There are many perilous ways one can spend time off – Volcano-boarding down Cerro Negro, Nicaragua’s active volcano, or maybe bungee jumping from a helicopter over the bubbling crater of Chile’s Villarrica. How about a visit to Sao Paulo’s Snake Island, home of some 4000 golden lancehead vipers whose venom can melt human flesh, or shark diving without a cage in South Africa. But nothing is quite as hazardous or risky as a night in the pit at a Slayer concert. Add to that the ferociousness of Lamb of God and Behemoth, and you’ve got a Satan-approved triple bill of Biblical proportions.
The six-week expedition will rage across North America beginning July 12th in Bemidji, MN, winding up in Phoenix, AZ on August 20th. Slayer and Lamb of God will also play Wisconsin’s Rock Fest 2017 (7/13) and Rock USA 2017 (7/15), and then meet up with Behemoth at the Chicago Open Air Festival on July 16th. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 3rd; log on to slayer.net/tour or all purchasing details.
Slayer guitarist Kerry King says, “As metal tours go, this is the one that your fellow metal heads will be bragging about if you miss it. Not very often I get to go on tour where we are all friends to start. That being said, the potential for greatness at these events is mind blowing. I look forward to being a part of it, and hanging with old friends- bands as well as fanatical fans! Let the festivities begin.”
Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe states, “It’s been a while since we’ve toured with the almighty Slayer, and even longer since we’ve hit the road with our friends in Behemoth- I can’t wait. This tour is gonna be the feel-good event of the summer- the gigs are gonna be like the Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love in ’67. Ok, so that’s complete bulls–t, it’s gonna be absolutely nothing like that, so don’t show up with flowers in your hair looking for free hugs or anything stupid like that. It will definitely be a good f–king time though (as long as your definition of a good time means brutal, caustic, and hideously loud music)- see ya there!”
Finally, Behemoth singer Adam “Nergal” Darski adds, “It is with the utmost pride we are announcing the Slayer, Lamb Of God and Behemoth Summer tour. We are beyond excited to be joining this bill with these living legends and… our friends one more time! We are also stoked about coming back to North American shores for the last time before kicking off the next album cycle. Come and join this EXTREME metal feast with us!”
Confirmed dates are as follows.
July:
12 Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN
13 Rock Fest 2017, Cadott, WI (Slayer and Lamb of God on this bill)
15 Rock USA 2017, Ford Festival Park, Oshkosh, WI (Slayer and Lamb of God on this bll)
16 Chicago Open Air Festival, Toyota Park, Chicago, IL (Slayer, Lamb of God and Behemoth on this bill)
18 Express Live!, Columbus, OH
20 Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC
21 St. Augustine Amphitheater, St. Augustine, FL
23 Electric Factory Outdoors, Philadelphia, PA
25 Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA
27 Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
28 Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, MD
30 Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
August:
1 Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS
2 1stBank Center, Denver, CO
4 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV
5 The Forum, Los Angeles, CA
9 Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
11 The Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene, OR
12 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA
14 Encana Events Center, Dawson Creek, BC Canada
15 SMS Equipment Stadium, Fort McMurray, AB Canada
17 KettleHouse Amphitheater, Missoula, MT
19 Isleta Amphitheater Albuquerque, NM
20 Comerica Theater, Phoenix, AZ
Lemmy’s Lounge at the outdoor patio at the world-famous Rainbow Bar and Grill on LA’s Sunset Strip, just got a very big addition…a 20 foot high mural of the man himself.
Already situated in Lemmy’s Lounge is a bronze statue immortalizing the Motörhead singer. The life-size sculpture — based on a famous Lemmy photograph by Robert John — features shades of black and metallic bronze throughout, with detailed lines and strategic crevices capturing Kilmister’s familiar features, from his bristly whiskers to his infamous moles to his signature hat and boots.
The statue, built from a successful crowdfunding campaign, was placed where Lemmy could frequently be found at his favorite hangout when he was in town, Artist Matt Glenn handled the project, using the proceeds from the campaign for materials and donating the rest to cancer research.
In memory of rock’s greatest front man, the patio where Lemmy spent most of his life when not on the road or in the studio was dedicated to him by naming this area Lemmy’s Lounge, thanks to Rainbow owner Mikael Maglieri.
Roxy owner Nic Adler and Paul Tollett of Goldenvoice subsequently agreed to allow the painting of a celebratory mural commemorating the life of Lemmy and Motorhead on the side wall of the Roxy, opposite Lemmy’s Lounge and statue.
Motörhead’s management ran a contest seeking a muralist painter to provide their services to paint this immortal artwork in celebration of our fallen hero’s life.
The winner was Jules Muck. (Mural created by @Muckrock.) Although it was not known at the time she was chosen, there may have been a divine intervention in her selection, as it was later learned that she was born in the same U.K. town as Lemmy, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Like Lemmy, she’s now adopted Los Angeles as her home.
Watch a 60 second video below:
Motörhead manager Todd Singerman, said “This is for the fans. Lemmy would always say, at every show, ‘We are Motörhead, and we play rock n’ roll. Don’t forget us.’ That’s my job now.” To that end, the statue and mural appear to be only the beginning of a series of plans to honor the band and its beloved frontman. Singerman’s current efforts include working on opening another Lemmy’s Lounge as well as a museum dedicated to the group.
Said one fan, “Everyone came to give praise and respect to Saint Lemmy, and that is a beautiful thing. The Rainbow is now a rock & roll church.”
In other Motörhead news:
– The Hall of Heavy Metal History inducted Lemmy Kilmister into their 2017 Annual Celebrity Gala and Benefit Concert Honoring Legendary Heavy Metal musicians and Music Industry Executives on Wednesday, January 18th in Anaheim CA. This non-profit organization enshrines forever those legendary musicians, artists, music industry executives, journalists, and producers who are responsible for making Heavy Metal music what it is today. Their contribution to the genre is invaluable, and they keep inspiring Heavy Metal fans throughout the world, from generation to generation.
– With Lady Gaga joining Metallica (who performed as “The Lemmys” as a tribute to him for his 50th birthday) on stage at the Grammys recently, there is talk of a resurgence of heavy metal in the community. Now we hear they may record a song together. Will Lady Gaga’s collaboration with her newest fav artist cause a revival?
– Lemmy was always an excellent judge of talent. He signed numerous artists to Motörhead Music. One of the first was Barb Wire Dolls. They’ve been on tour in Europe, and will continue to do so in May and June. However, they will be performing a residency at the Whisky on the Sunset Strip every Monday night in April before returning to their European tour dates. A video for their song, Heart Attack, directed by Steve Appleford (of Rolling Stone and the LA Times), has gotten great attention.
Another Motörhead Music artist, Budderside, will open for Steel Panther at the Roxy on March 13, and will then hit the road with L.A. Guns.
When Megadeth picked up their first-ever Grammy for best metal performance on February 12th, it was a long time coming, but not for lack of trying — they’d been nominated nine times before in their 34-year career. What was frontman Dave Mustaine thinking being there for the tenth time?
“A little bit of everything, Mustaine tells Billboard. “Obviously the gratitude of being recognized, but also the disappointment lingering from the years where they’ve given the award to somebody that didn’t belong in that category.”
The frontman says he means [no] offense to any of the bands he lost out to in the past, mentioning Nine Inch Nails, Jethro Tull, “a live version of a 27-year-old song” (Judas Priest) and “someone doing a cover song” (Metallica)…
…What many watching the pre-ceremony at home will remember about the win, however, was the house band launching into Metallica’s Master of Puppets as the band took the stage. Mustaine was famously kicked out of that band in 1983 before they’d recorded their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, starting Megadeth later that year. For his part, Mustaine states that it wasn’t worth getting upset over.
“They could have played any song by anybody, and it wouldn’t have mattered because that was our moment,” he says. “I could see the correlation with [the band] who would think, ‘Oh, Megadeth, Metallica, we don’t know any Megadeth, but we do know this one Metallica song, so let’s play this. You think he’ll get mad? I don’t think so, let’s hope not. Hit it, Lefty!’ And then we get up there and go, ‘Boy, that was the worst f–king version of Master of Puppets I’ve ever heard.’ But that kind of stuff, you’ve just won a Grammy and you’re going to worry about some house band doing a cover song in the background?…”
…And while they’re basking in the glow of their Grammy win, Mustaine says we can expect a follow-up to Dystopia sometime next year. “I’m pretty afraid of picking up my guitar during the off season, so I try to keep my distance from it,” he says. “It starts to call my name when it gets close to new record time, and the past couple weeks, I’ve actually been playing a little bit, so it’s kind of like ‘ok, here we go.’”
Rock N Roll Relics Presents: Part One: Behind the Mystery Randy Rhoads brown Stratocaster. An intimate interview about a guitar and the man who became the rock-n-roll James Dean of a generation.
As the owner of the guitar brand Rock N Roll Relics, founding Jetboy guitarist Billy Rowe is better known these days for building guitars for the likes of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Gilby Clarke, Bruce Kulick, Glen Campbell and REM’s Peter Buck.
Always ready to tackle anything guitar-related, Rowe was more recently approached to do a project that would include shedding some light on the mysterious brown Fender Stratocaster Randy Rhoads is pictured with in some historic photos from his Quiet Riot days.
Considering the project was proposed by no less than Rhoads’ very first guitar tech/roadie, Harold Friedman, Rowe had no choice but to jump at the offer.
“When Harold got in touch with me, the only thing I could say was, YES!” Rowe said. “Being a big Randy fan, this is an honor for me. We wanted to share the story about this guitar, because it has so much mystery around it with very little to no details about it until now.”
To help tell the story, Rowe called on his old friend and fellow guitarist Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns fame.
“Tracii and I go way back and I know he’s a huge Randy Rhoads fan, so he’s the first person I thought of to do the video with Harold,” Rowe said.
This project will lead up to a limited run of 25 replica guitars built by Rock N Roll Relics in memory of Randy. “I approached Rock n Roll Relics after searching for a boutique guitar manufacturer that I thought could do justice to this project.” Friedman said.
The project will also donate portion of the money to go towards helping kids buy instruments who otherwise couldn’t afford them. “Inspiring kids or anyone for that matter to be able to play music is something Randy would have done on his own if he was still with us,” Friedman said.
Part One of this intimately unique story about one of rock’s greatest guitarist and the mystery surrounding the brown Stratocaster is below. Enjoy and watch below.
Keith Valcourt of the Washington Times spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk and Sean McNabb about Ronnie James Dio at the Roll for Ronnie bowling tournament which raised money for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. The interview appears in its entirety below.
Question: You were friends with Ronnie. What does a night like tonight mean to you?
Eddie Trunk: When Ronnie passed away, his wife Wendy asked me to host his memorial, which to me was one of the greatest honors I ever had. When I see pictures from that, it is still surreal to me.
Ever since she has asked me to host the fundraising events. I was a fan first and foremost, but over the years Ronnie and I became friends. Wendy said over the years Ronnie enjoyed my company. To be called on to do this sort of stuff is an honor, and it’s important. Not only to the cause to raise funds but because it keeps his memory alive and keeps the spotlight on his legacy.
Q: What brings you here tonight, Sean?
Sean McNabb: I’m a board member on the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up [and Shout] Cancer Fund. I have been for two years now. We’re here to raise money for cancer research. The cool thing is it actually goes to research. How cool would it be if there was a saliva strip that you could get as a marker for cancer? It’s all about early detection. You could have strips for use at home. The money goes to research and development of that at UCLA.
Q: How did you get involved?
SM: I have been a Dio “family” member since I joined Quiet Riot when I was 20 years old. I’m fifty one now. It’s been an amazing journey with this family.
Q: What do you remember about the first time you met him?
SM: I remember a very gracious human being who showed me how to carry myself. I had only been in local bar bands until then. Suddenly I got national gig. We flew to this Japan Aid 2 concert, and I just watched him and how he carried himself. He showed a lot of us how to carry ourselves and deal with people.
Q: You interviewed him a bunch of times and hung out with him, but did you ever bowl with him?
ET: No, I never bowled with him. (Laughs) Many pints and dinners over the years, but I never did bowl with him. Did he bowl?
Q: [Dio guitarist] Craig Goldy told he would bowl late at night after shows.
ET: I did not know that. That’s awesome. Because I live in New Jersey and he lived here, we got together at press junkets or at shows. We talked on the phone, but I never lived in proximity to say, “Hey, let’s go bowling.” If I had, I’m sure we would have.
Q: What is the one thing you know from hanging out with him people would be surprised about?
ET: He was a ballbuster. He had a sense of humor and loved to wind me up. I think people that don’t know him look at the heavy music and think he was dark and serious. But he loved to bust my balls.
The other thing some people don’t know he was a huge sports fan. Loved sports. He was Yankees fan; I’m a Mets fan. He told me some of his biggest songs were written and inspired by him watching sports. Stand Up and Shout is the [sports] crowd standing up.
Q: What do you miss most about Ronnie?
ET: The music and the friendship. Going to shows. Sitting backstage with him talking. Watching him sing so brilliantly. I miss his friendship and support.
He’s been gone for a little while now, but it still doesn’t feel like he’s gone. He is so much a part of the things that we do. Without trying, I always play one of his songs, whether it’s Rainbow, Sabbath or Dio on my shows.
Q: What are you working on now?
ET: I’ve got six radio shows on Sirius XM [and] a brand-new channel there called Volume on Channel 106. All talk about music. I do a live daily show there.
Then the Monday night show on Hair Nation. Plus my FM syndicated show and my podcast. And I’m hosting a show on AXS TV called Reel to Reel. It’s all music documentary films.
Q: Do you miss doingThat Metal Show,” and is there any way it will ever return?
ET: I miss it more than anything, and I hope it comes back. There is a way. And that way is really simple: We just need to find somebody at a network that believes in it and wants to do a rock talk show on TV. As popular as the show was, it is still hard to find that person.
Q: What do you think of the Guns N’ Roses reunion tour?
ET: It was great. I saw the first regular show in Vegas. I thought they were amazing. It is incredible how drama-free the tour has been. No late start times. Nobody complaining. The band sounded great.
People said Axl couldn’t sing anymore, and he is singing great. It’s great for rock ‘n’ roll. I’m curious to see where it goes from here.
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was a recent guest on Eddie’s Sirius/XM show, Trunk Nation. Highlights from the interview below (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net).
On reuniting with his former bandmates Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan for guest appearances at several shows during Guns N’ Roses’ 2016 Not In This Lifetime tour:
Adler: “Last year was just so fabulous, because I wanted this… Everybody knows that I’ve been praying for this for twenty-five years for us to have a reunion. It was something that was so magical, and I’m so proud of what we did, and I’m so proud of the guys. It was just too hard last year, ’cause they’d have me come down and do just one or two songs, and it’s, like, I’m standing on the side of the stage and I’m watching Frank [Ferrer, current Guns N’ Roses drummer], who’s a wonderful guy and a great drummer, play my songs when I’m standing right there. I’m going, ‘Dude, why don’t you f–king let me play? I’m right here! Let me play the songs.’ And it was just too hard to do that. And then the South American thing, flying fifteen thousand miles for just one song each night. It was just too much. But the great part about that trip was after the second show, I put on a private show at a club called Roxy in Argentina, and we played from two to five in the morning. We had all these guitar players and different great musicians come up. We played all of Appetite [For Destruction], we did You Could Be Mine, Don’t Cry… a couple of the songs that I [was] a part of writing but didn’t get to play on it.”
Talking about when he was first approached about being involved with the reunion tour:
Adler: “Well, it was January 2nd, 2016, and Slash and Duff both texted me and said that they wanted to get together and talk to me. So I went down to Duff’s house and we had a nice little talk. They had me sign some contract thing and whatnot just so they could talk to me, which is cool; I don’t care. Then in March I came down to rehearsal, and the second rehearsal, I got a pinched nerve in my L4 in my lower back. But I was only out for ten days. By the time they did The Troubadour show, I was ready to go. I called Duff up and I said, ‘Dude, I’m ready to rock. Can I do these shows?’ They had The Troubadour and they had, like, seven other shows. And he said, ‘No, you’re not gonna be part of this.’ I was, like, ‘F–k you!’ and I hung up on him. And I called him back and I said, ‘I’m sorry. I was just angry at myself. I feel like I ruined it for myself, and I was just saying mean things to you because that’s how I felt about me.’ You know, I [was] trying to move forward. And so one day, I think, like, July 3rd or July 4th, they called me and said, ‘You wanna come down to Cincinnati and Nashville?’ And I said, ‘Yeah. When?’ And they said, ‘Tomorrow.’ So, of course, I got on a plane, I went, I got to jam with them, and it was great. It’s just not the same. I was thinking it was gonna be the same as it was twenty-five years ago, but not having Izzy [Stradlin, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist] there, and just playing one or two songs, it was very hurtful and heartbreaking for me. And Richard [Fortus, current Guns N’ Roses guitarist] is a phenomenal guitar player — he’s a great guitar player — and the crazy thing is, from ten feet away, he f–king looks like Izzy. And they asked me to go to… they said either Japan or Australia or Thailand, and I said I’m not gonna fly twenty thousand miles to play one or two songs. It’s just too much.”
Was he paid for his guest appearance?:
Adler: “Oh, yeah. They gave me a couple of bucks. They’re good guys with that. But still, to be on the side of the stage and to watch somebody else play the songs, it’s heartbreaking.”
On why he thinks he wasn’t allowed to play more songs and at more shows:
Adler: “Dude, I was in Argentina. Why would they let me play [only] one song? I have no idea. And out of respect for Fernando [Lebeis, who is part of Guns N’ Roses’ management team], I have nothing negative to say, ’cause I was just so glad to be able to do it. And even though it wasn’t what it could be and should be, I got closure. And I feel so much better — like there’s a billion-ton weight lifted off of me, where I can move forward again. I can play with other people, I can do other things, and it’s the greatest thing. I’ve been practicing the four agreements [essential steps on the path to personal freedom] for the last three years, and it’s changed my life. I’m a totally happier person. I’m the person when I was young, a teenager, and excited, and had dreams and goals and wanted to do things. And I like it. Before, all I wanted to do was do a fucking reunion. And I got to do what I got to do, and I’m thankful for that.”
Did he ever ask the GN’R management team why he couldn’t play more songs?:
Adler: “Of course! I’d start playing another f–king song, and they’d tell me to get off. They’d say, ‘Okay, you’re done.’ And I’d start playing another song, and they’d just turned the sound of. ‘Beat it. You’re done.’ I was, like, ‘Okay, cool.’ I got to do that. It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, and I got to rock with those guys. And I love Slash and Duff and Axl, and I got to meet some great people that are working with them. And Fernando, who is GN’R’s main guy, he’s got some good ideas for hopefully this summer, for the thirtieth anniversary [of Appetite For Destruction] in July, something for the fans. I don’t know what it is, but he’s a good guy, and I think he’s gonna do the right thing… And there never will be an explanation [for why I can’t play more songs with them]. It is what it is, and that’s that.”
On what it was like seeing Axl Rose for the first time after he came down to play with Guns N’ Roses in Cincinnati last July:
Adler: “I only talked to Axl for literally ten seconds. The first night I played with them in Cincinnati, I got a fistbump and a little smile, and that was good enough for me. And then at Dodger Stadium [in Los Angeles], I got to give him a little hug and shake his hand and say I love him and he f–king rules and ‘thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I had the greatest time.’ And he walked on his way. And I went on with my life. And I’ve been enjoying it ever since. He’s Axl. He does his show and he gets so passionate and such emotion that he really just needs to relax and come down for at least an hour, ’cause he is a monster on stage. And he puts out so much feeling that he becomes those songs. And he’s been fabulous at it. And Slash and Duff are so much fun. When we’re together at soundheck, the crew was all, ‘Jesus Christ! You’ve gotta come down more, ’cause the only time these guys ever smile or have fun is when you’re here.’ And I was saying, ‘I would love to.’ But it is what it is.”
Discussing why he thinks Izzy Straddling decided not to get involved in the reunion:
Adler: “Because he wants to do it like me — the right way or not at all. And the reason I did it and needed to do it was because I got kicked out of the band for reasons I still don’t know. To say that I’m a drug addict in that band and getting kicked out for drugs is ridiculous. They were doing drugs way more than me, so it’s like calling the kettle black. But it was different stuff. Axl wanted more control of the thing. Then he wanted control of Izzy, and then he wanted control of Slash and Duff, and so one at a time everybody left until it was the Axl Rose band. But he still called it Guns N’ Roses. And I don’t blame him — I would too, ’cause that name is worth billions. So I’d use it if I could myself. [Laughs] I’d get Steven Tyler to sing though. [Laughs] Like I said, [Izzy] wants to do it the right way, with the five of us, and I needed to do it, because I neeed closure. I got kicked out, and all of a sudden… I had a road crew, I had management, I had accountants, I had stage people, I had a band, and then one day, literally in one afternoon, I had nobody — I was all alone. And I was scared shitless. I didn’t know what to do. What do I do? All I knew was what I was doing. And then I was left all alone. So being able to at least play the one or two songs at the five shows I did was severe closure for me.”
Talking about whether he had any interaction with the other guys and gals in the band — Dizzy Reed (keyboards), Melissa Reese (keyboards) and Richard — before he walked out on stage with GUNS N’ ROSES in Cincinnati:
Adler: “Oh, dude. The reason they fit perfect in that band is ’cause they’re like f–king ghosts. ‘Cause Axl doesn’t wanna see nobody. I would walk into the studio, I’d say hi to them, and then I’d turn around, and they’d be gone. And then when I was done playing, all of a sudden, [they’d be there] again. And I’m, like, ‘Where did you go?’ Very nice people — very quiet, just the way Axl likes it: nice and quiet.”
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