Author Archives : Dana

GUITARIST PAUL GILBERT TO RELEASE “BEHOLD ELECTRIC GUITAR” ON MAY 17TH, RELEASES VIDEO FOR “HAVIN’ IT”

On May 17th, Music Theories will release Behold Electric Guitar, Paul Gilbert’s newest album with 12 new original songs, all with Paul’s most expressive, and inspired guitar playing to date.

After his recent move to Portland, Oregon, Paul set out to connect with the best and grooviest musicians in the area, and record an album in his brand new hometown. Brian Foxworth (drums) and Asher Fulero (keyboards) were both obvious choices to play Paul’s mix of rock, blues, jazz, and pop flavors. When Paul’s regular Portland bassist Kelly Lemieux was unavailable (due to his touring with Buckcherry), Paul reached out to New Orleans bass legend Roland Guerin. Roland came to Portland weeks before the recording dates for intense rehearsing and arranging sessions.

With the band complete, Paul enlisted legendary producer and engineer John Cuniberti. Johnis well known for his work with Joe Satriani, but Paul was primarily interested in John’s expertise with “one mic” recording. Paul explains, “It’s so easy to make albums with overdubbing and editing these days, but I really prefer playing live and just getting the music to sound right because the musicians, the songs, and the performances are good.” After hearing Paul’s band, John recommended a few more mics, but still agreed that the music worked best as live performances with no overdubs. “There is not one overdub on the record. Everything you hear is four guys jamming, listening to each other, and making room for each other. The music almost mixes itself that way! And it’s just a great mindset to have. When you know that you won’t be fixing or adding parts later… It keeps your mind very active to get things right.”

Behold Electric Guitar track listing:

1. Havin’ It 
2. I Own A Building 
3. Everywhere That Mary Went 
4. Love Is The Saddest Thing 
5. Sir, You Need To Calm Down 
6. Let That Battery Die 
7. Blues For Rabbit 
8. Every Snare Drum 
9. A Snake Just Bit My Toe 
10. I Love My Lawnmower 
11. A Herd Of Turtles 
12. Things Can Walk To You

The official music video for the first single, Havin’ It, can be seen below.

Paul comments on the track, “I finally wrote a song with long guitar solos. It took me decades to stretch beyond my pop song structure habits, and it feels great to be FREE, and just play, and play, and play. The song still has melodies and themes, and those were inspired by the idea that when you have something good… You still want MORE. Havin’ it… don’t make me stop wantin’ it!”

Paul will be touring with his band this year to support Behold Electric Guitar.

NIKKI SIXX DISCUSSES HIS HEROES, DYING AND OZZY OSBOURNE

With The Dirt movie premiering on Netflix on March 22nd, Motley Crue has been in the news quite a bit lately.

Kory Grow of Rolling Stone spoke with Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, excerpts from the interview appear, below.

Rolling Stone: Who are your heroes and why?

Nikki Sixx: Keith Richards. He’s always kept the standards higher than anybody else. I also love so many Beat Generation writers. Look at the William S. Burroughs story; it’s not always pretty, but art wasn’t supposed to come from pretty places.

Rolling Stone: Like you, Richards and Burroughs both overcame heroin addictions. Is that another reason you look up to them?

Nikki Sixx: When I was first introduced to heroin, it was like, “Oh, these writers, songwriters and painters do that.” I was young and naïve. I didn’t realize the demon it was.

Rolling Stone: You were pronounced dead of a heroin overdose in 1987. What did dying teach you?

Nikki Sixx: That it hurts to come back. My heart stopped. My body stopped. It’s like you turned the computer off and they restart the computer. It felt like I’d been fucking hit by a truck. Every single thing hurt. My hair hurt. That reboot is a bitch.

Rolling Stone: Did dying give you a new perspective on things?

Nikki Sixx: I got a lot of great one-liners now like, “Jesus Christ and I both died and came back.” That doesn’t sit well in the Bible belt. But you’ve got to laugh.

Rolling Stone: Do you have a memory of being dead, like how on TV people say they saw a light?

Nikki Sixx: Let’s just say there was some spiritual intervention. God knows I wasn’t the one responsible for surviving. I’m not religious, but I’m spiritual. If I leaned toward anything, it would be Buddhism.

Rolling Stone: You filled the book [The Dirt] with jaw-dropping groupie stories. What have you learned about women?

Nikki Sixx: I stand 100 percent behind the #MeToo movement. I think we’re in a very great time for equality and we’ve got room to grow. Even though we were f–king animals and the s–t that we did was f–king crazy and the s–t the girls did to us was crazy, there was never a moment ever that anybody in the band took that as an opportunity to wield power. I’m not saying we were angels, but it was all consensual.

Rolling Stone: You’re from Los Angeles. What’s the most L.A. thing about you?

Nikki Sixx: Unfortunately, I think I’ve picked up the word “dude.” I hate using that word, and I’ve used it. I’m sure that’s not what Keith Richards would say.

Rolling Stone: You once watched Ozzy Osbourne snort a line of ants. What did you learn from him?

Nikki Sixx: Ozzy is one of the sweetest men I’ve ever met. But when Sharon wasn’t around, it was like a five-person gang. It was always like, “He topped us again.” I remember the day he walked into our dressing room in a dress. He didn’t act like anything was wrong. We were like, “F–k, I gotta get a dress now.” He was a role model … for rock & roll.

Rolling Stone: What’s the worst part of success?

Nikki Sixx: Just being away from home. I’ve missed so many birthdays and holidays. I remember having Thanksgiving dinner in a Hilton fucking bar, and they were serving turkey sandwiches and beer. I guess that reared its head in our song Home Sweet Home.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

DUFF MCKAGAN STREAMS NEW SONG, “CHIP AWAY,” LISTEN HERE

As recently reported, Guns N’ Roses Duff McKagan will be releasing his new solo album, Tenderness, through UME.

McKagan is streaming another song called from this forthcoming release titled, Chip Away, and it can be heard, below.

Read more about this forthcoming release, and listen to the title track, by clicking here.

STRYPER ANNOUNCES THEIR “HISTORY TOUR,” TREK LAUNCHES ON MAY 10TH

Stryper will return to the road in May for the 2019 History Tour – Greatest Hits & Covers That Influenced Our Generation. The trek comes on the heels of the band’s yearlong God Damn Evil world tour, which concluded in Japan in February.

The music of our generation was and is timeless,” says Stryper frontman Michael Sweet. “It was all about the song and musicians who inspired you to want to play. We grew up on bands like Van Halen, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Journey and Boston. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the music of these legendary bands. We thought it would be an amazing experience to play some of these songs live and show you, the audience, exactly were our roots lie. We’ll also be incorporating our own hits and videos from 1984 to 2019, and something from Perry’s past as well (Firehouse). We’re excited to get back out on the road and we look forward to seeing you soon.”

Exclusive meet-and-greet packages will be available in most cities. Fans will have the option of purchasing either a Standard Meet & Greet Package or VIP History Tour Meet & Greet Package. Both meet-and-greet packages include an opportunity to meet the band, get autographs, take photos with the guys and receive exclusive one-of-a-kind merchandise. However, the VIP History Meet & Greet Package (limited to six fans per city) offers additional merchandise options and a stage tour (hold Michael’s guitar, photo in front of Robert’s drum kit, overview of gear with Stryper crew member).

 Stryper 2019 History”tour dates:

May 10 – The Firmament – Greenville, SC 
May 11 – Union Jack’s – Annapolis, MD 
May 13 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH 
May 14 – The Token Lounge – Westland, MI 
May 15 – The Rockpile West – Toronto, Ontario 
May 17 – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY 
May 18 – The Chance – Poughkeepsie, NY 
May 19 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY 
May 21 – Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA 
May 22 – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille – Warrendale, PA 
May 24 – Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH 
May 25 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY 
May 26 – The Lerner Theatre – Elkhart, IN 
May 29 – Vinyl Music Hall – Pensacola, FL 
May 31 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX 

June 1 – Magic Springs Theme Water Park – Hot Springs, AR 
June 2 – Graceland Sound Stage – Memphis, TN 
June 5 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA 
June 8 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA 
June 13 – Paparazzi OBX – Kitty Hawk, NC 
June 14 – Phase 2 – Lynchburg, VA 
June 15 – Roanoke Rapids Theater – Roanoke Rapids, NC 

July 17 – Rock Fest 2019 – Cadott, WI 
July 18 – Arcada Theater – St. Charles, IL 
July 20 – Roar on the Shore Bike Week – Erie, PA 

Sept. 7 – Teatro al Aire Libre – La Paz, Bolivia 
Sept. 10 – CC. Festiva – Lima, Peru 
Sept. 12 – Teatro Caupolicán – Santiago, Chile 
Sept. 14 – Tropical Butanta – Sao Paulo, Brazil 
Sept. 15 – Circo Voador – Rio de Janiero, Brazil 
Sept. 17 – Toinha Brasil Show – Brasilia, Brazil 
Sept. 19 – Mister Rock BH – Belo Horizonte, Brazil 
Sept. 21 – El Teatro Flores – Buenos Aires, Argentina

TED NUGENT ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER TOUR DATES

Ted Nugent has announced 13 new U.S. shows, which are set to take place between the middle of July and end of August. It will once again feature Greg Smith (Alice Cooper, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow) on bass, Jason Hartless (Joe Lynn Turner, Mitch Ryder) on drums, and the Motor City Madman himself on lead guitar and vocals.

Ted Nugent dates:

Jul. 19 – Pasadena, CA @ The Rose 
Jul. 20 – Agoura Hills, CA @ The Canyon 
Jul. 21 – Santa Clarita, CA @ The Canyon 
Jul. 23 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach House 
Jul. 24 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach Hous 
Jul. 27 – Big Bear Lake, CA @ The Cave Big Bear 
Jul. 28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre 

Aug. 2 – Kansas City, MO @ Ameristar Casino Hotel 
Aug. 4 – Sylvania, OH @ Centennial Terrace 
Aug. 6 – Munhall, PA @ Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall 
Aug. 12 – North Tonawanda, NY @ Riviera Theatre 
Aug. 14 – Jim Thorpe, PA @ Penn’s Peak 
Aug. 31 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre

Ted Nugent’s latest release, The Music Made Me Do It, came out on November 9th on Round Hill Records. Watch the video for the title track, here.

LISTEN TO MOTLEY CRUE’S COVER OF MADONNA’S “LIKE A VIRGIN”

As previously reported, Motley Crue has recorded a cover version of Madonna’s,Like A Virgin, for The Dirt soundtrack. Listen to it below.

Nikki Sixx recently spoke to Classic Rock about how the idea for the cover came to life, “I’m walking my dogs, it was a beautiful day, and all of a sudden this idea pops into my head,” he said.

“I look up as if to look to God and I start laughing. And I said, ‘That’s the worst idea ever.’ So I called Bob Rock, and he was, like, ‘Uh, I don’t think the guys are gonna go for it.’ 

I demoed it up and went over to Tommy [Lee]’s house. I said, ‘I have a song to play you but I’m going to go in the bathroom and hide cos I don’t want you to punch me in the face. And it starts going and Tommy gets this huge smile on his face, ‘This is so f–king wrong.” And I talked to Mick and Vince, and they were, like, ‘F–k it, let’s go.’ 

“I think it’s funny for Vince Neil to sing, ‘Like a virgin, touched for the very first time’ – the least virgin guy I know.’”

To view read more about the soundtrack, view the song listing and to hear the tune,  The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly), please click here.

The Dirt will be streaming on March 22nd via Netflix.