DEEP PURPLE ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM “=1” OUT JULY 19TH

One of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time releases new album =1, on July 19th through earMUSIC, and it can be pre-ordered here.

The first single will be unveiled on April 30th at midnight, a taster for the full 13 tracks of pioneering and rip-roaring rock ‘n’ roll. Deep Purple continue their charge of recent years, releasing hit albums and filling arenas around the world, adding yet more layers to their 100 million album selling legacy.

The band are credited as one of the key originators of heavy rock and have constantly progressed their boundaries of music. They are fronted by the legendary Ian Gillan, whose vocals have defined generations, accompanied by the masterful bassist Roger Glover, the powerhouse drummer Ian Paice, and the maestro on keyboards Don Airey. This is the band’s first album with sensational guitarist Simon McBride, who seamlessly slotted in when longtime member Steve Morse left due to personal circumstances. Since 2022, Simon has already played to Deep Purple audiences totalling more than half a million people.

But Deep Purple is more than just their members and =1 embodies the essence and attitude of their 1970s incarnation possibly more than any other album in recent memory. With the legendary Bob Ezrin once again producing, the record evokes the pioneering band’s classic sound, without relying on nostalgia.

The enigmatic title =1 symbolises the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.

Its full meaning will be revealed in the coming weeks, with the artwork also playing its part. Fans have already been speculating after mysterious equations and depictions of multiverses appeared in London, Paris, and Berlin in recent days.

With three consecutive No.1 albums in their back pocket, this is Deep Purple at their pinnacle. Now WHAT?! (2013), inFinite (2017), and Whoosh! (2020) have sold over one million copies worldwide, making Deep Purple one of the most successful rock bands currently active. The latest studio album, Whoosh!, reached #1 on the album charts in 7 countries and charted in the top 10 in another 12.

Taking the US by storm this summer Deep Purple will be shaking the walls of arenas, with an explosive lineup of unforgettable hits taken from their repertoire of rock spanning over half a century.

=1 will be released on July 19th via earMUSIC as Ltd. CD+DVD (Digipak), CD (Jewelcase), 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g), Ltd. Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g), Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP (180g) and Ltd. Box Set (CD+DVD Digipak, 2LP black Gatefold, 3x exclusive 10” vinyl editions feat. live recordings from Deep Purple’s 2022 tour, exclusive Collector’s T-shirt, 2x exclusive guitar picks, 1x exclusive art print, 1x exclusive lanyard, and the chance to win a Golden Ticket giving access to all shows on the Deep Purple “=1 MORE TIME”-tour).

All LPs include a rich 12-page vinyl sized booklet.

The bonus DVD features the approx. 60min documentary ‘Access All Areas’ joining Deep Purple backstage on tour and providing an exclusive look behind the scenes.

Further exclusive items are available via the official album store. Ltd. 2LP Picture Disc, Ltd. Cassette, strictly limited canvas signed by all band members – limited to 50 items only and various other merchandise items.

=1 More Time Tour Dates:
Aug. 14 – Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Aug. 15 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Event Center
Aug. 17 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 18 – Durant, OK @ Choctaw Casino – Grand Theater
Aug. 19 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
Aug. 21 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 22 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug. 23 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Aug. 25 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Aug. 27 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Aug. 28 – Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
Aug. 30 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Aug. 31 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sept. 1 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Sept. 3 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Sept. 4 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Broadview Stage at SPAC
Sept. 6 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Sept. 7 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
Sept. 8 – Scranton, PA @ The Pavilion at Montage Mountain

Tickets are available at deeppurple.com.

SEBASTIAN RELEASES VIDEO FOR “HEAVIEST SONG”, “(HOLD ON) TO THE DREAM”

Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach has shared the official music video for his new song called (Hold On) To The Dream. The track is taken from his upcoming solo album, Child Within The Man, due on May 10th through Reigning Phoenix Music.

“If someone asked me to play the heaviest song I have ever recorded in my 35-year career, I would play them (Hold On) To The Dream, Sebastian says. “This song is an homage to two of my favorite things: classic metal of the ’70s and also yacht rock as well. Hence the new term yacht metal.

I have never heard a song quite like (Hold On)To The Dream where the crushing verse combined with the luxurious chest-hair harmonies of the chorus. I have tried to incorporate every tone of my voice into this song. For those of you keeping score, I can tell you that my voice hits some of the highest notes of my career in (Hold On) To The Dream.

HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS!!! CAUTION: this is a MONSTER JAM!”

To listen to Bach’s previously released songs from, Child Within The Man, please click on the highlighted song titles: What Do I Got To Lose? and Everybody Bleeds.

Child Within The Man track listing is as follows:

1.  Everybody Bleeds
2.  Freedom (featuring John 5)
3.  (Hold On) To The Dream
4.  What Do I Got To Lose?
5.  Hard Darkness
6.  Future Of Youth (featuring Orianthi)
7.  Vendetta
8.  F.U. (featuring Steve Stevens)
9.  Crucify Me
10. About To Break
11. To Live Again

Bach will also be hitting the road in June, click here for tour dates.

SEBASTIAN BACH SAYS IT IS PURLEY BUSINESS, AND NOT PERSONAL REASONS, FOR WHY SKID ROW HAS YET TO REUNITE

Emma Jayne of Screamer Magazine spoke with Sebastian Bach, portions of the article appear below.

Bach on reuniting with his former Skid Row bandmate, Rob Affuso, for his first single, What Do I Got To Lose? (see the video here), off his new solo album, Child Within The Man:

” I’ve always wanted to work with Rob and it was just so glorious and fun making something with him again because obviously we have such a chemistry and such a history that cannot be denied.

I keep thinking about when we shot the video.  We rented that old car in Las Vegas down on the strip, but we shot the video in the desert like 20 minutes outside of town.  So, the director said ‘Sebastian, you drive with Rob and we will meet you out there.’  Me and Rob, just by ourselves, drove this old Cadillac with the top down and the Vegas sun and we just laughed the whole time.  It felt like a child within the man.  We were kids when we were in Skid Row compared to where we are now.  It just felt electric and you can feel that energy watching the video.  I said to Rob, ‘Dude if you feel this energy just us two imagine if all five of us worked together – imagine that energy.’”

Sebastian discussing the possibility of a Skid Row reunion:

“I gotta lay some serious news on you right now, but you’re the first person I am telling this to. There’s a whole narrative that we don’t get along, or they don’t wanna get in the same room as me.  There’s stuff that I have found out recently on the business side that I can tell the Planet Earth this has nothing to do with what happened in ’96, or me being wild, or us not getting along.  This right now is a hundred percent a business thing.  And I found some sh-t out that’s true.  The only thing standing in our way is the business side of this.  I can’t give you all the details, but it’s not about us not getting along.  It’s about us figuring out how to make this work on the business side.  And hopefully, we can figure it out.  I’m ready to figure it out, but the whole narrative of ‘oh they don’t like him and he’s too crazy’ that’s not even true.”

On his new album, Child Within The Man:

“I made sure that there is no flipping.  I worked on this for 10 years, no joke. Anybody can tell you that works with me, once I focus on something I really hone in on it.  I am such a collector of vinyl records that I made MY ultimate record, not as a musician even so much as a collector.  My favorite albums to collect are from the seventies because I love the way they sound; Aerosmith, KISS, Queen, Van Halen.  All of those records sound perfect to me.  Everything about them.  And I think that’s a lost art because I don’t think any of the music today sounds like that.  Maybe I’m not hearing the right stuff, but to me, everything sounds too loud and too compressed.  It doesn’t hit me.  The first song What Do I Got To Lose? hit like a sledgehammer around the world, because it’s a good-time fun song and there’s not enough fun in the world right now.  People are looking to be entertained and take their minds off climate change and politics and guns and all of this nightmare bullshit that we wake up to every day.  People are looking for something more real from the old days that they can latch onto.  I set out to make an album in 2024 that felt like it came out in ’78…”

Read more at Screamer Magazine.

Sebastian Bach will hitting the road with his What Do I Got To Lose Tour, see itinerary below.

Jun-1 Morgantown, WV Ruby Amphitheatre

Jun-2 Columbus, OH King Of Clubs

Jun-4 Detroit, MI St Andrews Hall

Jun- 5 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre

Jun-7 Joliet, IL The Forge

Jun-8 St. Charles, IL Arcada Theatre

Jun-9 Moline, IL The Rust Belt

Jun-11 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s

Jun-12 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre

Jun-14 Colorado Springs, CO Sunshine Studios

Jun-15 Denver, CO Summit

Jun-16 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater

Jun-18 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom

Jun-19 Little Rock, AR The Hall

Jun-21 Dallas, TX The Lexus Box Garden at Legacy Hall

Jun-22 Houston, TX Scout Bar

Jun-23 San Antonio, TX The Rock Box

Jun-25 Tucson, AZ Rialto

Jun-27 Ventura, CA Ventura Theater

Jun-28 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory

Jun-29 San Diego, CA House of Blues

Follow Sebastian online at:  Instagram,  Facebook,   X (Twitter) and  Youtube.

OZZY, AS A SOLO ARTIST, TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner and Peter Frampton are among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Other inductees in the Performer category are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Kool & The Gang and A Tribe Called Quest.

Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will be presented with the Musical Excellence Award; Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton will receive the Musical Influence Award; and Suzanne de Passe is getting the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19th at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.

“Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. “This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Ozzy, along with the rest of the original lineup of Black Sabbath, was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, but the legendary heavy metal singer will now be recognized for his solo career.

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

LITA FORD DISCUSSES BEING ASKED TO PLAY BASS FOR LED ZEPPELIN

Andrew Daly of Guitar World spoke with Lita Ford, excerpts from the discussion appear below.

Guitar World: At some point in the ‘70s, you were playing in a club, and the story goes that Led Zeppelin asked you to play bass. Was that before or during The Runaways?

Lita Ford: The Runaways were playing at Gazzarri’s or The Starwood – I’m having trouble with names because those places aren’t there anymore. It was upstairs… yeah, it was The Starwood.

It was early Runaways days – you can tell we were like 17 or something. But Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came to see the show, and The Runaways were quite the novelty, being teenage girls that could rip it up, kick ass and rock the house.

The places were always packed with fans, and our manager at the time, Kim Fowley, said, ‘Okay, girls, gather around and get a picture with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.’ I was scooched in there like, ‘Oh yeah, great!’ I grew up listening to them and I was still growing up.

Robert Plant said, ‘We’re looking to replace our bass player, John Paul Jones,’ and I thought, ‘I’m not hearing this. I refuse to believe that this is really coming out of his mouth.’ I thought, ‘He’s got to be joking,’ because John Paul Jones is God on bass, as far as I’m concerned.

But that’s what he said. And I walked away, just thinking, ‘Oh, that was nice. That was nice of him to look at me like that.’ In those days a lot of people didn’t look at us as musicians because we were female and we were young. They never took us seriously as musicians.

Guitar World: It’s interesting they wanted you to play bass since you’re a guitar player.

Lita Ford: I got into The Runaways because they heard I was a bass player. I had played bass for a few shows in a local band in Long Beach, California, covering for somebody who got sick. Then everyone thought I was a bass player.

So, I don’t know… but that’s what came out of Robert Plant’s mouth. And I was like, ‘Nah, he didn’t really say that’ – but he did.

Guitar World: You were a pioneer when many women weren’t playing lead guitar. Was that something you were aware of then?

Lita Ford: I really tried not to think about it. I just did what I wanted to do. I wasn’t trying to carve out a path or the way for whatever was coming behind me. I just wanted to be a leader, and I just wanted to play guitar.

Guitar World: Was it difficult to transition from the punk rock nature of The Runaways to the ‘80s hair metal era?

Lita Ford: That’s a good question. It wasn’t easy. I had to figure that out. Because The Runaways obviously had a certain sound, vibe and look. After The Runaways broke up, I had to create what Lita was going to be. And I thought, ‘Well, what does she look like? What does she play? What does she sing? Who is in her band? How do I want to go about doing this?’

It was almost like there was me, myself, and I. One of the things was that Nikki Sixx cut my hair – and it’s never been the same since he chopped off all my long locks. He gave me that shag haircut, and that helped create the ‘80s look. And then there were the torn-up jeans, those torn-up jeans that I wore in the Kiss Me Deadly video…”

Read more at Guitar World.

METALLICA’S JAMES HETFIELD GETS TATTOO MADE WITH LEMMY KILMISTER’S ASHES

Metallica frontman James Hetfield has revealed a new tattoo in memory of late rocker Lemmy Kilmister — using some of the Motörhead star’s ashes.

Hetfield, 60, showed off the tattoo — featuring Motörhead‘s famous Ace of Spades logo — made with “black ink mixed with a pinch of his cremation ashes that were so graciously given to me.”

Fittingly, it was on the middle finger of his right hand, making it visible while pulling his idol’s favored pose of flipping the bird.

“So now, he is still able to fly the bird at the world,” wrote the Metallica star of his “salute to my friend and inspiration Mr. Lemmy Kilmister.”

“Without him, there would be NO Metallica,” he said of the rock pioneer, who was 70 when he died of cancer in 2016.

It was done by prominent tattoo artist Corey Miller, the owner of Six Feet Under in Upland, Calif. Who was featured in the reality show “LA Ink,” Hetflied said.

More at the NY Post.