Author Archives : Dana

THE “ALL THINGS THAT ROCK FEST” FEATURING ACE FREHLEY, LITA FORD, STEVEN ADLER, FRANKIE BANALI, AND OTHERS SCHEDULED FOR THE PHILLY EXPO IN OCTOBER

Imagine 20,000 square feet of CDs, records, videos, music memorabilia and pop culture collectibles from the 1950’s to today, plus celebrities from the world of music, live entertainment gathered in one place for two days only. It’s the second annual All Things That Rock Fest – like comic-con for Rock N’ Roll – an event for entire family, featuring over a hundred vendors from around the world buying, selling and trading virtually every rock & roll lifestyle collectible at incredible prices. The All Things That Rock Fest blasts off on Saturday, October 3rd from 10 am – 5pm and Sunday, October 4th from 10 am – 5 pm at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Ave., Oaks, PA (PA Turnpike to Route 202S to Route 422W).

The All Things That Rock Fest also features celebrity guest appearances by the likes of Ace Frehley, founding member, original lead guitarist of KISS and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member; Steven Adler drummer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member from Guns N’Roses; Carl Palmer, drummer for the supergroups Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Asia; Lita Ford, original guitarist for the influential band The Runaways as well as acclaimed solo artist, Frankie Banali from Quiet Riot, Gene Cornish, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member & founding member of The Rascals; Tom Cochrane (Life is a Highway & Lunatic Fringe); David Uosikkinen of the Hooters; Richie Ranno from the power pop band Starz, and more to be announced. These artists and others will be meeting fans, signing autographs, and posing for photo opportunities.

Lee Wysocki, personal friend of Les Paul, will display and give people an opportunity to play a collection of Les Paul’s personal guitars including Les’ 1935 L7, the Jimmy Page prototype and more.Attendees can also tour the Gibson Guitar Bus plus the Rock Girls Bikini Bod Squad will also be there to entertain the guys. Artist schedules, newly added guests and advanced tickets are available at www.AllThingsThatRockFestival.com.

Without question, the All Things That Rock Fest is a true Music Lifestyle Fair, bringing the most comprehensive collection of pop & rock music items ever assembled under one roof – new and used, rare, collectible, and common records, CD’s, DVD’s, tapes, 45’s, 12-inch singles, posters, T-Shirts, books and memorabilia in all types of music, including: rock, metal, jazz, R&B, alternative, classical, new age, blues, soul, show, soundtracks, folk, comedy, disco, new releases, imports, out of print, and much more.

Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For more information call (610) 389-1807 or visit www.AllThingsThatRockFestival.com.

IRON MAIDEN’S BRUCE DICKINSON SAYS HE WISHES HE PUNCHED GUNS N’ ROSES SINGER AXL ROSE

Ethan Sacks of the New York Daily News reports:

Iron Maiden front-man Bruce Dickinson says one of his major regrets is not slugging Guns n’ Roses singer Axl Rose during a 1988 concert in Quebec City, Canada.

At the show, in which GN’R opened for Maiden, Rose incensed both the French Canadian crowd and Dickinson by acting petulant after the audience wouldn’t address him in English.

“I should have come onstage and given him a punch,” Dickinson told the French-language Le Journal de Montreal.

“How could he dare speak to my audience in that way? I always regretted not having done so.”

The notoriously abrasive Rose has a love/hate history with fans, having sparked riots at Missouri’s Riverport Ampitheater in 1991 and in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium a year later after he stormed off the stage in the middle of a set.

Rose may have softened in recent years, however, to the point that he’s reportedly open to the idea of a reunion with his original Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who famously exited the band in 1996 in a bitter feud with the singer.

Slash told Sweden’s Aftonbladet TV that there is no longer any real bad blood between them.

“It was probably way overdue, you know,” the guitarist said in the interview, according to Blabbermouth.net. “But it’s … you know, it’s very cool at this point. You know, let some of that, sort of, negative … dispel some of that negative stuff that was going on for so long.”

source: nydailynews.com

GUITARIST RITCHIE BLACKMORE ON WHY HE HAS DECIDED TO MAKE A BRIEF RETURN TO PLAYING ROCK MUSIC, “YOU START TO SEE YOUR FRIENDS PASS AND JUST FEEL IT’S TIME TO PLAY SOME OF THE OLD SONGS”

Nancy Dunham of Noisey spoke with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Highlights from the interview appear below.

On playing rock music again:

“I am doing four dates in June, which will be all rock,” Blackmore says, speaking to us alongside Night. “I have the band basically together and it will be [the best of] Rainbow and Deep Purple. It’s just having fun but it’s only four dates in Europe. I don’t want to do anymore because I take what I’m doing now much more seriously.”

Noisey: When I first heard All Our Yesterdays [from Blackmore’s Night] I thought of some of the people you have lost recently including Ronnie James Dio.

Ritchie: Yes, Ronnie Dio. I had not seen him in 30 years, so it was kind of like an old friend that I knew a long time ago. So it didn’t [impact me] as much as Jon Lord’s passing; he and I put Purple together… Ronnie was a good friend of mine in the beginning. Although I ended with Ronnie not as friends, we did some great music together. And he was very serious, great singer and musician. Sometimes I would ask him, “What are you hearing in this riff?” I would sing it to him very quietly, and he would grasp it immediately and know exactly what I was talking about… He was very easy to work with as far as knowing how to sing and where to go.

Noisey: I know you’ve said many things about Jon including ‘Without Jon there would be no Deep Purple.’ What should people know about him on a personal level?

Ritchie: Jon was always a gentleman, sort of like Rex Harrison. Anyone who met him found him full of old-style charm.

Noisey: Thinking of Jon, I must ask why you decided to do the Deep Purple and Rainbow dates now?

Ritchie: I turned 70. And arthritis is starting to set in. Jon’s not around. So many others aren’t around. You start to see your friends pass and just feel it’s time to play some of the old songs. Nostalgia is a big reason to do it, but not the only reason.

Read more at Noisey.

source: noisey.vice.com

TONY IOMMI SAYS BILL WARD’S RETURN FOR BLACK SABBATH’S FINAL TOUR IS “DOWN TO BILL”

As previously reported, Black Sabbath has announced their final tour dates, dubbed The End.

Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi recently spoke to the Birmingham Mail and said, “I can’t actually do this any more. My body won’t take it much more.”

When asked about the chances of original drummer Bill Ward’s return, Iommi replied, “That depends on Bill. We met up again six weeks ago and we got on great, but it’s down to Bill. Our plans as they stand are to tour with Ozzy, Geezer Butler, myself and Ozzy’s drummer Tommy Clufetos, who did so well on the last tour.”

Regarding plans for a new album, the guitarist stated, “I’ve been busy writing songs ever since the 13 sessions – at that point we thought there might be another Sabbath album. But that’s up in the air now, so I don’t know when or where they might appear.”

As for the final tour, he replied, “All the fan favorites will be in there, and we’re looking to include some songs we’ve rarely performed live, too. All the material will be from albums on which Ozzy is the singer. There won’t be any Ronnie James Dio material in there.”

Iommi reflects, “We’ve been doing this for getting on for 50 years now. It’s about time we draw the line, don’t you think? It’s been great – but it’s time to stop now.”

To view tour dates and watch a video announcement about Sabbath’s final tour, please click here.

additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com

JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 PREMIERES SECOND SINGLE “UNTIL I LEFT YOU”

Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra will be releasing a new studio album Dying To Live from his electrifying new side project, Joel Hoekstra’s 13, on October 16th. Hoekstra had released a second video for the song, Until I Left You, featuring vocals by Jeff Scott Soto. Watch it below.

Hoekstra states, Until I Left You is a song about growing older, setting aside your insecurities and realizing that you’re able to become the person you’ve wanted to be. The song represents the poppier/hookier side of Dying to Live. I’m looking forward to releasing the edgier/heavier tracks as well, but hoping you’ll have this one stuck in your head until that happens! The understated, tasteful playing of Vinny Appice, Tony Franklin and Derek Sherinian provide an amazing support for the guitars and of course the amazing vocal delivery of Jeff Scott Soto makes the song!”

To view a lyric video for the song, Anymore, click here and to read more about this release, see a track listing, and to view an electronic press kit, please go here.

Pre-order Dying To Live at iTunes and Amazon.

Besides being guitarist in the legendary Whitesnake, Joel Hoekstra is also well known for his work with Trans Siberian Orchestra, Night Ranger and the hit show Rock of Ages.

Joel Hoekstra on the web:

Official website
Facebook
Twitter

KEVIN SHIRLEY LISTS THE 10 BEST IRON MAIDEN SONGS HE HAS EVER PRODUCED

Kevin Shirley – a record producer also known as The Caveman – has produced albums for the likes of Aersosmith, Dream Theater and Joe Bonamassa.

Along with bassist Steve Harris, he co-produced Iron Maiden’s 2000 Brave New World. It was their first album as a six-piece and marked the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith.

Since then, he’s produced Rock In Rio (2002, Dance Of Death (2003), Death On The Road (2005), A Matter Of Life And Death (2006), Flight 666 – The Original Soundtrack (2009), The Final Frontier (2010), En Vivo! (2012) and The Book Of Souls (2015).

We challenged him to pick 10 highlights from his time spent working with the band.

“The term ‘epic’ is used way too much, and incorrectly,” says Kevin, “but all of these Iron Maiden songs below, are truly epic.”

*PASCHENDALE (Dance of Death, 2003):

“Paschendale is a song based on the 1917 battle of Ypres during the First World War. You can feel the surge and the mud. This song has everything; it’s Iron Maiden in full flight.”

*WHEN THE WILD WIND BLOWS (The Final Frontier, 2010):

“This song is just wacky. It’s written about a cartoon that Steve [Harris, bass] had seen [based on a 1982 graphic novel by Raymond Briggs] about a couple that mistake a distant boom for a nuclear attack. Steve was still working on the song when he brought it into the studio. As it was unfinished, everyone was learning it as we went – and it was not easy for anyone! It’s another epic track.”

*BLOOD BROTHERS (Brave New World, 2000):

“This song epitomizes the band for me – real brothers in arms. It’s great to watch the song performed live now, as a classic, and see the legions of Iron Maiden fans embraced as blood brothers too.”

*THE LONGEST DAY (A Matter Of Life And Death, 2006):

“Here’s another epic song about the D-Day landings at Normandy during World War II. The thing with this band is that you really get to feel the emotional and physical elements that they represent in their performances.”

THE REINCARNATION OF BENJAMIN BREEG (A Matter Of Life And Death, 2006):

“This is of those tracks that intrigued me from the moment I first heard it!”

*MONTSÉGUR (Dance Of Death, 2003):

“Iron Maiden have always written songs with historical references. This song was about the Cathars and the attack on their citadel of Montségur in France, where the religious community was massacred instead of renouncing their faith.

*FEAR OF THE DARK (Rock In Rio, 2002):

“The PA system had blown up the night before this concert. The band didn’t know about this, and went onstage with a non-functioning PA framing the stage. We literally recorded the show on four ADAT machines on the back of a utility truck. The crowd of 250,000 people all sang along, and because there was such a delay from the PA towers, I slipped the audience tracks to eliminate the audio delay when I mixed it – so you really hear 250,000 rabid fans singing along! It still gives me goosebumps and raises the hair on my arms when I hear it today.”

*RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER (Flight 666, 2009)

“This movie was such a challenge to mix – only movie people determine the song list from an itinerary. ‘The first song is the first performance of the first song in the set, the second song is the second performance of the second song in the set…’ That makes zero sense to musicians who would just prefer the best performance, never mind the technical inadequacies: failing microphones, fever, out of tune instruments… In spite of all of this, the band deliver a sublime performance.”

*THE BOOK OF SOULS (The Book Of Souls, 2015):

“The album’s title track is about the ancient Mayans and is over 10 minutes long. It begins with a majestic mid-tempo groove. Six minutes in and it explodes into a blistering horserace of a song! Bruce’s singing in the chorus has to be heard to be believed; I can’t squeak as high as that guy can sing in full voice! He truly is a freak of nature.”

*EMPIRE OF THE CLOUDS (The Book Of Souls, 2015)

“At over 18 minutes, this is the band’s longest song ever. It’s the story of a British airship, the R101, which was built between the two World Wars and was so big that the Titanic would have fitted inside. The song features Bruce – the sole composer – on piano throughout, which is a first for Iron Maiden. The song tells the story of the airship: its heritage, its majesty, the flight and its tragic end. It’s like a mini rock opera, with lots of hidden gems in the music. Listen for the airship flying, the Morse code and the epic crash…”

Iron Maiden’s new album, The Book Of Souls, is out now.

source: classicrockmagazine