The following statement comes courtesy of Stephen M. Doniger, Esq.:
“After the four remaining original members of Ratt (Pearcy, DeMartini, Croucier and Blotzer) finished touring in 2014, Bobby Blotzer began touring as Bobby Blotzer’s Ratt Experience, and Juan Croucier began touring as Ratt’s Juan Croucier. Realizing that he could make ten times as much per show touring as Ratt, Blotzer relabeled his cover band as Ratt, over the objections of every other member of the band. He then proceeded to get into litigation with each of his three partners in an effort to usurp control of the Ratt name, claiming that WBS owned the band name and he controlled WBS.
A Federal District Court in the Central District of California has now Ordered judgment to be entered against WBS/Blotzer, finding that WBS does not own the Ratt name (WBS, Inc. v. Juan Croucier et al., Case No. 2:15-cv-07251-DDP). Under a 1985 written Ratt Partnership Agreement, the name/trademarks are the property of the partnership and can only be transferred with the unanimous approval of all partners. Thus, in 1997 when Blotzer, DeMartini and Pearcy purported to transfer the trademarks to WBS, that transfer was invalid since Juan Croucier (Ratt bassist) whom was still a partner, and never advised of, let alone consented to, the transfer. Thus, the partnership still owns the Ratt name.
Pearcy, DeMartini and Croucier have also expelled Blotzer from the partnership. Blotzer thus has no further interest in the Ratt name and may now only refer to himself as a “former member of Ratt” as per the partnership agreement. DeMartini, Pearcy and Croucier look forward to continuing to tour as Ratt and thank their fans for all the ongoing support.”
Former Skid Row frontman, Sebastian Bach’s new memoir, 18 and Life on Skid Row, reveals many salacious details, according to the New York Daily News. One rather interesting bit of information reveals that despite their squeaky “clean” image, the Bon Jovi boys, were anything but saints.
The New Jersey rockers partied “as hard as, or harder than, the rest of these bands. I know it’s crazy. But it’s true,” Bach writes.
The 48-year-old singer recalls getting schooled on the rock-star diet by ex-Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora. When the then sylph-like Bach commented on Sambora’s gut hanging over his belt he cackled and exclaimed, “I’ll just get an eight-ball of blow and I’ll look great!”
The pouty blond Bach also remembers the first time he tried speed — which he writes was given to him by Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan.
Bach says the two bands nearly rumbled at the end of their tour in 1989. Annoyed by pranks pulled by Bon Jovi roadies, he mocked the lead act’s name on stage, taunting him and calling him “Bon blow me.” Jon Bon Jovi was not amused, meeting Bach off stage flanked by his brother, father and road crew.
Fists flew — but didn’t land — as Bon Jovi threatened, “I’ll kick your ass.” Skid Row was tossed from the remainder of the tour only to be reinstated a couple of days later.
Additional noteworthy salaciousness includes the singer’s reported dalliance with a then-18-year-old Christina Applegate.
An unprecedented lineup has been announced for the 11th annual Rock On The Range, May 19th-May 21st at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, OH.
Rock legends Metallica, Soundgarden and Korn will each headline one night of America’s largest and most-acclaimed rock festival. Overall, Rock On The Range 2017–fueled by Monster Energy–will feature over 50 bands performing on three stages, plus rock’s favorite comedians in the ROTR Rolling Rock Comedy Tent, The Music Experience, art installations, and unique onsite activities during the three-day weekend.
Rock On The Range 2017 presale and layaway tickets, as well as limited numbers of new Weekend Field VIP tickets and Premier (hotel and camping) Packages, are on sale now at RockOnTheRange.com.
The Rock On The Range music lineup includes: Metallica, Soundgarden, Korn, The Offspring, Volbeat, Primus, Bush, Chevelle, Papa Roach, Seether, Coheed & Cambria, Alter Bridge, The Pretty Reckless, Taking Back Sunday, Thrice, Amon Amarth, Pierce The Veil, Sum 41, Skillet, Dillinger Escape Plan, In Flames, Gojira, Biffy Clyro, Motionless In White, Nothing More, Beartooth, Starset, Every Time I Die, The Story So Far, Deafheaven, Zakk Sabbath, Rival Sons, The Amity Affliction, Attila, Norma Jean, Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, I Prevail, Turnstile, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Red Fang, Dorothy, Kyng, Radkey, As Lions, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Sylar, Fire From The Gods, Badflower, Wage War, Goodbye June, Cover Your Tracks, DED, Bleeker, Royal Republic, Mother Feather, Aeges and One Less Reason.
The ROTR Rolling Rock Comedy Tent will feature sets from nationally known comedians plus Columbus’s top comedy talent. The full comedy lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
Jonathan Davis of Korn comments, “Rock On The Range is the pinnacle rock festival in America. I always feel that in the crowd and can’t wait for our headline set in May. We’re gonna come at you with everything we’ve got — expect a few surprises!”
Dexter Holland of The Offspring says, “Great lineup at Rock On The Range this year. The Offspring can’t wait to finally be part of it all.”
“After our record breaking Ten Year Anniversary it was high time to raise the bar and have the world’s best rock bands jump over it. We couldn’t be more honored to have Metallica and Soundgarden at Rock On The Range. But why stop there? To have bands such as Korn, Volbeat, Primus, Papa Roach, The Offspring and so many more truly makes this year’s ROTR our best one yet. May 19-21 can’t come soon enough,” says Gary Spivack, ROTR co-executive producer for Danny Wimmer Presents.
In 2016, tickets for Rock On The Range sold out over two months in advance, marking the fourth consecutive advance sell-out for Rock On The Range — so fans are encouraged to buy early and save. Each ticket price level has a limited amount of tickets available, so fans can save more by buying earlier. Ticket prices will automatically move to the next price level once an allotment sells out, beginning at the presale.
Weekend Field, new Weekend Field VIP, Weekend Stadium, and a limited number of Weekend Stadium 4-Packs are available for purchase now. The ROTR layaway option also allows purchasers to split the ticket cost into four monthly payments. A ROTR presale password to purchase the following tickets can be found on the festival’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages:
Weekend Field VIP: starting at $349.50* + fees
Weekend Field GA: starting at $199.50* + fees
Weekend Stadium GA: starting at $99.50* + fees
Weekend Stadium GA Ticket 4-Pack: $380.00 + fees
* Phase One prices listed
*** Ticket prices automatically move to the next price level once the allotment sells out ***
Those looking for an expanded festival experience are invited to purchase Premier Hotel Packages (which include festival tickets and t-shirts) or Camping Packages.
For an even more exclusive Rock On The Range opportunity, fans can purchase the new Uber Ranger Glamping Package for four people, which includes amenities such as a Luxury RV on a double campsite at the Ohio Expo North Campground (May 18, 19, 20, 21), a dedicated concierge with golf cart shuttle, 4 Weekend VIP Field Admission Tickets, a backstage tour, access to the stadium club (with catered lunch and dinner), access to the Side Stage Viewing Platform, access to the VIP Lounge, and more. Full details can be found at rockontherange.com/tickets_camping.
The general onsale is Friday, December 2nd at 10:00 AM EST. Beginning at that time, tickets will be available at RockOnTheRange.com, at Ticketmaster locations and the MAPFRE Stadium Box Office.
Rock On The Range celebrated its 10th year in 2016 – and after a decade of setting the standard for American rock festivals, the crown jewel of the World’s Loudest Month showed no signs of slowing down with 120,000 “Rangers” from around the globe descending on MAPFRE Stadium. In 2016, the festival received awards of recognition from both Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and the City Council, as well as a resolution from the Franklin County Board of Commissioners acknowledging the over $140 million in economic impact the festival has contributed to the city over its 10-year existence.
Every year the GRAMMY Hall of Fame adds to the impressive list of recordings honoring some of the essential songs and albums in the history of music. For 2017, their inductee list includes classic tracks from Nirvana, Deep Purple and more.
Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water will be inducted. Initially appearing on the 1972 release of Machine Head and being issued as a single the following year, the song became one of the greatest guitar anthems of the ’70s with one of the most iconic opening guitar riffs in history. It reached number four on the Billboard pop charts and has been certified gold in the U.S.
Also on the list is Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, the song that is often credited with the start of the Grunge Era of music in the early ’90s. The track is featured on the band’s iconic 1991 release Nevermind and the opening guitar lines and drums licks are instantly recognizable. The song has been certified platinum in the U.S., with a gold certification for digital sales as well.
For a song to be eligible, it must be at least 25 years old, and the new class of 25 inductees brings the GRAMMY Hall of Fame total to 1,038 recordings. See the full list below.
2017 GRAMMY Hall of Fame Inductees:
Arlo Guthrie – The City of New Orleans
The Beach Boys – I Get Around
Billie Holiday – Lady Sings the Blues
Blind Willie McTell – Statesboro Blues
Bonnie Raitt – I Can’t Make Your Love Me
Cab Calloway And His Orchestra – (Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin’ Jive
David Bowie – Changes
Deep Purple – Smoke of the Water
Dion – The Wanderer
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
The Everly Brothers – Wake Up Little Susie
Jackson 5 – ABC
Lalo Schifrin – Mission Impossible
Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra – When the Saints Go Marching In
Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee
Mills Brothers – You Always Hurt the One You Love
Mississippi John Hurt – Stack O’Lee Blues
N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion
Rod Stewart – Maggie May
Sly & The Family Stone – Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe
Guns N’ Roses have released a short video suggesting further dates could be added to their 2017 Not In This Lifetime tour.
The reactivated lineup featuring Axl Rose, Duff McKagan and Slash are already due to play shows in Japan and Australia throughout January and February. However, along with the video, journalist Mitch Lafon has posted a picture of a Guns N’ Roses billboard in Montreal which reads, “Welcome To The Jungle #GnFnR2017.”
The band didn’t play Montreal on their initial run of dates earlier this year.
The new video states that, “the machine is back at it in 2017” and features concert footage backed by Appetite For Destruction track Mr Brownstone.
In July, production manager Dale “Opie” Skjerseth reported the band had already booked shows “far into” 2017.
He added, “I’ve been told there’s no end date. I’ve seen plenty of dates going far into next year. Everybody’s working together to keep a common goal – keep the machine going.”
Earlier this month it was revealed that the Not In This Lifetime tour topped Pollstar’s global concert income chart, with Guns N’ Roses netting $5.5 million per show.
That put them above Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Adele and Coldplay per show – but their average ticket price of $117 was also the highest in the top 20 list.
Guns N’ Roses have just wrapped up dates in South America. Their next show will be at the Osaka Kyocera Dome, Japan, on January 21st.
In related news, the lawsuit between Axl Rose and former keyboardist Chris Pitman has been settled in a confidential deal.
According to TMZ, although Pitman had demanded over $163,000 to cover an unpaid debt, he accepted “much less” to end the dispute.
Pitman contributed keys, bass, percussion and backing vocals to the band from 1998, until his departure earlier this year, soon before the reunion with classic-era members Slash and Duff McKagan was confirmed.
The multi-instrumentalist apologized for having called the revamped lineup a “nostalgia tour” and a “money grab.” But despite the apology, he went on to call them an “oldies band,” adding, “They just want to repeat that 30-year-old music over and over.”
He’d filed suit against Rose after claiming he’d been given a promissory note for $125,000 in unpaid wages, which had been due for settlement in 2012. His total demand included interest accrued since that time.
When rock icon Lemmy was fired from the psychedelic UK band Hawkwind in 1975 for a series of troubling incidents — including almost missing a show in order to hook up with a groupie in Chicago because she had crystal meth, and getting arrested at the Canadian border for possessing speed — he was so upset and angry, he wanted payback.
So he decided to seduce his bandmates’ wives and girlfriends.
“I got my revenge,” Lemmy, who died in 2015 at age 70, told rock interviewer Wall in a raucous tale of his life of excess (Lemmy: The Definitive Biography by Mick Wall).
“I came home and f−−−ed all their old ladies. I made sure of [bandmates] Simon King and Alan Powell’s first. Alan Powell has still never forgiven me. And I hope he never will, cos there was a lot of malice involved, and I really meant every f−−−ing minute of it…”
…Much of the book is based on extensive conversations Wall had with Lemmy over the years, a smart approach, as the rocker’s personality shines through in every quote. Wall refers to him as “a Great British eccentric,” noting that he was “beloved of strangers and yet a stranger to” many of his real friends.
Lemmy, who wore one pair of black pants for 25 years, was an unabashed speed freak until his final days. In the 1970s, when (false) rumors spread that Keith Richards had had his blood drained and replaced with newer, healthier blood, Lemmy’s manager reportedly considered the same procedure for his client.
According to Lemmy, they took him to a doctor, who found his blood so awash in drugs, he was told not to mess with it.
“He took a blood test,” Lemmy said. “We went back a week later for the results and he said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t give him whole blood, it will probably kill him!’ My blood at the time had evolved into some sort of organic soup — all kinds of trace elements in it.” (For the record, while Lemmy told this story many times over the years, his manager denied it.)
Lemmy’s parents split shortly after his birth for reasons he never learned. He only met his father once, when he was 25 and already a speed-sniffing rocker…
…Lemmy shunned relationships almost completely. He claimed to have slept with between 1,000 and 2,000 women, and one in the late ’60s, named Tracey, angered Lemmy by informing him she was pregnant, causing him to storm off.
He next saw her six years later, when they coincidentally showed up at the same coke dealer’s apartment. She later brought her son, Paul Inder, to see Lemmy play, and while Paul sat on stage, beyond excited watching his dad, the rock star wouldn’t acknowledge him.
“Have you ever changed a diaper,” Lemmy once said. “It’s rotten. As a lifestyle, it sucks. I could never imagine looking at the same face over the cornflakes for the rest of my life. I don’t know how people do it…”
…A friend of his named Morat told of a conversation he had with the icon about his speed use in his final days.
“I asked him about it towards the end,” Morat said. “I said, ‘I’m glad you stopped doing that,’ and he said, ‘No, no! I haven’t stopped doing that. I just do less of it.’ I said, ‘Why are you still doing it?’ and he said, ‘Because it makes me happy.’ ”
Purchase a copy of Lemmy: The Definitive Biography at Amazon.
