Bill Ward accepts that many fans of Ozzy Osbourne hate him – and says he “supports them” in their attitude.
The drummer has been the focus of rage since he demanded a public apology from the singer over claims he was too ill to take part in Black Sabbath’s reunion of 2012.
He insists those claims are untrue – and that they were only made after he’d refused to agree to a contract he regarded as “unsignable.”
Ward tells Classic Rock Revisited, “The sickness agenda started after I wouldn’t sign the contract. In 2011, nobody said anything to me about that – they all seemed to be quite happy that I was there. My health was really good.”
He underwent shoulder surgery in 2013, and admits it was “serious shit.” But he adds, “They say, ‘He couldn’t have done it anyway because he got sick.’ That’s a bunch of bullshit. These things are unforeseeable. Ozzy has had to cancel on multiple occasions because of unforeseeable events since all this has happened.”
Asked if the dispute simply boils down to money, Ward replies, “In my particular case, yes.”
He says one of his biggest regrets is that Sabbath supporters have been split by the argument. “I am really saddened,” he continues. “All the Ozzy fans f–king hate me. My team are very concerned about the people who dislike me – but they have every right to dislike me. I actually support them in their right to dislike me. They’re entitled to their opinions. I don’t necessarily agree with them that I’m an a–hole, but if they want to call me an a–hole I will support their right to do that.”
Ward released his solo album Accountable Beasts last month and he’s nearing completion on another record, Beyond Aston. Sabbath were expected to deliver their final album and tour this year, but Ozzy recently revealed it wouldn’t happen until 2016.
In his appearance on May 12th’s Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley, Tracii Guns opened up about everything while not only telling us that there is a Devil City Angels record in the can and they will be shooting a video in June along with Gunzo dates and new music from them in the future, but he also talked about his relationship with Phil Lewis of LA Guns.
“Phil and I never really had any real bad blood, we had some cat fights and stuff like that” Tracii said. “There is actually a little plan right now where him and Gunzo may actually do something out of the country for a minute together, so there is all kinds of possibilities, but the reality of what Phil or I would call an L.A. Guns reunion, that probably won’t ever happen. but there is good chance you will see even possibly new music from Phil and I certainly at some point. As long as we are living we certainly will be on stage again at some point together” he continued.
When asked what it was like to get on stage with him after 11 years at a Sin City Sinners gig in las Vegas, Tracii said it was very comfortable and they both do L.A. Guns very well. They had been in touch because Phil had just moved to Vegas and Tracii was living in a hotel while working a gig there for a year. Phil has since joined Gunzo on stage for Ballad Of Jayne in Vegas in April.
Tracii also talked about the early days when Axl Rose was in L.A. Guns, how Guns & Roses was formed, and the laugh that Axl got when Tracii offered his services to Gun N Roses in the early 2000’s.
He was also asked about touring as L.A. Guns and having two versions of the band. He said it never felt like L.A. Guns. When people see a guy who used to be in a band playing the music he created with different musicians in a live setting it is cool but if you are using that name and the voice is different, people want to hear the voice.
Listen to entire interview at here. Tracii joins around the 50 minute mark.
Greg Prato of Bravewords interviewed Wendy Dio about this weekend’s five year memorial celebrations honoring the passing of the legendary singer. The interview appears in its entirety below.
BraveWords: Let’s discuss the upcoming events.
Wendy Dio: It’s five years since Ronnie’s passing, and every year, we have a little memorial ourselves up by the gravesite – it’s usually 30 of Ronnie’s friends. But this year, we decided it’s five years, why don’t we open it up to the fans? So we booked the auditorium up at Forest Lawn, and we thought it would be nice for the fans to come, and there will be people speaking about Ronnie’s life and also performers – band members that used to play with Ronnie and his friends – and we’ll have a really nice celebration of Ronnie’s life up at the memorial. Then we thought, “What should we do extra for the fans?” Well, we decided that we would do a mini-museum. So we have a mini-museum up there in the foyer – of some of Ronnie’s stage clothes, awards that he’s been given, like, a letter from George Harrison, some of his music, original artwork from Holy Diver, Last in Line, and Sacred Heart, and a lot of little things that I thought the fans might be interested in seeing. And then, when we started getting the invites back, a lot of people are coming from as far as Australia, Japan, Russia, and a lot of places. We thought, “Let’s put something around it – events that they might want to attend, and also raise some money for the cancer fund.” So, that’s why we decided to put in the celebrity bowling at Pinz in Studio City on the 15th of May. And Jack Black has graciously said that he would bowl for us, and lots of other celebrities, which I’ve got a list here…here are just some of the people that will be there – Tom Morello, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Jack Black, Amber Lynn, Chris Broderick, Robbie Crane, Marc Ferrari, Lita Ford, Kyle Gass, Craig Goldy, Phil Sandoval, Oni Logan, Rudy Sarzo, Eddie Trunk will be there for all three days, Simon Wright, and more and more people. So those people will all be bowling. And then we’ll do a silent auction there and maybe a live auction, and then of course the memorial is the next day. The following day we’ve decided to do Ride for Ronnie, and if it goes well, we’ll make this every year – it’s a motorcycle ride from Harley Davidson of Glendale, finishing in Los Encinos Park, and there will be a barbeque there with live music. Eddie Money is one of the people playing, Gabbie Rae, Dio Disciples, a bunch of people. It will be a fun celebration of Ronnie’s life and his music. We’re also going to raffle off a Harley Davidson motorcycle that is being painted at the present time – of the Holy Diver album cover. The raffle will be worldwide. So those are the things that we’ve been planning for the last few months.
BraveWords: Are there any updates regarding the Hear N’ Aid Stars reissue and re-recording?
Wendy Dio: I am in talks with a few record labels right now about reissuing Hear N’ Aid. We have a lot of backstage footage – lots of stuff that hasn’t been seen before. And I would like to do it and have the proceeds go to Stand Up and Shout. We have a lot of legal issues to go through, and we are working on it, and hopefully, we will get that out next year.
BraveWords: On YouTube, I have seen a snippet of great pro-shot live footage of Black Sabbath filmed circa 1981/1982. Is there any talk of releasing that full performance on DVD?
Wendy Dio: That would have to be discussed with the rest of the members of Black Sabbath, which I’m sure we will do at some time. It’s great, vintage footage – absolutely.
BraveWords: Are there any updates regarding how Ronnie’s autobiography is coming along?
Wendy Dio: He started a book – he went halfway through the Black Sabbath days, when he passed away. I do have a publisher for it, and they did ask me to finish it with some help from some friends. I just haven’t had the time or been able to sit down and finish it yet. But yes, it will come out.
BraveWords: And lastly, are there any other Ronnie-related projects on the horizon?
Wendy Dio: Everyone is asking me if there is any unreleased material. I do believe there is some. I closed Ronnie’s studio when he passed, and I haven’t been in there since. But I will go in, look, and see if there’s anything. And if it’s anything that’s up to Ronnie’s standard, we will release it. But if it’s not, then we won’t.
For more details about the Ronnie James Dio 5th Year Memorial Service and Celebration of Ronnie’s Music visit diocancerfund.org/events. You may also find a donation link on top of the site, should you want to contribute to Dio’s cancer fund.
Due to overwhelming demand, a third New York-area Van Halen concert has been added at the Nikon At Jones Beach Theater on Saturday, August 15th and an additional Hollywood Bowl show has been added on Sunday, October 4th. Tickets go on sale Monday, May 18th at 10 AM through Ticketmaster tickets for the previously announced shows at PNC Bank Arts Center on August 9th, Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 13th and Hollywood Bowl on October 2nd are on sale now. Advanced tickets for the October 4th Hollywood Bowl concert go on sale to American Express® Cardmembers beginning Wednesday, May 13th.
Van Halen is touring North America beginning July 5th in Seattle, Washington at the White River Amphitheatre, with concerts scheduled through October 4th. Special guest Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band will support all dates along the tour. A complete itinerary is listed below.
Fans can see Van Hale perform on the 2015 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 17th, on ABC from 8:00 PM–11:00 PM ET. The performance marks the band’s first-ever performance on an awards show with Eddie, Alex, Wolfgang and David Lee Roth.
VAN HALEN 2015 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR:
All dates, cities and venues subject to change.
July 5 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
July 7 Portland, OR Amphitheater Northwest
July 9 Concord, CA Concord Pavilion
July 11 San Bernardino, CA San Manuel Amphitheater
July 14 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 16 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 18 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
July 20 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 22 Kansas City, MO Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
July 24 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
July 28 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
July 30 Bangor, ME Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion
August 1 Boston, MA Xfinity Center
August 3 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
August 5 London, ON Western Fair District
August 7 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
August 9 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
August 11 Hartford, CT Xfinity Center
August 13 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
August 15 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
August 23 Hershey, PA Hershey Park
August 25 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 27 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
August 29 Washington DC Jiffy Lube Live
August 31 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
September 2 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
September 4 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
September 6 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
September 9 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheater
September 11 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
September 13 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 15 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheatre
September 17 Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
September 21 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater
September 23 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
September 25 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
September 28 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
September 30 San Diego, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
October 2 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
October 4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Legendary guitarist, Joe Satriani, announces plans to release his 15th solo studio album, Shockwave Supernova, on July 24th, making him one of the first to utilize the new “Friday, Global Release Day” for music.
It would be easy to call Shockwave Supernova a “masterpiece” or “the last word on guitar” from the world’s most commercially successful solo guitar performer. Satch, however, sees it much more personally. He has consistently advanced the artistry of the instrument; an effort he dedicated himself to on September 18th, 1970, the day his idol Jimi Hendrix died.
Recorded late last year at Skywalker Sound in Lucas Valley, CA, Satriani assembled the dynamic trio of world-class musicians who had recently been part of his global tour; renowned keyboardist and guitarist Mike Keneally, a veteran of several Satch outings and recordings; along with drumming whiz Marco Minnemann and bass extraordinaire Bryan Beller. “I couldn’t have asked for a better band to help bring these songs to life,” says Satriani.
The album also sees Satriani once again joining forces co-producer and engineer John Cuniberti. Satch and Cuniberti share production on Shockwave Supernova, as they have on numerous albums – their shared history dates back to the guitar star’s 1986 debut album, Not Of This Earth and its follow- up, the platinum-selling, critically acclaimed, Surfing with the Alien.
Minnemann and Beller handle the bulk of Shockwave Supernova’s rhythmic duties, with the exception of four cuts – the driving Keep On Movin’, full of wondrous Satch guitar wizardry and Keneally’s playful piano, In My Pocket, a deliciously greasy, souped-up take on Swing, along with Crazy Joey (a deliriously effervescent romp) and Scarborough Stomp (a relentless upbeat rocker) – find Satriani joined by another powerhouse rhythm section: the esteemed drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (whose work includes the likes of Frank Zappa, Sting, Paul Simon, among others) and Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney (whose resume includes Alanis Morrisette, Celine Dion and Rob Zombie, to name a few).
Recently, during the final performance of his two-year Unstoppable Momentum tour, Satriani had an epiphany; he found himself, “playing the guitar with my teeth an awful lot. I thought, ‘Why are you doing this?’ It’s as if something else, or somebody else, was driving me to do it.” Satriani seized upon this moment of self-realization as the springboard and creative center for his alter ego “Shockwave Supernova,” the outlandish and extroverted ‘performance side’ of the normally shy and reserved guitar virtuoso. With this new persona as partner, Satriani launched his wildly ambitious 15th solo album, Shockwave Supernova.
In a creative and engaging alternative venture, Satriani, a lifelong science fiction fan, has reached out to the future, through the medium of animation. Finally recognizing the on-stage symmetry with his alter ego allowed Satriani to also take a risk on this particular style of storytelling. He says, “Guitarist Ned Evett and I have created an animated series called Crystal Planet. The actual Crystal Planet is our very own Earth, set billions of years in the future. The hero of the show uses music generated by a unique electric guitar to travel through time while the show’s characters struggle to preserve the future and past of humankind.” More information on Crystal Planet and how and where fans will view the series will be coming shortly.
Fans are now able to pre-order the new album with an exclusive signed poster only at satriani.com. Joe will be selecting art for the poster from fan submitted art – check Joe’s FB page for more details. The album is available for pre-order on Amazon and iTunes and will also be available to order as 2 LP 120 gram vinyl.
Additionally, Satriani and guitarist Steve Vai, will perform at a third benefit concert in support of music industry veteran and their good friend, Cliff Cultreri. “A Benefit for Cliff III” is set for Friday, June 12th at 8pm at Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. This event will feature performances by Satriani and Vai, as well as special guests, Animals As Leaders. Also, Satriani and Vai, along with other artists, have graciously donated various items to be auctioned at the event. Among these items are autographed guitars as well as a chance to join Satriani’s “G4 Camp” taking place June 28th – July 2nd in Cambria, CA.
After successful appearances at sea on Motörhead’s Motörboat and Shiprocked as well as an unforgettable show before NAMM in Anaheim this past January, Metal Allegiance has signed their first-ever record deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The world-wide deal stems from the popular musical collective uniting to write and record original material this past Winter. Brought together by Metal Allegiance principal partner Mark Menghi, the original material came together from the creative minds of David Ellefson of Megadeth, Mike Portnoy of The Winery Dogs, and Alex Skolnick from Testament alongside Menghi. The four writers then reached out through their metal rolodexes to a diverse lineup of performers, each adding their own personal musical stamp to the collection of nine original songs. More information on the performers and individual track lineups will be released in the near future. The debut album from Metal Allegiance is slated for release this Fall.
Nuclear Blast Entertainment President Monte Conner offered up his label as the home for Metal Allegiance after several meetings. Upon hearing the demos and seeing the list of performers, he felt it was something he wanted to be a part of.
“I am incredibly fortunate to be able to work with legendary musicians and personal heroes like David Ellefson, Alex Skolnick and Mike Portnoy, as well as Metal Allegiance founder Mark Menghi. These guys wrote an amazing and diverse record that is 100% pure metal, and lined up some killer guest vocalists and lead guitarists to bring it home in an epic, shredding fashion – just the leads on this record alone will blow people away!” exclaims Monte Conner, President, Nuclear Blast Entertainment. “Perhaps the coolest part of all is that unlike similar projects in the past that existed as studio-only creations, Metal Allegiance were a touring entity first and have now organically evolved into a studio band that makes albums. I am very grateful to these guys for choosing me and the Nuclear Blast team as the vehicle to bring their music to the metal masses.”
Stemming from an initial idea in 2011, Metal Allegiance was born as a way to unite a collection of hard rock and heavy metal’s most notable musicians in a setting born under one ideal, a love of music and performing. In 2015, that ideal still holds true and has become the foundation for everything Metal Allegiance; furthered with the release of the upcoming debut album. While the lineup may change, the passion, the energy and the emotion all remain the same. Metal Allegiance is more than just a record or a concert, it’s an experience and a lifestyle.
Previous participants in Metal Allegiance live events have included: Philip Anselmo/Rex Brown (Pantera), Joey Belladonna/Frank Bello/Charlie Benante/Scott Ian (Anthrax), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Gary Holt/Kerry King/Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Chuck Billy/Alex Skolnick (Testament), Troy Sanders (Mastodon), Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs) and Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) to name a few. These unforgettable events have also spawned surprise appearances by the likes of Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Phil Campbell/Mikkey Dee (Motöhead), Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs).
