Category : LATEST NEWS

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

NEW YORK POST READERS VOTE ON “THE WORST SONGS OF ALL TIME”

The NY Post readers complied a list of the “worst songs of all time.” Here is their list:

Starship: We Built This City:

When even the co-singer of the song, Grace Slick, calls it “the worst song ever” (as she did in a Vanity Fair interview in 2012), it has to be pretty bad.

USA for Africa: We Are the World

The charitable intentions couldn’t hide what a stinker of a song it was. Prince knew it and, despite huge criticism at the time, wisely refused to take part.

Barenaked Ladies: One Week

Reader Heather Pink referred to this simply as the song “about Chinese chicken.” It’s not actually about that, but Barenaked Ladies’ one big hit is so heinously grating, it’s enough to spark eye rolls of recognition all ’round.

Bobby McFerrin: Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Righteously blasted in the lyrics of Fight the Power by Public Enemy, McFerrin’s whimsical a cappella hit also attracted withering criticism by reader Dave Richard, who regarded it as a “real steaming pile of crap.”

Terry Jacks: Seasons in the Sun

Adapted from a Jacques Brel song, Jacks’ wimpy delivery and the cornball lyrics about a man reflecting on his life make it one for the pop morgue.

Berlin: Take My Breath Away

For fans of Top Gun, it’s the song that signifies the on-screen passion of Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis. For readers like John Farrell, it’s merely “vomit-inducing crap.”

Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots: Disco Duck

A novelty Number one hit for radio DJ Dees in 1976, this maddeningly irritating hit marks where disco truly did suck.

Steve Miller Band: The Joker

Keeping classic-rock radio stations in business since 1973.

Baha Men: Who Let the Dogs Out

Fun for about two weeks in 2000, when it came out. The bane of music fans the world over in the 16 years since.

Piko-Taro: PPAP

In October, this Japanese comic made chart history when his 45-second viral hit became the shortest song ever on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s still long enough to be massively aggravating.

The Hues Corporation: Rock the Boat

Looking back, this early disco single feels so thin, it’s practically invisible.

Eddie Murphy: Party All the Time

Much mocked, but Murphy’s hit — written and produced by Rick James — is exasperatingly catchy.

Nena: 99 Luftballons

Look closely, and 99 Luftballons actually reveals itself as a song about nuclear apocalypse, but that subtlety was lost under the annoying melody.

The Beatles: Hey Jude

Paul McCartney famously does three-hour live sets these days. But two and a half of them is him singing the “na na na na” part of Hey Jude.

Bryan Adams: (Everything I Do) I Do It for You

Any marriage is deemed legally null and void without a playing of this song at the wedding.

Men Without Hats: The Safety Dance

This ’80s electro-pop track was always pretty lame — and its case wasn’t helped by the stupid dancing in the video.

Los del Río: Macarena

The dance craze that still rears its ugly head every summer.

Billy Ray Cyrus: Achy Breaky Heart

Cyrus might be cool again, but for many, that doesn’t forgive him this original sin.

Europe: The Final Countdown

The absolute nadir of bombastic ’80s poodle-rock. Now fittingly used in car-insurance commercials.

Desiigner: Panda

The Brooklyn MC’s mumbling number one hit was a target for some confused readers. “The words don’t even make sense,” complained Jennifer Smith.

Do you agree with this list? What do you deem to be the “worst songs of all time?”

source: nypost.com

JON BON JOVI DISCUSSES THE BAND’S NEW ALBUM “THIS HOUSE IS NOT FOR SALE”

Ray Waddell of Billboard spoke with Jon Bon Jovi. Excerpts from the Q&A appear below.

Billboard: In recording This House Is Not For Sale, did you have an objective going into the studio as to what you wanted to accomplish, or did the album take shape as you went along?

Jon Bon Jovi: The very initial process was just to begin writing. In January of ’15, the political landscape having taken shape, I had just come out of my own internal issues with Richie leaving, and I wasn’t even clear on where I was with the record company — that was still nowhere yet. So I just started to write. When I saw that [Uelsmann] photograph, and that became the album cover, that really gave me a foundation, a cornerstone, and I really started to go in that direction and make it a more personal record.

So I had to determine how to process everything I had been through with Richie’s leaving, and what was on the horizon with the company, and even what I went through with the Bills [Bon Jovi had been part of a group that attempted to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills]. All those times I told you I couldn’t talk to you about [the Bills], there was like a gag order, it was really traumatic, all of those things. It gave me a lot to write about, so it was a very personal and vulnerable record.

Billboard: You had live “listening parties” for the new record. That would seem a challenge, as often new songs tend to sort of find their way on tour as you work them out live.

Jon Bon Jovi: We had five rehearsals in New Jersey and then did it, and then I wanted to do it in a couple of other places, so we went to London, Toronto and New York. I wasn’t thinking enough to think “oh my god, this could fall flat, or this might not work.” I had the audacity to say “f–k you, I’m going out there and doing all 15 songs,” then was blessed to hear and read the reactions to it, and people loved it. I really never thought about the idea that people might not be comfortable listening to 15 new songs, but it does make sense, in retrospect. I’m glad I didn’t think of it.

Billboard: You’ve received a lot of awards and sold a lot of records, with a lot of hits, but the Legend Of Live will be the first time Bon Jovi is honored for their body of work on the road. What does that mean to you?

Jon Bon Jovi: It means a lot, and I’ll tell you why. Doc McGhee, our first manager, had an adage about this band: “Bon Jovi will play a pay toilet, and use their own change.” In our youth, he insisted we go everywhere, whether it was Europe or Asia or Australia or Africa. He always thought “some day, when America turns its back on you, you’ll have other places in the world to go.”

Not only did we go, we built a reputation as being a good live band, and knowing how to adapt. So when we were opening for 38 Special and Judas Priest on the same tour, we were able to still try to win fans over. I sat at his desk in 1983 and said “I think we should go out with the Cars and Bryan Adams,” and he said “no, we’re going to go out with the Scorpions and KISS, and that’s going to be more of a loyal rock audience and not a pop audience.” We went and cut our teeth with that kind of mindset, and built a reputation as a band you didn’t want to open for you. And I’m proud of that. Now we’ve done 3,000 shows, or near enough. I know how to do it.

Billboard: If songwriting, recording and performing live are the three legs of the stool, how would you rank them?

Jon Bon Jovi: Sorry to say, under the guise of this conversation, that touring is last. For me, writing is first. Then, anything that hits the paper you think is good enough to go into the studio with, that’s second, because you want to see it come to life. And then, finally, it’s going out and sharing the work with the people. The only reason I say that is because I know my commitment physically and mentally to the art, and the desire to be the best I can be, and I know that commitment is not one I take lightly. I always thought of those that came before me, and trying to say that we weren’t a waste of your hard-earned dollars. This is people’s fun money for a month to buy a ticket, I’ve got to make sure that we deliver everything.

Billboard: Without the song, you don’t have anything to take on the road.

Jon Bon Jovi: No, you don’t…

Read more at Billboard.

This House Is Not For Sale is out now (November 4th) and the band has announced 2017 tour dates, starting on February 8th in Greenville, SC. View the band’s entire itinerary by clicking here.

source: billboard.com

BASSIST JEFF PILSON TELLS EDDIE TRUNK THAT THE JAPANESE DOKKEN TOUR WAS “DRAMA FREE,” AND ADDED, HE IS “UP FOR MORE” SHOWS

Bassist/vocalist Jeff Pilson was a recent guest on Eddie’s Trunk Nation SiriusXM show on the Volume channel.

When asked how reunited Dokken Japanese tour went, Plison replied (via blabbermouth.net), “You know what? It was very, very drama-free; I was kind of surprised — very pleasantly so. It was a great time. We actually had a lot of fun. We connected on a friendship level that I wasn’t really expecting, to be honest with you, and it was great. I mean, it was really, really fun — much more so than I was expecting.”

On the possibility of the classic lineup playing more shows, the bassist said, “I don’t know for sure whether that’s it. We kind of talked about it a bit and it seems like it’s still pretty much at, ‘No, let’s leave it where it was.’ That’s the current plan anyways. If it changes, it changes, and that would be great. I mean, I’m up for more, if it works out, although scheduling-wise, for me, it’s real tough. But no, I think for the time being, that’s it, and if that’s the case, that’s great. I’d rather end it on a positive note anyway. We’ll see. Again, it was a positive experience. Yes, we got along, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna open the floodgates and do a whole big tour. That’s probably not gonna happen.”

The classic lineup of Dokken (singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Mick Brown) reunited for a special Japanese mini tour that began on October 5th in Osaka and ended in Tokyo on October 12th.