Archive for May, 2011
DEE SNIDER: NEW BROADWAY ALBUM?
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
In a move possibly no one could have foreseen, Twisted Sister frontman and House of Hair radio host Dee Snider announced that he is recording a new album of Broadway showtunes. The metal icon posted on his Twitter page: “Just finished recording two more vocals for my Dee Does Broadway record. Six down, four more tracks to go. Back in the studio tomorrow.”
Snider previously told Blabbermouth that his hope for this year is “to bridge the gap between Broadway and rock ‘n’ roll and introduce the hard rock audience to the amazing music of the Great White Way!”
Snider has been a cast member on Broadway’s Tony-nominated musical, Rock of Ages, since last October.
GREG ALLMAN TO PENN MEMOIRS
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Following in the footsteps of Keith Richards, Sammy Hagar, Steven Tyler and Pete Townshend, Gregg Allman will finally put his story to pen and paper. The Allman Brothers legend signed a deal with William Morrow and will release his memoirs next spring.In a statement, Allman said: “When I got out of high school, I thought, ‘I’ll take a year or two off and play the clubs, get this out of my system and then go to med school.’ More than 40 years later, I figure it’s finally time to write about this crazy journey that’s taken me around the world and back.”
The Allman Brothers Band was formed in 1969 by Gregg Allman, his brother Duane, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson. Following the tragic deaths of Duane Allman in 1971 and Berry Oakley in 1972, the band soldiered on and—despite a few breakups and reunions—the Allmans have continued their tradition as one of rock’s great live acts to this day.
BEATLES: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL TURNING 5
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
A sizable chunk of the Beatles family will assemble in Las Vegas on June 8 to celebrate the five-year anniversary of Cirque du Soleil’s Beatles-themed show, Love. According to USA Today, surviving band member Paul McCartney will attend the celebration, along with John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, Harrison’s son, Dhani Harrison, producer George Martin and his son, Giles Martin (who co-produced the Grammy-winning Love soundtrack with his father).Ringo Starr is unable to attend due to tour commitments, but will send a videotaped message to be played during a special show. Roughly half of the audience for the special performance will be personal invitees of the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil camps. McCartney will host a private party afterward featuring his favorite DJ, Chris Holmes.
Since its premiere in June 2006, Love has played to packed houses and critical acclaim. Based on its success, Cirque du Soleil launched another popular music-based show, Viva Elvis, in 2009, and has scheduled upcoming projects featuring the music of Elton John, Michael Jackson and Danny Elfman over the next three years.
Cirque du Soleil Senior Vice President Jerry Nadal enthused, “Tapping into all these different fan bases has meant a great expansion for us. For the first year or two, we got a lot of hardcore Beatles fans who had never seen a Cirque show. They said, ‘Wow, that’s Cirque? I want to see another one.’”
MICK JAGGER: NEW SUPER (HEAVY) GROUP
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Perhaps still smarting from various barbs in Keith Richards’ autobiography, Life, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger appears to be stepping out on his own. The New York Post is reporting that Jagger has been recording with Eurythmics guitarist Dave Stewart, Bob Marley’s son Damian Marley, singer Joss Stone and Oscar-winning Indian musician/producer A.R. Rahman.An unnamed source told the Post, “They just finished a record and their first video and are talking to major labels about a deal. The name for the band at the moment is Super Heavy.”
“Each member has a very distinct and different style, but it works,” another source said. “Mick has been recording with Dave for a while, and both worked with Joss in the past.”
Jagger’s camp is still playing the whole project close to the vest, with a rep only disclosing: “They all thought it would be interesting and great fun to go into the studio and play some music. No video has been shot, no label in place. All a bit premature.”
MEGADETH: NEW ALBUM COMING???
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover recently posted about the metal band’s progress in the studio, according to Blabbermouth.net. The thrash legends are working on a new album with producer Johnny K (Disturbed, Machine Head, Staind).
“As of last night, I have completed five drum tracks, with song #6 and #7 in line to be done today and I am really happy with the way things are going thus far,” Drover posted on Megadeth.com late last week. “Johnny K has been a blast to work with as he shares the same vision as we do, which is to make a solid, heavy record. We are definitely on the right path here.”
Although Megadeth have completed one track, it might not be destined for the new album.
“We have one song completely done and submitted for a video game,” he said. “Without going into the details of it, anybody who knows me and what I like musically, this tune put a big smile on my face. In time, you will all hear what I am talking about, but for now, it’s back to work at Vic’s Garage [Megadeth’s recording studio in San Marcos, California].”
DOORS: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH…THE GHOST OF JDM?
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
Let’s face it: The legacy of The Doors’ Jim Morrison haunts us all. Morrison is one of the most iconic frontman in history, with a deep, resounding voice, with which he crooned and sang his beautifully poetic librettos. Classic songs “Light My Fire,” “Hello, I Love You” and “Touch Me,” roam not only on classic rock radio, but in the sounds of countless rock and roll bands that have sprung up years after his untimely death in 1971.So it should come as no surprise that reports are surfacing that Morrison, literally, is haunting an abode in Washington, D.C.
According to a Washington Post blog by Tom Jackman, reporter Peggy Fox from Washington, D.C. news station WUSA is revisiting Morrison’s old hangouts, including an Arlington, Virginia, house on North 28th Street in which he once lived. One resident says Morrison “lay down on the bed next to her several times” after his death.
Morrison moved around the country a lot in his youth, but he graduated from George Washington High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Charlie Clark from the Falls Church News-Press recently released a collection of addresses where Morrison lived in Arlington, including 2320 N. Evergreen St., 4907 N. 28th St. Rhonda Baron and 1327 S. Glebe Road.
VINNIE APPICE: REMEMBERING RONNIE JAMES DIO
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
One year ago this past week, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Drummer Vinnie Appice had played with Dio, off and on, since the early 1980s, when Appice replaced Bill Ward in Black Sabbath. Most recently, Appice and Dio toured and recorded together with Heaven & Hell, a reformation of the early ’80s Sabs. Appice spoke with Noisecreep recently about his early days with the band and his memories of the legendary metal singer.
“Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Ronnie Dio – you’re talking about three legends right there,” Appice said. “Even though I played with them on and off since 1980, there was still something special about looking over and seeing them on stage with me. I felt lucky to have played with them.”
Appice recalled his first meeting with the band:
“I got a call from Paul Clark, Black Sabbath’s tour manager, telling me that they were looking for a new drummer. I was in Los Angeles at the time, so I went over to the Sunset Marquis and met with him. We were in the middle of our conversation when Tony Iommi came into the room. We hit it off immediately and started joking around with each other. He then told me to meet him the next day at S.I.R. Studios to jam with him and the rest of the Sabbath guys.
“I remember walking in and seeing Geezer and Ronnie and feeling really intimidated. I was still pretty young at that point, and knowing that these guys I was about to play with already had done huge things definitely made me a bit nervous. But I didn’t let it get in the way of what I was supposed to do, so I hopped on the drums and we kicked ass together. We clicked and they asked me to join shortly after that.”
Over time, the former Rick Derringer drummer felt at home with the band:
“It was obviously easier to get to know Ronnie easier since we were both New Yorkers. We also shared a lot of interests and sense of humor. At that point I hadn’t had that much contact with British people, so it took a bit longer to get to know Tony and Geezer. It took a little bit of time to learn their humor and expressions, but I finally did [laughs]. Tony loves practical jokes and winding people up and he did that to me – but it broke the ice. Geezer isn’t as out-going, but he’s definitely got a dry sense of humor.”
The Long Island native still finds it difficult to deal with the loss of his longtime friend.
“What hurts the most is when I think about the things we could be doing together if Ronnie was still with us. Like I said, we had a lot of things in common. We both loved building things. I don’t know if people know this or not, but Ronnie loved going to Home Depot [laughs]. When Simon Wright [ex-drummer of Dio and AC/DC] lived at Ronnie’s house, they would build all kinds of stuff together.
“Ronnie was a special person and all I can do for him is continue playing the songs to keep the music alive. I play in an all-star group with Joe Lynn Turner, Phil Soussan, and Carlos Cavazo called Big Noize and we just played the M3 Festival last weekend. We did ‘The Last in Line’ and some other Dio songs and the response was amazing. His music lives on and I miss him terribly.”
WHAT DOES SLASH KNOW THAT WE DON’T (UNTIL NOW)?
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
| Slash has a bit of insider knowledge about the new Van Halen. The guitarist spilled the beans to U.K.’s Rock Radio, according to Blabbermouth.net.
“They’re finishing [up their new album right now], actually,” he said. “I don’t wanna speak on their behalf, but one of the guys that works for us works for Van Halen in the studio and he told me that they’re in the mixing stages.” Of course, Slash has got an album of his own in the works. The former Guns N’ Roses axeman said he’s in the writing stages for the follow-up to his 2010 solo debut. “The band is so great and Myles [Kennedy] is one of the most fantastic singers I’ve ever worked with or even seen or heard; he is amazing. So we are actually knee-deep in writing for the next record. We’re all going to perform on it. It’s gonna be really, really good; the material we have is awesome.” Slash said the album will be released in 2012, although fans might get a preview of some songs at one of his live shows. “The thought [of debuting some of the new tracks on tour this summer] has crossed my mind, so if there’s something that’s developed enough to the point where we can pull that off, then we will, ’cause I think that’d be a cool thing to do,” he said. He also discussed what happened with Corey Taylor when the Slipknot/Stone Sour singer tried out to be Velvet Revolver’s new frontman. “There is a lot of controversy over this one. Corey came down and we had kept it pretty quiet and then word got out that we had worked with him,” he said. “And we did write some songs with him and made demos and all that kind of stuff, but it just didn’t end up working out. But then word got out about him coming down way after the fact. So then it became this new rumor that was six months behind schedule. But it didn’t end up working out.” |
LOU REED: TOUR NEWS
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
| Lou Reed has added another date to the U.K. leg of his European tour, which will precede the release of his Lollapalooza Live DVD in July. Reed has just confirmed a new guitarist, Tony Diodore, who joins the current lineup of Rob Wasserman (bass), Tony Smith (drums), Kevin Hearn (keyboards), Ulrich Krieger (saxophone), Sarth Calhoun (processing, fingerboard continuum) and Reed (vocals, guitar).
The Lollapalooza DVD features Reed’s performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago in 2009, with tracks including “Sweet Jane,” “Senselessly Cruel,” “Waves of Fear,” “Paranoia Key of E” and, of course, the classic “Walk on the Wild Side.” In addition to the new Wolverhampton Wall concert on July 1, Reed will play the Hop Farm Music Festival on July 2 and the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo on July 4. He also will play several shows in France, including Le Grand Rex on July 5, and will undertake an extensive tour of Italy, including shows in Milan, Rome and Taormina, Sicily. |
U2 CONFIRMED FOR “IDOL” FINALE TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY)!
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
U2 will perform live on the American Idol finale, Wednesday, May 25.According to NME, U2 have been playing a series of U.S. dates that were re-arranged after singer Bono’s back injury forced some concerts to be cancelled last year. Manager Paul McGuinness told Billboard that the band were rehearsing yesterday (Monday, May 23) for the talent show appearance. There’s no word on what U2 will be performing.
Earlier this week, U2 picked up the Touring Award at the Billboard Music Awards. Bono said: “That’s where we live: live.”
Bono and Co. play Salt Lake City tonight and will continue playing North America this summer, with a detour to headline the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival on Friday, June 24.

