Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy and Richie Kotzen join the show together for the first time as a band (The Winery Dogs). Vinnie Paul puts rumors to rest and the rest of it on the table. Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen dials up the Metal Modem. Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen shreds.
Rock Revolt spoke with guitarist George Lynch about his current project KXM, with with dUg Pinnick (Kings X) and Ray Luzier (Korn) and his former band, Dokken. Excerpts from the interview appear below.
Rock Revolt: Is there any chance KXM, [Lynch’s project ], will be doing any touring to support the album?
George Lynch: Yeah. We are touring, I think it s going to be in July and August (part of those two months.) The idea behind what we want to do is sort of do like an unannounced tour of specific dates all around the world which we then film and record, and put those out at a later date for people who were not able to go see the band live, to experience the band live in that context, because we are limited in the amount of time we can tour, at least for now. I like the idea of the secret, magical mystery tour I heard about Paul McCartney doing in the Wings days, when he would just show up in a van, show up at a college or a school or something and say , “Hey! I m Paul McCartney we just want to set up and play!” I think that’s beautiful. It’s not the way we’ll do it exactly, but something kind of mysterious. We create this mystique around the band where you kind of have to search and reach out and discover things about us, without having us shoved down your throat.
Rock Revolt: Is there any likelihood that there would ever be a Dokken reunion?
George Lynch: Well, it’s always a possibility. What it really comes down to is Don being agreeable to doing equal splits financially. That’s been a stumbling block all along. Despite all the other obstacles that we have for a reunion happening, that is actually the 800-pound gorilla problem. He feels he’s entitled to special financial treatment if we do that, which is ludicrous and was never the way the band was built. The band was always built as a shared band, and I think that’s one of the reasons it survived as long as it did and why it worked. The only person who ended up not liking that arrangement was Don and it is really heavily why the band broke up. We were up for re-negotiating our contract with Elektra in the late 80′s, which is a wonderful position to be in (that’s when you get paid and you’d kind of be set for life). But we all worked many, many years to get to that point, and Don decided, ”Well, you know what? I gotta take a chance here, and I want it all.” He wanted us to be hired guns, and he would get the multi-million dollar re-negotiated deal. That’s what it was all about. And that’s still what it’s about. So, unless he can come around and say, “Hey guys! We’re all important. We all worked equally hard. There’s enough money to go around – don’t need to be greedy here, just split it up equal, put that aside, put it in the file cabinet. Let s go to work and make a good record.” I have aspirations, but I don’t have any sense that it’s really going to ever happen. I wouldn’t be opposed; I would like to see it happen. But honestly, just to have some nice closure, make a nice bookend to our career, and make the fans happy and make a little bit-a-dough, it would be nice to see it work in a healthy way after all we ve been through, but I’m not holding my breath.
The Pulse Of Radio reports that Stone Sout/Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor has commented on the KISS/Rock N’ Roll Hall of fame controversy.
According to blabbermouth, Corey told Radio.com, “On one hand, you’re stoked being a KISS fan, but on the other hand it’s, like, ‘Can you guys just put aside your petty issues and realize that without one another you wouldn’t have been able to do this? Can you just set stuff aside and do one show for the fans of the original lineup again? And then you never have to see each other again?'”
Taylor continued, “Without (Frehley and Criss), the other two guys wouldn’t be where they are! And that’s just me layin’ it straight! I might not ever get a kind word from anybody in that band anymore. But I think it’s petty and I think it’s ridiculous! Figure it out! Show respect, because sometimes it’s not about you, it’s about the fans.”
But Taylor admitted that band relationships can be complicated. He said, “We’re just crazy people who can’t get along sometimes… Now add fame and money and all that rock and roll craziness to it — we’re lucky we don’t eat each other in this industry!”
KISS will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 10th at a ceremony at the Barclay’s center in Brooklyn, New York, alongside Nirvana and others.
Winger have released their second video for the song, Midnight Driver Of A Love Machine, from their forthcoming new album, Better Days Comin’ due April 22nd. Watch the video below.
The band previously released a video for the song Rat Race.
Better Days Comin’ track listing is:
1) Midnight Driver of a Love Machine
2) Queen Babylon
3) Rat Race
4) Better Days Comin’
5) Tin Soldier
6) Ever Wonder
7) So Long China
8) Storm In Me
9) Be Who You Are, Now
10) Another Beautiful Day (Deluxe Edition Bonus Track)
11) Out Of This World
To read more about this release, please click here.
Ratt have been forced to cancel their appearance on this weekends Monsters Of Rock Cruise due to the death of Stephen Pearcy’s sister.
“We are deeply saddened to report that Stephen Pearcy’s sister has passed away,” said a statement on the band’s Facebook page. “Due to this sudden and unexpected news, Ratt will not be performing on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. We would like to thank all our loyal fans for their continued support and understanding. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stephen and his family. We ask that you kindly respect Stephen’s privacy during this difficult time.”
In late January Pearcy said the band would release a brand new studio album later this year, their first with bassist Juan Croucier since 1990’s Detonator.
“We’re looking forward to recording. We’ve actually been writing for the new record for quite some time,” Pearcy told Noize In The Attic during a recent radio interview. “Warren DeMartini and I actually went into the studio and cut a song. So hopefully a new Ratt record this year is what we want — our 30th year anniversary and our tenth record, so it’ll be OK.”
Regarding the return of Croucier, Pearcy says, “It’s been a process. Once the dust was cleared we brought him back in — or he came back in. It’s the four original guys and we’ll see what happens. I’m excited he’s back in the camp to do what he does. He’s a brilliant singer — covers my ass 24/7 out there. But when it comes to writing its all up to him.”
Pearcy promises the next Ratt release will be even better. “Warren and I are spearheading the next record to be what it should be — more EP, ‘Cellar’. Just real hardcore, basically. If this song we recorded is the only song ever released, I’d be way happy — don’t even have to do a record. We just have so many good riffs and music we haven’t even tapped into. It’s good stuff. I mean, it excites me, and if I’m excited I’m way into it. If I think it’s just like, ‘hmmmm whatever, I can write better riffs than that’, that’s different. Warren’s got some great shit going on right now, and it’s perfect timing. Like I say, tenth record — 30th anniversary.
“We’re gonna start recording the Ratt record hopefully in the next few months, and it’ll definitely be out this year. And we’re trying not to do shows, even though there are some on the books. But the less shows we do the better, because I’d like to just get the record done — and that’s where I’m at. I want a new Ratt record for the 30th year, and we’ll take it from there. The record is the most important thing for Ratt this year.”
. Vinnie Paul puts rumors to rest and the rest of ... )
 and Ray Luzier (Korn) and his former band, Dokken. Excerpts from the interview appear ... )
