Author Archives : Dana

THE WINERY DOGS, FEATURING KOTZEN, SHEEHAN AND PORTNOY, POST VIDEO FOR “ELEVATE”

The Winery Dogs, a new project featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Talas) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison) posted a video for their new song Elevate which can be seen below.

The song comes off the band’s self-titled debut album, which will be released in Japan on May 15th through Victor Entertainment.

Regarding how the band got its name, Portnoy said, “It was Richie’s name. We had a list of about 50 names. I had about 10 that I preferred over The Winery Dogs, but you know, when you’re in a band, you have to give and take and choose your battles, and Richie really, really loved this band name. So, you know, it was, like, ‘OK.’ A name is a name. If you feel that strongly about it, then go for it. So that’s who we are.”

The Winery Dogs track listing:

1. Elevate
2. Desire
3. We Are One
4. I’m No Angel
5. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11. Criminal
12. The Dying
13. Regret

FORMER KROKUS DRUMMER DANI CRIVELLI PASSES AWAY

Former Krokus drummer Dani Crivelli has passed away.

In a statement on their website, the band writes, “We are saddened to report to you that our ex-Krokus drummer Dani Crivelli passed away. Our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. Also a native of Solothurn, Switzerland, Dani joined Krokus in 1987, replacing Jeff Klaven. You can listen to him on the band’s 1988 Heart Attack release that included Krokus staples like Rock’n’Roll Tonight” and Wild Love.”

They added, “He always kept in contact with the band over the years. We liked his straight forward, but true words about music and life. He will be missed but will keep on drumming in Rock’n’Roll heaven!”

Crivelli played in a band called Ain’t Dead Yet with fellow Krokus members Many Maurer and Tony Castell before joining Krokus in 1987, where he remained until 1989.

According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the cause of death is unknown.

additional source: noisecreep.com

BASSIST PETE WAY SAYS “I DON’T HAVE A BURNING DESIRE TO REJOIN UFO”

No matter how much UFO fans might want him to return to the band, bass player Pete Way doesn’t expect to rejoin the band any time soon.

“It’s not a priority for me at the minute,” Way says in an interview in the forthcoming new issue of Classic Rock. “I don’t have a burning desire to do it. Have I been asked? Yes, I’ve been asked but I wasn’t in a place to be able to do it when I was asked. I wish them all the best, I do, honestly.”

Way, who co-founded the band in 1969 with vocalist Phil Mogg, drummer Andy Parker and guitarist Mick Bolton, has spent several periods in and out of the band.

Plagued by health problems, Way was replaced on tour as recently as 2011 by Barry Sparks [Dokken, Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen etc]. UFO have also utilized bassist of Rob de Luca [Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach, Of Earth).

Session bassists have played on recent UFO albums; for example Lars Lehmann was credited on last year’s Seven Deadly.

Way continues, “I think they’ve had some great bass players in UFO. I’ve liked all of them. Most of them have been my mates. I’m still friends with Phil and Andy. I speak to them a lot. There’s no animosity there at all. The only person that surprises me is Paul Raymond [keyboards/rhythm guitar]. He’s said a few things that I thought we’re unnecessary, a few digs. Shame, really.”

In the past UFO’s Mogg has said the door is open for Way’s return if he can confront his health issues.

Meanwhile, Way is gearing up for the release of a new solo album, Walking On The Edge, due out on June 24th.

“There’s real variety on here.” he comments. “There are rockers, ballads, a song that sounds like Johnny Cash. I think it’s going to be good. When it’s out, I’ll tour it. I’ll tour it everywhere.”

Concerning his current lifestyle, Way says he’s off the drugs – he’s off the coke, off the smack and off the booze. Well, more or less off the booze…

“But that’s okay,” he says, “No, really, it is. I can handle that. It’s fine. When I think of what I’ve done – the drugs, the drink, the damage I’ve caused to my body – I feel blessed. I shouldn’t be here. Someone up there, I don’t know who, but someone up there is looking after me.”

source: classicrockmagazine.com

KISS PRODUCER SAYS ACE FREHLEY AND PETER CRISS WERE HIRED HANDS

The co-producer behind the first two KISS records insists guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were never anything more than hired hands.

Richie Wise, who fronted New York metal outfit Dust between 1969 and 1972, assisted behind the desk when Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and co recorded their 1974 debut record and its follow-up, Hotter Than Hell, the same year.

He tells KissFAQ, “Ace and Peter had no focus. They were hired hands as far as I was concerned. I knew they auditioned for the band-and the band was Gene and Paul, period.

Ace, I understood exactly what he was doing. He listened to Page and Clapton and all those guitarists that I listened to, so I understood him well.

Peter was, at best, a poppy adequate drummer. But he was solid; he really didn’t get in the way and laid down the proper fundamental beat.”

And Wise believes the musical abilities of Simmons and Stanley have been overlooked throughout the band’s career.

“Gene wasn’t a traditional bass player, playing with his fingers,” says the producer. “He was more of a guitar player bass player. But he played with a lot of melodic sense, like McCartney in a way. Paul was excellent behind the mic. They had, right out of the box, good technique. They worked well together. I worked well with them.

The first album was six days, and then some mixing, I think a total of 13 days. It went very well. And I think it was very organic and real.”

Criss recently suggested there was less musical integrity to the current KISS lineup, featuring guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. He told our own Eddie Trunk, “Although Gene and Paul are the major members in the band, Eric and Tommy, to them, it’s a job.

He’s playing Ace Frehley licks to a tee; Eric’s playing my drum licks to a tee. They’re still playing the same songs that we made famous.

There’s a whole new generation of kids that are clueless about what KISS is all about. They go to see them now, and they think, ‘That’s KISS.’”

additional source: classicrockmagazine.com

MICHAEL MONROE RELEASES THE FIRST VIDEO FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM “HORNS AND HALOS”

Spinefarm Records will release Michael Monroe’s new album Horns And Halos on August 27th. Recorded at Park Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, the album’s first single The Ballad Of The Lower East Side has just been released along with a new music video directed by Ville Juurikkala. Watch it below.

In 2010, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and uber-energetic frontman and all-round rock ‘n’ roll legend Michael Monroe unveiled his new side project in grand style via an exclusive press conference. Flash forward six months to a full UK tour with Motorhead, and another few months to the release of ‘Another Night In The Sun’, a globally anticipated live album that teased fans clamoring for a final, polished taste of the new project. Finally, roughly a year after Michael Monroe’s original public reveal, the band released their first critically-acclaimed full-length release, ‘Sensory Overdrive’, produced by Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, John Lennon). The album went on to win Classic Rock Magazine’s “Album Of The Year” award, was voted one of the top albums of the year by Sleaze Roxx readers, and landed at #1 on the charts in Monroe’s home country of Finland.

In 2012, after touring throughout the UK in support of Sensory Overdrive, Monroe announced that he would go back into seclusion to prepare for the band’s next offering. Monroe’s touring and recording outfit, comprised of bassist Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls), guitarist Steve Conte (New York Dolls, Company Of Wolves), guitarist Dregen (Backyard Babies, Hellacopters) and drummer Karl “Rockfist” Rosqvist (Chelsea Smiles, Danzig), worked tirelessly in the studio, providing creative support for a frontman whose reputation is genuinely global and whose influence continues to be felt, with musicians of all ages (from Dave Grohl to the original Guns N’ Roses members) citing Michael’s groundbreaking career as a source of inspiration.

Now after several months, the wait is over. Michael Monroe can finally reveal that the band’s upcoming studio album, Horns And Halos, will hit stores everywhere on August 27th via Spinefarm Records. The band offers a taste of the new album in the form of a new single and video for the track Ballad Of The Lower East Side. The track includes a nod to Michael’s early days in New York, a city he moved to for a decade following the mid-’80s break up of glam punk pioneers Hanoi Rocks. The clip features archive footage and photos of Michael in prime Big Apple mode, interlaced with current live and backstage scenes.

The song ‘Ballad Of The Lower East Side is about New York and especially the Lower East Side — what it was way back in the days when I lived there, how times have changed and how it is nowadays,” states Monroe. “New York has always been an important city to me since I lived there for 10 years. Two members of our band still live there. It’s the City of all Cities.”

additional source: sleazeroxx.com

JUDAS PRIEST POST TRAILER FOR “EPITATH” DVD ONLINE

Judas Priest will celebrate their 40th year as recording artists on May 28th with the release of Epitath, a new live DVD and Blu-ray, through Legacy Recordings.

Watch a trailer for the Epitath DVD below.

For more information, and the DVD’s track listing, please click here.