Watch a backstage extra from That Metal Show below.
It features original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and our very own Eddie Trunk talking about their history and how Eddie had a hand in signing him to Megaforce Records.
Ace Frehley was a guest on the April 25th episode along with Grand Funk Railroad singer and guitarist Mark Farner. It also featured the debut of Nita Strauss from Alice Cooper as the guest musician.
According to local media reports, and festival organizers, Motorhead had been forced to cancel their performance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in Brazil earlier today (April 25th) after Lemmy Kilmister was was reportedly suffering from gastric distress and dehydration.
The frontman is reportedly undergoing tests at a local hospital.
As a last-minute replacement for the band, Motorhead band members — guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee — took part in a jam session with Andreas Kisser and Derrick Green of Sepultura, along with other guests.
Judas Priest, who were scheduled to play right after Motorhead, were reported to add an additional 30 minutes to their set.
Also scheduled to appear at Monsters Of Rock festival is Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Yngwie Malmsteen, Accept, Manowar, Rival Sons and others.
Britny Fox has returned from a long hiatus fully charged and ready to rock. The band is currently writing for a new album, and plans to book and perform select dates only at this time.
In late 2014, Billy Childs reunited with former 2007 manager/tour manager, Wayne “Doobie” Dubay. Childs and Doobie reunited with vocalist/rhythm guitarist, Tommy Paris, and original Drummer, Johnny Dee. Due to commitments, original lead guitarist, Michael Kelly Smith has been replaced by lead guitarist, Chris Sanders. “How can I tell you how great it is to be back with these guys, and working on a new album? It is fantastic,” explains Billy Childs, bassist. “Johnny and I basically grew up in this business together and the tightness we have had over the years as a rhythm section is still there- Tommy Paris hasn’t lost a step, lyrically or vocally. Chris is a breath of fresh air for the band, and adds elements that were never there before, but very much in line with us as we prepare to bite down even harder this time around. Doobie is the guy that pulled us all together and said “get your heads out of your asses and make another Bite Down Hard. He’s pretty big, so best just to agree with him! For other reasons as well though, we all agreed it was time.”
The band is currently in studio writing and recording a follow up to the Bite Down Hard album – This musical jewel is a definite game changer on the classic Britny Fox sound that originally exploded in 1988. Bite Down Hard is a much harder rock tone featuring Zakk Wylde and Rikki Rocket. Rikki performs a percussion solo with Johnny Dee on the Midnight Moses track and Zakk plays the lead guitar outro on Six Guns Loaded.
“It’s awesome playing with Billy and Johnny again – Chris fits right in perfectly with us freaks,” exclaims Tommy Paris, lead singer. “The new songs are ass kicking, fun, heavy rock! It’s a great time hanging out with Doobie, writing new tunes and putting a new show together! Can’t wait to get back out on stage!”
Britny Fox comprises of Tommy Paris: Vocals/rhythm Guitar, Chris Sanders: Lead Guitar, Billy Childs: Bass and Johnny Dee: Drums. The band has sold close to 2 million in sales world-wide and charted on Billboards Top 10 for both Girl School and Long Way To Love.
[Ed’s note: I am reporting on this story because Chris Isaak is one of the few non hard rock/heavy metal acts that I love, and have been a huge fan of, for a long time. Isaak is an amazing live performer, and for many years, was one of the only musicians to have fan signings after every show. He made sure to personalize every signing by usually drawing an adorable cartoon along with this signature. Hands down, one of the nicest people in the music business.]
Metallica forntmanJames Hetfield asked how to sing like pop star Chris Isaak before recording the iconic Black Album, producer Bob Rock has recalled.
The frontman had been inspired by Isaak’s trademark hit Wicked Game, and wanted to match the vocal emotion in his own performances.
Rock tells Talk Is Jericho, hosted by WWE star and Fozzy frontman, Chris Jericho, “He said, ‘Bob, I’ve never really sung before – I’ve just kind of yelled.’ He played me a Chris Isaak record and said, ‘On Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven, I want to sing. How do you sing like this?’”
The solution was “a great vocal sound” so that Hetfield didn’t have to double-track, the producer explains.
“I said, ‘What you hear in Chris Isaak’s voice is the nuances when he sings. He isn’t doubled, he’s actually performing. You perform.’
“We set it up so he had a great sound and then he sang. Every day he got better and he got comfortable with it. He became a great singer.”
Metallica’s Black Album, launched in 1991, remains their biggest-selling release. They’re currently working on the follow-up to 2008’s Death Magnetic – despite guitarist Kirk Hammett losing 250 riffs for the project.
Anthrax’s Charlie Benante will sit out the first few weeks of the band’s upcoming North American tour that starts today, April 24th, in Denver, CO. Benante has been dealing with ongoing issues with the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome he had surgery for nearly two years ago and is still undergoing physical therapy.
“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Benante, “especially as I had to miss dates on the last cycle because of my hand surgery. But the fact is, playing a show five or more times a week just isn’t realistic right now, I found that out when we were making our new album, and I don’t want to let the fans down by not being able to give it everything I have at every show. I was driving the other day and my hand went numb, so unfortunately, it’s just not 100% yet. I figure I can play for maybe three weeks at a time but then I have to let it rest.”
“The guys in the band have been incredibly understanding and supportive, and I hope the fans will be as well. The positive side is that I plan to use the time off the road constructively and focus on our upcoming album, continue to work on the package artwork and develop a number of other ideas I’ve got for the campaign.”
Drummer Jon Dette (Slayer, Testament, Iced Earth), who has filled in for Benante in the past, will be along on those upcoming dates. Benante plans to join the tour for the May 17th Rock On The Range date in Columbus, OH.
Episode 10 of season 14 of VH1 Classic’s centerpiece in original programming That Metal Show marks the return of Kiss original guitarist Ace Frehley and the debut of former Grand Funk Railroad singer and guitarist Mark Farner. Ace chats with hosts Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine about KISS’ long overdue induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, being on stage with his former band mates, and his frustrations with the original Kiss lineup not performing together at the ceremony. Mark Farner shares stories of the early Grand Funk Railroad days, even telling about a time they opened for Led Zeppelin and how he was blown away watching them perform. He says it is still one of the best performances he has ever seen to this day.
The episode also features the debut of Nita Strauss from Alice Cooper as the guest musician. Nita is only the second female musician to grace the second stage. Nita tears it up on the guitar and also talks about playing with Alice Cooper, being discovered while performing the national anthem at an LA Kiss football game, and the solo album she is currently working on.
This week’s Rank segment finds Frehley creating the definitive list of the Kiss albums he performed on. He jokingly states that he couldn’t rank certain albums higher because his recollection of recording them was a blur. Eddie continues to impress the panel during this week’s Stump The Trunk and this week’s Throwdown puts the debut Led Zeppelin album against the debut Black Sabbath album. The panel is split but the audience declares a clear-cut winner between the two. The TMS Top 5 takes a week off but Take It Or Leave It returns, as the topic is the recent announcement of the retirement of Twisted Sister.
Fans can watch all previous episodes, exclusive bonus clips and the new That After Show segment at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and on the new VH1 app.
 after Lemmy ... )
