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DAVID LEE ROTH SAYS THAT VAN HALEN WILL BE WORKING ON NEW MUSIC

David Swan of Australia’s Faster Louder spoke with Van Halen singer David Lee Roth about new music and the band’s dynamic with 20-year-old bassist Wolfgang Van Halen. Portions of the interview appear below.

Q: Are there any plans for new Van Halen recorded material?

Roth: Yes. I was just on the phone with the fellas … We are going to be getting together, not this month, at the end of June to start preparing for some new recording and some new songs, but we’re touring a little bit this year. That’s kind of a surprise. We’re in Australia, we’re doing a Japan tour for a couple of weeks, and we’re doing some American stuff. That comes as a bit of a surprise. Van Halen projects are a bit like James Bond movies. They come around about once every three-and-a-half years. Any sooner and it’s like, “Weren’t you just here?” It’s like that third Johnny Depp pirate movie [Pirates Of The Caribbean]. Weren’t you guys just here? Oh, that’s a rough one right. Leave before the sun sets, quit just before the party begins to disintegrate, don’t be the first one back in next week. We’ve been around for so long that that is a deft kind of a tactic. And there’s politics. So with that in mind I imagine we’ll be doing extensive touring and traveling outside the United States after this upcoming tour.

We plan ahead by about two-and-a-half years in advance, which sounds extravagant … [But] from the time you go, “Let’s start to write some songs”, until all of the machines of production and humanity kick in, things move achingly slow. Achingly slow. Especially if you are art-centric, if you want something to last, it’s going to take a long time to put it all together. Quick up is quick down. We know about one hit wonders and we know about fast, but it’s about three years, it takes about three years.

Q: Tell me about the dynamic of the band now, especially with a 20-year-old in the band [bassist Wolfgang Van Halen], compared to all of those years ago, onstage and off?

Roth: Back then the goals were a little bit different, but the energies were a little displaced, I think the band is more focused now, on all of the details of what we do. So things like the website, show up a little more colorfully, as opposed to hiring it out to other folks. As you’re learning and new moving along, you have to subdivide, you have to have somebody else do your video, you’re gonna have to have somebody else working on your stage design, because those are languages you don’t know. We speak those languages now. And the band is, if nothing else, a bit more thankful for the privilege of the job that we have, compared to a lot of the other jobs that we’ve had … I think the Van Halens have the same perspective.

Having someone who’s 20 years old in the band? Well you’re gonna have to keep up with us. The brothers and I are still skinny and full of victory. Gonna Fly Now and all those great theme songs [laughs]. It’s pretty rare that somebody our age just signs up for the first stop time and can just keep up, but there’s a thrill of competition, the band ensemble competing with the world, then individually we still compete with each other, and it’s not really soured notes in the symphony. It’s volition, it’s sparks, and I think you’ll find that with any good team. And I find Wolfgang fits right in. Now that the three guys look the same, and I’m the one that’s different, I feel like Sammy Davis Jr. I’ve got a better sense of how he felt in the Rat Pack [laughs].

Read more at Faster Louder.

source: fasterlouder.com.au

JASON NEWSTED DISCUSSES HIS “METAL” EP, NEW MUSIC AND SINGING

Ruben Mosqueda for Metal Titans spoke with former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted about his new band Newsted and their EP titled Metal. Portions of the interview appear below.

Q: Was the plan initially to do an EP? Or were you so excited about the band that you just had to get some music out there?

Newsted: I had been reading about bands like Down and cats like that had been releasing EPs via iTunes—it’s a new avenue to do it. So that’s what we did with this EP we wanted to test the waters to see if anyone gave a crap about what I was doing. It seems like they do. It’s been a great opportunity to see what we can do with what we have on hand. We’ve done everything out of my studio without a lot of help so far. It’s been a ‘do it yourself’ thing.

Q: What inspired you to tackle the vocal duties on in this band? Surely you would have had people lining up to audition to sing in this band.

Newsted: That’s true. I’ve been working on signing for some time now. I’ve been getting away from the ‘cookie monster’ thing over the course of the past few years. At this point I’ve done more recording out of Metallica than I’ve done in Metallica. It doesn’t matter if it’s been Echo Brain, Voivod or Government Mule—I sing a lot and I play a lot. This is the first time in my career that I wrote all the songs top to bottom before I gave it to the guys in the band to learn. I wrote all the lyrics and sang all the songs. I just wanted to set up and express my lyrics—I’ve been working on my vocals for years. That’s why I’m doing it and it feel real good to.

Q: I imagine that some of the tracks on Metal will make their way onto the new debut album?

Newsted: Oh yeah, back in the day EPs were issued as a sampler for the LP so that is exactly what is happening here. The tracks that make it onto the new LP will be new versions of the same songs.

Q: Will you have the same team that recorded the EP on the new album? Also will the album be independently released via your Chophouse Record label?

Newsted: There are different licenses that have been taken out throughout the world but it will be released on Chophouse. It will be distributed via Sony or Geffen Records in different regions. We’re looking at a fall release for the album and we’ve got a world-wide tour we start on Friday (April 19th) and we’re booked through August. We have about 6-8 days where we’re not playing—we’re very busy and we’ve got more offers coming for the rest of the year through February of 2014. We want to roll out the LP very tactfully—we’ve got a bunch of cool ideas. We want to create some intrigue and get people interested in the band. We’ll be delivering 15 songs to the label that we’re very excited about.

We used a different production team on the new album. It’s still me producing but we’ve also put together some people from the Bob Rock camp that have come back to help me with this. They know what I want and they know how to help me get it. Let me put it to you this way this thing has some big ugly teeth to it.

Q: You played musical chairs with Robert Trujillo who went on to play in Metallica and you took over as bassist in Ozzy Osbourne’s band.

Newsted: Yeah that was a dream. I’ve had a few of them. I’m on my fourth dream now as far as I’m concerned. When your heroes become you peers—it’s a surreal thing. It happened with Metallica. It happened with Ozzy and it happened with Voivod. With all the bands that I mentioned; they were already established and I came in to resuscitate them. I gave them transfusions and be their new engine. I saw myself as the propulsion in those bands—I guess that’s why I got those gigs you know?

Q: In retrospect was your arm injury that took place prior to the Rock Star Supernova tour , was that a blessing? That project wasn’t well received.

Newstead: That sucked! That wasn’t good. Not good, man. Not good. I became addicted to painkillers as a result of that injury. (Rock Star) Supernova? I loved it! It was a goodtime for me; again I learned a lot. I received a lot of money. People were like what did you do that for? Figure it out man! Just figure it out. It’s CBS television. They came to me. They asked me to play. I said I want that much they said ‘okay.’ I was like what? So I went ahead and did it. Years later I’m still floored that I was paid that amount of money. I’m not going to tell you how much but it was a lot; I can assure you.

Read more at Metal Titans.

Newsted Tour Dates:

Apr. 19 – Red House – Walnut Creek, CA
Apr. 23 – San Jose Rock Shop – San Jose, CA
Apr. 24 – The Starline – Fresno, CA
Apr. 26 – The Alley – Sparks, NV
Apr. 27 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, CA
May 01 – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA
May 03 – Vinyl – Las Vegas, NV
May 04 – KUPD Ufiesta – Mesa, AZ
May 15 – Planet Rock – Battle Creek, MI
May 17 – The Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
May 18 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
May 21 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
May 22 – The Middle East Downstairs – Cambridge, MA
May 23 – The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ

source: metaltitans.com

DAVID LEE ROTH ON HIS ROMANTIC LIFE: “I’VE LIVED ALONE MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE”

According to The Pulse Of Radio, David Lee Roth recently spoke with Buzzfeed.com where he spoke about Van Halen, his personal life, and the his career shift in the 1990’s. Roth reportedly blamed the grunge scene for turning fans off of his live show, saying, “Two words: Kurt Cobain. I went from playing to 12,000 people to 1,200. From arenas to casinos and state fairs and the local House Of Blues. That will cause you to reflect a lot more clearly on your values. Fun wasn’t seen as fun anymore.”

He went on to speculate about his life and career saying “I wonder who I might have been had I stayed in [Van Halen] Not as interesting, not as involved. I probably would have followed the more traditional, long, slow climb to the middle. Enjoying my accomplishments, living off my residuals. I wouldn’t have half the stories to tell.”

Roth also discussed his romantic life after laughing off rumors that he’s been involved in a long-term gay relationship for years. “I’ve lived alone my whole adult life,” he said. “I’ve had girlfriends, I’ve had love affairs. Never longer than a year and a half. I’m the drunk who won the lottery, I’m going to be very difficult to convince of a lot of traditional things. I put off getting married when I found out, oh, you don’t really have to. I just saw somebody discussing this recently, I think Gloria Steinem — same thing as her life story. There’s a lot of us out there.”

Van Halen’s next U.S. date is set for July 20th in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at Rock USA at Ford Festival Park.

additional source: blabbermouth.net

SKID ROW’S “UNITED WORLD REBELLION: CHAPTER ONE” STREAMING ONLINE

Skid Row has released ‘United World Rebellion: Chapter One‘ on April 16th through Megaforce Records and are currently streaming the entire five song EP online.

United World Rebellion – Chapter One is the first new release from Skid Row since 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute. This marks a departure for the band, as they will be releasing United World Rebellion – Chapter One plus two more EP’s over the next 12-18 months as opposed to one full-length collection of songs.

Skid Row, consisting of Johnny Solinger (vocals), Dave “Snake” Sabo (guitar), Scotti Hill (guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass) and Rob Hammersmith (drums) are currently touring in support of the new EP. A complete list of confirmed tour dates can be found at skidrow.com.

PHILIP ANSELMO ANNOUNCES FIRST SOLO PROJECT TO BE RELEASED ON JULY 16th

Philip Anselmo, legendary frontman of Pantera and Down, will release his career-first solo album, Walk Through Exits Only, on July 16th through his own Housecore Records (MRI/Megaforce). Walk Through Exits Only will be available digitally, on CD and on vinyl.

Produced by Philip Anselmo and Michael Thompson, and recorded over the past couple of years at his New Orleans studio, Nodferatu’s Lair, with his band The Illegals – Marzi Montazeri/guitar, and drummer Jose Manuel “Blue” Gonzales, Walk Through Exits Only is abrasive, aggressive, anthemic and 100% Anselmo. The album’s eight songs are as unstrained as it gets, from Battalion of Zero to Usurper’s Bastard Rant, to the album’s title track that goes against the grain and right through the exits. Brash, brutal guitars cut through punishing percussion as Anselmo screams with uncompromising ferocity and uncontainable fire.

“It wasn’t about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record,” Anselmo explained about the project. “It’s an angry album that only I could do. I don’t see anybody else out there screaming about the same shit I’m screaming about. On this album, there isn’t any wordplay, there isn’t any hidden message, it’s all right there in front of you.”

Anselmo and the Illegals will support the new album with a major North American tour planned for this summer. Anselmo, who is up for Best Vocalist at this year’s Revolver Golden Gods awards, will make a special appearance at that event.

On Walk Through Exits Only and over his entire career, Anselmo hasn’t just paved his own path, he’s bulldozed it with his bare hands.