Category : LATEST NEWS

AEROSMITH GUITARIST JOE PERRY REVEALS ALL-STAR BAND FOR ROXY SHOW ON THE 16TH

Joe Perry–legendary guitarist, co-founding member, principal songwriter and co-producer of Aerosmith–has assembled an all-star band to perform alongside him at the sold-out record release show on January 16th at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The show comes three days before the release of his Sweetzerland Manifesto album.

Sweetzerland Manifesto collaborators Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), David Johansen (The New York Dolls) and Terry Reid (solo artist/vocals) are among the artists already confirmed for the Roxy show with special guests likely to join the power packed group. They’ll be joined by Gary Cherone (Extreme/Van Halen), Dean and Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Buck Johnson (keyboards/vocals/Aerosmith) and David Goodstein (drums).

Set for release on his own Roman Records imprint (distributed worldwide by AMPED Distribution), Sweetzerland Manifesto–which is available for pre-order through iTunes and Amazon marks Joe’s sixth solo album and is comprised of 10 new tracks. They were all written or co-written by Joe (many with the album’s guest vocalists), except for a cover of Eve Of Destruction with Joe on lead vocals and Johnny Depp on drums. The album features guest appearances from a long list of Joe’s friends, colleagues and rock and roll icons. Highlights include Aye, Aye, Aye, which Joe co-wrote with the track’s vocalist Robin Zander,and three collaborations with David Johansen, who sings I Wanna Roll, Haberdasher Blues, and I’m Going Crazy, plus as many co-writes with Terry Reid whose lead vocals light up I’ll Do Happiness, (with Zak Starkey on drums), Sick & Tired and Won’t Let Me Go.

Sweetzerland Manifesto track listing:

Sweetzerland Manifesto track listing is as follows:

1. Rumble In The Jungle (instrumental)
2. I’ll Do Happiness (featuring Terry Reid)
3. Aye, Aye, Aye (featuring Robin Zander)
4. I Wanna Roll (featuring David Johansen)
5. Sick & Tired (featuring Terry Reid)
6. Haberdasher Blues (featuring David Johansen)
7. Spanish Sushi (instrumental)
8. Eve Of Destruction (featuring Joe Perry)
9. I’m Going Crazy (featuring David Johansen)
10. Won’t Let Me Go (featuring Terry Reid)

JUDAS PRIEST’S “FIREPOWER” AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER, VIDEO FOR “LIGHTING STRIKE” RELEASED

Judas Priest could easily rest on their laurels at this stage of their highly successful and influential career. However, the legendary metal band – singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis – refuse to do so as evidenced by the arrival of their eighteenth studio album overall – Firepower, which can be pre-ordered here.

Set for release on March 9th through Epic Records – the album is comprised of fourteen tracks of pure and highly inspired metal. To mark the occasion Priest has reunited with producer Tom Allom (the man behind the board for all of the band’s releases from 1979-1988, including such stellar classics as Unleashed in the East, British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith) and with Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Sneap also helping to raise the sonic bar even higher.

“Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing,” explains Halford. “And Andy is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.” “Tom Allom has been with us since 1979, so his knowledge of ourselves and our music in general is immense,” adds Hill. And according to Travis Priest returned back to a recording method that worked incredibly well on the band’s earlier classics – “We went back to the organic way of recording where it’s all of us in a room and we got to play together.”

The album’s first single, Lightning Strike will be available worldwide today (January 5th), watch the video below.

Full album pre-order and a PledgeMusic pre-order will also begin the same day which includes exclusive limited autographed colored vinyl, autographed vinyl test pressings, an exclusive Judas Priest t-shirt and an extremely limited number of Judas Priest autographed guitars.

Firepower track listing:

1. Firepower
2. Lightning Strike
3. Evil Never Dies
4. Never The Heroes
5. Necromancer
6. Children of the Sun
7. Guardians
8. Rising From Ruins
9. Flame Thrower
10. Spectre
11. Traitors Gate
12. No Surrender
13. Lone Wolf
14. Sea of Red

For more information, visit judaspriest.com.

RAP HAS OVERTAKEN ROCK AS THE MOST POPULAR GENRE WITH MUSIC FANS

Patrick Ryan of USA Today reports:

Rock is no longer the top dog in music.

For the first time ever, R&B/hip-hop has surpassed rock to become the biggest music genre in the U.S. in terms of total consumption, according to Nielsen Music’s 2017 year-end report.

Eight of the 10 most listened-to artists of the year came from the R&B/hip-hop genre, led by Drake, with 4.8 million album equivalent units (combined album sales, song downloads and streams), and Kendrick Lamar (3.7 million). Rap also experienced the second-highest growth of any genre, spiking 25% over 2016 and coming in just behind Latin music, which was up 30% in total volume.

Hip-hop dominated the charts in 2017, with viral hits such as Lil Uzi Vert’s XO Tour Llif3, Future’s Mask Off and Post Malone’s Congratulations ranking among the 10 best-selling tracks of last year, according to BuzzAngle Music and Mediabase. Rap up-and-comers Cardi B (Bodak Yellow) and Migos (Bad and Boujee) each spent multiple weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their respective singles, while four of the five Grammy nominees for album of the year were R&B or hip-hop artists.

More insights from Nielsen about the year in music:

* Streaming now accounts for 54% of total audio consumption, composing the majority of audio consumption for the first time ever. (For comparison, streams accounted for 38% of total audio consumption in 2016 and a mere 22% in 2015.)

* 19 songs surpassed 500 million streams in 2017; of those, 17 came from the R&B/hip-hop genre.

* Despite rap’s dominance on streaming platforms, rock continues to be the biggest genre for album sales, accounting for 35% of all albums sold.

* Vinyl LP sales were up 9% from 2016 and now account for 14% of all physical albums sold. The most popular? The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, thanks in part to a deluxe anniversary reissue on vinyl.

Read more at USA Today.

source: usatoday.com

SINGER MYLES KENNEDY REVEALS THAT HIS FATHER PASSED AWAY DUE TO HIS RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

According to The Pulse Of Radio (with transcription via blabbermouth.net), Alter Bridge and Slash frontman Myles Kennedy revealed in a new interview, with Eddie Trunk, that his father died because he medical treatment due to his Christian Science faith. This event, formed the central theme of Kennedy’s upcoming solo album, Year Of The Tiger.

The singer explained, “I realized year of the tiger was 1974, which was the year my father passed away when I was a kid… My family, at that point, were Christian Scientists. So basically, this woman Mary Baker Eddy started this in the 1800s, and the premise is that you don’t go to doctors. You believe that God is gonna heal you. It’s very frustrating even talking about it, frankly.”

He continued, “So dad got sick and chose not to go and see a doctor. He died of the appendicitis. He died one night in his sleep because it blew up and gangrene went all over. He didn’t know it was [appendicitis] because he wouldn’t go and see a doctor. But what is interesting is that he got really sick about eight weeks prior. He was in a lot of pain. So there’s a theory it might have actually ruptured then. He may have had gangrene actually for quite a while. But mom woke up one morning and he passed away.”

Kennedy said he was four years old when his father passed away, adding, “My grandmothers on both sides chose not to go to doctors and passed away. We were entrenched in the Christian Science faith.”

The vocalist said that the loss of his father was a “heavy thing” for him, his brother and his mother, adding that the latter had already begun to sour on her faith. He revealed, “The light has actually gone off for her a little earlier, previous to his death. Because she worked at a nursing home and she realized that a lot of people associated with the Christian Science faith were passing away.”

Year Of The Tiger, Kennedy’s debut solo album, will be released March 9th.

GUITARIST RONNIE MONTROSE TO BE HONORED AT NAMM 2018, SPECIAL EVENT HOSTED BY EDDIE TRUNK

Iconic American rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose will be saluted by a stellar rock star line-up whose own careers were influenced by the legendary and powerful Montrose sound at Ronnie Montrose Remembered-one of the most talked about shows of NAMM 2018.

This celebratory concert highlighting Montrose’s career will feature his greatest hits from early Montrose, Edgar Winter, Van Morrison, Gamma and more. The event is set for 7:00 PM, Saturday, January 27th at The Observatory in Santa Ana.

Hosted by That Metal Show’s Eddie Trunk, the incredible all-star featured performers so far include: Frank Hannon, Tesla; Jack Russell, Great White; Tracii Guns, LA Guns; Doug Aldrich, Whitesnake/Dio; Keith St. John, Montrose; James Kottak, The Scorpions; Michael Devin, Whitesnake; Derek St. Holmes, Ted Nugent; Robert Mason, Warrant; Mona Gnader, Sammy Hagar’s Wabos; David Ellefson, Megadeth; Jon Levin, Dokken; Jimmy Degrasso, Ratt; Mitch Perry, Edgar Winter Band; Matt Starr, Mr. Big; Brad Lang, Y & T; Chris Frazier, Foreigner; Brent Woods, Sebastian Bach; Chuck Wright, Quiet Riot; Sean Mcnabb, Lynch Mob; Mark Bonilla, Keith Emerson Band; Tommy Tutone, Tommy Tutone; and Ed Roth, Annie Lennox.

Additionally, the show will feature surprise cameos, speakers, never-before-seen video clips and other raw footage, showcasing Montrose’s career.

Tickets are $25 and available at ticketweb.com. V.I.P. Packages are available for $75 which include access to the private V.I.P. Artist Meet & Greet Area with Photo Ops, Red Carpet access, Backstage access, with a private full bar.

Former Montrose lead singer and event producer, Keith St. John says new iconic names are being added to the line-up literally every day. St. John was with Montrose for the last 13 years of Ronnie’s life. The band was on top of the charts in the 1970s when Sammy Hagar was vocalist, with tunes like Rock Candy, Bad Motor Scooter and Rock the Nation. When St. John teamed up with Montrose they continued to entertain until right before his death, filling clubs and festivals around the world. St. John wrote many unreleased tunes with Ronnie Montrose, some performed at concerts throughout the years.

After a long battle with cancer, it has been almost six years since Montrose ended his life and St. John wants the guitar greats’ legend to continue. “Ronnie’s contribution to rock music in the early 70’s heavily influenced the up and coming American rock guitarists for next two decades more than he probably ever realized or gave himself credit for. I just want to give those who really appreciate Ronnie the chance to get together in a loving dynamic concert setting where we can really dig in and enjoy each other through the commonality of his music,” he remarks.

One of the event’s featured guitar players, Tracii Guns of L.A Guns and Guns N’ Roses, says this about Montrose, “I grew up listening to Ronnie from a very young age, and I honestly would like to say that in all sincerity the Montrose song Rock Candy is approximately one third of my entire style of guitar playing. The very first time I saw him play was on the Midnight Special TV show back in the early 70’s. The bands raw energy blew me away. Getting to play that song last year with Keith St. John, who nails that song with an energy that magically captures the vibe they created it with in the 70’s, was a total thrill and my dream come true as a guitar player. This January 27th is destined to be another celebration of pure Ronnie magic. I can’t wait.”

Updates to the performer list are being made daily at the event’s website, ronniemontroseremembered.com and on the event’s Facebook page.

The Observatory, 3503 South Harbor Blvd, Santa Ana, California 92704

Before his untimely death in 2012, Montrose began recording an ambitious passion project with bassist Ricky Phillips. Phillips made it his mission to finish the songs by enlisting a small army of Ronnie’s musician friends to record the vocals and the guitar solos for each song, completing the album in recent years. The record called, 10X10, was released on September 29th, 2017. To read more about it, please click here.

DEF LEPPARD’S JOE ELLIOTT ON HOW AC/DC HANDLED BRIAN JOHNSON’S HEARING LOSS, “IT WAS NOT THE WAY I WOULD HAVE DONE IT”

Def Leppard frontman, Joe Elliott, was recently interviewed by Life In The Stocks. During the discussion, the singer was asked what his thoughts were on how AC/DC handled the lead singer Brian Johnson’s hearing issues, and their decision to tour with Guns N’ Roses frontman, Axl Rose.

Elliott said, “I wouldn’t have done it like that. I can’t speak for Angus [Young, AC/DC guitarist] and his team as to what their reasons were for doing what they did, but considering that we had a drummer lose and arm and we waited for him, the way that they dealt with it was not the way I would have done it, put it that way.”

While Elliott prefers the Bon Scott era of the band, he believes that “the Back In Black tour was pretty good, I’ve gotta say. I saw ’em live, and I think Jonna [Brian Johnson] really… he stepped up to the plate. It’s a hard thing to do, but I suppose he was fortunate in the fact that Back In Black was a bigger album than anything that they’d done before, so to a lot of people, they hadn’t even heard Bon Scott — it was like a new band. Outside of the U.K. and Australia, in America it was their first really big record.”

….”Back In Black sold way more than Hysteria — probably 35 million [worldwide], whereas we’re somewhere [around] 23, 24, something like that. Put it into that context, it sounds like I’m complaining — I’m really not. I’m just saying it’s a phenomenal amount of records. I think ‘Back In Black‘s pretty much close to selling the same [as], if not more than, [Michael Jackson’s] Thriller…So that’s a phenomenal amount of records to sell. And it’s one of those records that never dies — it keeps popping up on the soundtrack of Iron Man and it keeps popping up in God knows how many movies, songs from Back In Black are featured in, and that helps keep it alive. It’s a brilliant record; it’s a fantastic record. I remember the first time we ever heard it — we heard it before it came out, ’cause [former Def Leppard manager Peter] Mensch came on the bus with a cassette. He said, ‘Listen to this,’ and we were, like, ‘Woah!’ It was something special.”