KISS’ PAUL STANLEY DISCUSSES LED ZEPPELIN SUIT, ACE FREHLEY AND NIKKI SIXX’S CRITICISM OF GENE SIMMONS

Russ Rollins of the “Monsters” recently spoke with KISS frontman Paul Stanley. Excerpts appear below as transcribed by blabbermouth.net.

On Led Zeppelin being accused of copying the iconic guitar riff in Stairway To Heaven from Spirit’s 1968 instrumental Taurus:

Stanley: “Well, it’s pretty strange that this lawsuit came forty-plus years after the fact. That’s a little weird, that somebody would suddenly decide to launch a lawsuit…”

Discussing whether he has ever heard any parts of other bands’ songs that sounded like they were lifted from KISS and whether he has ever been accused of ripping off other artists:

Stanley: “Well, yeah, and a lot of times it’s really unfair, because there are a certain amount of notes and they only get jumbled so many different ways. There’s a [Bruce] Springsteen song that sounds like… There’s a part of the song that sounds like [KISS’s] I Was Made For Loving You, so I’m sure he wasn’t sitting around listening to that. But it finds its way into everybody’s music. You can’t come down on everybody for their creativity…”

Talking about being at odds with Gene Simmons over the KISS bassist/vocalist’s admittedly callous remarks regarding Prince’s death but also taking Gene’s side and lashing out at Nikki Sixx:

Stanley: “You know, to rehash the past, Gene said some things that I think were uncalled for, and also perhaps didn’t bring a filter into the mix, and sometimes perhaps he doesn’t think through before he says something. And I just thought some of the things he said were a little cold and offensive, and I felt that I needed to distance myself from that, because the two of us have been together forty-plus years. That being said, it was over and done. And Gene and I never had a bad word about it; it was just something we both understood. But then to have somebody else harp on it over and over again, I just was… I didn’t like it. I thought it was self-promotion, and I didn’t like it. And I said, ‘Quit.'”

On whether he has gotten a positive response to his reunion with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley for a cover of Free’s Fire And Water for Ace’s solo covers set, “Origins Vol. 1:

Stanley: “Sure. Everybody — from Paul Rodgers, who originally sang it, who’s one of my inspirations, he loved it, and a lot of people thought it was terrific and were surprised by it. Of course, it leads some people to say, ‘Well, what’s next?’ And I don’t really think… What’s next is that Ace and I are in contact and enjoying reconnecting. It doesn’t need to, and won’t, lead anywhere in terms of… Why would we change the band? The band is great. KISS is great the way it is. And it’s great to be in contact and texting and speaking with Ace. He’s in great shape. Psychologically, you know, he’s clean and sober, and he’s one of a kind. He can be a strange apple, but that’s what makes him so cool. And I’m glad I took up the opportunity to be on his album and also shoot a video with him.”

additional source: blabbermouth.net

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TWISTED SISTER RELEASE VIDEO FOR LIVE VERSION OF “YOU CAN’T STOP ROCK N’ ROLL” FROM FORTHCOMING DVD

Twisted Sister have released a video of a live version of their 1983 song You Can’t Stop Rock N’ Roll from their upcoming Twisted Sister: Metal Meltdown Live at the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas – A Concert To Honor AJ Pero DVD. It was filmed in the city last May. The show was dedicated to the memory of Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero, who had died two months previously, and featured Winery Dogs and Flying Colours Mike Portnoy behind the kit.

“Twisted Sister’s late drummer, AJ Pero was literally the beating heart of our band, says frontman Dee Snider. “When the heart stops, the body is dead. But we needed to go on just a little longer to honour our fallen comrade and, with the help of the incredible Mike Portnoy, we did it for AJ.”

“The decision to continue performing all the summer shows in 2015, not to mention the concert that this performance celebrates, was in jeopardy over the days immediately following A.J.’s sudden death,” says guitarist JayJay French. “In the end, I believe we did what A.J. would have wanted us to do and Mike Portnoy was a very big part of that decision in both an emotional and artistic way.

“This performance captured herein just two months after A.J.’s death really was about our way to help memorialise the great A.J. Pero. The front four (Dee, Eddie, Mark and I) have had no one but A.J. behind us since 1982. This concert has A.J.’s influence permeating through our bloodstream in ways that I will never forget and when we cut to A.J.’s drum solo on the rear projection screen, We were all emotionally overwhelmed. Not since our reunion for NY Steel in 2001 ( Eddie Trunk’s concert to honor and raise money for the families of the NYC police and fire department who died on 9/11) have I been moved to tears.”

Twisted Sister: Metal Meltdown Live at the Hard Rock Casino Las Vegas – A Concert To Honor AJ Pero Track Listing:

1. What You Don’t Know
2. The Kids Are Back
3. Stay Hungry
4. The Beast
5. Shoot ‘Em Down
6. You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll
7. I Believe In Rock ‘N’ Roll
8. Under The Blade
9. I Am (I’m Me)
10. We’re Not Gonna Take It
11. The Fire Still Burns
12. The Price
13. Burn In Hell
14. A.J. Pero Tribute
15. I Wanna Rock
16. Come Out and Play
17. S.M.F.

source: Classic Rock Magazine via teamrock.com/news

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GUNS N’ ROSES BRING DOWN THE HOUSE AT THEIR HISTORIC “NOT IN THIS LIFETIME TOUR” KICKS OFF IN DETROIT

Guns N’ Roses took more than 40,000 fans to Paradise City last night as the legendary band rocked Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan during their 2.5 hour show that kicked off their historic Not In This Lifetime Tour.

Following a blistering rock performance from the acclaimed Alice In Chains, Guns N’ Roses took the stage to perform two dozen songs spanning their multi-platinum selling career including Welcome to the Jungle, Chinese Democracy and Civil War. A full set list is below.

The tour continues on Sunday, June 26th in Washington, DC at FedexField and then move on to another 19 cities throughout North America. Alice In Chains will also perform on the tour on shows scheduled from June 26yj thru July 3rd while Lenny Kravitz will join the line-up from July 19th thru July 24th. Grammy Award®-winner Chris Stapleton will join the tour for the Nashville show on Saturday, July 9th, acclaimed Canadian rock band, Billy Talent, will perform in Toronto on Saturday, July 16th, The Cult, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the late 20th century will join the tour on July 27th (Atlanta), 29th (Orlando) & 31st (New Orleans) and Tuesday, August 3rd in Dallas while multiple-Grammy Award winner, Skrillex, is set to join the tour on August 5th in Houston. Demand for tickets to the Not In This Lifetime Tour continue at an unprecedented pace as additional shows were recently announced including Chicago (July 3rd), Boston (July 20th), New York City (July 24th) and two brand new dates in Los Angeles (August 18th & 19th). A full list of tour dates is below.

Set list:

It’s So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Chinese Democracy
Welcome to the Jungle
Double Talkin’ Jive
Estranged
Live and Let Die (Wings)
Rocket Queen
You Could Be Mine
You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory (Johnny Thunders)
Raw Power (Iggy and The Stooges)
This I Love
Civil War
Coma
Band intros into Slash solo – Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from the Godfather/Andy Williams)
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Better
Out Ta Get Me
Jam (Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd)
November Rain
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan)
Nightrain

Encore:

Don’t Cry
The Seeker (The Who)
Paradise City

Guns N’ Roses Not In This Lifetime Tour
All dates, cities and venues below subject to change.

June:

23 Detroit, MI Ford Field (with Alice In Chains)
26 Washington, DC FEDEXFIELD (with Alice In Chains)
29 Kansas City, MO Arrowhead Stadium (with Alice In Chains)

July:

1 Chicago, IL Soldier Field (with Alice In Chains)
3 Chicago, IL Soldier Field (with Alice In Chains)
6 Cincinnati, OH Paul Brown Stadium
9 Nashville, TN Nissan Stadium (with Chris Stapleton)
12 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
14 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
16 Toronto, ON Rogers Centre (with Billy Talent)
19 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium (with Lenny Kravitz)
20 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium (with Lenny Kravitz)
23 East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium (with Lenny Kravitz)
24 East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium (with Lenny Kravitz)
27 Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome (with The Cult)
29 Orlando, FL Camping World Stadium (with The Cult)
31 New Orleans, LA Mercedes-Benz Superdome (with The Cult)

August:

3 Arlington, TX AT&T Stadium (with The Cult)
5 Houston, TX NRG Stadium (with Skrillex)
9 San Francisco, CA AT&T Park
12 Seattle, WA CenturyLink Field
15 Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium
18 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium
19 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium
22 San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium

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LED ZEPPELIN TRIUMPH IN “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN” PLAGIARISM TRIAL

Will Robinson of Entertainment Weekly reports:

Led Zeppelin are in the clear after a federal jury decided the band did not plagiarize their signature track, 1971’s Stairway to Heaven. The panel announced their unanimous decision on Thursday in a Los Angeles federal court room.

The English rockers were accused of infringing on the copyright of the instrumental track Taurus by the American band Spirit. Michael Skidmore, a trustee of the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, was the plaintiff and accused Zeppelin of lifting Stairway’s acoustic guitar-laden introduction from Taurus and sought upwards of $40 million in damages, as well as a songwriting credit for Wolfe.

But the eight-person jury ruled that even though Plant had access to Taurus and that Skidmore and Spirit’s estate had copyright to Taurus, the “original elements of Spirit’s song are not extrinsically similar” to Stairway to Heaven.

Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant were in the courtroom when the verdict was handed down, a day after closing arguments were made Wednesday morning. They both smiled and hugged their team after the court adjourned.

“We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of Stairway to Heaven and confirming what we have known for 45 years. We appreciate our fans’ support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us,” Page and Plant said in a joint statement after the verdict was announced…

…But plaintiff attorney Francis Malofiy told reporters at the courthouse, “They won on a technicality. We proved access. We proved they had access to the music, but [the jury] never heard the music.” (A studio recording of Spirit’s Taurus wasn’t played during the hearing.) “So the jury’s sitting there with basically blinders on without ever having the opportunity of hearing the evidence at issue.”

Skidmore later reiterated this point at a presser and said, “If the jury had heard Taurus, the sound recording, we would have won the case. They were limited to looking at a piece of paper.”

He continued, “We got the access, we got the trust’s okay, we weren’t allowed to tell them the money [awarded from the suit] goes to charity. It was all skewed in Led Zeppelin’s favor. All I can say is money talks louder than common sense. We did the right thing. We tried to carry on Randy’s legacy … We had a small team versus multinational corporations. I think we did a really good job.”

…Music experts [who] also testified about the similarities between the songs, pointing out that Taurus and the Stairway intro both use a chromatic descending arpeggiated scale that skips the E note — a common musical element that is in the public domain and has been used by the likes of The Beatles and Mary Poppins, the defense argued.

Read more at Entertainment Weekly.

source: ew.com

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JEFF BECK DEBUTS LYRIC VIDEO TO NEW SINGLE “LIVE IN THE DARK,” TOUR DATES WITH BUDDY GUY STARTING JULY 19TH

Jeff Beck has premiered a lyric video for Live In The Dark, the first single from his upcoming album Loud Hailer. Watch it below.

On Loud Hailer, Beck combines fluid fretwork with topical lyrics to make a powerful statement about everything from the love of power, to the power of love. The album will be available on Atco Records, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment, on July 15th on CD ($18.98), LP ($21.98), and digitally.

A few days after the album’s release, Beck will launch a summer tour of the U.S. with blues legend Buddy Guy. Additionally, on August 10th, Beck will make his Hollywood Bowl debut for a very special, career-spanning concert that celebrates 50 years of “dynamic music making” with special guests including Steven Tyler.

In addition to recording Loud Hailer, Beck has been hard at work on his first official book, Beck01 available on July 12th, this signed, limited edition book explores Beck’s passions for hot rodding and rock ‘n’ roll. To purchase, visit genesis-publications.com.

Loud Hailer track listing:

1. The Revolution Will Be Televised
2. Live In The Dark
3. Pull It
4. Thugs Club
5. Scared For The Children
6. Right Now
7. Shame
8. Edna
9. The Ballad Of The Jersey Wives
10. O.I.L.
11. Shrine

Jeff Beck Summer Tour w/Buddy Guy (*except where noted below):

July:

19 The Capitol Theatre Port Chester, NY
20 Theater at Madison Square Garden New York, NY
22 Foxwoods Resort Casino Mashantucket, CT
23 Borgata Spa & Resort Even Center Atlantic City, NJ
24 Sands Bethlehem Event Center Bethlehem, PA
26 PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
27 Wolf Trap Vienna, VA
29 Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Arts Center Canandaigua, NY
30 Meadow Brook Rochester Hills, MI
31 Ravinia Festival Highland Park, IL

August:

2 Chastain Park Theatre Atlanta, GA
3 Ascend Amphitheater Nashville, TN
5 Starlight Theatre Kansas City, MO
7 Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater Englewood, CO
10 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
11 Chumash Casino Santa Ynez, CA*
12 Pala Casino Pala, CA
14 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
16 Masonic Auditorium San Francisco, CA
17 Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Santa Rosa, CA
18 Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel Jackson, CA
20 Maryhill Winery Goldendale, WA
21 Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater Seattle, WA*

*Jeff Beck ONLY on these dates

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TESLA TO RELEASE “MECHANICAL RESONANCE LIVE!” ON AUGUST 26TH

On August 26th, California rockers Tesla will release Mechanical Resonance Live!, a live recording of their classic album, celebrating the original multi-platinum record’s 30th birthday in style. With a few surprises up their sleeve, including the single Save That Goodness written and produced by Phil Collen of Def Leppard, and will be made available via Tesla Electric Company Recordings/Mailboat. The record is being released in conjunction with Tesla’s summer tour opening up for Def Lepard, where they will perform in front of over half a million fans.

Said Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon, “30 years later and the songs on our first album still rock. Making this new live album of Mechanical Resonance was a reminder of the innocence and creative beginnings of Tesla.”

Adds Tesla bassist Brian Wheat, “It was a lot of fun to re-visit some of the songs we hadn’t played in decades and had a great time recording it. ”

Over the course of their thirty-year career, which started in 1986, the iconic Sacramento melodic hard rock quintet — Frank Hannon [guitar], Brian Wheat [bass], Jeff Keith [lead vocals], Troy Luccketta [drums], and Dave Rude [guitar] — has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and played to sold-out crowds across the globe.

The 21st century has become something of a renaissance for Tesla. Most recently, 2014’s Simplicity bowed at number 14 on The Billboard 200. The group ignited ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! in addition to scorching stages at festivals such as Rocklahoma, Graspop Metal Meeting and Sweden Rock Festival as well as the cruise Monsters Of Rock. As they prepare to cut their ninth full-length album with Phil Collen in the producer’s chair, Tesla takes another monumental leap forward as they glance back on “Mechanical Resonance Live!”

Mechanical Resonance Live! track listing:

1. Rock Me to the Top (live)
2. Ez Come Ez Go (live)
3. Gettin’ Better (live)
4. Comin’ Atcha Live (live)
5. Changes (live)
6. Before My Eyes (live)
7. 2 Late 4 Love (live)
8. We’re No Good Together (live)
9. Love Me (live)
10. Cover Queen (live)
11. Lil’ Suzie (live)
12. Modern Day Cowboy (live)
13. Save That Goodness (bonus studio track) (written/produced by Phil Collen)

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