Author Archives : Dana

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY TO RELEASE UNBLACKENED ON DVD, BLU-RAY, AND DIGITAL VIDEO ON SEPTEMBER 24TH

Unblackened, a new live DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video from Black Label Society will be released on September 24th, 2013 by Eagle Rock Entertainment. [Pre-book Order Date September 9, MSRP $19.98 Blu-ray, $14.98 DVD]

Additionally, Zakk’s label home, eOne Music will release the audio version of the Unblackened DVD under the same name. The double disc release will have six additional tracks not found on the DVD including two acoustic versions of Queen Of Sorrow and Won’t Find It Here, and covers of Leon Russel’s Song For You and Aint No Sunshine by Bill Withers.

Since their early nineties inception, Black Label Society, formed and helmed by guitar legend Zakk Wylde, has been at the forefront of hard rock. Their penchant for hard riffs and blazing solos has resulted in a slew of hugely successful albums and a reputation as one of the most powerful live bands of their generation. Unblackened, however, unveils another side of the band.

Filmed and recorded earlier this year in high definition at Los Angeles’ Club Nokia, Unblackened is Black Label Society presenting their songs in a whole new light, with greater use of acoustic instrumentation. Wylde plays both guitar and piano, with Nick Catanase on guitar, John DeServio on bass/vocals, Chad Szeliga on drums, Derek Sherinian on keyboards/piano, and Greg Locascio providing additional vocals. Their stripped-down approach highlights the subtler nuances of the songwriting, without losing any of the fire or intensity. Classic tracks like Stillborn, The Blessed Hellride, In This River, Throwin’ It All Away, Losin’ Your Mind, and many others are still punctuated by the stinging, searing solos that fans know and love, while showcasing the versatility of the band.

In addition to the concert, Unblackened is rich in bonus material. A new interview with Zakk, photo gallery, music video for Losin’ Your Mind, and a feature with Wylde visiting HM Prison Stocken in the UK are all included.

Zakk Wylde, who has been called one of the true guitar heroes of the past 20-plus years, served as Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist for over 20 years in addition to his work with BLS. This collaboration led to a string of multi-platinum albums, including Osbourne’s biggest selling No More Tears, of which Wylde wrote all the music. Bestowed with such accolades as “Golden God” by Metal Hammer and the “Best Guitarist” Award from Revolver Magazine, Wylde has proven time and time again that his songwriting, guitar prowess, and on-stage persona, along with his larger-than-life personality, have made him a force to be reckoned with. Black Label Society continues to enthrall fans around the globe, and Unblackened is another incredible epitaph in the band’s canon.

CANADIAN ROCKERS CONEY HATCH RETURN WITH “FOUR” OUT IN SEPTEMBER, A REUNION 28 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of Four the anticipated reunion album from Canadian rockers Coney Hatch on September 24th in North America and September 27th in Europe.

Once dubbed “The Loudest Band in Toronto” Coney Hatch is back with their first record of new material in over two decades. Four is chalked full of the unique brand of melodic riff-rock that first brought the band to the attention of critics and rock fans all over the world.

Formed back in the early ‘80s in Toronto Canada, original members Andy Curran, Carl Dixon, Dave Ketchum and Steve Shelski released three records on Anthem Records in Canada and Polygram for the rest of the world. The band toured relentlessly and played support slots on tour with the likes of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Accept, Ted Nugent and Cheap Trick to name a few. After three releases and many miles of success and rocky road under their belts, the four band members went their separate ways in 1986.

The story of this reunion is an amazing journey that only fate could be responsible for. Late one night, on his way home from a recording session in Australia, a weary Carl Dixon had a near fatal head-on car collision that left him clinging to life. While Carl was still in an induced coma, his wife reached out to the other members of Coney Hatch and asked them to offer words of encouragement over to the phone to Carl. She held the phone to his ear as he lay unconscious in his bed. “I told him to get better quick “says bassist / vocalist Andy Curran. “I said we had a lot more rockin’ to do with Coney Hatch. I really didn’t think we’d play together again but it just came out of my mouth… and Carl remembered it!”

Be careful what you wish for!!……after many operations, Band-Aids, stitches, titanium rods, doctors, nurses, medicine and sheer gut-determination Carl Dixon returned to the stage with his three original band mates in August of 2010 in Hamilton Ontario in front of 7,500 hungry Hatch fans. News of that show travelled fast and the original Coney Hatch was soon invited to play Firefest 2011 for their first time ever in the UK! The rave reviews flooded in after that sweaty night in Nottingham and the band returned to their homeland to find a record deal offer waiting for an all new Coney Hatch record.

After much discussion and soul-searching the band decided to grab the opportunity from Frontiers to work together again. They enlisted the help of long time friend and Juno Award winning engineer Vic Florencia (Danko Jones, Nelly Furtado, Hillary Duff, Marc Jordan, Olivia Newton-John etc) to capture the new recordings.

“All of us are thrilled to have recorded a 4th Coney Hatch record” says Curran. “We never thought it would happen but the stars aligned and hell froze over! The new material feels like it could have been the record after Outa Hand before Friction… Its raw and not too over produced, but still has that vintage Hatch sound. …sonically we did a “2013 LA botox face lift” job and it sounds pretty fresh. The recording process was extremely challenging as the four of us all live separate lives in four different towns…it was honestly like herding cats, but eventually we got them all in the same bag! We’re very happy with the final outcome.”

Based on the crazy journey that plucked the band out of the bars (the Monkey Bars) in the early 80s into the hands of Max Webster kingpin Kim Mitchell and then onto Max Norman for Outa Hand and Friction no one is more surprised than the members of Coney Hatch to be back in studio with their patched up Steve Austin–ish lead vocalist/ guitarist Carl Dixon in 2013.

Four tracklisting includes: Blown Away, Boys Club, Down & Dirty, Do It Again,Connected, Revive, We Want More, Devil U Know, Marseille, Keep Drivin’, Holdin’ On.

In Carl Dixon words “We think everyone will agree that FOUR was worth the wait!”

Listen to samples from Four below:

Coney Hatch is:

Carl Dixon (lead vocal, guitar)
Andy Curran (vocals, bass)
Steve Shelski (lead guitar)
Dave Ketchum (drums)

LEGENDARY DRUMMER BILL WARD TO RELEASE FINE ART DEBUT ON AUGUST 1ST

He’s arguably one of the most discussed drummers in rock today. His presence behind the kit for over 45 years has inspired countless imitators. And for many, he’s considered the most influential drummer in heavy metal history. But as summer peaks, Bill Ward will make his first foray into the world of fine art with a debut collection, Absence of Corners. Set for release on August 1st, 2013 at www.billwarddrumart.com, all of the pieces in Ward’s collection are created from rhythm and limited in availability.

An extensive process from start to finish, Absence of Corners took nearly a year to complete. Working with Los Angeles art team SceneFour, Ward utilized a sophisticated formula to create the collection’s visuals, using an array of drumsticks and rhythmic accessories that produce light, much like a painter utilizing brushes and oils. The movements featured within the captured rhythms are then studied and developed into abstract artwork that showcases a dimension not normally seen by the human eye. Each piece in this limited-edition collection is then numbered. All are signed by Ward.

Ward on the project:

“When I’m working on new ideas, musically much of what’s played is guided by a visual appearance or shape. Since my early childhood, I’ve played drums in visuals as well as sound. When I write, there’s always an image, sometimes a color attached to what’s being created.

I’ve never ‘listened’ to bass notes; I ‘feel’ them. The keyboard’s black notes are dark to me and represent many sad emotions. These examples are simple, natural, childlike applications that have stayed with me.

When SceneFour approached me about doing this project, it sounded like an adventurous progression. I am delighted with the captured expressions from my head and my heart. Their arrival onto canvas is beautiful.”

To develop the art collection, Ward utilized the expertise of art team SceneFour. Based in Los Angeles, SceneFour specializes in working with music visionaries on the creation of fine artwork. SceneFour’s previous art collaborations have included releases with Chuck D, Bootsy Collins, Page Hamilton, and The RZA. Over the last several years, SceneFour’s focus has been on the development and publishing of rhythm on canvas collections, with Ward’s collection being the largest release to date with a total of 18 different pieces featured and ranging in size (30″ x 18″ to the epic 85″ x 30″).

Absence of Corners debuts on August 1st, 2013 at www.billwarddrumart.com. Those interested in learning more and seeing the artwork before the release are encouraged to join the interest list at www.billwarddrumart.com.

TOM KEIFER ON HIS MUSICAL INFLUENCES: “I GREW UP WITH ROCK MUSIC OF THE LATE ’60s AND THE MID ’70s”

Ruben Mosqueda of Sleaze Roxx spoke with Cinderella frontman Tom Keifer about his solo album, The Way Life Goes, his vocal issues and Cinderella’s missing Sony album .Portions of the interview appear below.

Sleaze Roxx: What inspired the title the album The Way Life Goes?

Tom Keifer: That wasn’t initially the album title but as we wrapped up the recording process we started reading at all the lyrics back — it just really seemed like these lyrics stood out. When I write I usually write from life experiences — that’s what my favorite songwriters and the artists that I grew up on do. My favorite artists like Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger were inspired by American roots music, rock and blues. My influences come from there so I felt that the title The Way Life Goes was very appropriate.

Sleaze Roxx: I can hear all the influences you mentioned all over this record. Solid Ground has a very Stonesy vibe, then there’s a song like A Different Light which is as far removed from the previous song.

Tom Keifer: Again I think that is a product of what I grew up on. I grew up with rock music of the late ’60s and the mid ’70s. I learned to play guitar and write music from a band like Led Zeppelin — they were a big inspiration for me. Led Zeppelin had so many different flavors in their soup — take for example a song like Over The Hills And Far Away, it had an acoustic Celtic vibe then it kicks into the heavy-duty electric rock part then back down. It’s that kind of contrast and blending of musical styles into a rock album that I’ve always loved. Those are my influences and I try to keep that alive as I write and make records.

Take a band like The Eagles, they’d do Take It Easy but they’d also do Victim Of Love or Life In The Fast Lane — they could get heavier and more rocking. Joe Walsh was that way too with his solo work. A Different Light has more of a contemporary feel to it – which is a result of the current influences I have with bands like Train, which I love.

Sleaze Roxx: How do you keep your voice in shape? I know you’ve had vocal issues in the past.

Tom Keifer: My condition is a neurological condition that never goes away. I was diagnosed with it in the early ’90s — its partial paralysis on the right side of my voice box. When I received that diagnosis I was told I would never sing again because it can’t be ‘cured’ with medication or surgery. The only way to get around it, which very few people have been able to do, is to retrain it. It screwed up my singing voice which didn’t work at all — the onset was literally overnight. It even affected my speaking voice. I started the rebuilding process with speak pathologists to make sure that your consonants and vowels are pronounced correctly when you speak. They help you get your vocal cords to work the right way and then you’ll start to hold pitches. It’s not an exact science, most people are not able to overcome it and sing the way that they used to. I work on it for hours every day, and I have since the early ’90s, and I have had bouts with it. Over the course of the past few years it has become more consistent. In the last 2-3 years it’s gotten very strong and almost I’d say reliable (laughs)!

Sleaze Roxx: Last question, in the mid ’90s Cinderella was signed to John Kalodner’s label through Sony Music. Did you ever record music for a new album that is in the Sony archives somewhere? And if you can’t release those recordings have you ever thought of re-recording them to release on your own?

Tom Keifer: We actually never recorded the record — we never even got into the song selection process. I don’t want to get too far into the details but it just got very ugly and it ended in a lawsuit. We were tied up for years because of re-record restrictions. So it was during that time that I started working on my solo record and the rest the guys in the band were working on their own music independently from labels. We had worked pretty hard on that record and then the rug got ripped out from underneath us. Eventually they wound up folding the label — that’s the way life goes, right?

Read more at Sleaze Roxx.

source: sleazeroxx.com

BON JOVI LANDS IN THE NUMBER ONE POSITION ON POLLSTAR’S TOP 100 WORLDWIDE TOUR

According to Jay Smith of Pollstar, when it comes to the Top 50 Worldwide Tours, Bon Jovi was the top earner.

Bon Jovi grossed $142.1 million. With an average ticket price of $95.60, the band played 60 shows in 58 cities, sold a total 1,486,726 tickets and achieved an average gross of $2,450,476 per show.

Another New Jersey act captured second place. With an average ticket price of $107.19, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s total tickets sold was 969,504 for 31 shows in 21 cities. The group’s average show gross was $4,948,700 for a total gross of $103.9 million.

A total gross of $87.7 million was enough to put The Rolling Stones in the No. 3 position on Pollstar’s Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart while the same figures enabled the band to capture the top slot on our Top 100 North American tours. Sporting a heart-stopping average ticket price of $346.09, the original bad boys of rock played 18 shows in 11 cities, grossed an average of $7,969,276 per show and sold 253,296 tickets overall.

Taylor Swift followed the Stones in North America, capturing the No. 2 position with a $58.5 million total gross. Ms. Swift earned her money by doing 37 shows in 27 cities, averaging $85.11 per ticket and $2,164,879 per show.

Fleetwood Mac appearing in the third position on Pollstar’s mid-year North American Tours reminds us that the band’s absence from the concert stage only fueled fans’ desires to hear those classic songs performed live one more time. Scoring a total gross of $58.1 million during the first six months of the year, the band played 42 shows in 42 cities with an average ticket price of $107.80, resulting in an average per-show gross of $1,383,333.

But the above figures, while fun to show & tell, merely offer a peak at the concert industry’s past six months. What you really need to do is feast your eyes on all the data contained within Pollstar’s Top 100 Worldwide and North American Tour charts.

source: pollstar.com