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NEW BOOK, “THE OTHER SIDE OF RAINBOW,” TELLS THE STORY OF ONE OF HARD ROCK/HEAVY METAL’S ALL TIME GREAT BANDS

When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1975, many a rock n’ roll fan was left befuddled. Why would one of rock’s top guitarists leave one of the world’s most popular bands? Regardless of the reason, listeners would ultimately be thankful, as Blackmore soon launched Rainbow – a band that rocked just as ferociously as Purple, whose music has proven to be timeless and incredibly influential on subsequent heavy metal bands.

And along the way, Blackmore proved to be extremely adept at spotting largely-unknown talent, and introducing them to the world – including vocalists Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, and Joe Lynn Turner. However, with Blackmore as the group’s leader, band members came and went on a regular basis – preventing the band from possibly reaching their full potential.

The Other Side of Rainbow features nearly 30 all-new interviews conducted exclusively for this book, including former band members (Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Tony Carey, Doogie White, etc.), those who worked closely with the band (Wendy Dio, Flemming Rasmussen, etc.), and were admirers of their music (Eddie Trunk, Charlie Benante, etc.).

Read an excerpt here.

Ordering information below:

Paperback and Kindle
Nook
iBook

LOUDWIRE RECAPS THE “BOWL 4 RONNIE” EVENT, SINGER JEFF SCOTT SOTO SAID HE HOPED TO BOWL BETTER AS “NUNO BETTENCOURT [AND I] SUCKED [LAST YEAR]”

Chad Childers of Loudwire reports:

On November 4th, the second annual Bowl 4 Ronnie event, sponsored by the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout At Cancer Fund, at the Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City, California.

The event started with a red carpet introduction for those participating along with a VIP hang upstairs. Those in attendance were invited to bowl, eat and drink before the actual tournament started at 9PM. The Bowl 4 Ronnie emcee for the night, SiriusXM Volume host Eddie Trunk, fielded one of the teams, welcoming back Tom Morello and Jeff Scott Soto from his team last year and pulling in John 5, Tim “Ripper” Owens and Rock Feinstein. Morello came ready to roll, arriving on the scene with his own ball and bag.

“I would not miss this event because I’m such a huge fan of Ronnie James Dio. I miss him. I only knew him very casually, but I miss his music so much, so I’m here to support his memory and his spirit and do anything I can to stop cancer from claiming any other great people. I’m here to do anything I can. And I brought my own damn bowling ball. None of these other metal dudes bring their own ball. I know what’s up,” laughed Morello.

Meanwhile, Soto was hoping for a better outcome than last year, telling us, “I’ve practiced a little bit. Last year was a catastrophe, me and Nuno [Bettencourt] sucked, so this year, it’s redemption.” Trunk also was looking for redemption, sharing, “I don’t want to make excuses, but I did pull a muscle after my first roll [last year] and I was in pain for the rest of the night and Morello hasn’t let me live it down.”

…Before the tournament, Eddie Trunk led the presentation of a $25,000 check to UCLA, helping to further the research of Dr. David Wong, who is developing a non-invasive saliva test for early cancer detection. Wendy Dio spoke to the crowd of the importance of getting checked for cancer regularly, especially for the males on hand who typically are less likely to visit the doctor.

“The saliva tests will help for men’s cancer, which is what ours is all about. Breast cancer has come a long, long way since it started and so much research has been done, and now it’s going really well, and we want to do that for stomach cancer, gastric cancers, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostrate cancer, because these cancers don’t have enough money being given to research,” stated Dio. “But we have to bring attention to it because more and more people are dying, especially men, because they don’t get checked. Women are going to get checked, but men, you’ve got to drag ’em there. Early detection saves lives, so please get yourself checked.”

Read more about the event at Loudwire.

source: loudwire.com

MOTLEY’S CREW “PISSES” OFF OPENING BAND

Kathianne Boniello of the New York Post reports:

Touring with Mötley Crüe left this pair of Big Apple rockers feeling rather pissy, they claim in a new lawsuit.

Logan and Roger Raskin, of the Manhattan group The Raskins, claim their “once in a lifetime” chance to open for the Crüe during a 2014 tour was sabotaged by months of hazing — including getting blasted with urine on stage.

At a stop in Darien, Conn., crew members ran out on stage in monkey masks and sprayed the Raskins “with water guns filled with urine,” the brothers claim in their $30 million Manhattan Supreme Court suit.

The Raskins also claim they were forced to play short sets in mostly empty venues after managers often refused to open the doors for shows; the public address system was turned off or interfered with during their shows; they weren’t allowed to sell merchandise or give them dressing rooms; and they were hit with heavy equipment.

The Raskins paid $1 million to join the tour and had a contract negotiated by Artist Group International, but it wasn’t honored, the rockers claim in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit which names Tenth Street Entertainment, AGI and other production companies.

Tenth Street, Artist Group International and the other defendants did not return messages.

source: nypost.com

TO CELEBRATE IT’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY, RUSH WILL REISSUE “2112” WITH RARE TRACKS, LIVE TRACKS ON DECEMBER 16TH

Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone reports:

Rush will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their landmark 1976 album 2112 with a deluxe reissue featuring rare live and previously unreleased material alongside 2112 tracks covered by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins, Alice in Chains, Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson and more.

Called 2112 – 40th, the reissue will be released in a variety of formats on December 16th, including a 2CD/DVD edition featuring a newly remastered version of the album with the second disc housing live outtakes and the 2112 covers from Grohl, Hawkins and Nick Raskulinecz (Overture), Alice in Chains (Tears), Billy Talent (A Passage to Bangkok) and more.

The DVD captures Rush’s 1976 performance at the Capitol Theatre as well as a video for Grohl/Hawkins/Raskulinecz’s Overture and a retrospective look at the album 2112 – 40 Years Later, featuring a Q&A with Rush’s Alex Lifeson.

A “Super Deluxe” version of the reissue includes the 2CD/DVD set alongside the 3LP 200-gram vinyl version, plus a host of bonus items housed in a box lined with velvet flocking: Two 12-inch x 12-inch lithos (artist Hugh Syme’s original Starman pencil sketching and a 1976 Massey Hall ticket stub), a reprint of the 1976 Massey Hall handbill and three buttons featuring each band member.

The first 1,000 fans to preorder the Super Deluxe edition will receive a limited edition 7-inch pressing of the album’s first single The Twilight Zone backed by Lessons and a custom red star 45 large hole adapter ring designed by Syme. Check out the Rush site for preorder information.

For the 3-LP edition, Rush replicated the hologram featured on the 2015 vinyl reissue of 2112, which included the remastered album but lacked the bonus materials. Each edition of 2112 – 40th includes extensive liner notes about the making of the album and newly designed artwork by Syme.

2112 – 40th Track List:

Disc 1: Original Album Newly Remastered by Abbey Road Studios

1.2112
I. Overture
II. The Temples of Syrinx
III. Discovery
IV. Presentation
V. Oracle: The Dream
VI. Soliloquy
VII. Grand Finale
2. A Passage to Bangkok
3. The Twilight Zone
4. Lessons
5. Tears
6. Something for Nothing

Disc 2:

1. Solar Federation
2. Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Nick Raskulinecz – Overture
3. Billy Talent – A Passage to Bangkok
4. Steven Wilson – The Twilight Zone
5. Alice In Chains – Tears
6. Jacob Moon – Something for Nothing
7. 2112 – Live at Massey Hall 1976 Outtake
8. Something for Nothing – Live at Massey Hall 1976 Outtake
9. The Twilight Zone – Live 1977 Contraband
10. 2112 1976 Radio Ad

DVD: Live at Capitol Theatre 1976:

1. Bastille Day
2. Anthem
3. Lakeside Park
4. 2112
5. Fly by Night
6. In the Mood

Bonus Videos:

Overture: Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Nick Raskulinecz
A Passage to Bangkok: Behind the Scenes with Billy Talent
2112 – 40 Years Closer: A Q&A with Alex Lifeson and Terry Brown

source: rollingstone.com