Had a great conversation for almost an hour with Scott Rockenfield of Queensryche on my Q104 show this past Friday. You can hear it on all affiliate stations usual place and time this coming weekend as well as online outlets. Was the first time I really spoke at length with that side of the Queensryche divide. Scott answered everything thrown at him and was extremely happy with how things were progressing with his version of the band. I even joked with him about Chris DeGarmo being the key to swaying fans to one version or the other, but Scott said the only way Chris would be a part of Queensryche these days is if he was piloting the plane. I also world premiered a clip of a new song called “Redemption” that truly sounded great. Very much like old Queensryche and it was stunning how much new singer Todd LaTorre nailed Tate like vocals. Scott made it clear his version of the band is all about embracing the more metal side of Queensryche’s history and it certainly sounded that way. I’ll see them live for the first time on the Monsters Cruise next month. When ever stuff like this goes down with bands I’ve known for decades, as is the case with Queensryche, all I can do is give a platform to all parties and ultimately the fans make the decisions what to support. So when Geoff is ready my door is also open to him as well. It sucks when stuff like this happens for us as fans, but who knows, maybe somehow we get two solid bands from this? We will find out soon enough.
Just watched a 3 hour doc on The Eagles. Obviously not hard rock but a great band just the same and if you are a fan of rock docs as I am check it out. On Showtime.
The latest band contract situation is now Dave Lombardo and Slayer. Had me thinking, have we ever seen a time when the business side of music has become so transparent? Used to be much of this was hidden from fans, but between Lombardo, Ward and many others it’s being finally put to fans as it is, business. We all like to think the bands we follow are all for one, one for all, but rarely is that ever the case. In most instances one or two members own and control, the others employees. More common than you think, but only heard about recently with social media and some of these guys going public. I for one like the transparency VS the bullshit. It is after all the music BUSINESS, and that second word yields so much power.
Much to discuss so join me LIVE tomorrow from 6-10PM ET for Eddie Trunk LIVE on SiriusXM channel 39 Trunk Nation (Hair Nation). Tom Keifer joins me live at 6:15 ET.
3 Responses
The Eagles doc was excellent.
It’s cool you gave Scott Rockenfield some space to speak his mind about what’s going on, and your enthusiasm with the real Queensrÿche was really refreshing – yes, I’ve chosen one side since the beginning. I’m not naive enough to believe one side is 100% right, and the other one is 100% wrong. I think they should have kicked Geoff Tate out of the band ten years ago, and I can’t understand why Scott, Michael and Eddie were so passive with all the thing Geoff has done.
On the other hand, I can’t accept Geoff’s behavior. He spat on his former bandmates, and assaulted them at work place. Worst: he admitted that with some sense of pride, saying that he could hurt them pretty bad if someone would not have stopped him. And tried to steal from them, I must add. I can’t understand why someone still can deffend this guy. And trust me, I used to worship him. How the might have fallen…
Anyway, it was great you asked Scott some tough questions, and he answered them as a class act he truly is. But you should have done the same to Geoff Tate. I was really disappointed after watching the TMS episode he was on. I know it wasn’t you, but saying Queensrÿche is not going to sell as many tickets as the band use to sell because he’s not in the band anymore… Well, that wasn’t cool. Does that guy has a crystal ball? Journalism is not to play a hunch, it’s to deliver facts.
Hope you can do an interview with Geoff Tate as good as the one you did with Scott. Asking the tough questions. Well, that’s it. No, that’s not: I can’t wait to your new book. The first one is really great.
Greetings from Brazil.
Daniel
when rob halford, bruce dickinson, david lee roth, joey belladona, vince neil or ozzy osbourne were fired or quit, they did not go off & form another version of priest, maiden, halen, anthrax, crue or sabbath. geoff tate has made it clear in previous interviews how much he does not like the “metal” label, but now we hear via internet that he is recording a “very heavy” record, enlisting the likes of paul bostaph (testament, slayer), are we to think this is who he trully is. i think he’s a great singer & lyrically i thought “american soldier” was great but musically it fell short. dedicated chaos had alot of song writing credit to slater & some internet videos had a third guitarist in them. who was that guy? if geoff tate is making a heavy record, i welcome it, even though he recently stated how much he does not like to play “queen of the ryche”. the internet videos i’ve seen of the todd le torre fronted queensryche, remind me of the queensryche i first saw opening up for kiss in 84′. i look forward to both releases of, the real queensryche & the geoff fronted band, which he should probably just call “avantasia 2”. by the way, i very much like avantasia, which is a seperate band, not edguy #2