Author Archives : Dana

DEF LEPPARD LEAD GUITARIST PHIL COLLEN ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF NEW VENTURE, DELTA DEEP

Phil Collen, lead guitarist of Def Leppard, announces the formation and release of his new blues based music project, Delta Deep, coming this summer. Collen recorded the mix of original and hand-picked cover tracks with fellow Delta Deep bandmates Debbi Blackwell-Cook (back-up vocalist for such artists as Michael Buble & Luther Vandross), Forrest Robinson (drummer for India.Arie, Joe Sample & The Crusaders, TLC), and Robert DeLeo (bassist for Stone Temple Pilots). Their self-titled debut album will be released on June 23rd on Mailboat Records and also features special guest appearances by Def Leppard vocalists Joe Elliott, Whitesnake’s David Coverdale, Sex Pistols/Manraze drummer Paul Cook, and Girl/Manraze bassist, Simon Laffy.

Collen initially started Delta Deep in 2012 after jamming at home over the course of a year with friend and relative, Debbi Blackwell-Cook (Blackwell-Cook is the Godmother of Collen’s wife, Helen). What started as a casual pairing singing Motown and classic blues staples while Debbi frequently visited Collen’s home quickly turned into much more. Collen, Helen, and Debbi began writing original music which Collen and Debbi recorded in Collen’s home studio. Later that year, a chance meeting re-acquainted Collen with Memphis native and enigmatic heavy metal, jazz, & r-n-b drummer Forrest Robinson. A friend suggested giving STP bassist Robert DeLeo a call. Sharing a loving affinity for soul, funk and the blues, DeLeo was the perfect fit. According to Collen, “We really wanted Robert in this band. He had the added firepower of being the premiere pioneer and most ‘badassed bass player’ to come out of the alternative rock explosion.”

The best description of Delta Deep, a multi-racial band, has been “Aretha and Tina in their prime singing over early Zeppelin.” Original song and lead off single Bang The Lid introduces the musical synchronicity of Collen, Blackwell-Cook, DeLeo, & Robinson. Blackwell-Cook also duets with Collen on the album tracks as well as with featured vocalists Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott-Mistreated and Whitesnake’s David Coverdale-Private Number. Legendary Sex Pistol’s punk drummer Paul Cook and Collen’s former bandmate from Girl bass player Simon Laffy” guest on the classic cover Black Coffee. Guesting on the Delta Deep original song, Burnt Sally is keyboardist, CJ Vanston (Tina Turner, Toto, Joe Cocker, Carol King) adding to the soulful tune on the Hammond 3 Organ.

Collen is widely known to millions of rock ‘n roll fans for his iconic albums with Def Leppard. When asked what made him decide to do a blues project Collen responded, “Blues was created out of something completely different from what we hear today. I grew up listening to rock music but then I found out it was all based on blues. Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, all of those guys….they got it from the blues. When I hear Debbi sing, I can hear the pain. She’s an incredibly beautiful 62 year old black woman who has been through things and she can sing through her pain. Not everyone can do that and not everyone sounds like Debbi.”

While many artists aim to make their mark by creating new genres or introducing their own new versions of music, Collen and Delta Deep melded their blues inspirations with who they are as artists and are unleashing that expression onto the world.

Listen to a snippet of Bang The Lid below.

Delta Deep on the web:

deltadeep.net
facebook.com/deltadeepblues

STEPHEN PEARCY RATT ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL US TOUR DATES

Former Ratt singer, Stephen Pearcy, has announced some additional tour dates added on the ones perviously announced.

His current tour itinerary now shapes up as:

May 22 @ Canyon Club Agoura Hills, CA
May 23 @ The Cave Big Bear Lake, CA
May 24 @ The Coach House San Juan Capistrano, CA
May 29 @ Jewel Nightclub Manchester, MA
May 30 @ Club Mixx 360 Malden, MA

Jun 5 (Special Guest) @ Dakota Magic Casino and Convention Center Hankinson, ND
Jun 6 (Special Guest) @ Northern Lights Casino Walker, MN
Jun 13 @ Riverside Park Amphitheatre Rushville, IN
Jun 27 @ J & P Cycles Annual Open Monticello, Iowa
Jul 11 @ Mc Henry Fiesta Days Festival Peterson Park, Mc Henry, IL

July 17 @ The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA
July 18 @ Roc Bar Theatre San Jose, CA
Fri, Jul 24 @ Sycuan Casino El Cajon, CA
Fri, Jul 31 @ 210 Kapones San Antonio, TX

Aug 1 @ Scout Bar Houston, TX 77003
Aug 2 @ Brewsters Corpus Christi, TX
Aug 4 @ Trees Dallas, TX
Aug 8 @ Rockn’ The Railroad Fest Trails End Concert Park Sheridan, WY
Aug 15 TBA

Sep 7 @ Milwaukee Rally Harley Davidson Milwaukee, WI
Sep 12 @ TBA
Fri, Sep 25 @ Bossanova Ballroom Portland, OR 97214
Sep 26 @ Studio Seven Seattle, WA

Sat, Oct 3 @ Storm Stadium Outdoors/Hair of the Dog Festival Storm Stadium Outdoors Lake Elsinore, CA

In related news, Pearcy will release a new career retrospective compilation, Before & Laughter- Prt III and a new solo album called Smash (the first two singles available now on iTunes). To read more about these releases, please click here.

ANTHRAX’S CHARLIE BENANTE INTRODUCES LINE OF COFFEE, “BENANTE’S BLEND”

It’s been a long time coming, but unabashed coffee connoisseur, Anthrax’s Charlie Benante, has entered the world of entrepreneurship, announcing Benante’s Blend. The coffee will come in two different varieties: the Be All End All blend which is a dark roast with a real kick, and the Forever Metal blend, a milder coffee. Benante’s Blend will be available beginning today through Benante’s website.

“I grew up in a large Italian family and coffee was a daily staple in our home,” said Benante. “As a kid, I loved coffee so much, my mother said that at one point, she put some coffee in my bottle. For me, the taste of coffee is one of the greatest tastes that there is on earth, so I decided to create what was for me, the perfect cup of coffee.”

This is actually Benante’s second foray into the world of coffee. Years ago, he joined up with Dave Mustaine for a line of coffee and coffee products. “I’ve learned so much since then,” said Benante, “especially about selecting and blending the right beans, and how important roasting is.”

Benante hooked up with a company that specializes in coffee roasting. “I was pretty specific about the tastes I was looking for,” Benante explained. “I told them the type of coffee I wanted, what some of my favorite coffees were, and we built it from there. We combined beans from different regions, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Sumatra and Africa, and tweaked the amount of time the beans were roasted to get just the right taste. It was a process, I tested a lot of different blends, but it was a lot of fun.

“I love coffee so much,” Benante added, “if I could make it a cologne, I would wear it.”

In between coffee tastings, Benate has been recording the next Anthrax album due out later this year. The band kicks off leg one of its 2015-2016 global tour on April 24th. Dates are below.

APRIL

24 1stBank Center, Denver, CO*
25 Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City, SD*
27 Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA*
28 Adams Center, Missoula, MT*
29 WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA*

MAY
1 Revolution Place, Grande Prairie, AB*
2 Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB*
3 Calgary Stampede Corral, Calgary, AB*
4 SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, SK*
6 Brandt Centre, Regina, SK*
7 Ralph Englestad Arena, Grand Forks, ND*
9 Northern Invasion Festival, Somerset Amphitheatre, Somerset, WI
10 WJJO MayDay MayLay, Alliant Energy Ctr. Memorial, Madison, WI
12 General Motors Centre, Oshawa, ON*
13 TD Place, Ottawa, ON*
14 Quebec Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City, QC*
15 CEPSUM Montreal, Montreal, QC*
17 Rock on the Range – Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, OH
18 Dow Events Center, Saginaw, MI*
19 Ford Center, Evansville, IN*
20 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL*
22 Tyson IBF Events Center, Sioux City, IA*
23 Rocklahoma/Prior Creek Music, Pryor, OK
24 Rockfest, AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
25 Baloonfest, Wet & Wild Water World, El Paso
27 Verizon Grand Prairie, Dallas, TX*
28 Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX*
30 Rockfest, Liberty Me. Park, Kansas City, MO
31 Outdoors at Pop’s, St. Louis, MO*

JUNE
2 Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY*

* Volbeat dates

FORMER AC/DC DRUMMER PHIL RUDD PLEADS GUILTY TO THREATENING TO KILL AND DRUG CHARGES

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to kill.

He’s entered the same plea over possession of cannabis and methamphetamine, after previously pleading not guilty to all charges.

Rudd, who was arrested in November last year, made his latest court appearance in Tauranga, New Zealand, today. The 60-year-old faces up to seven years in jail if he’s convicted. His lawyer will argue against conviction at a sentencing hearing on June 26.

The court heard how Rudd was furious that the launch of his solo album Head Job “did not go well” and sacked a number of his staff.

He called an associate, said he wanted one former employee “taken out,” and offered $200,000, a car, a bike or a house – which the associate understood to be payment.

Rudd later called the intended victim and said: “I’m going to come over and kill you.” He made two further calls but the victim hung up, feeling “genuinely very fearful for his safety.”

The drugs charges stem from the police raid on Rudd’s house on November 6. A number of containers of controlled substances were found in his bedroom, pool room and hallway, while he had a bag of meth in his pocket, crumbs of cannabis on his coffee table and another bag of cannabis on his couch.

Craig Tuck, his legal representative, said: “This matter essentially revolved around an angry phone call – that was it. We will be arguing about that in June.”

He noted that an original charge of attempting to procure a murder had been “immediately dropped” after the raid, and added: “Today we have seen another charge dropped.”

AC/DC brought former drummer Chris Slade back for their world tour in support of latest album Rock Or Bust. In December Rudd insisted: “I’m going back to work and I don’t care who likes it and who doesn’t.” Guitarist Angus Young last year told how Rudd had put the band in a “difficult” position during album recording sessions.

source: classicrock.teamrock.com

RATT DRUMMER BOBBY BLOZTER DISCUSSES WHY SINGER STEPHEN PEARCY QUIT THE BAND, INFIGHTING OVER OWNERSHIP OF THE BAND NAME AND WHY HE HAS DECIDED TO TOUR WITH THE RATT EXPERIENCE

Ratt drummer Bobby Blozter was guest on Eddie’s Sirius/XM show, Eddie Trunk Live on April 6th. Excerpts from interview appear below as transcribed by blabbermouth.net.

On why Pearcy left the band:

“The problem that lies in Ratt really is not just our lead singer. It’s the fact that him and the bass player, Mr. Juan Croucier, they wanna own part of [the band] name. So, to me, it’s just like going round and round… I’m not trying to pun on that, but it’s just insane that we’re still at this point now that we’re five years [in]… We went out in 2013 and did about thirty dates… They were all huge… Festivals that we headlined, festivals that we opened for Van Halen, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, etc. And then headlined arenas and that kind of thing.”

Talking about who owns the “Ratt” name and why it caused friction among the other members:

[Guitarist] Warren [DeMartini] and I… The reality of it is a corporation that we own owns the [Ratt] name. WBS Inc., which we started out — Warren, Bobby and Stephen. That was WBS Inc. We did all the business for Ratt through the corp… That was before [Stephen] sued us in 2000. In 2000, he left the band three days before the third leg of a tour. In doing that and then suing us [we] went out as Ratt with a new singer. He said, ‘You know what?! I’m out. Go get a new singer.’ And we did everything accordingly to corporate standards and corporate law. He lost the name in federal court. And I know he’s out there slandering Warren and I, trying to suggest that we did something shady to get the name. I read that, and I’m, like, does this guy really not understand that he was in federal court for three weeks when he lost any ownership or ties to the name? But the bottom line is, the corporation that Warren and I own, that’s who governs that name, so technically, him and I own the name…I actually offered my name up. ‘Take my ownership in this name. I don’t care. I just wanna rock. I wanna work. I wanna play.'”

He continued, “The truth is really I’ve been trying very hard with the likes of Stephen… You know, I’m talking to these guys indivudally and nobody… It’s just like a stalemate that nobody will bend on except me. And I’m not trying to slap myself on the back, but it’s… It’s kind of a scenario where I wanna play and I don’t wanna go put some new original band together and go out where nobody knows who it is…Warren has made it impossible to work, because he won’t tour with a new singer. Let’s just say, his position is he wants the original band to be the Ratt out there. And I get it; I do too. You know?! But it’s, like, well, dude, if they’re not coming, then let’s move ahead here. I wanna play. We can play big gigs, we can earn well, financially, with another singer. But I think he’s playing this waiting game. He’s waiting for Stephen and Juan to cave. I don’t know… It’s at a five-year standstill. And I’m, like, Pearcy’s 58, I’m 56, Warren’s four years younger than me, Croucier is a year and a half younger… Whatever. You know, it’s, like, I don’t wanna fuck around anymore…I think it’s just not cool that these two guys… Well, actually, it’s three, because Juan has cornered Stephen into this brainwashing thing that: ‘Don’t do it, dude. Don’t do it. I know what’s going on with this.’ And if anybody thinks I’m out here spilling dirty laundry, I’m sorry you feel that way, but it you were in my shoes, maybe you’d feel a little different, ’cause it’s kind of frustrating to have this much time and success and not be able to ride it out for the last lap, so to say, which Stephen always says. We’re ten to twelve on the Ratt clock here. Let’s play the last ten years, or whatever we have.”

Discussing why decided to tour under the name, Ratt Experience:

“…I am in Ratt, I’ve been in Ratt for 33 years, and that’s who I am, and people would really, probably rather come and see me play Ratt music. I wrote it with them — we all wrote it together… Depending on who you talk to, but the reality is we all wrote that music together, from bare riffs and built it on up. What I’m doing is playing our music, A, [and] B, playing stuff that these guys won’t [play]. I don’t mean that mean or anything, but the guys in the band were so closed-minded to playing so much of the great material that’s between track 1 and 10. We’ve always done just the video songs, primarily. And trying to get Warren and Stephen to do this stuff has been monumentally hard. And when we would do it… Like playing the song Closer To My Heart, people love it. If Warren or Stephen thinks that the audience isn’t responding to their Richter scale of sound and movement, then it’s out. And it would just be usually about three days into a tour. So, here I am with my vote, which is shot down the crapper. Everybody that’s Ratt fans out there, you all know that there are so many great tunes that we have that are not even really B-sides; they’re just songs that are on the record that kick ass. And there are so many that I wanna play, and that’s what… My idea’s to go out and play those [songs].”