UFO will release their first-ever covers album, paying homage to a dozen of their personal favorites. The Salentino Cuts includes several unexpected choices such as Mad Season’ River Of Deceit, John Mellencamp’s Paper In Fire and Bill Withers’s Ain’t No Sunshine alongside more traditional but nonetheless thrilling versions such as The Yardbirds’ Heartful Of Soul, ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid” and lots more.
UFO’s current lineup features original members Phil Mogg on vocals and Andy Parker on drums. Keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond joined the band in 1976. Lead guitarist Vinnie Moore has been a permanent member of the group since 2003, and American bassist Rob De Luca joined the fold in 2012.
Vinnie says, “Making this covers record was a blast for me. I thoroughly enjoyed putting a little of my own spin on these tunes that I grew up with. I played ZZ TOP and Robin Trower songs about a gazzilion times onstage over the years. it was great to actually get to record some of my old faves.”
The Salentino Cuts will be released on September 29th and will be available on both CD and two limited vinyl pressings, one splatter vinyl and one white vinyl.
The Salentino Cuts track listing:
1. Heartful Of Soul
2. Break On Through (To The Other Side)
3. River Of Deceit
4. The Pusher
5. Paper In Fire
6. Rock Candy
7. Mississippi Queen
8. Ain’t No Sunshine
9. Honey-Bee
10. Too Rolling Stoned
11. Just Got Paid
12. It’s My Life
In September & October, UFO will embark on a tour of North America with Saxon, click here for tour dates.
UFO last studio release was 2015’s A Conspiracy Of Stars. Additionally, the band released, Live Sightings, a four-CD box set featuring vintage live performances from the early ’80s, on February 5th, 2016.
For the past few months, rumors have been circulating about a new secret project including former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian. Now, the time has come to make the grand and highly anticipated introduction to their new band, Sons Of Apollo.
Reuniting to form Sons Of Apollo, Portnoy and Sherinian have joined forces with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force). Their debut album, Psychotic Symphony, will be released October 20th on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. An album teaser can be seen, below.
Psychotic Symphony was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as “The Del Fuvio Brothers,” which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in Dream Theater.
Sons Of Apollo got together very organically, as Portnoy explains, “Derek and I reunited shortly after I left Dream Theater in 2010 and we put together an all-instrumental touring band with he and I, Billy Sheehan, and Tony MacAlpine. That was my first time working with Derek since the ‘90s when he was in Dream Theater and it was just great to be working with him again. Ever since that tour, which was really just a one-off live thing, he has been nudging me to start a real, original, full-time band. The timing just had never been right, because I had too many other things on my plate. Long story short, the time was finally right to take the bait and put together a band.”
“Mike and I work at a relentless pace in the studio,” continues Sherinian. “The music is modern, but we have an old school soul. What is unique about Sons Of Apollo is that we have true rock n’ roll swagger along with the virtuosity– a lethal combination!”
But what to call the next great supergroup? “Derek was mainly the one behind the name,” says Portnoy. “I have a list that I keep on my phone of about a hundred different band names, which I constantly have to refer to every time I have a new band every year (laughs). So, I pulled up the list and Apollo was one of the names on the list. It was a word that both of us really liked. We started fiddling with different variations of the word. One of the original band names we were working with was Apollo Creed, the character from the ‘Rocky’ movies, but after lots of different discussions on different variations, Derek suggested Sons Of Apollo and it seemed to stick. Apollo is the God of Music so with that in mind it seemed like a fitting name.”
Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Billy Sheehan previously toured together in 2012 and 2013 as PSMS (along with guitarist Tony MacAlpine), playing all instrumental versions from each of their previously recorded music. Sons Of Apollo is the next logical progression by adding a vocalist and creating all-original material. The band incorporates the progressive style and individual technical prowess that Portnoy & Sherinian shared together in Dream Theater combined with the swagger and groove of Van Halen, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.
“I have known Mike and Derek for a long time, so when they came to me with Sons of Apollo, I jumped on this straight away,” says Thomas Waber, Label Manager/A&R International of InsideOutMusic. “However, the album they ended up recording exceeded my already high expectations by a long mile! We couldn’t be happier about it!”
Sons Of Apollo will hit the road in 2018 for their first worldwide tour.
“This is a real band,” Portnoy declares. “This is going to pick up for me and Billy where The Winery Dogs left off, in terms of this being the next logical full-time thing for us. I’m not saying The Winery Dogs have broken up, because we haven’t, we’re just on a break. Sons Of Apollo is absolutely going to be a full-time band and we plan on touring all over the world all throughout 2018 and, honestly, it is the priority for all five of us.”
Sherinian agrees, “We will go on a worldwide crusade in 2018 to bring Sons Of Apollo to as many people as possible. Apollo was the God of Music, and we are his mighty offspring!”
Black Country Communion the Anglo-American rock group comprising vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, drummer Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, will release their long awaited and highly anticipated fourth album, BCCIV, through Mascot Records on Friday, September 22nd. Pre-order the release at shop.jbonamassa.com.
Just like its three predecessors, “BCCIV was overseen by Kevin Shirley. Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009, is the group’s unofficial “fifth member.”
Black Country Communion is an earth-shattering combination of American and British rock influences — a bona fide super group that conveys to the world a simple but important message: classic rock is alive and well, and in good hands in the 21st century. Their communion together forms something that is greater than the sum of its parts, creating a legacy being cemented within the halls of music history.
The initiative for the new album came from Joe Bonamassa, who contacted the band in 2016 to see if they would be up for going back into the studio to write and record a fourth album.
Says Joe, “I just felt the time was right for Black Country Communion to go back into the studio and write and record a new album. When I contacted Glenn, Derek and Jason, they immediately agreed to give it shot. The timing was right.”
During October 2016, when news first broke about the band getting back together, things on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, started blowing up and fan reaction was overwhelming. It was clear to see that BCC fans were hungry for another album. BCCIV is destined to become one of the biggest hard rock albums of 2017.
Black Country Communion’s inception took place when frontman and bass guitarist Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center’s King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of producer Kevin Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.
Taking their name from the industrial area in Britain, and the birthplace of both Hughes and Bonham, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION released their self-titled debut album in 2010, and with that, unleashed their brand of take-no-prisoners hard rock to a world thirsting for music with substance.
Following the release of another two studio albums, 2011’s well-received “Black Country Communion 2” and 2012’s equally impressive Afterglow, plus a smoldering live CD released in 2011, Live Over Europe, the band has firmly established themselves as one of hard rock’s premier acts. The band took a hiatus in 2013 and focused on their successful solo careers.
Black Country Communion has cultivated a reputation not only as amazing songwriters, but as a powerful live act, is only exceeded by their dedication to their craft, and a willingness to challenge and motivate each other to make the best music they can.
Now, seven years on from its inception, Bonamassa feels the time is right to bring the original lineup back for album No. 4.
“We had around four months to write this album, and I think the results speak for themselves,” comments Glenn Hughes. “All four of us wanted to make a record that stood up to the first three albums. However, the new album is more of a progression, as we wanted to be careful not to repeat the previous albums. A lot has happened since we last recorded the ‘Aferglow’ album in 2013, so, in many ways, the new album shows Black Country Communion with a much harder, riffier and bigger and bolder sound. If you’re looking for a folk album, this ain’t the one.”
The band assembled to record BCCIV at Cave Studios in Los Angeles in December 2016. The album was mixed at Cave Studios in Sydney in March 2017. The songs on BCCIV will appeal to all fans of high quality hard rock, also those that admire singers of distinction. Hughes is not known as The Voice of Rock for nothing.
In terms of content, BCCIV expands upon the progression that took place between the first three albums. With an abundance of heavy riffs, undeniable hooks, melodic flair and infectious choruses, BCCIV is a spectacular album that gets bigger and bolder with repeated spins.
“I wanted the new album to physically shake your soul. It’s a wake-up call.” explains Hughes.
All songs on the new album were co-written by Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa. Glenn wrote all the lyrics on the album except for the song “The Last Song For My Resting Place”, which was written by Joe.
BCCIV track listing:
1. Collide
2. Over My Head
3. The Last Song For My Resting Place
4. Sway
5. The Cove
6. The Crow
7. Wanderlust
8. Love Remains
9. Awake
10. When The Morning Comes
11. With You I Go (bonus track on vinyl edition only)
The first single taken from the new album will be “Collide.”
Black Country Communion has announced two exclusive concerts in Europe during January 2018 to support of BCCIV. The band will play Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday, January 2nd and London Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday, January 4th.
Yngwie J. Malmsteen will embark on the second 2017 leg of his World On Fire U.S. headling tour in the fall. Yngwie and his ensemble of top-tier musicians will perform pieces from the legendary neo-classical stylings of Rising Force (1984) as well as songs from the fierce World On Fire, and material from everything in between.
Says Yngwie “Due to unprecedented popular demand and sold-out shows, I’m really excited to be heading out on this second leg.”
Tour dates:
Oct. 20 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue
Oct. 21 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theatre
Oct. 22 – Hazard, KY – Forum Theatre
Oct. 25 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
Oct. 26 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
Oct. 27 – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
Oct. 29 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
Nov. 1 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre
Nov. 2 – Kalamazoo, MI – State Theatre
Nov. 3 – Chicago, IL – Portage Theatre
Nov. 4 – Ringle, WI – Q&Z Expo Center
Nov. 6 – Kent, OH – Kent Stage Theater
Nov. 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
Nov. 8 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theatre
Nov. 9 – Greensboro, NC – Cone Denim Entertainment Center
Nov. 12 – Melbourne, FL – King Center for the Performing Arts
Saxon have will release a new box set next month, titled The Solid Book Of Rock.
It will be released on August 18th through Edsel and include the albums Solid Ball Of Rock, Forever Free, Dogs Of War, Unleash The Beast, Metalhead, Killing Ground, Lionheart, The Inner Sanctum and Into The Labyrinth along with a host of bonus content.
A statement reads, “The set comprises 14 discs – not only all nine of Saxon’s studio albums from 1991 to 2009 but eight bonus tracks and two bonus CDs – Classics Re-Recorded originally issued with the initial pressings of Killing Ground, and a Lionheart rough studio mix which was originally issued on the 2006 limited edition.”
The package also contains three bonus DVDs featuring documentaries, interviews, live performances, promos and studio footage which were originally issued with Lionheart, The Inner Sanctum and Into The Labyrinth.
Also included, is the 2007 Pablo Aragues-directed Spanish art film, Perceval, which stars Saxon frontman Biff Byford as King Arthur.
The Solid Book Of Rock will be packed in a 24-page, 12×12 booklet featuring lyrics, credits and photographs, while Paul R Gregory has designed new cover artwork for the collection.
Buford says. “It’s worth getting just for the artwork. A great piece of Saxon history – and don’t forget I get to play King Arthur. I didn’t get the Oscar that year – or anything else for that matter.”
A limited edition version containing a print signed by Byford is exclusively available for pre-order through Amazon.
As previously reported, Stone Temple Pilots will be celebrating the 25th anniversary, of their debut album, Core, by releasing, Core: Super Deluxe Edition, on on September 29th.
This special edition features many unreleased demos, and in anticipation of the release, Stone Temple Pilots, is streaming the demo version of, Sex Type Thing. Listen to it below.
To learn more about Core: Super Deluxe Edition, please click here.
