DAVE “THE SNAKE” SABO LIST HIS TOP TEN SKID ROW SONGS

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Guitarist Dave “The Snake” Sabo reveals to Classic Rock Magazine‘s Malcolm Dome Skid Row’s ten best songs. View his list below.

18 And Life (Skid Row, 1989):

“It’s such a personal thing, but this song galvanised the writing partnership between Rachel (Bolan, bassist) and me. As this came together, I could tell that our partnership was real. We had a symbiotic sensibility. And we appreciated what we had as a writing team was the potential to reach people. The way it worked was that I had an idea for the song and where it could go. But it was in my head. Rachel took it a step further, and then we developed the song from there.”

Youth Gone Wild (Skid Row, 1989):

“It originally had a different set of lyrics. But Rachel then went away and rewrote them. It was then that I understood he was a lot better as a lyricist than I was. He sees things from an interesting and obscure perspective. Rachel can take an idea we’ve come up with, lock himself away in a room and come back with 17 pages full of great lyrics! At the time we did Youth Gone Wild, we were in in our early 20s and wanted a song that would be representative of us. This was it.”

I Remember You (Skid Row, 1989):

“I have to admit this was a song neither Rachel nor I wanted to include on the album. We wrote a lot of stuff that didn’t make it, and at first this was in the pile to be overlooked. But here I have to give credit to Bas (vocalist Sebastian Bach), Scott McGhee who was co-managing us at the time with Doc McGhee and our producer Michael Wagener. Because they all insisted it had to go on the record. It was humbling to understand that you’re not right all the time, so when this became so popular, it taught be humility. I had been wrong.”

Monkey Business (Slave To The Grind, 1991):

“This song was really the start of what would become our second album. We had a different mindset for that one as compared to our debut, and this set the tone for everything. By that time, we had been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, seeing and experiencing different things. Nothing was forced here. We were very focused and what came out was really what the band were all about.”

Quicksand Jesus (Slave To The Grind, 1991):

“This was a labor of love. We started writing it when the first Gulf War was going on. It was the first time we could see a war going on through adult eyes. And we knew that through our music, we now had a voice to express our emotions on how ugly and devastating the whole thing was. It permeated into our psyche. The title came about because in my mum’s backyard, there was a tree surrounded by flowers. In the midst of the flowers was a small ceramic bust of Jesus. But because of the way it was positioned, it always looked like it was in quicksand. So, Rachel referred to it as Quicksand Jesus, and we thought that was a great song title.”

In A Darkened Room (Slave To The Grind, 1991)

“Yes, it’s a ballad, but so what? The sentiments expressed here are very dark and heavy. Lyrically, this is about child abuse. Back in 1991, this was very much a taboo subject. People were only just coming into the open, to talk about this. It was very brave for anyone to openly discuss how they were abused as a child. For a band who were known back then for something like Youth Gone Wild, this was something really different. But I wanted us to talk about the whole situation. It might have been strange given the way we sounded on our first record. But we were always so much more complex than we’d shown there.”

Breakin’ Down (Subhuman Race, 1995):

“It was the first song I wrote on my own, and also the first Skid Row song ever to be used on a movie soundtrack (The Prophecy, starring Christopher Walken). So it means a lot to me. Of course, it was a crazy time for music, so the album didn’t do much. And there was a lot going on with the band at the time. It’s amazing how success can paper over the cracks in the relationships between band members, but when you have adversity, people’s real characters come through. That’s what happened to us in the mid-90s. For me, this song accurately reflects what that period of time was like for Skid Row.”

Kings Of Demolition (United World Rebellion: Chapter One EP, 2013):

“This was the song where Rachel and I rediscovered ourselves as a songwriting team. It had the feel of Slave To The Grind, and set the tone that we took into the EP. Rachel and I felt again we had gotten back to where we were in 1991.”

This Is Killing Me (United World Rebellion: Chapter One EP, 2013):

“This is a very simple, raw song. Here, I was tapping into my inner entity. And this really touched a nerve.”

We Are The Damned (United World Rebellion: Chapter Two EP, 2014):

“Before we started to write this, Rachel and I worked out where the core of a partnership came from. We had been best buds for 30 years by then. And what we understood was that, at heart, we were still the same kids we had started off as, trying to express ourselves through music. What life does is add layers to the core, and what we had to do was strip these away; to get back to when we were 16-year-old kids with a guitar standing in front of the mirror. When the only thing you care about, and the only way you can tell everyone what you really feel is through music. That’s what we did here.”

source: teamrock.com

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ORIGINAL BLACK SABBATH DRUMMER BILL WARD REMINISCES ABOUT THEIR “VOL. 4” ALBUM AND SAYS “‘SUPERNAUT’ WAS ONE OF JOHN BONHAM’S FAVORITE SONGS”

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Matt Wake of LA Weekly has written a feature article in which original Black Sabbath drummer, Bill Ward, reflects on the making of their Vol. 4 album. Our very own Eddie Trunk also offers his opinions about that record as well. Portions of the story appear below.

“I think that question might be a little difficult for me because I’m on cans, on headphones, while we’re tracking. But I’m sure we played pretty f–king loud,” says drummer Bill Ward with a laugh. “I would walk into the studio when Tony was doing his [guitar] overdubs and man, it’s just like holy f–king shit, really loud. And that’s just doing overdubs. Or Geezer. The [speaker] cabs are flying, man, there’s no doubt about it.”

After recording their first three brilliant, heavy-metal-pioneering albums in England, in spring 1972 Black Sabbath — Ward, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and singer Ozzy Osbourne — were living in a rented Bel-Air mansion while working on the follow-up to their 1971 disc, Master of Reality.

This was the band’s most experimental music yet. The piano balladry of Changes. An orchestra on the haunting coke paean Snowblind. Cuban rhythmic influences on Supernaut, a track with such an infectious, powerful groove it “was one of John Bonham’s favorite songs, actually,” Ward says. And of course Sabbath’s hallmark mix of savage guitars, jazz-gone-wild rhythmic counterpoint and Osbourne’s eerie, melodic vocals.

“We had been working literally non-stop,” says Ward…At that point we’d been on the road I think for probably about four years and we hadn’t stopped. We’d visited L.A. when we played concerts here and all of us liked Los Angeles. We felt it was pretty laid-back here, so we probably were attracted to the fact it was a much slower pace here and we could actually relax.”

…”There was one point where Ozzy had spray-painted my private parts,” Ward remembers. “And then I read on the spray paint it was poisonous and do not apply to the skin, so in fear of my private parts, I panicked and went kind of crazy.” (Osbourne, in his 2010 memoir I Am Ozzy, wrote that it was Iommi who spray-painted Ward’s private area.)

“We’d play all kinds of stupid pranks and things like that. That’s when the band was great,” Ward continues. “I’m not saying the band’s not great now, but there was truly a lot of camaraderie and a lot of really, really good stuff at that time period.”

The contrast of SUV-squashing riffs and intricate rhythms makes some of Vol. 4’s most enduring cuts, like Wheels of Confusion and Tomorrow’s Dream, particularly powerful. Ward’s groove on Snowblind is strikingly panther-like and patient, particularly on a song about cocaine. For the Vol. 4 sessions, the drummer used a mix-and-match kit made up of specifically selected Slingerland, Ludwig and Hayman drums, including double 26-inch bass drums.

“Tony Iommi once told me that in order to be truly heavy, you also need to lighten it up because when you get heavy again, it makes it all the more impactful,” says That Metal Show and Sirius/XM radio host, author and renowned heavy metal expert Eddie Trunk. “I think with Vol. 4 you start to see some signs of the variety and dynamics. No place further than with a song like Changes, which was a tremendous turn for the band and still holds up incredibly well. It’s really a dynamic record that shows a lot more was going on with Black Sabbath than just these brutally heavy riffs.”

Released in September 1972, Vol. 4 also features one of Sabbath’s most iconic album covers: a yellow-monochrome image of Ozzy, wearing one of the fringed shirts he favored for years, his arms extended in a peace sign. Says Trunk, “I got to say, it’s always a flag to me when a band that I love more prominently features one member on the cover than anyone else. You’re saying to yourself, ‘Wow is this just one guy’s band?’”

Of course, with Sabbath, that was never the case. “And we’ve also found out over time that Ozzy, although he’s the singer in the band, he was never really a writer in the band,” Trunk continues. “And even early on, or later at certain periods, the band was actually fronted by Iommi; I mean Ozzy would be off to the side and Tony would stand front and center and Ozzy would sing over to the side. So just looking back on it, it’s just kind of interesting they would make a move like that.”

Trunk places Vol. 4 within the top three of the classic lineup Sabbath LPs, up with Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and of course Paranoid. Interestingly, he discovered the band through 1981’s Heaven and Hell, the group’s first disc with Ronnie James Dio as singer, and eventually worked his way backward into the Ozzy-era catalog, beginning with the compilation We Sold Our Soul For Rock N’ Roll.

Calling from his New Jersey home office, Trunk notes that while Vol. 4 contains songs like Supernaut considered classics by connoisseurs, “You don’t really have … that across-the-board smash hit. Snowblind may be my favorite track on the record because it’s just got that great groove and slams in with that killer riff, and they’re singing about something that, at the time, was very near and dear to their heart.”

…Black Sabbath originally wanted to title their fourth album Snowblind. But after the band’s U.S. label, Warner Bros., balked at naming not just a song but an entire LP after cocaine, Sabbath shifted on a whim to Vol. 4, possibly at the suggestion of road manager Spock Wall.

Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut remains Ward’s favorite of the band’s LPs. But he listened to spiraling Vol. 4 track Cornucopia less than 24 hours before this interview, and frequently plays the track on his monthly Internet radio show, Rock 50.

Read more at LA Weekly.

source: laweekly.com

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2/8: JOE ELLIOTT PODCAST, ROCK ON THE RANGE, PITT, VEGAS BOUND

Lots of stuff going on and many new appearances just added for a variety of things around the US. Please check the appearances on the home page for more info. Just added Pittsburgh with Don & Jim as well as Rock On The Range where we will do a That Metal Show style performance. This will happen in the comedy tent on the Saturday. Exact time that day TBA. We will have guests performing that day joining us. Should be fun! Please note NO appearances are TV tapings. When we have a new TMS home I’ll let you know. Hope you can come see me/us and keep an eye on the dates on the home page for changes, additions, etc. Thanks.

New podcast this Thursday will be with Joe Elliott. This is the complete version of the interview that aired recently on some radio outlets. Free as usual on www.podcastone.com and Itunes. Upcoming guests on the podcast include producer Max Norman, Todd Kerns, Bob Kulick, John Petrucci & Jordan Rudess. New every Thursday!

Headed to Vegas tomorrow for the week. I’m attending a radio convention and also plan to catch some great shows including Sabbath/Rival Sons, Michael Monroe and Anthrax’LOG.

More updates here when I can. Follow on Twitter @EddieTrunk for up to the second info.

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ROCK ON THE RANGE ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS INCLUDING “THAT METAL SHOW” LIVE, DEFTONES AND THE ROLLING ROCK COMEDY TENT LINEUP

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The lineup for Rock On The Range, scheduled for May 20th, 21st & 22nd, 2016 at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, OH, was posted on the site on November 30th, 2015.

Just announced as additions to the lineup are the Deftones, along with The Shrine and Adam Watt.

Deftones’ Chino Moreno says, “Rock On The Range has always been a show we enjoy playing, and to be a part of the 10th year is particularly exciting for us, especially with a new album in tow. See you all in May.”

The ROTR Rolling Rock Comedy Tent will feature some of rock’s favorite comedians including Grammy nominated Jay Mohr, Big Jay Oakerson, Nate Bargatze, Craig Gass, and Bethany Dwyer, plus Columbus’s top comedy talent.

In addition, Saturday night’s festivities at Rock On The Range will include a live version of “That Metal Show (based on the VH1 Classic program) starring hosts Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine. The live show will feature interviews with various ROTR bands, a Stump The Trunk segment, and typical That Metal Show commentary from Trunk, Jamieson and Florentine.

Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine proclaim, “Hey Rangers! Get ready for the rock reunion of a lifetime! No, not Guns N’ Roses…the three of us are reuniting for a special That Metal Show live on stage for Rock On The Range‘s 10th anniversary. Hope to see you all at America’s number one rock festival!”

To see Rock On The Range‘s entire lineup, also find out about tickets and VIP packages, please click here.

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KING’S X RE-ISSUES, “GRETCHEN GOES TO NEBRASKA” AND “FAITH HOPE LOVE,” NOW AVAILABLE, BAND SET TO BEGIN WEST COAST TOUR THIS MONTH

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King’s X recently re-issued two of their classic albums, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989) and Faith Hope Love (1990), via Metal Blade Records. Both available as a double vinyl, Faith Hope Love has also been re-packaged on CD with two bonus live tracks recorded in Cleveland in 1992. To purchase these limited re-issues, please visit indiemerch.com.

King’s X’s second full-length, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, is based loosely on a short story by drummer Jerry Gaskill and is considered a landmark in the band’s 30+ year history. Containing many fan favorites – such as the power ballad Summerland, plus Mission and The Burning DownGretchen Goes to Nebraska also features the track Pleiades, which is credited by guitarist Ty Tabor as being the genesis of the King’s X sound when he presented the demo to the other band members a few years earlier. Additionally, the album track Over My Head received considerable play on MTV and radio, and ultimately set the trio up for broader success on subsequent releases.

The follow-up to Gretchen Goes to NebraskaFaith Hope Love – was released the next year in 1990 and landed in the Billboard Top 100, thus becoming the band’s highest charting album at the time. Led by the radio single It’s Love, King’s X also hit number six on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart – their highest chart position! To-date, Faith Hope Love is still King’s X’s most commercially successful album, reaching gold status in the USA.

This month, King’s X will embark on a west coast tour in support of these classic albums (and more!), with Kings of Spade joining them on the run. See below for all dates.

King’s X tour dates w/ Kings of Spade

Feb. 25 – Reno, NV – Psychedelic Ballroom and Jukejoint
Feb. 26 – Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre
Feb. 27 – San Jose, CA – Rockbar Theater

Mar. 1 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
Mar. 3 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
Mar. 4 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage *
Mar. 5 – Corona, CA – M15 *
*=no Kings of Spade

King’s X online:

kingsxrocks.com
facebook.com/KingsXFanPage

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METALLICA TO DEBUT NEW STAGE AT PRE-SUPERBOWL CONCERT TONIGHT

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On the eve of the nation’s most anticipated sporting event, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees and Grammy Award winners Metallica will headline CBS Radio’s The Night Before, a one-of-a-kind concert experience the evening prior to Super Bowl 50 at AT&T Park in the band’s hometown of San Francisco, CA. The concert marks the band’s first performance of 2016.

Speaking to Kory Grow of Rolling Stone, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich reveals his band will be debuting a new stage production. “It’s big,” he says. “I mean it’s really big. I haven’t seen it yet, but I got sent the first pictures last night, and it’s very vivid. It’ll light up the sky.”

Asked what fans can expect from the show’s set list, Ulrich says he and the band have been readying what its production manager Dan Braun calls Metallica’s “toe-tapping favorites.”

“If I told you that we were going to play all the deep, obscure tracks from Load and ReLoad, you know I’d be lying to you,” he says, chuckling. “I don’t want to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, but we’re leaning a little bit towards the classics. We do so many different configurations of set lists for if we’re playing theaters, somebody’s basement, arenas, and recently at our last couple of indoor shows, we went very deep. Last summer, we played The Unforgiven II, which we’d never played live before, and we had tracks like Disposable Heroes and Metal Militia and King Nothing after a long absence. But I will go out on a limb here and say we will lean on the classics. There will be a significant portion of those, whatever they may be.”

Metallica fans around the world will be able to tune in to a live webstream of the show. The webcast will be a free 1080p FullHD stream live from AT&T Park, available on mobile and desktop devices at the LiveMetallica site. The Night Before show will also feature openers Cage the Elephant, with Metallica set to perform at approximately 8:30 p.m. PT.

Fans can pre­-order professionally mixed audio recordings of the show as downloads and collectible CDs are available at metallica.com.

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additional source: bravewords.com

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