EDDIE TRUNK ON BEING TRUTHFUL ABOUT MUSIC: “EVERYONE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT THINGS THEY LIKE AND DON’T LIKE”

eddie-trunk400 Kelly Frazier of the HuffPost Detroit spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk ahead of his appearance, alongside his That Metal Show co-hosts Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine, at the Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan on November 7th. The interview appears in its entirety below.

Q: When you do these live gigs, what do you do at them?

ET: They are loose interpretations of our TV show, although they are not and we are very clear about telling people this so they are not surprised in any way, but they are not tapings of the TV show. They are not based on guests or musicians or anybody playing. They’re more like a stand up comedy show. Don and Jim both do, as many people know and some people maybe don’t, but Don and Jim are stand up comics for a living. That’s what they’ve done their whole career. They will do sets of stand up comedy that some of it is loosely revolves around the show and about music, some of doesn’t, but it’s a little bit of a mix. I come out and host and tell some funny stories. Then we all come out together and do Q&A with the audience and then we end with Stump The Trunk and give away prizes. So, its kind of a loose version, there’s elements of the TV show in a sense that its all three of us and that we are all kind of out there together at times and we do take questions from the crowd. It’s a lot of fun. We’ve been doing them for a while. It’s a good way to get out and connect with people while the show is on hiatus. It’s very natural for Don and Jim obviously being comics. I’ve actually been doing these myself as well for a long time. I even do a version of it by myself, which is more of a speaking show. Its fun when we do them altogether because obviously, we are all friends and it brings more of the spirits of the TV show to what we’re doing.

Q: Throughout all these years, you’ve interviewed a who who’s of music artists, producers, and musicians. Has there been anyone that has eluded you over these years?

ET: Sure. Jimmy Page for one. I was close to having Jimmy Page on That Metal Show, the last season that we shot, but he won’t do anything that has the word “metal” in it. He doesn’t want any association with the word “metal” or the genre, even though That Metal Show is way more than just metal as anyone who has seen that has watched it, he refuses to do anything that has the word “metal” in it. That’s eluded me, even on that radio side of things. Eddie Van Halen has eluded me. I did interview him once. That was done when Van Halen III came out, the record with [Gary] Cherone. It was done on the phone but I would love to have a real in-depth interview with him at some point, but that has not taken place yet. He’s incredibly difficult to nail down. When the last Van Halen record came out, they turned down a ton of major press, so I’m certainly not the only one when it comes to that category, outside of a guitar magazine here and there, that seems like pretty much the only stuff he does. So yeah, there’s a couple guys, but for the most part just having been in the business so long, I’m pretty much checked off just about everybody else I could think of that’s still alive.

Q: Listening to your shows, I love that you always give the artists that you are talking about or interviewing the credit they deserve, nothing more, nothing less. You don’t kiss anybody’s ass nor do you hate on them. Talk about that view of the music industry.

ET: I think that you have to be honest with your audience. There’s a strange thing that’s happening in the world right now where everything is so insanely politically correct, that if you say the one slightest thing that differs from what anybody else feels, there’s always going be somebody out there that’s going to come after you and pounce and blow it out of proportion. I’m just not going to fall for that. I just think that’s ridiculous. I think the audience I have, the people that care what I do, listen to my interviews, they do it because they know it is going to be pretty straight forward, its going to be pretty upfront. I’m going to pretty much [say] it like I see it. I have people all the time, fans or what have you, that will say to me “I really need to know what you think of this band” or “I really need to know what you think of this album” or whatever the case may be. I’ll tell them and if it doesn’t agree with what they think, they go crazy and say that I’m s–t talking a band. It’s amazing to me that an opinion in this day in age gets turned into somebody talking down about something. Everyone should be entitled to have an opinion about things they like and don’t like. It’s fine if you disagree, but there are a lot of people, everyone is so PC now that they actually just get mad and blow it out of proportion. I defy people all the time to honestly tell me is there a band, I don’t care if its your favorite band ever, you can’t honestly sit there and say that you like every single song, every single note, every single record they ever created. That’s just not being honest with yourself.

Q: Early in your career, you worked at Megaforce Records, and you signed acts like Metallica, Anthrax, helped revive Ace Frehley’s career. Looking back, how do you feel about that time?

ET: It was great! I was young. I was just a kid. To have done that at such an early age was pretty amazing. Again, it was just a combination of having been in the business for so long, already. I had already put five years in the business on various levels and started building a name back then. That led to me getting offered a job with a record company and getting involved at a very early stage like that. It was a great time. It was a lot of learning. It was great to be part of an emerging record company that was distributed by Atlantic. It was great to sign an artist, KISS was an enormously huge band in my world and to be able to sign their lead guitar player to his first solo deal was a huge thing. It was a crazy surreal thing. If you look inside my first book, there’s a photo of me signing Ace Frehley. That’s kind of crazy to think that 8-9 years earlier, I was at my first concert in my life and it was a Kiss show. It was a lot of fun. It was a great experience. I’m kind of glad now, when I look at what’s happened to the music industry, that I got out of that end of it because it’s hard to make a living there now because the labels are so fractured. I enjoyed it and it was a great experience that I still call from time to time and I wouldn’t rule out doing it again at some point if it was the right situation, but the business has changed so much, I don’t know what’s left of it anymore.

source: huffingtonpost.com

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SCORPIONS STREAM UNRELEASED DEMO FOR “MIDNIGHT BLUES JAM”

scorpions640 The Scorpions have made a previously unheard demo available for streaming.

The demo version of Midnight Blues Jam is included as a bonus track on the reissue of 1977 album Taken By Force. Scorpions will reissue the record on November 6th, along with World Wide Live, Love At First Sting, Savage Amusement, Lovedrive, Animal Magnetism and Tokyo Tapes to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary.

A limited-edition, numbered vinyl box set is also planned.

On the reissue packages, the band say, “We really worked on the material to improve the sound quality, but always taking great care to preserve its original feel.”

Stream Midnight Blues Jam below.

additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com

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STEVE VAI, ZAKK WYLDE, JOHN 5, BILLY SHEEHAN, MIKE PORTNOY AND DEREK SHERINIAN JOIN FORCES FOR A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR GUITARIST TONY MACALPINE

TonyMacAlpine400 Guitar legends Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde and John 5, along with drum powerhouse Mike Portnoy, bass icon Billy Sheehan and keyboard phenomenon Derek Sherinian are joining forces to play a benefit concert for guitar and keyboard virtuoso Tony MacAlpine, who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.

The Benefit for Tony MacAlpine will take place at the Wiltern Theater on December 12th, 2015, at 7:00pm, featuring performances from John 5 & The Creatures, Zakk Wylde with Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Derek Sherinian; Steve Vai and band, and culminating in an all-star jam with house band Portnoy, Sheehan, Sherinian, and featuring special guests. Eddie Trunk will serve as master of ceremonies for the night.

In addition to this extraordinary musical event, Steve Vai, John 5, Paul Gilbert and Joe Satriani have all graciously donated personal guitars to be auctioned during the event. Tony’s gear manufacturers Ibanez, Hughes & Kettner, EMG, Ernie Ball, Source Audio and Voodoo Lab have also generously donated equipment to be raffled.

Tony’s cancer diagnosis comes on the heels of his wife’s diagnosis with breast cancer in June, making the situation even more trying for Tony and his family.

“Tony is a dear friend, an absolutely sweet human being and one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever worked with,” says Mike Portnoy, “We are coming together to help raise money and awareness to help him fight his battle and come out on top!” Adds Steve Vai, “It’s a great privilege to take to the stage with my friends Zakk, John, Mike and Billy in support of our dear friend Tony. Tony has always been blessed with an exceptional talent and more so, he’s an exceptionally cool guy. It’s a great cause and will be a magical evening of guitar extravaganza.”

“Tony has been such an inspiration to me,” says John 5 “He is an incredible musician and an unbelievable talent. Please let’s all come together and beat this!”

“Tony is our brother. We look forward to making a historical night, and raising a lot of money to help our friend in need.” said Derek Sherinian.

Tony MacAlpine is widely known as a guitar virtuoso who is just as skilled on the keys. Edge of Insanity, his classic debut album, was recently ranked by Guitar World magazine as one of the Top Ten Shred Guitar Albums of all time. Aside from his solo work, Tony has also been part of several rock supergroups including Planet X with Derek Sherinian and Virgil Donati; PSMS (Portnoy/Sheehan/MacAlpine/Sherinian); as well as the Grammy nominated CAB with bassist Bunny Brunel and drummer Dennis Chambers. MacAlpine also spent seven years playing guitar and keys in Steve Vai‘s touring band The Breed.
Tony’s most recent album Concrete Gardens was released in May. Tony toured the US in June to promote the album, but was forced to cancel tours of Asia, Australia and Europe when his health deteriorated.

Tickets are on sale Saturday November 7th at 10am PT through LiveNation.com, with all proceeds going to help Tony and his family. A GoFundMe campaign will be set up for fans who can’t make the show, but still want to contribute.

Doors will be at 7 pm with the show set to begin at 8 pm. For tickets, visit Live Nation.

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JOE SATRIANI AND ROBIN DIMAGGIO TEAM UP ON ORIGINAL SONG “MUSIC WITHOUT WORDS” TO BENEFIT UNICEF

joesatriani640 World-renowned guitarist, Joe Satriani and United Nations Musical Director Robin DiMaggio, recently teamed up to compose a new song entitled, Music Without Words set for a digital release on November 4th. A portion of all proceeds raised from downloads and streams will be donated to support UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The song was first unveiled at the June 30th “Annual Presidential General Assembly of the UN 69th Session Gala” in New York City after being co-written by the two exclusively for the special event. The Assembly and Gala featured world dignitaries as well as the Heads of States from nations across the globe.

Accompanying the song is a dramatic music video directed by Ramin Ouladi, Los Angeles-based director, cinematographer, and editor, who developed the video concept. “Joe and I had a concept of doing a song about healing, where the music spoke without words. That’s why I think we called it ‘Music Without Words.’” DiMaggio explains. “When it came time to add some images, it was tough to create abundance through visual statements. Ramin was the perfect addition. He brought a palette of pastels needed to make the story sync with the music.”

The video is premiering today on Yahoo! and can be viewed at music.yahoo.com.

DiMaggio offers, “I am sure that when the audience, young and wisely aged, watches this, they will feel the message, whether they just listen to the audio or intensely watch the video.”

“Collaborating with Robin evolved naturally,” Satriani says. “Starting with him challenging me to create a melody that would touch the hearts of seven billion people, a call to humanity; a message of love. I’m thrilled with the song and this video fits the music perfectly.”

The song also features vocals from Ms. Monet, a Grammy-award winning vocalist, songwriter and performer who has sung with everyone from Boz Scaggs to Faith Hill, Toto and Queen Latifah. It was DiMaggio’s decision, as the producer, to blend the beauty of Ms. Monet’s vocals with Satriani’s guitar to create such an incredibly moving piece.

Listen to and purchase Music Without Words, here.

Satriani will tour the U.S. in 2016 featuring an evening of music spotlighting music from his entire 30-year career.

Surfing to Shockwave tour itinerary:

February 25 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA
February 26 Historic Elsinore Theatre Salem, OR
February 27 Grand Sierra Theatre Reno, NV
February 28 Fox Theater Oakland, CA

March 1 Balboa Theatre San Diego, CA
March 2 Fox Tucson Theatre Tuscon, AZ *
March 3 Fox Performing Arts Center Riverside, CA
March 4 Pearl Concert Theater @ Palms Casino Las Vegas, NV
March 5 Talking Stick Resort Ballroom Scottsdale, AZ
March 7 Historic Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
March 8 Abraham Chavez Theatre El Paso, TX
March 9 The Majestic Theatre Dallas, TX
March 10 House of Blues Houston, TX
March 11 Laurie Auditorium San Antonio, TX
March 12 Orpheum Theater New Orleans, LA
March 14 Iron City Birmingham, AL
March 15 Saenger Theatre Pensacola, FL
March 16 Parker Playhouse Ft. Lauderdale, FL
March 17 Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL
March 18 Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL
March 19 Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL
March 21 Carolina Theatre Durham, NC
March 22 Knight Theater Charlotte, NC
March 23 Symphony Hall Atlanta, GA **
March 24 The National Richmond, VA
March 25 Sandler Center Virginia Beach, VA
March 26 Orpheum Theatre Boston, MA
March 29 College Street Music Hall New Haven, CT
March 30 Capitol Theatre Port Chester, NY
March 31 The Vets Providence, RI

April 1 Tilles Center Brookville, LI
April 2 Lincoln Theatre Washington, DC
April 4 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ **
April 6 Venue to be announced Philadelphia, PA
April 8 Danforth Music Hall Toronto, Ontario
April 9 UAB Center for the Arts Buffalo, NY
April 10 Hard Rock Cleveland **
April 12 Carnegie Music Hall Pittsburgh, PA
April 13 Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI**
April 14 Pabst Theatre Milwaukee, WI **
April 15 Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL **
April 16 The Fitzgerald Theatre St. Paul, MN
April 21 Grey Eagle Event Centre Calgary
April 22 River Creek Casino Enoch, AB
April 24 Venue to be announced Vancouver, BC

* on sale 11/18
**on sale date 11/13

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RESURRECTION KINGS, FEATURING CRAIG GOLDY, VINNY APPICE, CHAS WEST & SEAN MCNABB, TO RELEASE THEIR DEBUT ALBUM IN JANUARY

ResurrectionKingsband640 Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the release of the highly anticipated self-titled debut album from Resurrection Kings on January 29th, 2016.

Resurrection Kings is a new band centered around the talents of former Dio and Giuffria guitar player, Craig Goldy. Everything starts from a set of demos he recorded with singer Chas West, a guy with an unbelievable set of pipes, who has worked with such bands as the Jason Bonham Band, Foreigner, Lynch Mob, Tribe Of Gypsies, and 3 Legged Dogg.

“It all started five years ago when Craig Goldy asked me to get together to write,” says Chas. Out of those demo sessions, the song “Livin’ Out Loud” in particular strongly impressed Frontiers’ President, Serafino Perugino who asked Craig to build up a project/band around that musical concept. He also suggested Sean McNabb for bass (Lynch Mob, Dokken, Quiet Riot), while Craig later brought in former Dio bandmate Vinny Appice on drums.

“Serafino wanted to make an album with famous musicians from the 80’s and I was flabbergasted when he asked me to participate” says Craig Goldy. “We’ve all know each other for a long time and it was a pleasure to work with everyone – my God with Chas, Sean and Vinny that’s a killer line-up!”

Frontiers in-house writer and producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (Revolution Saints, Hardline, Rated X) offered his services to the band and wrote (or co-wrote with Goldy) a few tracks to round up the material that was available. “He is a great songwriter, producer, musician and singer” says Goldy, “some of the demo versions already had vocals and everything else. So all we did was learn the songs and did them our way. When Sean and Vinny got hold of these songs they really came alive and gave me automatic inspiration to write and perform on top of what was already written”.

The resulting album is an impressive example of classic hard rock with a contemporary production and edge. Think Whitesnake 1987 mixed with Dio’s Dream Evil, with a touch of classic Zeppelin and Rainbow and you will not be far from the end result. An extremely strong record where the musicians are able to stretch their wings and please their numerous fans.

Watch a video for the song, Who Did You Run To, below.

Tracklisting for Resurrection Kings:

Distant Prayer
Livin’ Out Loud
Wash Away
Who Did You Run To
Fallin’ For You
Never Say Goodbye
Path Of Love
Had Enough
Don’t Have To Fight No More
Silent Wonder
What You Take

Resurrection Kings:

Chas West – vocals
Craig Goldy – guitars
Sean McNabb – bass guitar
Vinny Appice – drums

For more information, visit facebook.com/ResurrectionKingsMusic.

ResurectionKingscover640

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