Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, who has been recovering from cancer treatment, has checked in with the following update:
“I’m saddened by the fact that my cancer has returned. However, I’m beyond consolation that its return will prevent me from being able to do my job for a while. I’m still working on a schedule of treatment with my doctors, but I will see you all very soon.
My apologies.”
Trixter guitarist Steve Brown confirmed to our own Eddie Trunk that he would be filling in for Campbell.
Brown previously filled in for Vivian Campbell when the band performed the pre-game show at the first of last year’s three NFL International Series games on Sunday, September 28th at Wembley Stadium, when the Oakland Raiders host the Miami Dolphins.
[Ed’s note (aka Dana’s note): We here at EddieTrunk.com send Vivian Campbell positive thoughts and wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.]
additional source: bravewords.com
In response to a recent interview that guitarist Eddie Van Halen gave to Billboard magazine, in which he criticized former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, singer Sammy Hagar spoke out in Anthony’s defense. Watch his response below.
After parting ways with Van Halen, Anthony has continued to work with Hagar, most currently with the band The Circle, that also includes drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson.
Greg Prato of Songfacts spoke with guitarist Joe Satriani. Excerpts from the interview appear below.
Songfacts: Let’s discuss Shockwave Supernova.
Joe Satriani: It’s got 15 songs on it, which makes it long. [Laughs] Longer than most. I was very happy to get the green light from the guys at Legacy to be able to tell the full story of Shockwave Supernova to the fans. I explained to them, it was going to take 15 songs to do it. It’s a concept album that the audience doesn’t really need to know about – in terms of the concept.
It was a writing/composing/production device that allowed me to pull in lots of songs that I had been writing and used to support a story about a perceived alter-ego of mine, who calls himself “Shockwave Supernova.” He is the overt electric rock guitar player on stage, and he goes through so many changes over the course of the album – reflecting on his life – which leads, eventually, to him realizing that he needs to turn into something better. So he’s got to morph himself into a better version.
It all started with the end of the tour in Singapore, when I was walking out on stage, trying to remind myself not to play with my teeth anymore. And then, a few moments later, there I was, on my knees, playing with my teeth! I was like, “Who is this person who does this?”
It turned into a daydream that turned into a real idea for an album, which was that guy is “Shockwave Supernova,” who I’ve been using to bring myself out of my normal shell, when I’ve got to go public. And it was really a lot to write about. So that’s it in a very long, large nutshell, the story of the record.
Songfacts: I was taken by some of the song titles on the album (On Peregrine Wings, Butterfly and Zebra, Is There No Heaven, etc.). I assume they fit into the storyline of the album?
Satriani: For me it does, but as I said before, it was so important that the album could be accessible in any form – in little bits, song by song, side one, side two, re-sequenced by the fans however they like. There is no narrative that anybody has to follow. But each of the songs in my twisted view relate to this character as he remembers his whole career, and the crazy moments, the desperate moments, the wonderful moments, the moments that were just fun. They all relate to that story.
Songfacts: How much of an influence would you say Jimi Hendrix is still on your playing, and can you think of some songs that were directly influenced by Hendrix?
Satriani: Oh, so much. The thing that I really constantly remember from Jimi’s playing was he had a way of being different song to song. He just would not hit you over the head with this same guitar sound, over and over again. He would have something different. And then his playing would be different. Like on one song, he could play fast and fluid, and then on the next, it sounded like he was struggling to play slow. And one song, his guitar would be spacey, and the other song it would be clear and played right in your face with nothing special added to it. And I loved that. Just being a fan of putting on a record and listening to it all the way through, by the time you got to the end, you’d go, “Wow. I’ve got to hear that again. That had so many different sides to it.” And what you were really hearing was all the different sides of his musicianship.
I constantly remind myself that it’s OK in this day and age where people really do like to homogenize and compact and promote one idea and hit you over the head with it, Jimi’s era really allowed for him to be much more creative with a guitar. And I’m using “the same one” – I’ve got the same six strings on it, and there’s no reason to do the same thing over and over again.
This record certainly bears witness to the fact that I was influenced by his creativity and creating many different guitar sounds, and that’s what we did with this record: We allowed so many different guitar sounds to be the hallmark of each song. We didn’t worry about trying to promote “Joe Satriani the guitar player.” It’s really about the music.
Chuck Klosterman of Billboard spoke with iconic guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Highlights from the feature article appear below.
Eddie Van Halen does not listen to music. “I don’t listen to anything.” He does not listen to any music he isn’t actively making. The guitarist maintains that the last album he purchased was Peter Gabriel’s So, when it came out in 1986. He’s not familiar with the work of Radiohead, Metallica or Guns N’ Roses. He appears to know only one Ozzy Osbourne song Randy Rhoads played on, and it’s Crazy Train. He scarcely listened to Pantera, even though he spoke at the funeral of the group’s guitarist and placed the axe from Van Halen II inside the man’s casket. He doesn’t listen to the radio in his car, much to the annoyance of his wife (“I prefer the sound of the motor,” he says). He sheepishly admits he never even listened to most of the bands that opened for Van Halen and worries, “Does that make me an asshole?” Sometimes he listens to Yo-Yo Ma, because he loves the sound of the cello. But even that is rare.
“It’s an odd thing, but I’ve been this way my whole life,” he continues. “I couldn’t make a contemporary record if I wanted to, because I don’t know what contemporary music sounds like.”
As a high school student, he was obsessed with Eric Clapton and mildly interested in Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. That’s pretty much the extent of his investment as a consumer. He can intuitively learn almost any song he hears and works on his own music every day.
…. Van Halen is about to embark on a 40-plus-date North American tour. He will be joined by his drummer brother, Alex (whom he loves), his bassist son (whom he loves) and vocalist Roth (with whom he has no relationship whatsoever).
“He does not want to be my friend,” Van Halen says, seemingly bemused. “How can I put this: Roth’s perception of himself is different than who he is in reality. We’re not in our 20s anymore. We’re in our 60s. Act like you’re 60. I stopped coloring my hair, because I know I’m not going to be young again.”
Eddie would love to make another Van Halen album, but that plan has obstructions. “It’s hard, because there are four people in this band, and three of us like rock’n’roll. And one of us likes dance music,” he says. “And that used to kind of work, but now Dave doesn’t want to come to the table.” That said, Van Halen still seems more magnanimous to Roth than he does toward Hagar and Anthony. He swears he has no hatred for anyone, but his grudges run deep…
…While directing the ultimate California party band, Eddie Van Halen took little pleasure from partying. Drugs and booze were simply intertwined with a relatively hermetic lifestyle. In fact, most rumors about Van Halen’s drinking adopt an unusually dark tone, most notably a passage from Hagar’s 2011 autobiography Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock that portrays Eddie as a violent, booze-addled vampire, living inside a garbage house resembling the mansion from Grey Gardens.
“I was an alcoholic, and I needed alcohol to function,” he says now. For years, he awoke every morning with dry heaves. “I started drinking and smoking when I was 12. I got drunk before I’d show up to high school. My ninth grade science teacher, he could smell the alcohol, and he told me, ‘Don’t drink anything you can’t see through.’ And I was like, ‘So, vodka?’ And he said yeah. Which was great, because that was my drink…I’m not blaming my father at all, but he was an alcoholic, too. So in our household, it was normal. But it never affected his work, although I guess it didn’t affect my work, either. Around 2004, I suppose I became a very angry drunk. But [the stuff in Hagar’s book] was definitely embellished. That’s him painting a picture of something that never happened.”
Not surprisingly, Hagar stands behind his book’s depiction. “There is what Eddie says and there is the truth,” he says. “I’m happy to see that he’s healthy, sober and playing music again.”..
..[Also] he’s adamant that his son is a better bass player than the exiled [Michael] Anthony, almost to the point of overkill.
“Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play,” Van Halen claims. “Before we’d go on tour, he’d come over with a video camera and I’d have to show him how to play all the parts.” He doesn’t even credit Anthony for his harmonic backing vocals, which fans classify as an integral part of the group’s signature. “Mike’s voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he’s not a singer. He just has a range from hell,” he says. “Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike’s voice on Van Halen songs, but that’s a blend of Mike’s voice and my voice. It’s not just him.” (Anthony’s rebuttal to these accusations is diplomatic: “I am proud to say that my bass playing and vocals helped create our sound. I’ve always chosen to take the high road and stay out of the never-ending mudslinging, because I believe that it ultimately ends up hurting the Van Halen fans.”)
The reasons Van Halen split with Anthony in 2006 are predictably complex — it involves Anthony’s relationship with Hagar, his lack of contribution to the songwriting process and the fact that he did not phone when Eddie developed cancer (or when Eddie and Alex’s mother died). But that conflict feeds into a larger question that’s more complicated: Why does Eddie Van Halen so often work with people he doesn’t seem to like?
…Because he feels obligated to do so.
“I think it’s now built into people’s DNA, that it just won’t be Van Halen if it’s not Roth’s voice,” he says. “This conversation brings me back to being in Pasadena Community College with Alex, where all these strict jazz guys would call us musical prostitutes, because we would be gigging at rock clubs every night and then stumbling into class the next day. But there is an element of music that is for the people. You make music for people. Otherwise, just play in your closet. And how do you reach the most people? By giving them the band that they know. To do it any other way would be selfish.”
The final track listing for Repentless, Slayer’s first new album in six years, due out 9/11/15 (Nuclear Blast), is announced today, and the album is now available for pre-order through Slayer’s Facebook.
Repentless track listing:
1. Delusions Of Saviour
2. Repentless
3. Take Control
4. Vices
5. Cast The First Stone
6. When The Stillness Comes
7. Chasing Death
8. Implode
9. Piano Wire
10. Atrocity Vendor
11. You Against You
12. Pride In Prejudice
Repentless, the album’s title track, goes on sale digitally virtually everywhere today (Amazon, iTunes, Google) – or log onto Slayer’s Facebook for more info. The Repentless Visualizer clip can be seen below.
Slayer’s Repentless will be available in a wide array of formats, as detailed below:
* Limited CD + Blu-ray digipak (includes Blu-ray of “Slayer Live at Wacken 2014” and the “Making of Repentless” documentary)
* Limited CD + DVD digipak (includes DVD of “Slayer Live at Wacken 2014” and the “Making of Repentless” documentary)
* Strictly limited 12-inch sized Box (includes CD + Blu-ray digipak, DVD, exclusive Repentless 12-inch picture vinyl, “Slayer Live at Wacken 2014” CD, 12-inch photo card, 12-inch fold-out poster)
* CD jewel case
* Vinyl in gatefold (audio mastered for vinyl)
* Digital (all digital platforms)
* Limited edition “Metal Eagle Edition” (available by clicking here)
Slayer will tour extensively to support the release of the album, and will headline this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival that begins July 26th in San Diego, CA. Dates are below.
June:
26 Sleep Train Amphitheatre, San Diego, CA
27 San Manuel Amphitheatre, San Bernardino, CA
28 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA
30 White River Amphitheatre, Seattle, WA
July:
1 Ford Idaho Center, Boise, ID
3 Ak-Chin Pavillion, Phoenix, AZ
4 Isleta Amphitheatre, Albuquerque, NM
5 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO
7 Harrah’s Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs, IA
8 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, WI
10 Klipsch Music Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
11 DTE Energy Amphitheatre, Detroit, MI
12 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL
15 TD Echo Beach, Toronto, ON CANADA
17 Susquehanna Bank Arts Center, Camden, NJ
18 First Niagara Bank Amphitheater, Pittsburgh, PA
19 Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, CT
21 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
22 Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, PA
24 Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA
25 Xfinity Center, Boston, MA
26 Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY
28 Orange Peel, Asheville, NC*
29 Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
31 Alamo City Music Hall, San Antonio, TX
Alice Cooper has rattled the cages of the establishment with his hard-rocking music and theatrical stagecraft for nearly five decades. Since his 1969 debut, Cooper has sold more than 50 million albums, headlined sold-out tours, influenced countless artists, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Because there is no rest for the wicked, Cooper will hit the road this summer for a massive North American tour with Mötley Crüe.
Rhino has the perfect soundtrack to haunt your nightmares with a new 15-CD boxed set that includes all of the albums that Cooper recorded with Warner Bros. Records, The Studio Albums 1969-1983 will be available on July 31st. The set will also be available digitally.
The set is presented in a clamshell box and includes 15 albums: Pretties For You (1969), Easy Action (1970), Love It To Death (1971), Killer (1971), School’s Out (1972), Billion Dollar Babies (1973), Muscle Of Love (1973), Welcome To My Nightmare (1975), Alice Cooper Goes To Hell (1976), Lace And Whiskey (1977), From The Inside (1978), Flush The Fashion (1980), Special Forces (1981), Zipper Catches Skin (1982), and DaDa (1983).
Alice Cooper along with guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neal Smith recorded seven albums together, including four consecutive platinum records that culminated with the number one album Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. This line-up generated indelible hard rock classics like I’m Eighteen, School’s Out, Elected, Hello Hooray, and No More Mr. Nice Guy.
After releasing the platinum-certified Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits in 1974, Cooper launched a successful solo career in 1975 with Welcome To My Nightmare. The concept album about a child’s nightmares peaked at number five on the charts, was certified platinum, and featured the hit ballad Only Women Bleed.
Over the next eight years, Cooper recorded seven more solo albums for Warner Bros. Among the many highlights from that period are the ballad I Never Cry, the Top Ten smash You And Me from Lace And Whiskey, How You Gonna See Me Now off of From The Inside , and Clones (We’re All) from Flush the Fashion.
The Studio Albums 1969-1983
-Pretties For You (1969)
-Easy Action (1970)
-Love It To Death (1971)
-Killer (1971)
-School’s Out (1972)
-Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
-Muscle Of Love (1973)
-Welcome To My Nightmare (1975)
-Alice Cooper Goes To Hell (1976)
-Lace And Whiskey (1977)
-From The Inside (1978)
-Flush The Fusion (1980)
-Special Forces (1981)
-Zipper Catches Skin (1982)
-DaDa (1983)
Alice Cooper on Tour
July:
24 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
25 Paso Robles, CA California Mid-State Fair
26 Billings, MT Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark
28 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena
29 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
August:
1 Sturgis, SD Sturgis Buffalo Chip
3 Winnipeg, Canada MBMTS Centre
5 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
7 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Pavilion
8 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
9 Detroit, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
11 Hershey, PA Giant Center
12 Brooklyn, NY Barclay’s Center
14 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
15 Worcester, MA DCU Center
16 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
18 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
19 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
20 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
22 Toronto, ON, Canada Air Canada Centre
23 Ottawa, ON, Canada Canadian Tire Centre
24 Montreal, QC, Canada Bell Centre
26 Baltimore, MD Royal Farms ArenaB
28 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
29 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
30 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
September:
1 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre
2 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
4 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
5 Houston, TX Toyota Center
6 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
October:
5 Hidalgo, TX State Farm Arena
7 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
8 North Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
10 Evansville, IN The Ford Center
11 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
13 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
14 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center
16 Bridgeport, CT Webster Bank Arena
17 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
18 Bangor, ME Cross Insurance Center
22 Moncton, NB, Canada The Centre @ Casino New Brunswick
November:
2 Newcastle, UK Metro Radio Arena
3 Manchester, UK Manchester Arena
4 Birmingham, UK Genting Arena
6 London, UK Wembley SSE Arena
8 Stuttgart, Germany Schleyerhalle
10 Milan Italy Forum
13 Munich, Germany Zenith
14 Dusseldorf, Germany ISS Dome
December:
4 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
7 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford Premier Center
8 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
10 Saskatoon, SA SaskTel Centre
12 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
13 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
15 Portland, OR Moda Center
19 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
20 San Diego CA Viejas Center
22 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, who has been recovering from cancer treatment, has checked in with the following update:
, is announced today, and the album is now available for pre-order through Slayer's ... )
