Category : LATEST NEWS

SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE SAYS THAT PEOPLE AREN’T INTERESTED IN NEW BLACK SABBATH MUSIC AND CONFIRMS THAT HE WILL BE DOING ANOTHER SOLO ALBUM

Sam Kelton of News Corp Australia Network spoke with Ozzy Osbourne. Excerpts from the interview appear below.

News Corp Australia Network: Ozzy, this is the final Black Sabbath tour — it’s a dark day for the fans …

Ozzy Osbourne: It’s the end of Sabbath and people have been asking “Well, I thought you were doing an album.” But the things we’ve discovered are — number one: People aren’t really interested in hearing new stuff and number two: If we were to do an album before the tour — it would take three or four years to complete the album. We want to end it on a high note.

News Corp Australia Network: It’s not the end for you though?

Ozzy Osbourne: Well I did pretty well for 35 years — and I’m not retiring. I’m going to do a solo album and a solo tour. I mean my wife’s a shop-a-holic always off buying f—g shoes or something so I’ve got to keep the money coming somehow.

News Corp Australia Network: How do you see the Black Sabbath legacy and how will you manage it?

Ozzy Osbourne: Just to be remembered is enough for me. I thought no one would remember me when we first started playing music. I’d rather end it now though than drag it out for another five albums. I mean I’m 67 in December. When we started out I thought — this thing will be all right for a year or two. One of my greatest memories of anything Sabbath was that we were a band that weren’t created by some London f—ing business d—head. We were four guys in different bands and we all got together and made a record. I remember being in a pub in Birmingham and the manager at the time said to me “I have some news for you — your album is entering the British charts at number 17 next week” I went “f — off you’re winding me up.” It remained in the top ten for over a year and none of us have looked back since.

News Corp Australia Network: What’s going on with the drumming situation given the issues with original drummer Bill Ward?

Ozzy Osbourne: It’s nearly Black Sabbath. Every time I talk about him I get into trouble — so I don’t know — I don’t think so.

Read more at News Corp Australia Network.

source: news.com.au

“THE BENEFIT FOR TONY MACALPINE” IS ONLY FOUR DAYS AWAY, PLUS AN UPDATE FROM TONY

On Saturday, December 12th, the Benefit For Tony MacAlpine concert – featuring the stellar line-up of Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Derek Sherinian, and John 5 – will take place at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. That Metal Show host Eddie Trunk will serve as master of ceremonies.

Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Richie Kotzen (The Winery Dogs) and Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) are joining this incredible line-up as part of the all-star jam.

In addition to this extraordinary musical event, a wealth of items will be available for auction. Fans around the world can bid by visiting tonymacalpine.com/benefitfortony/ from December 12th through December 19th.

Auction items include:

Personal guitars donated by:

*Steve Vai
*Gene Simmons
*Paul Stanley
*Tommy Thayer
*Steve Lukather
*Joe Satriani
*Steve Stevens
*Paul Gilbert
*Joe Bonamassa
*John Petrucci
*Tom Morello
*Richie Kotzen
*Vinnie Moore
*Jeff Loomis

*Signature snare drums from Simon Phillips, Gregg Bissonette and Mike Portnoy

*Signature bass from Billy Sheehan

*Personal bass lessons with Rudy Sarzo

*Stage outfit worn by John 5 on the Rob Zombie tour

*A balcony stateroom and 2 Gold VIP packages from the Axes & Anchors Cruise (February 20th-24th, 2016)

*More coming soon. Check tonymacalpine.com/benefitfortony/ for updated items.

All proceeds will benefit guitar / keyboard virtuoso Tony MacAlpine, who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer, and his family (his wife was recently diagnosed with breast cancer).

Tickets are on sale now through Live Nation. There are also a limited number of tickets available at a special rate through Goldstar and Groupon.

Fans who would like to contribute can also visit gofundme.com/BenefitForTony.

An update from Tony:

“Hello my friends, I would like to say hello to you all and wish you the best during this holiday season. Regardless of whether you are near or far, this is the time of the year that brings friends and family together.

It has been a while since I have had the energy to write, so I will take this time to give you an update of sorts, a small window into some of my daily activities at this point.

Two months after my surgery on August 28th, I have been strictly following the course of these excellent Doctors of Medicine, and progress is being achieved at a rate they as well as I am encouraged by. It is a difficult routine that I must endure for many more months that involves a very intense series of drug therapies and constant analytical procedures that are overwhelmingly draining because of their brutal side effects, but my eyes and heart are on the big picture which is recovery.

More often than not the biggest hurdle is knowing that after you engage yourself in this fight – this battle on a weekly schedule – you still must reserve some energy to think positive, as that is a very important and necessary mechanic in this healing process.

Your prayers, messages and positive energy are not going unnoticed, and although I have quite a long road ahead, it is not traveled alone, as I have all of you there for support. And I thank you all for that!

I will touch base and give you further updates soon.

Tony MacAlpine”

GUITARIST JIMMY PAGE PLANS TO RELEASE NEW MUSIC IN 2016

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page says that he will be back on the stage next year.

He tells Classic Rock, “It’s taken a long time to get to this point, but I want to do it properly. And there will be surprises – that’s what I’ve done all the way through my career, really.”

Page explains that his plans for a new album and tour have been delayed due to the long-running Led Zeppelin reissue campaign – in which all of the band’s studio albums were repackaged with “companion discs” of previously unreleased material.

“It was a question of having time,” he says. “And the only way to have time is to shut down and then do what you want to do. I’ve been doing so much Led Zeppelin stuff over quite a number of years now. I finished, more or less, all of the companion discs before the first three releases – I, II and III. But then there were all the booklets to do, and promo. So it’s not been so easy to think about anything else in the tail end of this year. But okay, next year – bang!”

Page says this about the music he has been working on, “The writing that I’ve been doing, I’m thinking of it in a totally different way. And that has a charm of its own, and an excitement to it.”

Although Page has not yet hired any musicians for his touring band, he has already planned out what kind of show he will be staging, and what kind of material it would include. “There will be all sorts of material from different eras,” he says. “Right across the board – that’s the way I’m seeing it. But like I said, there will be surprises. It won’t be entirely what people might be expecting.”

“The best way for me to think about it,” he says, “is pacing towards a really exciting show, where you’ve still got chance to improvise and come up with new things every night. And I think in that sense, people are going to say, ‘Yeah, okay, I get it.’

Above all, Page says he will be as well-prepared for his solo tour as Led Zeppelin were for their final show at London’s O2 in 2007. “The O2 was great,” he says, “and we worked hard on getting that right. I worked at home, with other musicians, before I got together with the other guys (in Led Zeppelin). And I’ll do exactly the same thing next time, because the playing has got to be at least at that level as it was at the O2. I know how to go about it.”

source: classicrock.teamrock.com

RUSH FRONTMAN GEDDY LEE CLARIFIES THAT NEIL PEART IS NOT RETIRING FROM MUSIC, ONLY FROM TOURING

A day after Neil Peart seemed to confirm that he was walking away from music, Rush bandmate Geddy Lee is clearing things up. “There’s really nothing to say. I think Neil is just explaining his reasons for not wanting to tour, with the toll that it’s taking on his body,” Lee told Prog (through Classic Rock magazine). “That’s all I would care to comment on it.”

“We’ll get together eventually and chat about things,” Lee said. “But in my view, there is certainly nothing surprising in what he said. Neil just feels that he has to explain with all the thousands of people asking, ‘Why no more tours?’ He needs to explain his side of it.”

Lee said he thinks Peart’s comments were taken out of context. “That’s their job,” he noted. “Talking about something when there’s nothing to talk about.”

Rush band have recently wrapped up the R40 tour.

additional source: ultimateclassicrock.com

SCOTT WEILAND’S FORMER WIFE WRITES “[OUR KIDS] LOST THEIR FATHER YEARS AGO”

Scott Weiland’s former wife, and the mother of his two children, Noah, 15, and Lucy, 13, Mary Forsberg Weiland wrote an open letter to Rolling Stone about his death. Excerpts from the letter appear below.

“December 3rd, 2015 is not the day Scott Weiland died. It is the official day the public will use to mourn him, and it was the last day he could be propped up in front of a microphone for the financial benefit or enjoyment of others. The outpouring of condolences and prayers offered to our children, Noah and Lucy, has been overwhelming, appreciated and even comforting. But the truth is, like so many other kids, they lost their father years ago. What they truly lost on December 3rd was hope.

We don’t want to downplay Scott’s amazing talent, presence or his ability to light up any stage with brilliant electricity. So many people have been gracious enough to praise his gift. The music is here to stay. But at some point, someone needs to step up and point out that yes, this will happen again – because as a society we almost encourage it…

…Many of these artists have children. Children with tears in their eyes, experiencing panic because their cries go unheard. You might ask, “How were we to know? We read that he loved spending time with his children and that he’d been drug-free for years!” In reality, what you didn’t want to acknowledge was a paranoid man who couldn’t remember his own lyrics and who was only photographed with his children a handful of times in 15 years of fatherhood. I’ve always wanted to share more than anyone was comfortable with. When writing a book years ago, it pained me to sometimes gloss over so much grief and struggle, but I did what I thought was best for Noah and Lucy. I knew they would one day see and feel everything that I’d been trying to shield them from, and that they’d eventually be brave enough to say, “That mess was our father. We loved him, but a deep-rooted mix of love and disappointment made up the majority of our relationship with him…”

…When Scott did move on to another relationship, I hoped it would inspire him to grow. I had often encouraged him to date a “normal” girl, a woman who was also a mother, someone who had the energy that I no longer had to love him. Instead, when he remarried, the children were replaced. They were not invited to his wedding; child support checks often never arrived. Our once sweet Catholic boy refused to watch the kids participate in Christmas Eve plays because he was now an atheist. They have never set foot into his house, and they can’t remember the last time they saw him on a Father’s Day. I don’t share this with you to cast judgment, I do so because you most likely know at least one child in the same shoes. If you do, please acknowledge them and their experience. Offer to accompany them to the father-daughter dance, or teach them to throw a football. Even the bravest girl or boy will refrain from asking for something like that; they may be ashamed, or not want to inconvenience you. Just offer – or even insist if you have to…

…Noah and Lucy never sought perfection from their dad. They just kept hoping for a little effort. If you’re a parent not giving your best effort, all anyone asks is that you try just a little harder and don’t give up. Progress, not perfection, is what your children are praying for. Our hope for Scott has died, but there is still hope for others. Let’s choose to make this the first time we don’t glorify this tragedy with talk of rock and roll and the demons that, by the way, don’t have to come with it. Skip the depressing T-shirt with 1967-2015 on it – use the money to take a kid to a ballgame or out for ice cream.”

Read Mary Forsberg Weiland’s entire letter at Rolling Stone.

Weiland passed away in his sleep on December 3rd on a tour stop in Bloomington, Minnesota.

source: rollingstone.com

DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE BOX SET OF NEW ALBUM “THE ASTONISHING”

Dream Theater have announced an exclusive box set version of their 13th album The Astonishing – with a specially designed 3D hand-painted NOMAC replica model in each bundle.

The band announced on Facebook that the shipping date for the deluxe packages has been pushed back until March, as production of the gadgets – which feature on the cover of The Astonishing – is taking “longer than originally anticipated.”

But they reassured fans that anyone who pre-orders the limited edition box set will receive the physical double-album and a small gift on the release date.

Dream Theater say, “Of all the items we’ve put together when designing The Astonishing box sets, this is the one we’re most excited about. We can’t tell you how proud and enthused we are about The Astonishing, and we really can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

You can pre-order The Astonishing deluxe box sets on Dream Theather’s website.

additional source: classicrock.teamrock.com