in the ballpark of $80 million. It was Dainty and Virgin who reportedly paid the Stones $25 million for their five shows in November in London, Brooklyn and Newark, New Jersey. Those shows grossed just under $39 million.
Def Leppard have re-recorded another song in their catalog to sell digitally. After remaking "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Rock of Ages" last year to tie into the Rock of Ages film, this year they've re-made the title track to 1987's Hysteria to celebrate their Vegas residency, where they'll play the entire album. That residency starts starts Friday and runs through April 13th.
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is in Washington, D.C. this week to lobby Congress not to cut funding for music programs in schools. Smith and jazz guitarist (and former New York Yankees star) Bernie Williams will be meeting with members of Congress as part of the National Association of Music Merchants delegation. Smith will also back a West Virginia middle school jazz band at a ceremony honoring U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller the Fourth and Joe Manchin the Third for their contributions to the state's education programs.
Rocknotes for Tuesday March 19, 2013
Journey guitarist Neal Schon has filed a lawsuit against his former mother-in-law. Schon has filed a defamation suit against Judy Kozan, the mother of Amber Schon -- whom Neal divorced in 2007 -- claiming Kozan has "attacked and harassed" him through Internet postings and false comments to the media for years. According to the lawsuit Kozan published a blog entry in January accusing Schon of not paying her daughter enough money to support herself -- letting their two little girls "go homeless," putting his ex "in a situation where she literally has no money for food, gas for the car, bills, nothing." Schon says in the suit that he's paid his ex $1.3-million and her mom's lies have tarnished his reputation. Kozan has since removed the blog post, but Schon is suing for at least $75,000.
The Who are jumping into the fashion world. They've teamed up with designer Lyric Culture on a men's collection of apparel that will be sold exclusively in Bloomingdale’s starting April 15th. The Who Collection of graphic screen print tees and hoodies will be available at select Bloomingdale's locations, with prices ranging from $48 to $98. The designs feature iconic album imagery as well as lyrics to some of their greatest hits, including “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Who Are You,” “Baba O’ Riley,” “My Generation,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Long Live Rock” and many more. The collection was made possible through a partnership with Spirit Music Group, the publisher of Pete Townshend’s lyrics.
Rocknotes for Thursday March 14, 2013
Slash wants fans to cover one of his songs -- and win a guitar in the process. Starting today, you can upload a YouTube video of yourself performing "Anastasia" and E-mail the link to SlashSignedGuitar@gmail.com. Guitar World magazine's editors will choose the Top 5 contestants, and the winner will be selected by Slash. The creator of the winning video will receive a guitar from Epiphone/Gibson signed by Slash. For more details, visit Guitar World online.
Black Sabbath have set June 11th as the release date for their first studio album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years. Produced by Rick Rubin, 13 will be available as a single CD, a two-CD deluxe set, a vinyl set and a super deluxe box set -- which contains the album on CD and vinyl, a DVD documentary on their reunion with Ozzy that was produced by his son, Jack Osbourne, photos and lyrics. Sabbath will launch the album with a special event in London in June, which follows dates in New Zealand, Australia and Japan in April and May. They'll tour the U.S. in the summer and South America and Europe in the fall. And finally, they've released the second installment of their video documentary on the making of the album, which is on their YouTube page.
Rocknotes for Wednesday March 13, 2013
David Lee Roth's comments that Van Halen will tour Europe this year is news to their manager. Irving Azoffsays, "I manage the Van Halens, and I know nothing about any European tour... Nothing's been discussed yet. Why would he say this? Hey, Dave's a talkative guy. Why don't you call and ask him?" The only dates the band has booked are April 20th in Sydney, Australia; June 21st in Tokyo and the 24th and 26th in Osaka; and July 20th Oshkosh, Wisconsin. When asked if VH would do more dates, Azoff said, "Not unless something special comes up. It certainly won't be a tour of Europe."
Add Iron Maiden to the list of artists with their own beer. But instead of just licensing their name and likeness, they are taking part in the brewing process. Singer Bruce Dickinson is real-ale enthusiast and together with his bandmates they have come up with Trooper beer, which will be handcrafted at Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, England. Dickinson says, "I’m a lifelong fan of traditional English ale; I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when we were asked to create our own beer. I have to say that I was very nervous -- Robinsons are the only people I have had to audition for in 30 years. Their magic has been to create the alchemical wedding of flavor and texture that is Trooper. I love it." The result is a deep golden ale with a subtle hint of lemon. It will be available in the U.K. as well as internationally starting in May. Other artists with their own beer include Jimmy Buffett, AC/DC, KISS and The Rolling Stones.
Rocknotes for Tuesday March 12, 2013
News of the Eddie Van Halen and LL Cool J collaboration, which we were told would “be revealed Monday,” has been pushed back indefinitely. But, we can exclusively confirm that they worked together on two tracks, which are for LL's new album.
Robert Plant has a new album just about done, and his producer Buddy Miller says, "It's stripped down and tribal and rocking." However, there is no release date yet. And if it comes out late this year, then perhaps Plant will have something to do next year -- touring behind it -- instead of having nothing to do, which he recently said when asked about a possible Led Zeppelin reunion. Plant's last album was 2010's Band of Joy. He can also be heard on the new album by his Band of Joy bandmate and alleged wife Patty Griffin. Her American Kid will be out on May 7th.
It looks as if the new Jimi Hendrix collection, People, Hell and Angels, will land at number-two when this week's Billboard chart is revealed on Wednesday -- at least if the "industry sources" cited by the Hollywood Reporter are on the mark. The magazine says the album will have sold about 70,000 copies by Sunday's end of the tracking week. If it does debut at number-two, it'll be the highest-charting Hendrix release since his third album, Electric Ladyland, went number-one for two weeks in 1968. People, Hell and Angels is the ninth posthumous U.S. album of studio material by Hendrix. The last one, 2010's Valleys of Neptune debuted and peaked at number-four. At the time, it was his highest-charting posthumous release since the first one, 1971's The Cry of Love.
Rocknotes for Monday March11, 2013
Motley Crue had to end their set early Sunday night in Sydney after singer Vince Neil couldn't continue due to severe pain from kidney stones. The band's manager Allen Kovac said the 52-year-old Neil was admitted to the hospital, adding, "He has been having problems for the last few days with kidney stones. He was treated at the hospital after the show. It's the middle of the night there, and we will know more later." The band, which is touring Australia with Kiss and Thin Lizzy, is expected to play Tuesday's show in Brisbane. Kovac added, "Vince is a warrior, who has played show through a wide ranging list of injuries. If there is a way to safely perform, he always does. In nearly 20 years of managing Motley Crue, I can't recall a show the band has cancelled."
Crue bassist Nikki Sixx took to Twitter to apologize to fans, writing, "Sorry Sydney for a short set tonight but Vince had to be rushed to the hospital for internal pain. Will update you on his progress." Eric Clapton's new album, Old Sock, will be available in a deluxe version. Limited to just a thousand copies, the package contains a custom linen-covered book with copper foil-stamped lettering that holds both the CD and bound booklet with photos and lyrics. It also comes with a USB card with hi-resolution WAVE files of all songs, a digital booklet and a bonus track, "No Sympathy." And the price is a reasonable $45. Old Sock will be out Tuesday, and Clapton starts his tour two days later, Thursday, in Phoenix.
Rocknotes for Thursday March 7, 2013
The latest word on a potential The Rolling Stones tour this year has them playing 18 shows, including multiple nights in select cities. It would get under way in the spring, and all indications say it would include an appearance at England's Glastonbury festival in the summer.
Alvin Lee, the former singer and guitarist in Ten Years After, died earlier today (Wednesday) after complications from a routine surgical procedure. He was 68. His family has posted a statement on his website saying, "We have lost a wonderful and much loved father and companion. The world has lost a truly great and gifted musician." Lee started his professional career in 1962 in The Jaybirds, hitting their stride in the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, shortly after The Beatles achieved success there. The band relocated to London in 1966 and eventually morphed into Ten Years After. Their early albums were mainstays on U.S. progressive rock radio, and that support enabled them to tour the States 28 times in seven years stating in 1968, which was more than any other U.K. band. This success was further fueled by their appearance at Woodstock and its subsequent film. Lee left the band in the mid-'70s and launched a solo career with the album On the Road to Freedom, which featured appearances by his good friend George Harrison, along with Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Mick Fleetwood. He rejoined Ten Years After in the late '70s for two more albums, followed by a reunion tour and album in 1988 and '89 and a few shows in 1994. He released his last album, Still on the Road to Freedom, last September.
Rocknotes for Wednesday March 6, 2013
We can confirm that the other person with Eddie Van Halen in the studio photo that he posted on Facebook is indeed rapper, actor and Grammy host LL Cool J. LL has since posted the photo on his Facebook page and a source close to the Van Halen guitarist tells us, "All will be revealed Monday."
Scott Weiland says his firing from Stone Temple Pilots is just another problem that they'll be able to work through. Weiland, who was booted from the band via a one-sentence statement last week, tells Spin, "There are some issues that have to be worked out with STP, but they’re the same issues that have been going on since the end of the last tour. Nobody in the band can be fired. No one’s ever fired anybody, and no one's ever quit the band." Weiland also claims that sniping in the press between them "is something that has taken on its own life. Behind the scenes, it’s really not anything different than what was going on before."
Both versions of Queensryche will have albums out within six weeks of each other. After the version of the band with Todd LeTorre on vocals announced on Monday their new album would be out June 11th, Geoff Tate has now announced that his version of the band will release their album on April 23rd. It's called Frequency Unknown and features guest appearances by ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and Lita Ford. The deluxe version of Tate's album includes re-recordings of four of Queensryche's best-known songs -- "Silent Lucidity," "Empire," "Jet City Woman" and "I Don't Believe in Love."
Rocknotes for Monday March 4, 2013
David Lee Roth has a nickname for his penis. Roth recently conducted an interview with Australia's Daily Telegraph ahead of next month's appearance there by Van Halen. And during the course of his chat, he felt it necessary to inform the reporter, Kathy McCabe, that his organ has a name. Talking about his passion for performing, Roth said, "That fire starts down around little Elvis long before it reaches the belly. Yeah, I named my [penis]. Actually I think it was [my old girlfriend] Stacey who did. You think I'm kidding?"And Roth reciprocated, naming one of the eight lines on his forehead Stacey. He says the other seven are also named after ex-girlfriends.
"Angel," a song off of Eric Clapton's new album, Old Sock, is available as a free download this week from Starbucks. The song is the "Pick of the Week" starting Tuesday in the entertainment section of the Starbucks Digital Network while in the store or use the Starbucks app to access the download from iTunes. Old Sock will be out March 12th, followed by his tour opener two days later on March 14th in Phoenix.
An all-star roster of musicians will perform at the Rock Against MS concert March 27th in Los Angeles. The lineup includes ex-Guns n' Roses drummer Steven Adler, Lemmy from Motorhead, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5, Chickenfoot drummer Kenny Aronoff, Wayne Static from Static-X, Foreigner's Jeff Pilson, Great White singer Jack Russell and Ramones drummer Marky Ramone. Proceeds will go to publicist Nancy Sayle, who was afflicted with MS in 2009 and cancer last year.
Rocknotes for Friday March 1, 2013
Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider is not a fan of the Swiss heavy metal band Krokus and it has nothing to do with their music.
In 1982, his wife Suzette was hired to make their stage costumes, but they did not like what she created and their manager refused to pay her. In his autobiography, Shut Up and Give Me the Mic, Snider, referring to them as Crapus, writes, “These guys ripped off and threatened my wife. You have no idea how close you were to landing in the bottom of a lake.” So it will be interesting to see what happens when both Twisted Sister and Krokus share the bill at the Hellfest festival in Clisson, France in June.
Krokus bassist Chris von Rohrsays, "The clothes did not correspond to what we had agreed -- too much harlequin style. So we made a bonfire of it. If we have not treated his wife with due respect, we are sorry.” Von Rohr adds that he hopes they could bury the hatchet and have a drink.
Snider is willing to listen, saying, "If they mean business I think it’s a nice gesture -- but I’ll have to ask my wife if she can forgive Krokus.”
Snider returns to Celebrity Apprentice this Sunday night on NBC.
Rocknotes for Thursday February 28, 2013
Scott Weiland has issued a statement about being fired by Stone Temple Pilots this morning -- and let's just say no one will call this an "amicable split." Weiland's press flack sent out a note from the singer expressing surprise about the whole thing. He says, "I learned of my supposed 'termination' from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that's something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour, which starts this Friday.
Roger Daltrey did something special for a Who fan in New Hampshire. Last Sunday, as Daltrey was sitting in his limo en route to The Who's show in Manchester, he noticed a young girl with a cane and her family trudging through the snow to the show. The girl was wearing a Who T-shirt. Daltrey immediately arranged for them to be brought backstage before the show to meet with him where he discovered that the girl, 12-year old Josey, has been blind since birth. He then dedicated the show to her, but with one slight hiccup -- he called her Chelsea instead of Josey. But on Monday, Daltrey reached out to Josey via Skype and apologized, saying, "I must have been thinking about the Arsenal – Chelsea soccer game." Josey's mom, Lucy, said, “We are ecstatic, Roger. You have made our dreams come true! Thank you. We are honored and so blessed!" The Who wrapped up the North American leg of their Quadrophenia tour Tuesday night in Providence, Rhode Island. But before heading home to England, they'll play a benefit Thursday night in New York at the Theater at Madison Square Garden for Teen Cancer America and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer hospital in New York. Elvis Costello will open.
Rocknotes for Wednesday February 27, 2013
Bob Seger starts his Rock and Roll Never Forgets Tour tonight (Wednesday) with the first of two shows in Toledo, Ohio. Seger's last tour wound down a little more than a year ago, and though he's been working on a new album, he tells us loves getting on stage.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong talks about what led to his rehab stint in the new issue of Rolling Stone. Armstrong, who says he battled alcohol and prescription drug abuse for many years, says "I couldn't predict where I was going to end up at the end of the night. I'd wake up in a strange house on a couch. I wouldn't remember how. It was a complete blackout." He says that he only remembers "tiny things" about his on stage meltdown at the iHeartRadioFestival in Las Vegas last September. Armstrong says, "The next morning, I woke up. I asked [my wife] Adrienne, 'How bad was it?' She said, 'It's bad.' I called my manager. He said, 'You're getting on a plane, going back to Oakland and going into rehab immediately.'"
Scott Weiland says he's playing Core and Purple on his upcoming solo tour because his Stone Temple Pilots bandmates didn't want to. Weiland tells Michigan Live, "Originally, it was an idea I came up with for STP for the anniversary of Core to do [that] album in its entirety. The rest of the guys didn't want to do it. So, it was still something that there was a lot of public interest in... I talked to the guys in my solo band, The Wildabouts, and they were totally into it, as were the promoters. It worked out." Weiland will start his tour Friday in Flint, Michigan.
Rocknotes for Tuesday February 26, 2013
Deep Purple have posted another snippet of music from their forthcoming album. Right now, the project goes simply by a question mark and exclamation point, which singer Ian Gillan says, "Will become clear — as mud — later on. That's all I'm allowed to say. The question mark and the exclamation mark might get you intrigued." Produced by Bob Ezrin, Deep Purple's 19th studio effort will be out on April 30th.
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wymansays he was "disappointed" by only playing on two songs at the Stones' two London anniversary shows in November. Wyman, who joined his old friends for "Honky Tonk Women" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)," says, "In December 2011, Keith Richards called and said, 'Come on mate, why don't you have a jam with us?' Then they asked if I'd be interested in getting involved in the band for a special occasion. I thought I would get quite heavily involved, so when they said they only wanted me to do two songs I was a bit disappointed. I only had one rehearsal and no soundcheck so I just winged it. It was great, but I didn't want to go to America for two songs. I think they understood. Well, Charlie Watts did." Wyman doesn't like to fly. Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor played on one song in London as well as in Newark, New Jersey in December. The latest tour rumor has the Stones doing U.S. shows in June and again at the end of the summer with South America and other parts of the world after that.
The dirt is being dished on Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood in Hey Jo, the autobiography of his ex-wife, Jo Wood. She writes about him offering her cocaine in the hospital the day after she gave birth to their son Tyrone. And that's only the tip of the iceberg as far as their drug use is concerned. She said there would be freebasing in their California home with John Belushi, Sly Stone and David Crosby. "We set up our own home lab, complete with flasks, test tubes, glass plates and rubber tubing." Of course, Woody didn't really hold back in his 2007 autobiography, Ronnie. The couple's marriage ended in 2009 after 24 years.
Rocknotes for Friday February 22, 2013
You could be part of Def Leppard's Viva Hysteria Las Vegas residency. They're looking for videos of their fans doing interpretations of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" -- but given that these shows are in "Sin City," that could be a dangerous proposition. A post on their website says, "Get creative! Karaoke style, playing air guitar, dancing, head banging, acting out the song, your choice!" Def Leppard and their crew will decide who makes it. All entires must be received by midnight PT on March 4th. If you do decide to get down and dirty, just remember, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Def Leppard will be at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from March 22nd through April 13th.
Every wondered what what The White Stripes or Radiohead would sound like with late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham? Well, the Bonhamizer website does just that. The site already has a number of examples that have added "basic Bonham," "double time shuffle," "Bonham shuffle" and "hammer of the gods" to songs like the Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," Radiohead's "Karma Police," Fun's "Some Nights" and "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons.
The Long Branch, New Jersey cottage where Bruce Springsteen wrote the Born to Run album is on the market. For $349,000, you can own the 828-square foot home, which has five rooms -- including two bedrooms and one bath -- and sits 120 feet from beach access. There's also a front porch, a small fenced-in yard and patio. You can see the home, at 7 and a 1/2 West End Court, in Springsteen's 2005 Born to Run documentary, Wings for Wheels, in which he returns there and talks about writing "Thunder Road," "Born to Run," "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," "Backstreets," "She's the One" and "Jungleland."
Rocknotes for Thursday February 21, 2013
Cheap Trick will be back on the road this spring and summer, doing festivals as well as their own headlining shows and a few co-bills with Pat Benatar. The band is also working on a new album.
When Neil Peart is not being a husband, father, the drummer and songwriter in Rush, motorcycle traveler and author, he likes to read. And, like Oprah Winfrey, he also also has a book club, Bubba's Book Club, and a list of suggested readings. He says, "Unlike most book reviewers, I have the luxury of choosing to read only books that I expect to enjoy... Also unlike most book reviewers, I can choose to write about only the books I do enjoy." And with that he has posted a list of 21 titles he recently enjoyed.
The Rolling Stones still have yet to win a Brit Award. The band was among the nominees at the event, which is the UK's equivalent to the Grammys. They were among those vying for the British Live Act award, but the nod went to Coldplay. Rumors that the group was going to perform at the event also turned out not to be true. Over the course of their 50-year career the Stones have never won a Brit. This year marked just their fourth time being nominated for the prestigious prize, and was their first nomination in 17 years. But the Stones did have one special distinction. The group is the only nominated act this year that had also been a nominee at the very first Brit Awards back in 1977.
Wednesday February 20, 2013
Today marks the tenth anniversary of Rock's worst concert tragedy. The Station nightclub fire that killed 100 people in West Warwick, Rhode Island. A decade later, the community is moving forward with plans to honor the victims with something permanent. The Station Fire Memorial Service hopes to break ground on a memorial park at the site of the tragedy later this year. They made the announcement this past Sunday as hundreds of the victims' friends and family members, as well as many survivors, braved the cold weather and came together to mark the tenth anniversary of the incident. At the ceremony, former Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri called that night in 2003 the state's worst tragedy. But he said in some senses, it was also the "finest hour" for first responders and hospital workers who helped save so many lives. All 100 of the victims' names were also read aloud during the event, followed by 100 seconds of silence.
Jack Russell -- whose band Great White was onstage when their pyrotechnics ignited the blaze -- also tried to honor the victims with a benefit concert earlier this month. "The Boston Globe" says Russell wanted the funds to go toward the planned memorial park, but the Station Fire Memorial Service asked him not to associate himself with the project. They issued a statement saying they "feel the upset caused by his involvement would outweigh the amount of funds raised." Russell eventually decided to donate any money raised from the show to the son of Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire. However, only about 30 people showed up to the Los Angeles-area gig, which raised an estimated 180-dollars.
Rocknotes for Tuesday February 19, 2013
Was Robert Plant offering up a clue as to the future of Led Zeppelin or just teasing when he said he had no plans for 2014? He made the comment Sunday night's episode of Australia's 60 Minutes. Plant turned the tables, saying it's up to Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. " "The two other guys are Capricorns. They don’t say a word. They’re quite contained in their own worlds and they leave it to me… I’m not the bad guy... I’ve got nothing to do in 2014.” Plant is working this year with his band, The Sensational Space Shifters, who are touring Australia in March. Page is reportedly working on new music while Jones is keeping busy by scoring an opera Also in the interview, Plant talked about how he almost had a career change in 1977 after the loss of his five-year old son, Karac, from a respiratory infection. He said he "applied to see if I could get a role as a teacher. I wanted to be around, a way to enjoy children at the peak of the time before they’re spoiled by the ways of our world."
The debate over who plays guitar best will never end, but for a couple in Ohio, it ended temporarily when they wound up in jail. The boyfriend and girlfriend were staying in a Motel 6 in Brook Park, Ohio when they got into a heated debate over who is a better player, Eddie Van Halen or Slash. The argument escalated to the point where the front office called the cops, who then hauled the couple in -- not for arguing, but because officers discovered they had outstanding warrants in other cities. By the way, the girl said Eddie was better, and the guy was in favor of Slash. Van Halen have just been announced as one of the headliners of the Stone Music Festival in Sydney, Australia in April. They were supposed to play Australia last year, but that show was canceled. This will be their first-ever show Down Under with David Lee Roth.
Rocknotes for Mondau February 18, 2013
Def Leppard have added a little something to their upcoming 11-night Viva Hysteria residency at The Joint in Las Vegas -- their own Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. In conjunction with the official Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, this one will be held April 4th to the 7th, and will work as instructors and mentors to the campers. It won't be the first camp for guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, who've participated before. And this is only the second camp dedicated to a sole artist -- Cheap Trick being the first a few years ago. Def Leppard start their Vegas residency on March 22nd and wrap up on April 13th. They also just announced a one-off as headliners of Hell Fest in Clisson, France on June 21st. There is a Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp taking place this weekend in Vegas, and among those on hand are Alice Cooper and Ace Frehley.
On Wednesday night, Sammy Hagar joined Grateful Dead singer-guitarist Bob Weir at Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael, California for a jam session that also included Talking Heads keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison and Lukas Nelson, the son of Willie Nelson. Their set included the Dead's "Friend of the Devil" and "Loose Lucy," as well as The Beatles' "Come Together," Talking Heads' "Life During Wartime" and Nelson's "Boner." The set was the first in a series of events called the Patron Project. Before they played, the artists took part in a panel discussion along with representatives from Pandora, Microsoft, Red Bull and Dolby. They talked about patronage versus sponsorship and how major corporations can help fund up-and-coming acts, similar to the way record labels used to work. One idea Hagar presented was to have a patron help pay for a tour so that he could offer $10 tickets in exchange for "free reign with advertising." Afterwards Weir said, "We want to promote the notion of patronage. It's a tradition. It goes back to the church and the Renaissance, and we want to bring that back around. Otherwise, art is going to take a backseat in our culture. It already is. And that’s not right."
Rocknotes for Thursday February 14, 2013
Black Sabbath has posted a three-minute behind-the-scenes video of the making of their new album on YouTube. The album, 13, is their first studio effort with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years. While you can hear snippets of new music in the background, perhaps the most interesting thing is seeing guitarist Tony Iommi in a baseball cap with strands of gray hair on the side as opposed to his usual jet black dye job. This is likely a result of his undergoing treatment for lymphoma. 13 will be out in June.
If you've never gotten a chance to see The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones or The Who, AXS TV is bringing you the next best thing. Starting March 4th, the network will bring together some of the top tribute bands on The World's Greatest Tribute Bands. The show will concentrate on bands paying tribute to the legendary acts of the 1960s, '70s and '80s. There will be 12 episodes spread over 12 weeks capturing the bands in concert at the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. Among those taking part are Britain’s Finest and their tribute to The Beatles on March 4th, The Ultimate Stones on March 11th and The Who Revue on March 18th. There will also be tributes to Elton John, AC/DC, Van Halen, Journey, The Doors, Queen, U2, Metallica and Fleetwood Mac.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Kings of Leon will headline the 2013 edition of the Hangout Music Festival. It will take place May 17th through the 19th in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The lineup will also feature a third to-be-announced headliner, Trey Anastasio Band, The Shins, The Black Crowes, Gov’t Mule, Jim James Band, Grouplove and The Breeders. Tickets go on sale Friday.
Rocknotes for Wednesday February 13, 2012
Iron Maiden have another concert video coming to DVD for the first time. Maiden England '88, due out March 26th, documents the band's show in Birmingham, England in November 1988 during their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son World Tour. The two-disc set includes the entire concert as well as the documentary The History of Iron Maiden - Part 3 and five music videos from that era. A two-CD and digital download version of the audio is also due out on March 26th.
David Lee Roth has no idea what will happen with Van Halen after their three June dates in Japan, where he now lives. He tells Rolling Stone, "I would certainly look forward to working with Ed [Van Halen] on some new material... But truth be told, Edward and I haven't written a new song in 20 years... We'll always be able to play our hits... But in terms of taking the music past where we found it, I'm not sure where that's going to go." Roth also wants bassist Michael Anthony back in the band. "We haven't really been able to speak about it and it's a disappointment... There's an old expression saying, 'They don't go home singing the lighting show, they don't go home singing the production.' You're right, they sing my words and my melodies. And what we have at our fingertips is arguably one of the greatest high tenor voices ever -- that was in Michael Anthony." Roth says the dance remix of "Jump" was drummer Alex Van Halen's idea. "Alex had heard Elton John had taken his greatest hits and had it... We've had great success with it already... You just don't change the smile on the Mona Lisa? Well, the [hell] you don't." In addition to studying martial arts in Tokyo, Roth says he's "written and recorded an entire album" with his old guitarist John 5. "It's called Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill, and it was designed as a jukebox musical after seeing what the South Park fellows did."
Rocknotes for Tuesday February 12, 2013
Ted Nugent -- one of President Obama's most outspoken critics -- will attend his State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. Tuesday. Nugent was invited by Texas Republican Congressman Steve Stockman, who says, "I am excited to have a patriot like Ted Nugent joining me in the House Chamber to hear from President Obama. After the address I'm sure Ted will have plenty to say." Nugent said he'd be "dead or in jail" if Obama was re-elected last November.
Metallica didn't want their music used to torture prisoners of the U.S. armed services. The Navy Seal who killed Osama bin Laden is the subject of an article in the new Esquire magazine, and the unidentified man spoke about using repetitive questioning and leveraging fear for interrogations. He said, "When we first started the war in Iraq, we were using Metallica music to soften people up before we interrogated them. Metallica got wind of this and they said, 'Hey, please don't use our music because we don't want to promote violence.' I thought, Dude, you have an album called Kill 'Em All."
Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent are taking their Midwest Rock 'n' Roll Express tour back out in the spring. After hitting the road together last year, they'll start things up again April 18th in Grand Forks, North Dakota. So far, they've scheduled dates through May, although more will be added. Nugent will open each show, and Styx and REO will flip-flop.
Rocknotes for Monday February 11, 2013
Mick Jagger isn't happy with a new book about The Rolling Stones. It's not that A Prince Among Stones by Prince Rupert Loewenstein has sordid details about the band's personal lives -- it's that it reveals many of their financial dealings over the years. Loewenstein worked for 40 years as the band's fiscal adviser, turning them from a near-bankrupt act into the money-making machine we know today. Jagger tells London's Daily Mail, "Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think your ex-bank manager should be discussing your financial dealings and personal information in public. It just goes to show that well brought-up people don’t always display good manners." The book is already out in the U.K. and is due out in the U.S. March 5th.
as expected, a judge has thrown out Axl Rose's $20 million lawsuit against Activision. Rose sued the video game maker in November 2010, claiming that it used an image of former GNR guitarist Slash in Guitar Hero Three after promising him that the game would not feature any reference to his ex-bandmate. Rose claimed that was a condition of his agreeing to license "Welcome to the Jungle" for use in the game. The judge had previously tossed out other parts of the suit and on Thursday dismissed the rest of the legal action.
Bon Jovi postponed a show due to the winter storm that rocked New England -- and then played a free show in its place. Saturday night, the band was scheduled to perform the opener of the Because We Can world tour at Mohegan Sun Casino arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, but postponed it until October 25th. Instead they played at the arena for free for a crowd of about 2000 people made of up casino employees and people snowed in at the casino's hotel.
Rocknotes for Friday February 8, 2013
As most know, David Lee Roth's attempt at being a morning show DJ died after four months in 2005. But radio is still not out of his system as he recently took to the airwaves in Tokyo, where he spends a lot of his time studying martial arts. He called his show Tokyo Hi-Power Style and he was accompanied by his female Japanese interpreter who translated his English for the Japanese audience as he babbled over a number of dance songs. Once again, Dave needs to stick to his day job.
The Doors' original six albums with Jim Morrison have been revved up to 45 rpm's, which now means they are double discs, and put into a limited-edition box set. Each one was re-mastered from the original sources by The Doors original engineer Bruce Botnick and the box sets are limited to 2,500 numbered copies each on 200-gram vinyl. It contains a booklet with a 27-hundred word essay by The Doors biographer Ben Fong-Torres. The six albums are The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting For the Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman.
Guns n' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal thinks the band should give up on the idea of making new albums. Thal tells Classic Rock that with a full album, "It’s hard to have the momentum and the focus and everything that you need. It’s hard to put everything aside and do a whole album. Personally, I don’t want to do an album. I would like to just do a song. Let’s just bite off a song and get a song out there and then bite off another song and get that out there."
Thursday February 7, 2013
The Who had to call in some help on Tuesday night -- just hours before their show in San Diego, drummer Zak Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr, became ill. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend reached out to Scott Devours, the drummer in Daltrey's Tommy touring band from two years ago. With only two hours to get the Quadrophenia set down, Devours did a great job, including the encores, which featured some greatest hits that he hadn't had a chance to rehearse. Afterwards Daltrey said, "Quadrophenia’s not an easy piece. To do what Scotty did took real guts.” Starkey is OK and should be back tonight (Wednesday) in Glendale, Arizona.
This isn't the first time The Who have had a problem with a drummer and Quadrophenia. In 1973 in San Francisco, the first night of the Quadrophenia tour, Keith Moon passed out 70-minutes into the show from the tranquilizers and brandy he'd downed before going on. Scott Halpin, a 19-year-old who'd recently moved to the Bay Area from Iowa, came to the attention of promoter Bill Graham, and got the gig. He played on "Smokestack Lightning," "Naked Eye," but not easily, despite instructions from Townshend, and "My Generation." He then took a bow with Townshend, Daltrey and John Entwistle. Halpin later told Rolling Stone, "I only played three numbers and I was dead." That led to an audition with Journey, but he didn't get the job. You can see Halpin's performance on the Who DVDs Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live and Amazing Journey. Halpin died in 2008 from a brain tumor. He was 54.
Rocknotes for Wednesday February 6, 2013
David Lee Roth has posted a remix of the Van Halen song "Jump" on his website. Featuring some new vocals, it is called the "Super Floor Whitenoize" remix. Roth has also posted the 10th episode of The Roth Show in which he talks about the origins of FM Underground Radio, which features a snippet of a George Harrison interview from 1968. Roth tried his hand at radio in 2005 but was canned after just four months.
Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil says fans shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a new album from the group. The singer tells MusicNewsNashville.com that the band has no plans to work on the follow up to their 2008 effort "Saints of Los Angeles" anytime soon. But that doesn't mean the group won't have a new song or two arriving in the near future. Motley Crue released the single "Sex" last year, and Neil says he's hearing that "maybe two or three or four more songs might come out" to go with their 2012 track. However, the rocker adds that if it happens the band would just release those few songs as an EP, which likely wouldn't hit stores until early next year. Neil says he's expecting Motley Crue to spend much of this year on the road. The band will launch the Australian leg of "The Monster Tour" with KISS in Perth on February 28th. So far the group's only other confirmed date is the Moondance Jam festival in Walker, Minnesota on July 18th.
Rocknotes for Tuesday February 5, 2013
Sammy Hagar has been in the studio working on new material with his band, The Waboritas.He says, "We’re rehearsing and writing songs. We’re putting something out this year and we’ll probably go out and do 25 to 30 shows. We’re opening another Cabo Wabo in Los Angeles at Hollywood and Vine. I would like to do a lifestyle cookbook with some of my chef friends."Hagar will take time out from the studio to attend the third anniversary of his Las Vegas Cabo Wabo Cantina on Saturday.
John Fogerty has set May 28th as the release date for his ninth album, Wrote a Song for Everyone. The album features re-recordings of 12 of his classic songs, all featuring special guests, as well as two new songs - “Mystic Highway” and “Train of Fools.” In working with the likes of Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Kid Rock and others, Fogerty says, "I encouraged each of these artists to come up with their own vision of my song, rather than just re-doing what I’d recorded in the past. I was hoping they’d have some different twist so it would be fresh, so I’d have to work, too. I wanted it to be something new.” Fogerty will tour in support of the album, including an appearance at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas in March.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is getting into the used car business -- he's selling his 1964 Chevrolet Impala. With the Green Day tour finally about to get going after Billie Joe's stint in rehab, he says he doesn't want the car sitting idle in the Oakland, California lot at their studio. He says, "Here is your chance to own a genuine rock-star car!"
Bidding is up to $12,400.
Rocknotes for Monday February 4, 2013
Songs by The RollingStones, Meat Loaf, Supertramp, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot and Fleetwood Mac appeared in commercials during Super Bowl 47. The Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" provided the soundtrack to a Mercedes Benz spot; a re-recording of Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" was featured in an ad for M&M's; Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit" was used by Coca-Cola; a trainer was reunited with his Budweiser Clydesdale at a parade to the sound of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” 2 Broke Girls got down to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and Hyundai got a team together and tried to rock some car sales with Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)."
Sammy Hagar is opening his fourth Cabo Wabo Cantina, this one in Hollywood. It will be on Hollywood Boulevard across the street from the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio, and Hagar promises Kimmel he will have a stool with his name on it. Hagar's other three Cantinas are in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Lake Tahoe on the Nevada side; and Las Vegas. Hagar will help to celebrate the third anniversary of the Vegas Cantina on February 9th.
Word has it that Axl Rose may end up on the losing side of a $20 million lawsuit he filed in 2010 against Activision Blizzard. Axl took exception to the use of an image of Slash in Guitar Hero Three, saying the company had agreed not to reference the former Guns n' Roses guitarist in the deal he'd struck to license "Welcome to the Jungle" for use in the game. On Thursday, California Superior Court judge in Los Angeles indicated that he's inclined to dismiss the suit because it was not filed until a full three years after the game's October 2007 release. Rose claims to not have known Slash was featured in the game until a few years later -- even though his lawyer contacted Activision about it when the game was released. The full decision will be announced in a few weeks.
Rocknotes for Friday February 1, 2013
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder is writing another song for a film. This time it's a track for Out of the Furnace, a thriller starring Christian Bale that will hit theaters this year. The L.A. Times reports that several previously recorded Vedder songs will also will be featured in the film. Vedder is no stranger to film work, having won a Golden Globe for "Guaranteed" for Into the Wild.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will host a conference on U2 on April 26th and 27th in Cleveland. The two-day conference features programming for fans, students and scholars. It will include Eight mainstream sessions and nearly 30 presentations based on the work of academics. Conference creator and director Scott Calhoun says, "Everyone is welcome. Whether you come in tweed or leather, do vinyl or download, you'll connect with people who want to talk about U2 and find new ways to be better fans." The U2 Conference will be held at both the Marriott Key Center in Cleveland as well as in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater. National Public Radio (NPR) music critic Ann Powers will deliver the keynote address and will be joined by other music industry folks, including Jim Henke, the former vice president and chief curator at the Hall.
Keep an eye out for AC/DC during the Super Bowl Sunday. Word has it they'll appear in a Hyundai ad. Also plugging the automaker in a Super Bowl ad are The Flaming Lips. AC/DC singer Brian Johnson is a huge car fan, and AC/DC is certainly no stranger to commercials. Most recently, Wal-Mart has been using "Black in Black."
Rocknotes for Friday February 1, 2013
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder is writing another song for a film. This time it's a track for Out of the Furnace, a thriller starring Christian Bale that will hit theaters this year. The L.A. Times reports that several previously recorded Vedder songs will also will be featured in the film. Vedder is no stranger to film work, having won a Golden Globe for "Guaranteed" for Into the Wild.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will host a conference on U2 on April 26th and 27th in Cleveland. The two-day conference features programming for fans, students and scholars. It will include Eight mainstream sessions and nearly 30 presentations based on the work of academics. Conference creator and director Scott Calhoun says, "Everyone is welcome. Whether you come in tweed or leather, do vinyl or download, you'll connect with people who want to talk about U2 and find new ways to be better fans." The U2 Conference will be held at both the Marriott Key Center in Cleveland as well as in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater. National Public Radio (NPR) music critic Ann Powers will deliver the keynote address and will be joined by other music industry folks, including Jim Henke, the former vice president and chief curator at the Hall.
Keep an eye out for AC/DC during the Super Bowl Sunday. Word has it they'll appear in a Hyundai ad. Also plugging the automaker in a Super Bowl ad are The Flaming Lips. AC/DC singer Brian Johnson is a huge car fan, and AC/DC is certainly no stranger to commercials. Most recently, Wal-Mart has been using "Black in Black."
Wednesday January 30, 2013
Tomorrow (Wednesday, January 30th) marks the 40th anniversary of KISS's first performance. It was held at Popcorn, a club in Queens, New York. The original line-up was Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. They have gone through numerous line-up changes since with only Simmons and Stanley being the two constants. Looking back, Simmons says, "We've defied the odds, we've buried all the critics in our backyard -- they're now gone -- and we have persevered and grown bigger than ever. By some estimates, KISS are the four most recognized faces on planet Earth." In celebration, they are posting videos from throughout their career on their website.
Fender is re-creating Eric Clapton's "Brownie" Stratocaster. The 1956 two-colored sunburst Strat that Clapton used to record "Layla" is being reproduced by the Fender Custom Shop and will go on sale this spring. It will be limited to just 100 guitars worldwide. Clapton auctioned off the original "Brownie" in 1999 to raise money for his Crossroads rehab center. It sold for $450,000, which at the time was the highest price ever paid for a single guitar.
Mick Jagger is the Most Stylish Rock Star of All-Time, according to Complex. The website says he is "hands down one of the best-dressed musicians of all-time, he definitely set the bar for flamboyant frontmen. From his crazy stage antics to his bad-boy edge, Jagger's style reflected his personality perfectly. It was something that needed to be tamed, but functioned best when it was wild. Even today, he wears silk scarves and suits with more rakish appeal than most men -- and he's pushing 70."
Rocknotes for Tuesday January 29, 2013
The Eagles were just in Park City, Utah for the premiere of their documentary, The History of the Eagles, which will be shown on Showtime next month. They sat for a question-and-answer session, and just prior to that, while on the red carpet, Don Henley said the documentary will set the stage for their The History of the Eagles tour, which will start in June. He says it "very well may be [their] last tour," and that it will feature some former members -- most likely just Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon -- since they aren't on speaking terms with former guitarist Don Felder. The Eagles have announced two shows -- February 1st in Atlantic City, New Jersey and March 23rd in Las Vegas.
Iron Maiden have a standard policy for birthdays on the road -- no pies for anyone. The band's first date on their European tour is June 5th in France, which is the birthday of drummer Nicko McBrain. McBrain tells Vintage Rock that in the past he’d have expected to be pelted with shaving-cream pies towards the end of the show, but they scrapped that after a multi-night stay in New York. McBrain says, "There was a time when it was Bruce [Dickinson's] birthday and we were playing in the Hammerstein Ballroom a number of years ago. We gave him a pieing, shaving cream and whatnot. It wasn't cleaned up correctly –- so the next night he slipped. He fell off the top of the riser into my drum set and he really hurt himself. So we went, 'That’s enough of that.'"
Rocknotes for Monday January 28, 2013
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was the "victim" at the second annual Revolver and Guitar World Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California on Thursday. The "perpetrators" included:
musicians Zakk Wylde (who was roasted last year), Scott Ian of Anthrax and Lita Ford. Comedians Jim Norton, Jim Florentine, Craig Gass and his son, Shane Snider. That Metal Show host Eddie Trunk, actor Mark Metcalf who played "Neidermeyer" in Animal House and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" videos and the evening's host, fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestant, Penn Gillette. Video roasts from Alice Cooper, Sebastian Bach, Donald Trump and others were also shown. The event was a fundraiser for MusiCares, which helps out people in the music community affected medical, legal and drug problems.
The Geoff Tate version of Queensryche has changed its lineup before even hitting the studio.
Drummer Bobby Blotzer has bowed out of the band to return to his original group, Ratt. He'll be replaced by ex-Dio/AC/DC drummer Simon Wright. Guitarist Robert Sarzo, the brother of bassist Rudy Sarzo, has joined, replacing Glen Drover, who left in December. Tate and company will be joined by guests Ty Tabor of King's X and ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing when they hit the studio next month. The Todd LeTorre-fronted version of Queensryche has been working on a new album, so it's a race to see which lineup gets an album out first -- and who hangs onto the name after the legal smoke clears.
Rocknotes for Friday January 25, 2015
All three members of Rush have autographed one of Geddy Lee's Fender basses for charity. The auction, which runs through Monday, will benefit the Fender Music Foundation. The folks holding the auction hope to raise $15,000, but are taking lower bids right now.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has put a new batch of memorabilia on display this week. Now on display are Bruce Springsteen's handwritten lyrics to "I'm on Fire," stage props from Neil Young and Crazy Horse's 1991 Ragged Glory tour, Paul Simon's 1967 acoustic guitar, a 2009 outfit from Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Rage Against the Machine's original touring van.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lou Reed are on board for this spring's Coachella Valley music festival. The Chili Peppers have been tapped as the closing night headliner, while Reed is on board for the first night of the three-day event. A host of other bands, including the Stone Roses, Blur, Modest Mouse, Social Distortion, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, are also slated to appear. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones are not part of the festival's lineup. While the rock legends were rumored to taking part in the event, the Stones don't appear on the rundown of performers. The band has also denied that they were ever involved in the show. Coachella takes place in Indio, California over two weekends in April, with the first starting on the 12th, the second on the 19th.
Rocknotes for Thursday January 24, 2013
ZZ Top and Queensryche are the first two acts announced for the annual Sturgis Buffalo Chip bike rally. ZZ Top will headline at the annual music fest and biker convention on August 4th, and the Todd LeTorre version of Queensryche will headline on August 2nd. The rally takes place August 2nd through the 10th in Sturgis, South Dakota.
Dee Snider says it's "mind-numbing" to realize how many conservative rock artists there are today. The Twisted Sister frontman tells Noisecreep.com he also finds the change in political attitude "so convenient when you have a lot of money," explaining that "when they were broke, struggling musicians, they were liberal and all for sharing the wealth." Snider acknowledges that one rocker who never ventured into the left side of the political spectrum was Ted Nugent, saying the Motor City Madman has "always been a gun-toting conservative." But he adds that Nugent hasn't always stood up for his country, and during the Vietnam War "he was actually a draft dodger." Snider says he thinks it's "crazy" that Ted has "become one of the voices of Conservative America" given his past. Back in 1977 Nugent detailed to "High Times" magazine how in the '60s, after receiving his draft notice, he abused himself for a few weeks to make sure he wouldn't be able to pass his enlistment physical. Nugent later told a British newspaper that he made up the whole story, and actually had a student deferment. But according to Snopes.com, Nugent's military record shows his student deferment expired in 1969, and he then received a medical exemption after failing his physical.
Rocknotes for Wednesday January 23, 2013
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the first group of musicians who will participate in its 28th annual induction ceremony on April 18th at Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles. Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins will induct Rush. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Don Henley of the Eagles will induct Randy Newman. John Mayer and Gary Clark Junior will perform for inductee Albert King, with Mayer also giving the induction speech. Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Hudson will perform in honor of inductee Donna Summer. Also being inducted this year are Heart, Public Enemy, Lou Adler and Quincy Jones. More information on participants in the ceremony is still to come. All tickets for the event will be sold via Ticketmaster.
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page is being featured, along with up-and-coming blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Junior, in a new ad campaign for fashion designer John Varvatos. A two-minute black-and-white clip featuring the two -- directed by Danny Clinch -- was posted Monday on the John Varvatos website and YouTube. In it, footage of Clark playing his song "When My Train Pulls In" alone in a hall is interspersed with shots of the white-haired Page riding through London in a taxi, getting out and walking through the door of the Rivoli Ballroom, where Clark is presumably playing. It ends just as Page is about to open the door from the lobby to the ballroom itself. The ad is labeled as being for "John Varvatos Spring/Summer 2013."
Several decades worth of rock memorabilia -- including items from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Eagles and Billy Joel -- go on the block this week as part of a massive online auction.The auction, which runs through February 5th, spotlights such artifacts as guitars signed by Pete Townshend and Les Paul, albums signed by all members of the Stones, Jerry Garcia artwork signed by the late Grateful Dead leader and dozens of vintage posters and gold records.
Rocknotes for Tuesday January 22, 2013
The film about late AC/DC singer Bon Scott started shooting last week in Charleston, South Carolina. Director J.R. Getches shot some footage with actor/singer Rob Liotti, who's playing Scott, to make a teaser film to attract more investors. The makers of Bon Scott: The Legend of AC/DC hope to start full production on the movie in the spring.
The rumors about The Rolling Stones playing Coachella this April are not coming true. The rumors got started when the Indio, California festival appeared on the band's own official app in December under their tour dates section and festival organizers then posted a pic of a stone rolling on the Empire Polo Grounds, where Coachella is held. But L.A. Weekly reports that negotiations broke off last week "over a money dispute" while Rolling Stone cities "a source close to the band" as saying the Stones are not going to appear at the fest. There's no official confirmation of all this behind-the-scenes haggling and likely never will be, since the Stones' appearance was never officially announced.
Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has just released the first EP by his band Newsted and says he's considering offers from promoters wanting to book them. He says that he's gotten offers for domestic and international festival slots, a House of Blues headlining club tour and a chance to open for Motorhead. Newsted tells us the plan is to do a few club shows in April, release another EP, then hit the road and release a full-length album in May. Although the EP was recorded as a trio, Newsted says they'll add a fourth member before they play live. He tells us their live show will be "old school metal entertainment [that'll] keep you having fun."
Ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will appear at the next edition of the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. The camp takes place President's Day weekend, February 14th through the 18th, in Las Vegas and is headlined by Alice Cooper. Heaven and Hell drummer Vinnie Appice, Disturbed bassist John Moyer and Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 are among the camp's counselors.
Ted Nugent is once again getting some recognition for his work in front of the camera. The rocker is among the winners from the Outdoor Channel's 13th annual Golden Moose Awards. He got the nod for Fan Favorite Best Host with his series "Ted Nugent: Spirit of the Wild." And he's dedicating his honor to his fans. Ted says he's been "extremely blessed" throughout his life and career to have had "a very special, strong connection with the best people there are -- the working hard, playing hard, hunting, fishing and outdoors families of the world," and adds that the award "is for them." Nugent also received the Fan Favorite Best Host award at last year's event.
But Nugent's show missed out on two other fan-voted awards. "Spirit of the Wild" was also up for Fan Favorite Best Overall Series, which went to "Buck Commander Protected by Under Armour," and fell to "Bone Collector" for Fan Favorite Best Hunting Series. The 13th annual Golden Moose Awards took place in Las Vegas Thursday night.
Rocknotes for Friday January 18, 2013
Ozzy Osbourne suffered some injuries -- and burnt some of his hair off -- during a fire at his Beverly Hills home early Thursday morning. The fire started after Ozzy and wife Sharon left a candle burning through the night and it exploded in its glass vase, setting off a small fire in the living room. Ozzy, who was in a cast after undergoing hand surgery on Wednesday, tried to air out the room while Sharon grabbed water to put out the flames. That didn't work, since the fire began with an oily candle. The flames began to spread and Ozzy's hair got singed. Firefighters that were called to the scene quickly extinguished the fire. Sharon talked about the incident Thursday afternoon on her CBS show The Talk, saying that, "Ozzy's front of his hair from (his ear down is), gone! His eyebrows (are gone)...he's got like, skinned cheeks." She said that they got a lecture from the firemen about candle safety, to which Ozzy said, "She's been doing this to me for 32 years! You tell her, you tell her, no more candles!" Sharon added, "I apologize to my husband because he put himself out. He made his hand worse. It started to bleed, the whole nine yards, and I'm sorry and I love you and I will never light a candle again."
So much for Great White singer Jack Russell donating to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. Russell says his manager received an e-mail from the foundation that said, "This is to respect the wishes of the families and survivors who do not wish to have any association with Jack or his Great White…We do not want our name associated with anything Jack Russell or his band does. We do not want any donations or proceeds from anything he does." Russell says he's going figure out another charity to donate proceeds from his February 7th concert in Hermosa Beach, California.
Rocknotes for Thursday January 17, 2013
Great White singer Jack Russell will mark the 10th anniversary of the Station Nightclub fire with a benefit concert. The acoustic show will take place February 7th in Hermosa Beach, California with all proceeds going to the Station Fire Memorial Foundation. February 20th marks the 10th anniversary of the fire that killed 100 people during a Great White show in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx will unveil a new bass this month. The Schecter Sixx Signature Series Bass will be launched at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California on January 26th. Sixx will be doing a signing at 3:00 p.m. that day at the Schecter booth. Sixx says, "It was important to all of us to design a bass that would feel right as well as sound amazing in the hands of all players, not just me. Every detail about the new Schecter Sixx comes from all of our collective experiences – whether it's my 30 years of playing live and recording or Schecter's unprecedented standards for making quality instruments for players of all genres.”
One of Alex Lifeson's old guitars will be reproduced for charity. The Rush guitarist has given ax-maker Freddy Gebrsek permission to create and sell replicas of the Hentor Sportscaster, the guitar Lifeson used extensively during the early 1980s. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Grapes Under Pressure charity. In other Rush news, the release of band's Clockwork Angels Live DVD is not May 21st as previously announced. It's expected to come out in the early fall.
Rocknotes for Wednesday January 16, 2013
A car once used by the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury now has a new owner. The UK's "Daily Telegraph" says the singer's Rolls Royce was expected to fetch between 14-thousand-400 and 17-thousand-700 dollars at the Coys auction in Birmingham, England over the weekend. But when it went under the hammer on Saturday bidding climbed into the six figures before a Russian businessman got the car for just under 119-thousand dollars. The 1974 Rolls Silver Shadow features a grey leather interior and wood trim, with automatic windows, a radio cassette player, and a car phone. Mercury bought the car in 1979 through his Goose Productions company, and used it until his death in 1991. Since then the car had been with Freddie's family, who last used it to attend the 2002 premiere of the Queen musical "We Will Rock You." In addition, Mercury reportedly didn't put any of the 62-thousand miles on the car himself. He never actually drove the vehicle but used chauffeurs, because he didn't have a driver's license.
Beatles fans are getting the chance to hear the band's story from a fresh perspective. The film "Good Ol' Freda" is among the titles slated to be screened at the upcoming South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival. The event runs from March 8th through the 16th in Austin, Texas. According to the Fab Four website Beatles-Unlimited.com, the film chronicles the experiences of Freda Kelly, who served as The Beatles' secretary from their early days playing before a handful of people at Liverpool's Cavern Club through their breakup in 1970. Freda was just 17 when she started the job, and once The Beatles split up she left the music business and started a family. She explains that she's never told her story before, both to preserve her own privacy and out of a sense of loyalty to the band. But Freda says she's now breaking her silence because she wants her grandson "to know what his Granny did in her youth" and for "him to be proud." The specific date that "Good Ol' Freda" will be screened hasn't been set yet. However, the SXSW showing will be the film's world premiere.
Rocknotes for Tuesday January 15, 2013
A new movie is reportedly in the works about Twisted Sister's early days. A post on the Twisted Sister In The Clubs (Unauthorized) 1976-1983 Facebook page is attributed to filmmaker Andrew Horn, who says he's "in the last stages" of a movie that covers the band's club days. He writes that it begins with the start of Twisted Sister, "in their earliest incarnation as a glam cover band" in New Jersey, and ends with the group "signing their deal with Atlantic at the end of '82 after their legendary appearance on 'The Tube' in the UK." Horn adds that the film includes "many performances in the clubs from that time and a lot of their legendary schtick," while it also tells "a great story." However, he doesn't offer any timeline for the project. He also doesn't say if any of the members of Twisted Sister are involved.
A new line of headphones has tapped AC/DC, Elvis Presley, and James Dean for design inspiration. MacObserver.com says the German company On.Earz is behind "The Legends" set, which was introduced in the U.S. at last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Presley and Dean estates as well as the Australian band have given the product their stamp of approval. The AC/DC cans have a black leather look, with studs bridging the top of the headband and the band's logo on the underside. The Elvis set has the look of brown leather over the earpieces and the top of the headband, while his signature is on the underside. The James Dean headphones have blue denim styling on the earpieces and top of the headband, with his signature on a red faux leather strip on the underside. The headphones also come with a cable with in-line microphone and other functions for smartphone use. On.Earz's "Legends" headphones are expected to arrive in U.S. stores within the next few months, retailing for 99-dollars.
"The Legends" weren't the only headphones introduced at last week's Vegas show. Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister was on hand at the event to launch his new Motörheadphones.
Rocknotes for Monday
Black Sabbath have set June as the month they will release an album they are calling 13. It's the band's first studio effort with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years. 13 was produced by Rick Rubin and features Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine on drums in place of Bill Ward, who could not come to financial terms with the band. It will be released on an incarnation of the band's original record label, Vertigo. Sabbath will tour the world in support of the release with New Zealand and Australia up first in late April and May followed by one date in Tokyo in mid-May.
Lynyrd Skynyrd has joined the roster of artists performing at inaugural balls this month. They'll headline the 2013 Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Concert Ball honoring the military on January 20th at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. The invitation-only event is sponsored by Citizens Helping Heroes, the Washington Humane Society's Dog Tags program and the Green Beret Foundation. House speaker John Boehner is a co-host of the event.
Ted Nugent might have a gotten a call from concerned friends Thursday night wondering if he was still alive. Some comedians on Twitter started a hashtag called #RIPTedNugent and it quickly spread, with various people dreaming up interesting ways for Nugent to die. Most of them can't be said on the radio, but some clean ones included "Humped to death by an elk," "electrocuted trying to climb into the panda habitat at the San Diego Zoo with a crossbow" and "scratch-induced feline AIDS complications." That last one is a play on "Cat Scratch Fever."
Rocknotes for Thursday January 10, 2013
Def Leppard are no longer recording for Universal and if singer Joe Elliott has his way, they never will again. He says the dispute has to do with royalties for digital downloads and tells us the label reneged on a deal. Elliott says, “Until we can come to some kind of humane conclusion to this ridiculous stand-off, we’re going to say, ‘[Screw] you!’ It’s our life and our music, and we’re not going to let them exploit us to the extent that they’re trying to... Between us, Bon Jovi and U2, we built that company. We built their penthouse sushi bar, wherever it may be, and they just treated us like [crap]." Def Leppard are re-recording and re-releasing some of their earlier material online.
Rush's Geddy Lee will be one of many Canadian celebrities appearing on the February 4th episode of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Joining him will be Alan Thicke, Paul Shaffer, Jason Priestley, Alex Trebek, k.d. Lang, former Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page and former hockey great Luc Robitaille. Cobie Smulders's character, Robin, is a Canadian transplant living in New York.
There probably aren't too many people who know that the non-meat eating Paul McCartney and the meat-pushing fast-food chain McDonald's, in Australia, share the same nickname -- Macca. But they do, which leads one to wonder what the cute Macca must think of Mickey D's Down Under temporarily changing its name to Macca's at select locations in celebration of Australia Day, which falls on January 26th. According to a national survey, "Macca's" is the second most recognized Australianism, just behind "footy" for Australian rules football. Paul "Macca" McCartney was unavailable for comment.
David Bowie is celebrating his 66th birthday today (Tuesday) by releasing his first new music in nearly a decade. Just after midnight ET, a message was posted on his Facebook account alerting fans to visit his official website with the words, "Think we're in for a big surprise...This is really turning out to be quite some birthday!" above a big question mark. Once fans click through to Bowie's site, they learned his new single "Where Are We Now?," produced by long-time collaborator Tony Visconti, is now available via iTunes and a video for the track has been posted on the site via Vimeo. And, The Next Day, Bowie's first studio album since 2003's Reality, will be released March 12th in the U.S. The album, Bowie's 30th studio effort, can be pre-ordered now via iTunes in a standard edition and a deluxe version featuring three bonus tracks. Bowie has been a virtual recluse since suffering a heart attack in 2004, but he does appear in the new video -- or at least his head does.
Like KISS, the Scorpions announced and went on a farewell tour -- and, like KISS, it doesn't look as though they're hanging it up soon. Singer Klaus Meinesays, "As the emotion built, it [not retiring] became a gradual decision. It’s one thing to say, ‘This is going to be the end of the Scorpions’ and another to do it. Our Sting in the Tail album [from 2010] was such a success that a whole new generation of fans joined the party. It was amazing. And you know that with all the best parties, it’s sometimes hard to find the door.” Up next for the German outfit is a new album with some material from the early '80s that they never released, and they're also talking about recording a complete new collection of songs.
Rocknotes for Monday January 7, 2013
Scott Weiland may be pushing for a Velvet Revolver reunion, but Slash says it's not happening. Weiland claimed in a recent interview that it was "the perfect time" for a Velvet Revolver reunion and both he and the band are "completely open to it." That's news to Slash, who says, "None of us have a clue what he's talking about…We're not buying it." Slash made the comments in the new issue of Classic Rock, saying that Weiland "just got fired from STP" and he's "trying to get something else going on," but "the door's shut on this side and it's probably shut on that side too, so he's on his own. And he deserves it, too." Velvet Revolver did reunite for a four-song set with Weiland at a tribute concert last January, but other than that, the band has been mothballed.
Brett Morgen, who directed The Rolling Stones' film Crossfire Hurricane, is talking a big game about his upcoming Kurt Cobain movie. Morgen has already said he wants to make the project about the late Nirvana frontman unlike a standard documentary. And now he tells NME, "We're hoping the Cobain film, that'll hopefully be released in 2014, will be this generation's The Wall –- a mix of animation and live action that'll allow the audience to experience Kurt in a way they never have before. It's very ambitious."
Mick Jagger says The Rolling Stones will tour in 2013. The only catch is that they haven't figure out how to do it yet. Jagger tells Rolling Stone, "There have been quite a few offers. I'm going to see what's on the table and discuss it with everyone. We'll announce it when we've figured it out." Keith Richards adds, "Really, all you're going to have to do is wait for an announcement. [The anniversary shows] went like a dream, at the same speed, man. But we barely got off the starting blocks. It would be dopey to bring things up to this level and say, 'Well, that's that, 50 years, bye-bye.'"
Rocknotes for Friday January 4, 2013
Guns n' Roses guitarist Bumblefoot has called out NME for misquoting him. The magazine reported on an alleged interview the guitarist did with Metal Hammer about being on time for shows and included a comment that was posted on Metal Hammer's website -- "Remember kids, only massive goobers make a habit of not being on time." One problem -- Bumblefoot never said that. The guitarist posted a response on his Facebook page, writing, "Some 'info' sites will twist anything into an attack on Axl... Not only [did NME] make up quotes that aren't true (I've never used the term "massive goobers" in my life), I also didn't speak to Metal Hammer. NME is using a piece of an interview I did with Ryze-Up magazine. If NME is going to point fingers, they should have more integrity and class in what they do, yes?" But Bumblefoot does think the advice in the quote was solid. "I'm at the venue early, I'll have dinner with crew, watch opening acts, get warmed up, I'm at every meet-n-greet, and I'm ready to get on stage at show time. That's me. My advice was for musicians starting out -- hopefully it served its positive purpose."
The movement to name Birmingham, England's airport after Ozzy Osbourne might not get off the ground. A spokesman for the airport tells the Birmingham Mail, "We've no plans to re-name the airport, so not quite sure where the story's come from, but we're certainly not in discussions." The story got its start last week when the people that wanted to start a Black Sabbath Day in Birmingham talked publicly about changing their efforts to re-naming the airport.
Rocknotes for Wednesday January 2, 2013
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Roger Waters made a lot of money playing concerts around the world in 2012. Pollstar, the concert trade publication, says that Springsteen grossed $210.2 million from 81 shows to land the second-biggest tour of the year. Waters placed third with $186.4 million from 72 concerts. The top-grosser worldwide was Madonna, who raked in $296.1 million from 88 shows. Coldplay came in fourth with $171.3 million, Metallica at number-eight with $86.1 million, Elton John at number-nine with $69.9 million and Red Hot Chili Peppers at number-10 with $57.8 million.
Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy is on the disabled list after breaking his collarbone in a mountain biking accident this past weekend. This has resulted in him not being able to participate in Monday night's tribute to Led Zeppelin in Las Vegas -- The Moby Dicks. Frankie Banali from Quiet Riot is expected to take his place. Tichy hopes to be able to take part in another John Bonham tribute, Bonzo Bash NAMM Jamm 2013, during the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California on January 24th. In addition to Whitesnake, Tichy has drummed for Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Foreigner.
When it comes to vintage rock T-shirts, Black Sabbath is the best. Their U.S. tour shirt from 1978 tops a list of the best-selling tees, according to U.K. retailer HMV. The Sabbath shirt got a boost in sales after it was worn by Robert Downey Junior in the Avengers movie. Led Zeppelin grabbed the number-two and three slots, followed by David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
1. Black Sabbath - U.S. Tour 78 2. Led Zeppelin - U.S.A. 77 3. Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day 4. David Bowie - Smoking 5. Bruce Springsteen - Sand Tour 5. Foo Fighters - Gold logo 6. AC/DC - Angus and Brian 7. Metallica - Skull Explosion 8. Rolling Stones - Union Jack Tongue 9. Beatles - Sgt. Pepper 10. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Rocknotes for Wednesday January 2, 2013
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Roger Waters made a lot of money playing concerts around the world in 2012. Pollstar, the concert trade publication, says that Springsteen grossed $210.2 million from 81 shows to land the second-biggest tour of the year. Waters placed third with $186.4 million from 72 concerts. The top-grosser worldwide was Madonna, who raked in $296.1 million from 88 shows. Coldplay came in fourth with $171.3 million, Metallica at number-eight with $86.1 million, Elton John at number-nine with $69.9 million and Red Hot Chili Peppers at number-10 with $57.8 million.
Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy is on the disabled list after breaking his collarbone in a mountain biking accident this past weekend. This has resulted in him not being able to participate in Monday night's tribute to Led Zeppelin in Las Vegas -- The Moby Dicks. Frankie Banali from Quiet Riot is expected to take his place. Tichy hopes to be able to take part in another John Bonham tribute, Bonzo Bash NAMM Jamm 2013, during the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California on January 24th. In addition to Whitesnake, Tichy has drummed for Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Foreigner.
When it comes to vintage rock T-shirts, Black Sabbath is the best. Their U.S. tour shirt from 1978 tops a list of the best-selling tees, according to U.K. retailer HMV. The Sabbath shirt got a boost in sales after it was worn by Robert Downey Junior in the Avengers movie. Led Zeppelin grabbed the number-two and three slots, followed by David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
1. Black Sabbath - U.S. Tour 78 2. Led Zeppelin - U.S.A. 77 3. Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day 4. David Bowie - Smoking 5. Bruce Springsteen - Sand Tour 5. Foo Fighters - Gold logo 6. AC/DC - Angus and Brian 7. Metallica - Skull Explosion 8. Rolling Stones - Union Jack Tongue 9. Beatles - Sgt. Pepper 10. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Rocknotes for Wednesday January 2, 2013
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Roger Waters made a lot of money playing concerts around the world in 2012. Pollstar, the concert trade publication, says that Springsteen grossed $210.2 million from 81 shows to land the second-biggest tour of the year. Waters placed third with $186.4 million from 72 concerts. The top-grosser worldwide was Madonna, who raked in $296.1 million from 88 shows. Coldplay came in fourth with $171.3 million, Metallica at number-eight with $86.1 million, Elton John at number-nine with $69.9 million and Red Hot Chili Peppers at number-10 with $57.8 million.
Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy is on the disabled list after breaking his collarbone in a mountain biking accident this past weekend. This has resulted in him not being able to participate in Monday night's tribute to Led Zeppelin in Las Vegas -- The Moby Dicks. Frankie Banali from Quiet Riot is expected to take his place. Tichy hopes to be able to take part in another John Bonham tribute, Bonzo Bash NAMM Jamm 2013, during the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California on January 24th. In addition to Whitesnake, Tichy has drummed for Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Foreigner.
When it comes to vintage rock T-shirts, Black Sabbath is the best. Their U.S. tour shirt from 1978 tops a list of the best-selling tees, according to U.K. retailer HMV. The Sabbath shirt got a boost in sales after it was worn by Robert Downey Junior in the Avengers movie. Led Zeppelin grabbed the number-two and three slots, followed by David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
1. Black Sabbath - U.S. Tour 78 2. Led Zeppelin - U.S.A. 77 3. Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day 4. David Bowie - Smoking 5. Bruce Springsteen - Sand Tour 5. Foo Fighters - Gold logo 6. AC/DC - Angus and Brian 7. Metallica - Skull Explosion 8. Rolling Stones - Union Jack Tongue 9. Beatles - Sgt. Pepper 10. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Rocknotesfor Friday December 28, 2012
Thin Lizzy, now known as Black Star Riders, will start recording their first album of original material in 30 years next week in Los Angeles. With guitarist Scott Gorham the only member from the Phil Lynott era of Lizzy left, they will work with producer Kevin Shirley on the new songs, which, according to their A&R man, Monte Conner, "Sound like classic Thin Lizzy. Black Star Riders totally capture the essence of what was great about the original band while at the same time adding something totally fresh and modern. Even when I heard the band decided to change their name, my interest in signing them did not waver for one second." The new album will be out in May on Nuclear Blast records.
Pearl Jam have sent their annual Christmas fan club single out -- and it's on time for once. Previous years' singles have come out as much as six months after the holiday, but the 2012 edition is in fans' hands now. It features two tracks from Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary shows in East Troy, Wisconsin on September 3rd and 4th, 2011 -- "All Night" and "In the Moonlight," featuring Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on vocals. Check it out below.
The benefit album from this month's 12-12-12 concert didn't sell as much as organizers expected. Billboard reports that the digital album had about 60,000 pre-orders in the week before its release, leading to expectations that 150,000 copies could be sold in its first week out. But it sold only 82,000 copies, landing it at number-nine on the Billboard 200 chart. The album includes cuts from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Roger Waters, The Who, Billy Joel, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Alicia Keys and Paul McCartney. All proceeds go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund.
Thursday December 27, 2012
The Black Crowes will look a bit different when they hit the road next spring. Guitarist Luther Dickinson has left the band and will be replaced by singer-guitarist Jackie Greene, who's been playing with Phil Lesh and Friends for a few years. Dickinson's last tour with the band is documented on a new live release called Wiser for the Time that's due out on March 19th. It's available as a digital double album and as a four-pieces of vinyl album set.
The Kennedy Center Honors, which were held on December 2nd at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will air tonight (Wednesday) at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. Among this year's honorees were Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, Dustin Hoffman and David Letterman. The honors, which are not limited to Americans, are the nation's highest award for those who've influenced American culture through the arts. Among those who performed Zeppelin songs were Foo Fighters doing "Rock and Roll" with Dave Grohl on drums and Taylor Hawkins on vocals, and Kid Rock covering "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Ramble On." Lenny Kravitz did a fine Robert Plant impression on "Whole Lotta Love," and to cap it off, Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John and a participant in the band's 2007 reunion show, joined Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart for "Stairway to Heaven" that also featured a choir. The members of Zeppelin loved the performance, with Plant becoming teary-eyed. Jeff Beck and Bonnie Raitt helped pay tribute to Buddy Guy.
Rocknotes for Wednesday December 26, 2012
Led Zeppelin is among the greats receiving a special salute at this year's Kennedy Center Honors gala. Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson and drummer Jason Bonham, the son of Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham, rock the Kennedy Center Opera House to pay tribute to the band with a performance of the classic "Stairway To Heaven." Lenny Kravitz, the Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, and Jack Black also contribute to the Zeppelin salute. Bonnie Raitt and Jeff Beck are also on hand, joining Morgan Freeman, Tracy Chapman, and Gary Clark, Jr. in honoring blues great Buddy Guy. Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Ray Romano, and Jimmy Kimmel are among those who pay tribute to David Letterman. Robert De Niro helps recognize Dustin Hoffman, while ballerina Natalia Makarova is also honored. Rocker Jimmie Vaughan, actress Naomi Watts, and actor-comedian Billy Connolly are some of the other stars who also take the stage to salute the 2012 Kennedy Center Honorees. The concert event was taped in Washington, DC earlier this month to cap off two days of festivities recognizing the Honorees. The guests of honor watched the show with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama from the Presidential Box. Highlights from the 35th annual Kennedy Center Honors will air as a special on CBS Wednesday night.
Rocknotes for Monday December 24, 2012
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood said "I do" for the third time when he married British theater producer Sally Humphreys in a small ceremony Friday in London. At 34, Sally is 31 years younger than the guitarist. The bride wore her mother's wedding dress, while Woody sported a navy suit. His best man was Rod Stewart. Three of Wood's four kids were on hand, along with Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy. None of the other Stones attended the reception at the Dorchester Hotel.
Thin Lizzy have revealed their new name. Guitarist Scott Gorhamsays they will now be known as The Black Star Riders. Gorham explains, “Thin Lizzy is a partnership between drummer Brian Downey and myself and the estate of the late singer and bassist Phil Lynott. As we were writing these new songs, I started to feel uncomfortable. I just felt, ‘This isn’t quite right without Phil.’ So this is a new album by a new band. And I think it’s the right decision.” Downey will no longer be part of the lineup as he wants to spend less time touring. Megadeth and White Lion drummer Jimmy DeGrasso is now on board. 15 songs have been written, and they'll start recording with producer Kevin Shirley in January, with a release set for May.
Rocknotes for Friday December 14, 2012
Randy Rhoads: The Quiet Riot Years had its premiere Wednesday at L.A.'s Skirball Cultural Center. The new documentary about the late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist's early years was followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers as well as Quiet Riot's old fan club president and Jodi Raskin-Vigier, who was Rhoads' fiancée. The film explores the friendship between Rhoads and the late Quiet Riot frontman, Kevin Dubrow, the band's struggle to get an American recording deal and Rhoads' decision to audition for Osbourne. The filmmakers aren't sure what the plans are for the 90-minute documentary. It's currently included as a bonus DVD with a book of the same name, which is available though RedMatchProductions.com.
The screening was attended by:
Rhoads' high school buddy and original Quiet Riot drummer Drew Forsyth, who flew in from Hawaii, where he's now a soundman.
Quiet Riot bassists Rudy Sarzo and Sean McNabb Laura Mandell, mother of Kevin Dubrow
Former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde
Rocknotes for Thursday December 13, 2012
A lineup of veteran musicians that have been in Black Sabbath, Motley Crue and AC/DC are touring overseas as the Classic Rock All Stars. Ex-Rainbow and Black Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondinelli, ex-AC/DC and The Firm drummer Chris Slade, ex-Motley Crue singer John Corabi and ex-Dio guitarist Craig Goldy are among the members of the band. They'll do a 10 date tour of Russia in February. ZZ Top are selling a package of autographed items on eBay to raise funds for a veterans organization. Up for bids now through Monday are Dusty Hill’s Precision bass, a Billy Gibbons Stratocaster and a Frank Beard drumhead. The winning bidder will also get a call from Hill. Proceeds from the auction go to 1Matters.org - Veterans Matter, which helps find housing for homeless vets.
Mick Jagger's love life has always been big news -- and memorabilia from it just sold for big money. That collection of love letters the Rolling Stones frontman sent then-galpal Marsha Hunt in 1969 sold at auction for just over $300,000 -- twice what it was expected to bring. Sotheby's of London says Jagger sent the 10 handwritten notes while on location in Australia filming the movie Ned Kelly. Hunt, the mother of Mick's oldest daughter Karis, is thought to be the inspiration for the Stones' 1971 hit "Brown Sugar."
Rocknotes for Wednesday December 12, 2012
Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Bruce Springsteen and many others will come together Wednesday night for 12/12/12 The Concert for Sandy Relief at New York's Madison Square Garden. Proceeds from the sold-out show will go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will disperse the funds to non-profit groups that are helping the tens of thousands of people throughout the Tri-State area who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. If you don't have a ticket to the show, you can still have a front row seat as it will be on TV, online, in movie theaters and on the radio. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will kick it off at 7:30 and Paul McCartney will close it out. The others who will fill in the three-and-a-half hours in between are Eddie Vedder, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Chris Martin, Dave Grohl and a slew of celebrities including Billy Crystal, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon and many others. An album of highlights will be released by Columbia via iTunes, and no doubt there will also be a DVD down the road as well.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the six artists being inducted in 2013. Rush, Heart, Randy Newman, Albert King, Public Enemy and Donna Summer will be inducted in ceremonies held April 18th at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Legendary producer Quincy Jones and producer-label head Lou Adler will be inducted as winners of the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers. The ceremony will be shown on HBO later in the spring. The acts that did not get voted in this time around are The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, The Meters, N.W.A. and Procol Harum.
Rocknotes for Tuesday December 11, 2012
Deep Purple have set April as the release date for their next album, their 19th studio effort. As for the title, singer Ian Gillan says, "There's a big question mark over the name at the moment. And possibly an exclamation mark as well. You can read what you like into what I've just said. All will become clear -- as mud -- later on. That's all I'm allowed to say. The question mark and the exclamation mark might get you intrigued." However, we can give you some of the 13 song titles, which include "Out Of Hand," "Hell to Pay," "Weirdistan," "Uncommon Man" and "Above and Beyond." The album, recorded in Nashville, was produced by Bob Ezrin.
Joe Perrytweets that his autobiography will be published by Simon and Schuster on November 2nd, 2013. He adds that he and his co-writer David Ritz finished the book's outline while on tour with Aerosmith. And Perry tells us that he'd like to release an expanded version with a best-of CD from his solo career. Perry and Aerosmith are down to the last two shows on the 2012 leg of their Global Warming Tour -- Tuesday in Tampa, Florida and Thursday in Nashville. Cheap Trick opens.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea will announce the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2013 tomorrow (Tuesday) in Los Angeles. Flea and his bandmates were inducted in Cleveland this past April. The press conference is being held in Los Angeles to mark the return of the induction ceremony to the city for the first time since 1993. The 15 acts on the ballot this year are The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Heart, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Albert King, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, The Meters, Randy Newman, N.W.A, Procol Harum, Public Enemy, Rush and Donna Summer. The 28th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held April 18th at L.A.'s Nokia Theater and air later on HBO.
Rocknotes for Monday December 10, 2012
The Rolling Stones are upping the star power for their final final 50th anniversary show Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. Bruce Springsteen, The Black Keys and Lady Gaga will join the Stones at the One More Shot concert that will be shown on pay-per-view on cable and streamed on Yahoo starting at 9:00 p.m. ET. Springsteen and the Stones are also performing Wednesday at 12-12-12: A Concert for Sandy Relief at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil needs to learn that cameras are everywhere. Four months after being filmed screaming at a parking attendant, Neil was taped on December 1st taking a swing at a fan during a solo show in New Mexico. Neil had just started performing "Kickstart My Heart" when the fan did something that upset him. Neil stopped the song and started yelling at the guy to leave. When the guy started yelling back, the singer reached back and tried to punch the fan but missed. Security rushed in and escorted the troublemaker out of the show, and Neil got back to singing the song.
ZZ Top's Dusty Hill says he plans to wear a beard forever. The bassist tells "The Las Vegas Sun" that facial hair has been a part of his image since he was a teenager, explaining that he's had a moustache since he was 16. But he admits that he was clean-shaven when he started his performing career. Hill says he played with different "show bands," and would visit a barber twice a week to get a really close shave. But the 63-year-old rocker admits those days were so long ago that he can't "remember what it feels like" to have a razor run across his face. Hill says these days nobody he knows today -- not even his wife -- has ever seen him without the whiskers. He explains that the long beard isn't just his ZZ Top image but it's a part of him, so even if he retires he's not going to shave.
Rocknotes for Friday December 7, 2012
In addition to hopefully re-releasing the entire Led Zeppelin catalog soon, Jimmy Page also has other tapes in his archive that he'd like to get out. Among them are the sessions he did with Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes, when they were trying to form band called XYZ. "The material was good," says Page, adding that he has the multi-tracks. As for the name of the band, it stood for ex-Yes and ex-Zeppelin. Robert Plant was asked to sing, but he declined. Also in the vault is a live Yardbirds album from 1968, which came out in 1971 until Page forced the label to withdraw it.
Motley Crue singer Vince Neil could be starring in his own reality show about being a pilot. Neil is shown learning how to fly on two episodes of the PBS series The Aviators airing this month.Entertainment Weekly reports that Neil has signed a deal with Four Points Television, which produces The Aviators, to star in a reality series that will follow him through the final stages of becoming a licensed pilot. Vince Neil…Escapes will follow Neil as he works with a flight instructor, attempts to overcome obstacles with the FAA (his DUI record comes into play) and flies to various locations in North America and the Caribbean. Neil says, “It’s not about having a reality show. But if it’s going to keep me flying, and I am basically getting paid to get better as a pilot, then absolutely! I’ll have that sea plane going to the Caribbean sooner than I thought.” Now all he needs is a network that agrees to air the series.
Rocknotes for Thursday December 6, 2012
The E! Network will air a Rolling Stones special on December 15th ahead of their pay-per-view special. Live From the Rolling Stones will air at 8 p.m. ET ahead of their final show of the year at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. E! is promising interviews with the Stones along with behind-the-scenes footage from the venue. The pay-per-view event, One More Shot, is available through most major cable providers for $39.99. The Stones are in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday followed by the two Newark shows next week.
Is the world ready for a Michael Stipe- Courtney Love duet? Johnny Depp thinks so. He's an executive producer of Son of Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys, a sequel to Rogue's Gallery, the 2006 compilation inspired by Depp's film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. This new double album includes the R.E.M. frontman and Hole frontwoman duetting on "Rio Grande" and includes contributions from The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards (who appeared in the Pirates film series), Todd Rundgren and Richard Thompson, and a collaboration between Depp and Patti Smith. The album is due out February 19th.
Rocknotesfor Wednesday December 5, 2012
Speak up about banning guns and endure the wrath of Ted Nugent. The gun-toting guitarist has now set his sights on sportscaster Bob Costas, who, during NBC's Sunday Night Football halftime show, commented on the murder-suicide of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. Quoting an article by FOX Sports columnist Jason Whitlock, Costas said, "Our current gun culture ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience-store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead. Hand guns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it ... If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today." This got Nugent's attention, who tweets, "We thought Bob Costas was smarter than that. Only fools blame tools instead of human failings. Shame Bob ... Blaming guns for crime is like blaming helmets for headbutts. WTF Costas! You've lost it ... Hey Bob Costas, we all know that obesity is a direct result of the proliferation of spoons and forks. Get a clue ... Bob Costas has clearly lost his mind. Inanimate objects are the problem, not murderers. Brilliant." Costas has yet to comment specifically on Nugent's rant.
The Rolling Stones have announced the special guests for their first 50th anniversary show in the U.S. Mary J. Blige, who sang "Gimme Shelter" at the first show in London, and guitarist Gary Clark Junior will join the Stones Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Former Stones members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, who performed at both London shows, are not expected to perform at the U.S. concerts this month.
Rocknotes for Monday December 3, 2012
The members of Led Zeppelin will do a rare joint TV interview Monday night on The Late Show With David Letterman. The appearance by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones comes the day after they -- and Letterman -- are receiving Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. That program will be shown on CBS on December 26th.
Alice Cooper was in Hollywood performing Thursday night, so it's no surprise that invited a Hollywood star to join him. Johnny Depp brought his guitar and helped Alice with covers of The Doors' "Break on Through," The Beatles' "Revolution," Jimi Hendrix's "Foxey Lady" and The Who's "My Generation." He also played on Cooper's own "I'm Eighteen," "Under My Wheels," "Poison" and "Schools Out." This was not their first time onstage together, nor likely to be the last. Depp will join Cooper at his annual Christmas Pudding benefit next Saturday in Phoenix. Cooper had a cameo in Dark Shadows, which starred Depp.
Metallica have gained control of their entire back catalog. The band announced on Friday that the rights to their masters had reverted back to them as part of the deal they signed with Elektra Records back in 1994. The band has launched a new label, Blackened Recordings, to handle reissues of their back catalog and all future releases. First up for Blackened is a DVD called Quebec Magnetic, which has highlights from the band's two-night stint in the Canadian city in 2009. That's due out December 10th.
Rocknotes for Monday December 3, 2012
The members of Led Zeppelin will do a rare joint TV interview Monday night on The Late Show With David Letterman. The appearance by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones comes the day after they -- and Letterman -- are receiving Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. That program will be shown on CBS on December 26th.
Alice Cooper was in Hollywood performing Thursday night, so it's no surprise that invited a Hollywood star to join him. Johnny Depp brought his guitar and helped Alice with covers of The Doors' "Break on Through," The Beatles' "Revolution," Jimi Hendrix's "Foxey Lady" and The Who's "My Generation." He also played on Cooper's own "I'm Eighteen," "Under My Wheels," "Poison" and "Schools Out." This was not their first time onstage together, nor likely to be the last. Depp will join Cooper at his annual Christmas Pudding benefit next Saturday in Phoenix. Cooper had a cameo in Dark Shadows, which starred Depp.
Metallica have gained control of their entire back catalog. The band announced on Friday that the rights to their masters had reverted back to them as part of the deal they signed with Elektra Records back in 1994. The band has launched a new label, Blackened Recordings, to handle reissues of their back catalog and all future releases. First up for Blackened is a DVD called Quebec Magnetic, which has highlights from the band's two-night stint in the Canadian city in 2009. That's due out December 10th.
Rocknotes for Friday November 30, 2012
The Doors' 1968 Hollywood Bowl concert will be available for pay-per-view screening December 5th via Facebook. Considered one of the band's greatest performances, the show was recently restored using the original negatives and now sports three previously unreleased tracks. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek says, "The quality is stunning, mind-blowing; it's like being there right on that Hollywood Bowl stage with me, Jim [Morrison], John [Densmore] and Robby." The $5 fee includes 30-days access to the stream, plus the ability to stream The Doors Box Set and an online Q&A session with Manzarek and former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, who was the last journalist reporter to interview Morrison.
The black Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix set on fire at Monterey Pop has sold for $380,000! Britain's NME reports that the guitar is the subject of some controversy. Some have claimed that Hendrix switched guitars just before his famous pyrotechnic display. Regardless, the price was double what Fame Bureau auctioneers had estimated before the bidding began.
AC/DC's catalog is a big success on iTunes so far. Following the band's long holdout from the service, the first week of sales reached 48,000 albums and 696,000 songs. The biggest-seller so far is Back in Black, with 15,000 copies downloaded. Highway to Hell came in second, with just under 5,000 copies. "Thunderstruck" was the most popular individual song, with 85,000 copies downloaded, and debuts at number-16 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. There were 14 AC/DC songs that reached 10,000 downloads last week.
Rocknotes for Wednesday November 28, 2012
One of the shows many people would have given their left arm to see this year was Van Halen at the tiny Cafe Wha in New York's Greenwich Village. Once owned by David Lee Roth's uncle, Manny Roth, Dave gives a history of the club in the latest episode of The Roth Show, his online talk show in which he talks to himself. He says "Wha" was how his Russian grandmother said "what." Also discussed in this episode is the origins of his Eat 'Em and Smile album, the video for "Goin' Crazy" and more.
If you're in the market for a unique Christmas gift with a musical twist, then maybe the Rock Legends Cruise 2 is just the ticket. Not only does the January voyage from Florida feature Paul Rodgers, Foreigner, Bachman & Turner, Blue Oyster Cult, 38 Special and many others, but it will also benefit the Native American Heritage Association, which provides basic life necessities, including fuel assistance and medical transportation to 90,000 people. There will be upwards of 70 performances, question-and-answer sessions, and, here's something different -- a prayer service on the Sunday morning of the cruise led by 38 Special and featuring some of the other acts. For more info log onto Rock Legends Cruise.com.
Rocknotes for Tuesday November 27, 2012
According to some of the readers of Rolling Stone, The Who's first concert album, 1970's Live at Leeds, tops a poll of the 10 Best Live Albums of All-Time. It is followed by: 2) The Allman Brothers Band - Live at the Fillmore East 3) Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive 4) The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out 5) KISS - Alive 6) Deep Purple - Made in Japan 7) Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus 8) Nirvana - Unplugged in New York 9) The Band - The Last Waltz 10) Bob Seger - Live Bullet
This Tuesday would have been Jimi Hendrix's 70th birthday. He was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27th, 1942 in Seattle and his name was changed to James Marshall Hendrix in 1946 in honor of his father James Al Hendrix and Al's late brother, Leon Marshall. Jimmy Hendrix (he changed the spelling to Jimi in 1966) started playing guitar when he was 15. Before striking out as a solo artist he served in the U.S. Army and performed on the Chitlin' Circuit, playing in bands that backed the likes of Wilson Pickett, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Hendrix died on September 18th, 1970 from a drug overdose. In celebration of his short career, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hosted a Gallery Talk on Tuesday in the Jimi Hendrix exhibit.
The Rolling Stones kicked off their 50th anniversary celebration Sunday night at London's O2 Arena by turning in a 25-song set. Opening with Lennon and McCartney's "I Wanna Be Your Man," they ended two-and-a-half hours later with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Playing on a newly designed stage in the shape of their lips and tongue logo, with a giant video screen in the mouth, the curve of the tongue extended out into the audience, allowing Mick Jagger to walk out and be closer to those in the middle of the arena. In addition to their longtime backing band that includes former Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell and sax player Bobby Keys, they were joined by Mary J. Blige on "Gimme Shelter," Jeff Beck on Freddie King's "Going Down," which he used to do in The Jeff Beck Group, and former Stones bassist Bill Wyman on "It's Only Rock n' Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women," and former guitarist Mick Taylor on "Midnight Rambler." Their second London show is Thursday followed by one in Brooklyn, New York on December 8th and two in Newark, New Jersey on December 13th and 15th.
Guns N' Roses might have a concert film on the way next year. The band's official Twitter revealed that their show Wednesday night in Las Vegas was filmed by 3D cameras. The concert was part of the band's residency at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. The next to last show of the run on Friday night saw former GNR guitarist Izzy Stardlin join Axl Rose and company for "14 Years" and a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers."
Bon Jovi has finally spoken out about his daughter Stephanie's overdose earlier this month. He says, "This tragedy was something that I had to face, too, so we'll get through it. And people's warm wishes for my family have been really reassuring, so we're good." ButUs Weekly reports that the family is still a mess, citing a source who says, "No one had any idea she did those kind of drugs... Steph has a wild side, but she's not crazy partier." Stephanie OD'd on heroin on November 14th in her dorm room in New York State. She was arrested, but the charges were quickly dropped because state law prohibits prosecution of someone who's caught with drugs solely because emergency workers responded to an overdose.
An all-star lineup have contributed signed items to a Grammy auction starting on Black Friday. The Grammy Charity Black Friday sale is taking place at Ebay.com/Grammy November 23rd through December 23rd. Items up for bids include a VIP experience to attend the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring Bruce Springsteen on February 8th and passes to watch private rehearsals; VIP access at the Grammys on February 10th; and autographed items from Alice in Chains, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, Heart, John Mayer, Adele, Billy Idol, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks and many more.
If you are a diehard Led Zeppelin fan and picked up a copy of their new concert DVD, Celebration Day, which was released on Monday, then study it closely and perhaps you too, like Jason Bonham, will see something that he says was also in the band's first concert film, The Song Remains the Same. He says when he was playing with Zeppelin at that 2007 reunion show in London, there was a moment when he thought, "Wow, I'm playing with Led Zeppelin." But it was a look that bassist John Paul Jones shot at him during the performance of "No Quarter" that reminded him of The Song Remains the Same. "He gave me the look and it probably wasn't probably for the same reason that he did [give it to] dad, but it was very, very special for me." Jones is not sure of the look, but jokes that it was the "'Where are we?' look." Celebration Day is also available on Blu-ray, CD and vinyl.
According to a poll by the British Phonographic Industry, Black Sabbath is the most important British hard rock band. 3600 hard rock and metal fans participated, and Sabbath garnered 45 percent of the vote. In a statement, Ozzy Osbourne and company say, “We are honored and flattered to be acknowledged in a poll like this which is voted for by the fans. We thank you.”
And in the same poll, Metallica's self-titled 1991 album -- a.k.a. "The Black Album" –- was the one disc that metal fans would recommend first to someone new to the genre. Here's the entire list:
1) Black Sabbath (45%)
2) Iron Maiden (22.6%)
3) Led Zeppelin (21.6%)
4) Motorhead (2.9%)
5) Deep Purple (2.3%)
6) Judas Priest (1.9%)
7) Other (3.6%)
On Monday, Led Zeppelin will finally release their 2007 reunion concert on CD, vinyl, DVD and Blu-ray. Celebration Day captures that December 10th, 2007 show at London's O2 Arena for which more than 20-million people tried to buy tickets. Billed as a tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, there was talk that it would also include The Rolling Stones and Cream, but in the end it was just Zeppelin, with a short opening set from Foreigner. Looking back on that night, Jimmy Page says, "We all played our hearts out." Robert Plant adds, "That night, we were just hanging on for dear life...and really enjoying it and taking beyond what we thought we were about." With Jason Bonham on drums in place of his late father John Bonham, and of course John Paul Jones on bass, it was Zeppelin's first public performance since 1988 and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
An all-star collection of artists have signed guitars to be auctioned off to benefit the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Tom Morello, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Metallica and The Alice Cooper Band are among the acts who've donated to the auction, which is set for December 1st at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. A preview of the auction will be held on Monday with Dio’s widow, Wendy Dio, and some musicians who donated instruments on hand.
The New York Postreports that the Aerosmith tour is not exactly going as planned. The band members are “barely speaking to each other.” There’s deep disappointment that CD sales have lagged below expectations. Demand for their new music is lackluster. Not one date on their concert tour is sold out. Plus, lead singer Steven Tyler appears to be distracted trying to juggle a tour and a failed engagement. But a spokesman for the band refutes the whispers: “It’s clear that someone is spreading false and malicious rumors. To give them any credence would only empower them to disseminate more lies.” Let’s just hope they get it together before their gig here in Columbus at Nationwide Arena on November 25.
Brett Morgen, who directed the Rolling Stones documentary Crossfire Hurricane, says he's finally going to start his long-delayed Kurt Cobain project. Morgen got permission and access to Cobain's archives from Courtney Love back in 2007, but other projects delayed him from working on the film. But now he says Teen Spirit is definitely going to come out in 2014. He says it will use a lot of stop-action animation Cobain made, and calls the film "a third party autobiography."
Paul McCartney, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Kanye West will headline a benefit concert next month in New York to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. A Concert for Sandy Relief will be held on December 12th -- 12.12.12 -- at Madison Square Garden and money raised will be administered directly to those who need it most through the Robin Hood Relief Fund. Also on the bill are Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Alicia Keys and Roger Waters. Hurricane Sandy is the worst natural disaster in the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina. It caused $50 billion in damages. More artists will be announced soon, as well as when tickets will go on sale.
Jimmy Page thought that in the five years since Led Zeppelin reunited in 2007 at London's O2 Arena that they would have gotten together for another show or two, but with the passage of time it looks more and more likely that it won't happen again. Jason Bonham adds, "As much as Robert Plant says how great a player I am, to him, Led Zeppelin really was John Bonham on drums and it was something they had together... It's never about the money. It has to be a feeling." So for now, Monday's release of that 2007 concert, Celebration Day on DVD, CD and vinyl, will have to do. Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience is in Montclair, New Jersey on Thursday.
Aerosmith's first studio album of original material in 11 years, Music From Another Dimension, will debut at number-five on next week's Billboard album chart after selling 63-thousand copies its first week in stores. That is 177-thousand less than 2001's Just Push Play and 98-thousand less than their album of blues covers, 2004's Honkin' on Bobo. While we have no idea when, if ever Aerosmith will record another album, Steven Tyler and Brad Whitford say they have enough material left over to head into the studio now. Until then, their Global Warming Tour with Cheap Trick pays a visit to Kansas City, Missouri Wednesday night and Austin, Texas on Friday and of course Nationwide Arena on Sunday November 25.
In celebration of their 50th anniversary, The Rolling Stones will release a new career-spanning best-of on Tuesday. Called GRRR!, it is available in five formats with either 50 or 80 tracks. It starts with their 1963 cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On" and contains all their biggest songs including their two new ones -- "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot" -- both of which were recorded this past August in Paris. These are their first new songs since 2005.
As for calling it GRRR as in grrreat, Mick Jagger tells us he can hear it rolling off the tongues of disc jockeys. The album cover is a painting by his friend Walter Ford of a gorilla sporting the Stones' tongue and lips logo. Jagger tells us it's the "500-pound gorilla in the room... I really like the piece."
The Stones have taken time out from their rehearsals in Paris to fly to New York for Tuesday night's premiere of their latest documentary, Crossfire Hurricane, at the Ziegfeld Theatre. It debuts on HBO Thursday.
And in case you missed it yesterday, they have added a third U.S. show, December 8th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
By now you may have heard that if you want to see The Rolling Stones in Newark, New Jersey next month, the tickets were priced at $845 for the best seats in the house down to $125 for the nosebleeds with $515, $295 and $190 in between. Guitarist Ronnie Wood was not too pleased about being questioned about the price structure, saying, "We've already spent a million on rehearsing in Paris. And the stage is going to be another few million. And the lights. We feel no bad thing about ticket prices. We've got to make something." The tickets for the two London shows later this month were no bargain either, but a little better than Newark. $685 was the top ticket price followed by $545, $415, $280 and $175.
A few observations:
1) All four shows are sold out, and did so in record time.
2) The Stones are arguably the greatest band, and the last of their kind. Their legendary status is only eclipsed by The Beatles, and since there is no way to ever see them again, the Stones will have to do.
3) Do the Stones need the money? No. Do they have to pay a staff that numbers in the hundreds? Yes.
4) It's us the fans who dictate what they can charge and since no one balked at the prices, then they can continue to charge and get their asking price.
5) This more than likely will be their last tour, so get them while you can.
6) The last Newark show will be broadcast on pay-per-view, so you can save a ton and still see the show.
7) And, no one is telling you that you have to spend the money and go. It's up to you.
Rocknotes for Thursday November 8, 2012
The Rolling Stones are ready to unveil their other new song. The band plans to debut the track "One More Shot" Thursday morning on BBC 6 Music Radio. "One More Shot" joins "Gloom And Doom" as the two new tracks on the Stones' upcoming retrospective collection, "GRRR!." The group introduced "Gloom And Doom" with a similar BBC broadcast premiere last month. The band recorded both songs earlier this year in Paris with producer Don Was. They're the first fresh tracks from the Stones in seven years, following 2005's "A Bigger Bang." "GRRR!" will be in stores on November 13th.
Lynyrd Skynyrd will play their new song, "Last of a Dyin' Breed," on Chopper Live: The Revenge on the Discovery Channel on December 11th. The show is part of the American Chopper series, and that song is a natural fit as it's about motorcycle gangs, which are featured in the video. But Skynyrd couldn't get away without tossing in a classic -- they'll also do "Sweet Home Alabama" during the show.
Guitarist Andy Summers says that he still has a "warm feeling" about his time in The Police -- and allows that the trio could reunite at some point. Summers says he got to thinking about the Police legacy while narrating the band documentary Can't Stand Losing You. He tells Billboard, "I never say never about anything; the world is strange, so who knows. Surely if you're human, there's a little part of you that wants this great stuff to carry on. You can't simplify it. It's a mix of 'Thank God it's over' and 'Why are we stopping?'" Summers will turn 70 next month. Can't Stand Losing You premieres Friday night in New York City.
David Gilmour is now an app. A DVD authoring group called The Pavement has created a technique whereby they convert DVDs into smartphone apps, and the first one in the world will be David Gilmour In Concert, which will be released on November 19th for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, with a version for Android phones to follow shortly. It contains the full DVD of the concert from 2001 at London's Royal Festival Hall. Among the songs are "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," "Wish You Were Here" and "Comfortably Numb."
The Who have re-released a live album today (Tuesday) that was previously available only on the Live at Leeds deluxe box set. Recorded the night after the Leeds show, February 15th, 1970, in Hull, England, Roger Daltrey says, "Hull was a better gig than Leeds. I remember it like it was yesterday, although in retrospect Live at Hull doesn’t really trip off the tongue!" This two-CD Live at Hull set contains 32 tracks including all of Tommy. What was missing from the original recordings was some of John Entwistle's bass lines due to a recording mix-up. They were replaced by his bass tracks from the Leeds show.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has updated his autobiography for its upcoming paperback edition. Iommi says Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell With Black Sabbath has new chapters, including the Sabbath reunion and his diagnosis with lymphoma.
The paperback edition will be published on December 11th. The book was published in hardcover in November 2011.
One of two films on The Rolling Stones hits stores this Tuesday on DVD and Blu-ray. In September 1965, they did four shows in Ireland with a film crew in tow. The resulting footage became Charlie Is My Darling, a documentary that has rarely been seen and has never been widely circulated. It was put together by their first manager and producer, Andrew Loog Oldham, who tells us his goal in making it was two-fold. "I wanted to get Mick and Keith in the mood for going and seeing film people to make a real film. The second reason was to get an idea of how did the camera love them off-stage." In Oldham's opinion, the camera fell in love with drummer Charlie Watts, which is why he named the film Charlie Is My Darling. On November 15th, the Stones' documentary Crossfire Hurricane will premiere on HBO and it contains a lot of footage from Charlie Is My Darling.
A line of men's clothing inspired by the lyrics of Jimi Hendrix is now on sale at Bloomingdale's. Designed by Lyric Culture, with input from Experience Hendrix, the Hendrix family-owned company formed to preserve and protect his musical legacy, the designs feature lyrics to some of Jimi's most popular songs combined with his image. Retailing from $48 to $98, the collection includes T-shirts, scarves, dress shirts, hoodies and cuff links. Bloomingdale's will also be selling Hendrix CDs released by Experience Hendrix through its partnership with Sony's Legacy division. To celebrate the line, Jimi's sister, Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, and Billy Cox, bassist in Jimi's Band of Gypsys, will sign copies of Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Lyric Book at Bloomingdale's flagship store in New York City Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
Due to overwhelming demand, Led Zeppelin's concert film, Celebration Day, a document of their 2007 reunion in London, will be shown in theaters again, this time on November 13th. The band's website has been getting 100,000 hits a day from fans -- 46,000 searches for local show times and 4,000 requests -- to bring the film back for one more night following its first run on October 17th when it was shown in 15,000 theaters around the world. For a list of theaters log onto Zeppelin's website. Celebration Day will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and vinyl on November 19th.
The Rolling Stones: 50 coffee table book is now available as an ebook. Created and designed specifically for the iBookstore, this is the band's official document of their 50 years, told in their own words. It contains over 12-hundred images and its interactive display allows you to scroll through archival negative strips of the band in concert and flick over the hundreds of options to curate and customize your own picture sequences. For speedy navigation, a simple pinch enables a chain of scrolling thumbnails of the entire enhanced eBook. For more details or to purchase a copy, log onto the iBookstore on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch or at iTunes.com/iBookstore, Amazon.co.uk and other digital bookstores.
Foreigner became the first act to do a live TV broadcast from L.A.'s Grammy Museum Tuesday night. The hour-long show aired on AXS.TV. It included a 25-minute interview with founding member Mick Jones and current singer Kelly Hansen and a 10-song acoustic performance by the entire band. The show will be repeated at different times on different cable and satellite systems, so check your local listings for when it airs. The Museum expects to do a series of live broadcasts with AXS.TV during the coming year, according to executive director Robert Santelli.
Ronnie Wood's spokeswoman confirms he has indeed gotten engaged, which means he may head to the altar for a third time. He popped the question to 34-year-old theatre producer Sally Humphreys, who is 31 years younger than Woody. His second marriage, to Jo Wood, ended in 2008 after he hooked up with a 20-something Russian cocktail waitress.
The bass used in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video is going up on the auction block. Christie's in London is auctioning off the instrument used by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and expect it to fetch close to $40,000. Novoselic bought the Zen-On bass from a pawn shop prior to the 1991 video shoot fully knowing he would bash it to pieces during filming. The body of the guitar was salvaged by one of the extras in the clip.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have both been in the studio recently, for very different projects. Page has been in a London studio re-mastering all of the band's albums. The work on the albums isn't that surprising, as Page told Mojo magazine last month that Zep were going to reissue their Complete Studio Recordings box -- which was first released in 1993 -- with additional unreleased tracks. Page first re-mastered the band's catalog for that box set and when each album was reissued individually in 1994. Robert Plant recently added vocals to the next album by British band Primal Scream. Plant says, "I sang a bit on the Primals stuff because I think their references on looking back on the glorious past and the way they bring them into the contemporary world are fantastic."
In plenty of time for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction -- if it should happen -- the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will issue their versions of nine Rush songs on November 13th. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays the Music of Rush features symphonic interpretations of such Rush hits as "Tom Sawyer," "The Spirit of Radio," "Red Barchetta" and "Limelight," as well as the "2112 Overture." The orchestra, which is conducted by Richard Harvey, has previously released albums on which they performed music by Queen, Pink Floyd and ABBA.
Members of Guns n' Roses will be on hand Monday afternoon to celebrate the re-naming of a Las Vegas street in their honor. Paradise Road runs next to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's parking lot, and it will temporarily be changed to Paradise City Road. The band will receive a copy of the street sign from Clark County Commissioner Mary Beth Scow. GNR are performing a 12-show residency at The Joint in the Hard Rock from this Wednesday through Saturday, November 24th.
Metallica fans, rejoice -- they're about to start recording a new album. Guitarist Kirk Hammett tells Loudwire.com they'll be heading into the studio "in the next couple of months" to begin working on the first album for their own, as-yet-unnamed record label. But first they have to complete the 3D movie they just finished shooting in Vancouver. And when that project winds down they'll "meet up and start throwing ideas together" for the album. Hammett says they're "dealing with the audio aspect" of the film before they look at the footage of the concert, which reportedly will be coupled with a storyline.
The Rolling Stones are sharing a few details about what will -- and won't -- be included in their upcoming shows. Keith Richards tells "Rolling Stone" that they've invited former band members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor to join them for a few songs each night. Ron Wood adds that for the second Newark show other stars like Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck might sit in with the group. Meanwhile, Wood says he intends to maintain his sobriety during these dates. He admits he's tried touring sober in the past, but "there was always that secret vodka" he'd down before the shows. Richards says he's also drinking less these days, but he won't be abstaining when the band hits the road. He explains that drugs and alcohol are "no big deal" to him, but he still enjoys the high. Keith also admits that "if they come up with a great new drug" he'll "be the first one on it." While Richards also claims there's little difference in his guitar playing when he's straight and when he's sober, Wood says toward the end of their "Bigger Bang" tour shows were "a pain" because Keith was stoned. However, Ron -- who now has three years of sobriety to his credit -- promises he's "not going to preach" to Keith but he'll "step in" if he sees "any danger." The Rolling Stones will be playing four concerts later this year -- two shows in London in November and two shows in Newark, New Jersey in December -- which are part of the band's 50th anniversary celebration.
Rocknotes for Tuesday October 23, 2012
The Rolling Stones are back in Paris rehearsing for their four shows -- two in November in London and two in December in Newark, New Jersey. Ronnie Wood tells us, "The nose to the grindstone is working... There's still that keenness to learn, get it better and give it 200-percent." They have been rehearsing upwards of 70 songs, including such rarely played ones as "Champagne & Reefer," "Going to a Go-Go," "No Expectations," "Lady Jane," "Far Away Eyes" and "I Wanna Be Your Man," which was written by Lennon and McCartney. Joining them is keyboardist Chuck Leavell and bassist Daryl Jones. Woody will reportedly be the opening night headliner when The Cutting Room in New York City opens at its new location next month.
Ousted Queensryche singer Geoff Tate can continue to use that band's name while the legal battle with his former cohorts drags on. A judge in Washington state has ruled that Tate, who was fired by the band after 30 years on the mic, can play live dates as Queensryche while the legal system sorts through the band's issues -- denying the other members' request for a cease and desist. Tate, who will hit the road next month as the opening act on Alice Cooper's Canadian tour, announced a new lineup and a tentative plan for a tour marking the 25th anniversary of Operation: Mindcrime. In fact, Geoff Tate’s Queensryche will be playing the Alrosa Villa Friday November 2nd with local band Level 7 as the openers.
Billy Idol has an unusual gig scheduled for this weekend -- some guy's birthday party. 26-year-old Michael Henrichsen of Seattle has succeeded, after a two-year campaign, to get Idol to play his birthday party. But it wasn't easy. Some of his ploys:
He started the website PlayMyBirthdayBillyIdol.com.
He got endorsements from a slew of B-level celebrities.
He held local concerts to raise more than $10,000 for charity.
The show is this Saturday. Henrichsen says it's going to be "pretty much the coolest night ever."
