Category : LATEST NEWS

SINGER SAMMY HAGAR ON HIS CURRENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE VAN HALEN BROTHERS, “THEY CERTAINLY HAVEN’T MADE AN EFFORT TO BE FRIENDLY WITH ME”

Sammy Hagar was a recent guest on Eddie’s, Trunk Nation, Sirius/XM show, discussing his current relationship with his former Van Halen bandmates, Eddie and Alex Van Halen. Quotes from the interview appear below, as per blabbermouth.net.

Hagar said:

“”I have no idea. I’ve done a few things to reach out and be friends, like saying… being honest and saying — after all these guys [rock legends like Glenn Frey and David Bowie] are dying around the globe — ‘Man, I don’t wanna take any enemies to my grave. We’ve gotta be friends [again] at some point.’ But, you know, they probably take it wrong, they probably think, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s trying to get back in the band.’ I don’t know what those guys think.

To be honest with you, I wished Eddie a ‘happy birthday’ on his birthday and I wished Al a ‘happy birthday’ on his birthday, and they don’t return the birthday wishes; they’ve never said ‘happy birthday’ to me on my birthday, or to Mikey [former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony]. So their camp is… I don’t know… They’re just kind of shut down. Obviously, there’s a lot of anger over there and resentment against Mike and I, and I don’t know what we did. And we always sit around scratching our ass, going, ‘What? Do you remember doing anything to piss those guys off? I don’t.’ [Laughs] We were just kind of good guys having fun. I guess that pissed them off. We were having too much fun.”

He continues,”…Honestly, I don’t care… I mean, I care at a friendship level, but I don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea and think that I am trying to beg myself back into that band, because I’m not. I’m a very happy person right now with my band The Circle, or Chickenfoot,, if I wanted to do that, or just do nothing, I’m in a good place…I don’t want to be miserable and I don’t wanna be arguing with guys and all that stuff ever again in my life…So, I don’t know… It doesn’t sound like they’re very friendly right now. [Laughs] They certainly haven’t made an effort to be friendly with me, or Mike.”

In related news, the singer recalled the very first time he was contacted by guitarist Eddie Van Halen. He tells the cable TV show, Jay Leno’s Garage, “I was just coming home from my tour and this car [1982 Ferrari, estimated to now be worth $350,000] was getting its first major tune up. It was sitting in the shop and Eddie comes in with his Lamborghini and he goes, ‘Whose car is this?’ They said, ‘It’s Sammy Hagar’s – you should call him and get him in the band’ – because David Lee Roth quit a day or two before.

“And Eddie says, ‘You got his number?’ He goes into the damn office, picks up the phone and calls me right from there and says, ‘I’m looking at your car right here, man – why don’t you come down and let’s jam and join the band. After five minutes with those guys, and I went, ‘Yeah, this is good.’”

Hagar would go on to appear on Van Halen albums 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Balance before being replaced by Gary Chorine.

additional source: Classic Rock via teamrock.com

MOTORHEAD GUITARIST PHIL CAMPBELL DISCUSSES HIS NEW BAND, WHILE REMEMBERING LEMMY KILMISTER

Greg Prato of Songfacts spoke with Moorhead guitarist Phil Campbell. Portions of the interview appear below.

Songfacts: How does the songwriting in Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons [the band Campbell has formed with with three of his sons] compare to Motorhead?

Campbell: It’s all a collaboration. We have our own recording studio and rehearsal facility. My son, Todd, his actual name is Todd Rundgren Campbell – he hates me for it! I named him after Todd Rundgren, my hero, and he’s now in his early 30s.

So yeah, we have our own recording studio a few miles down the road from our houses – we all live kind of locally. We just go down and blast it out. Todd actually had a lot to do with the writing on this. It’s the same thing – it’s just a band collaboration. Like with Motorhead, as well – we just used to write for the three of us. We didn’t write for record companies, we didn’t write for fans, we wanted it to be pure…

…It’s a good collaboration with the band now. Neil Starr has been amazing on the vocals and the melodies. We’ve been getting some amazing reviews for this EP. But the whole five of us, we all contributed. If somebody doesn’t like something, they put their hand up and then we try to work it out. Which is good – it’s fun.

Songfacts: Was [Motorhead bassist/singer] Lemmy [Kilmister] underrated as a lyricist?

Phil: Definitely, yeah. He never got the credit he deserved…

…He knew he was, but he didn’t care as long as some people understood what he was singing about. Lemmy just cared about his band, his music, and the fans. He wanted to look after the fans. We all wrote the music – it was the band’s music – and Lem wrote all the lyrics. I was responsible for most of the riffs, basically. But it’s all a melting pot, really. Everything got split equally.

I think he would have liked to have been accepted more for his lyrics, but he didn’t lose any sleep over it. As long as Lem got his point across.

Songfacts: What was the inspiration behind the song Orgasmatron?

Phil: I remember Lem had the lyrics done – he’d had them done for a few months in Los Angeles. I don’t know who came up with the riff for that, actually. It was probably Lem came up with that one, and then I probably added some stuff. But Lem had a general idea for that one. That was his beast, or baby. The three verses from hell…

Songfacts: I’ve always wondered if the song title was inspired by the Woody Allen movie, Sleeper, as there was a device called an “orgasmatron” in it.

Phil: No. The three verses, one verse was about organized religion, one verse about politicians, and one verse about war. That’s exactly what it’s about. It had nothing to do with Woody Allen. Even though we did love Woody Allen – he made us laugh. But the song, that is exactly what it was about – the three verses.

Read more at Songfacts.

source: songfacts.com

DRUMMER VINNY PAUL SAYS HE WILL RELEASE SECOND DAMAGEPLAN ALBUM “SOME DAY”

Former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul says he will eventually release music that was planned for Damageplan’s second album.

Paul formed Damageplan with his brother Dimebag Darrell after Pantera’s split in 2003 and released their debut album New Found Power a year later.

Dimebag was shot dead onstage at a Damageplan gig in Ohio in December 2004.

Paul has said in the past that he would eventually release the second album. Speaking with Eddie for Trunk Nation, he said, “The first record was pretty diverse. We wanted to do something that didn’t sound exactly like Pantera, and with the second record, it was really focused. I’ve got the demos and some day they’ll come out.”

Paul added that he will always try to keep his brother’s legacy alive, “It’s sad to say, but you just get larger than life when you’re gone. It’s just really weird. I really appreciate it. The fans have kept his legacy and everything he’s done intact and alive, and it’s just constantly growing. His legend’s huge.”

additional source: Metal Hammer via teamrock.com

VINCE NEIL “UNIVITED” FROM PLAYING AT DONALD TRUMP’S INAUGURATION

Despite an earlier report via Billboard, it seems Motley Crue frontman, Vince Neil, will no longer be performing at President elect, Donald Trump’s, inauguration. The singer says he was “uninvited” from playing at the event.

Neil tells TMZ, “”Well, here’s the thing. I was asked to do the inauguration, like, two months ago, no matter who won. We had no idea, obviously, who was gonna win. And we said, ‘Absolutely,’ so I wanted to play the inauguration. We gave all of our passports — of the band and crew — to Secret Service, [and] they went through everything. And so, as far as I knew from that, we were playing. We were invited, and then, it turns out, when the Republicans won, we were uninvited. ”

He continued, “I didn’t know about the Democratic part of asking us to play. I assumed what it was was it doesn’t matter who won, it’s still a big party, right? But I guess it’s not. I guess there’s more politics involved in the bands playing than I really thought there was.”

Neil added, “I just found out about this today when all this stuff kind of came out that we were playing. I said, ‘What happened?’ I asked my guys. And they said, ‘Well, no.’ Once Trump won, it’s all politics. And I don’t know who’s playing Trump’s party, but God bless ’em.”

Neil will appear on the next season of The Celebrity Apprentice, NBC’s long-running business reality show previously hosted by Trump. Trump has been replaced by actor/former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

additional source: blabbermouth.net

SINGER VINCE NEIL IS SCHEDULED TO PLAY AT DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION CEREMONY

Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil is reported to be playing at President elect, Donald J. Trump’s, inauguration ceremony.

According to Billboard, Neil was asked about his availability “months ago.” The singer will be performing with his own band.

“The promoters asked if I was available, and I said ‘yes,’” Neil reveals. “So we sent all of the band’s passports to the Secret Service so everybody can get in, and all of the crew people, not knowing who was winning. But we were already scheduled to play.”

Neil said he was amused the night of the third debate in Las Vegas, when a guest that resembled him appeared at the end, igniting a debate on Twitter as to whether he was there. Even his 83-year-old mother believed it.

“My mom called me, and said, ‘I saw you shaking Donald Trump’s hand!’ [But] I wasn’t there! … The funny thing is I was invited to go and I just decided not to and watch it from home,” he says. “I think just because there was a guy with long blonde hair from Las Vegas, it’s got to be Vince Neil, right? ‘Hey, Vince, you shaved!’ Not really.”

As for what other bands are confirmed — or what he will perform, Neil says he’s still unsure.

“I don’t know how long I have to play. I don’t know if the Republican Party says which [songs] to play and what not to do,” he says. “It’s a little ways out. I’ll have more information as time goes on.”

Neil is also scheduled to appear on the next season of Celebrity Apprentice with Arnold Schwarzenegger, airing on NBC this January.

source: billboard.com

SEBASTIAN BACH SCHEDULES BOOK SIGNINGS FOR “18 AND LIFE ON SKID ROW”

Former Skid Row frontman, Sebastian Bach, has announced some book signings dates for his autobiography, 18 And Life On Skid Row. The book is be released on December 6th through Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Book-signing tour details:

December 5th
Book Revue – 7:00 p.m.
313 New York Ave Huntington, NY

December 6th
Word Bookstore @ ST. VITUS – 7:30 p.m.
St. Vitus 1120 Manhattan Ave Brooklyn, NY

December 7th
Bookends – 6:00 p.m.
211 E Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ

December 8th
Barnes & Noble – 7:00 p.m.
Monmouth Mall, 180 NJ-35 Eatontown, NJ

December 9th
Anderson’s Bookshop – 7:00 p.m.
26 South La Grange Road La Grange, IL

December 10th
Schuler’s Books & Music – 7:00 p.m.
2820 Towne Centre Blvd Lansing, MI

December 11th
Left Bank Books – 6:30 p.m.
399 N Euclid Ave St. Louis, MO

December 12th
Changing Hands – 7:00 p.m.
6428 S McClintock Dr. Tempe, AZ

December 13th
Amoeba Music – 5:00 p.m.
6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

December 17th
Hard Rock Hotel @ Goose Island Pub – 9:00 p.m.
4455 Paradise Rd Las Vegas, NV

18 And Life On Skid Row is available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The book is described as:

“18 And Life On Skid Row tells the story of a boy who spent his childhood moving from Freeport, Bahamas to California and finally to Canada and who at the age of eight discovered the gift that would change his life.

Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over 20 million records, both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist. He is particularly known for the hit singles I Remember You, Youth Gone Wild and 18 And Life, and the albums Skid Row and Slave To The Grind, which became the first-ever hard rock album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Bach then went on to become the first rock star to grace the Broadway stage, with starring roles in Jekyll & Hyde, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show. He also appeared for seven seasons on the hit television show The Gilmore Girls.

In his memoir, Bach recounts lurid tales of excess and debauchery as he toured the world with Bon Jovi, Aerosmih, Motley Crue, Soungarden, Pantera, Nine Inch Nails and Guns N’ Roses. Filled with backstage photos from his own personal collection, 18 And Life On Skid Row is the story of hitting it big at a young age, and of a band that broke up in its prime. It is the story of a man who achieved his wildest dreams, only to lose his family, and then his home. It is a story of perseverance, of wine, women and song and a man who has made his life on the road and always will. 18 And Life On Skid Row is not your ordinary rock memoir, because Sebastian Bach is not your ordinary rock star.”