Category : LATEST NEWS

SINGER JOHNNY SOLINGER QUITS SKID ROW

According to a posting on his Facebook page Skid Row singer Johnny Solinger has just announced that he has quit the band to pursue his solo career.

He writes, “I have decided to leave Skid Row to pursue my solo career. The past 15 years has been a great experience and I have appreciated the opportunity to be the lead singer in one of the most prominent bands of the 1990’s and share stages with the likes of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and KISS performing in front of millions throughout the world. I wish Skid Row the best of luck in their future pursuits.”

Sid Row’s releases with Solinger include: 2003’s Thickskin, 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute) and the band’s two most recent EPs: United World Rebellion: Chapter One (2013) and Rise Of The Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two (2014).

Rachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo will be guests on Eddie Trunk’s SiriusXM satellite radio show Eddie Trunk Live tonight (4/6).

additional source: bravewords.com

GUITARIST RITCHIE BLACKMORE REPORTEDLY IN TALKS FOR A RAINBOW REUNION

Guitar Player reports:

Is Ritchie Blackmore ready to rock again?

The answer is “yes,” says Joe Lynn Turner. The singer insists he’ll cut a deal with his former Rainbow bandmate for a reunion in 2015.

“He’s itching to do some rocking, and we’re going to get together in the fall,” Turner told Classic Rock on April 5th, following a solo performance in London.

“Ritchie is really, really ready to rock. He still has the chops too.”

Turner talked about a Rainbow reunion in December 2014, noting that Blackmore “deserves to go out in a big blaze of glory.” Talks were reportedly held that month.

“Now is the time—2015,” Turner said in December. “Everybody’s sitting there waiting for this to happen.”

Rainbow were active from 1974 through 1984, when they disbanded. At the time, Blackmore and bassist Roger Glover returned to Deep Purple, where they had originally performed together from the late Sixties to the early Seventies. Rainbow regrouped in 1993 with Doogie White replacing Turner on vocals.

Blackmore split from Rainbow in 1997 to focus on Blackmore’s Night, his Renaissance-influenced group with his wife, Candice Night. The band has been the sole outlet for his work since then. To date, Blackmore’s Night have released nine studio albums.

According to Turner, previous negotiations for a Rainbow reunion included a 60-day tour and an HD 3-D movie. Those plans reportedly fell apart when Blackmore pulled out to work on a Blackmore’s Night project.

Turner added that bassists Jimmy Bain and Bob Daisley have both been recruited, though it’s unclear why the band would need two bassists. Bain performed with Rainbow from 1975 to 1977, when Daisley took over and stayed until 1979.

“I’m not sure if it’s going to be a Rainbow reunion or a bunch of remakes—which I detest, because you can’t improve on perfection,” Turner said. “But that’s what’s happening.”

Stay tuned, and we will see if it actually happens this time.

[Ed’s note: Thank you to T for the link to this article.]

source: guitarplayer.com

METALLICA FRONTMAN JAMES HETFIELD AND SINGER SAMMY HAGAR TO HEADLINE SAN FRANCISCO’S ACOUSTIC-4-A-CURE

Photo: Denise Truscello/Getty

Sammy Hagar and Metallica’s James Hetfield will headline their second annual Acoustic-4-A-Cure event/ at San Francisco’s the Masonic on May 15th. Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, Train’s Pat Monahan, Linda Perry and Hagar’s fellow Chickenfoot members guitarist Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith will join the Bay Area-based music legends. All proceeds from the event will be used to fund children’s brain tumor research at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Tickets for Acoustic-4-A-Cure, which promises “once-in-a-lifetime musical moments, duets, jams and surprise guests planned,” will go on sale April 10th at 10 a.m. PST at Live Nation. The event was co-created by Hagar and Hetfield, both Bay Area residents, to raise needed funds and awareness for the Pediatric Cancer Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Check out the concert’s official site for more details.

This year’s Acoustic-4-A-Cure concert comes just four days before Hagar releases his new live album At Your Service, featuring Van Halen classics, Hagar’s solo hits, Chickenfoot tracks and covers from artists like Led Zeppelin and Montrose.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

additional source: rollingstone.com

FOUNDING GUNS N’ ROSES DRUMMER STEVEN ADLER TO SHOWCASE ART DEBUT IN LOS ANGELES

After more than three decades of making music, Guns N’ Roses founding drummer Steven Adler will be making a career first on April 18th, with his first art gallery showing of fine artwork. Held at Forgotten Saints in West Hollywood, Steven Adler will be showcasing his entire art debut collection “50” and discussing the work with visitors in two separate symposiums (2pm and 5pm). Those interested in attending the event can RSVP at www.stevenadlerart.com.

Steven Adler’s art collection is a unique one, as it is crafted through rhythm. Like a painter using brushes with oils, Adler utilized drumsticks that light in a wide spectrum of ways to construct rhythms that are visually abstract and vivid when captured. The process from conception to release was extensive, as Adler collaborated with Los Angeles art team SceneFour for a year on the project. SceneFour is known for their rhythm-on-canvas art releases working with a highly select group of drumming legends including Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead), Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Rick Allen (Def Leppard) and Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake and Palmer). Steven Adler’s debut collection 50 features 14 different canvases, each highly limited in edition size, all numbered and individually signed by Adler. The collection is currently available for collectors worldwide through www.stevenadlerart.com.

Located at 7569 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, Forgotten Saints is both a working art gallery as well as a clothing boutique for acclaimed rock n’ roll clothing designer Cody Varona, who is responsible for the custom clothing of a discerning spectrum of music icons including Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue. Adler and Varona have been friends for years and the opportunity to showcase Adler’s work in the gallery was a natural. “It is an honor to host Stevens big night and to experience his journey into the art world,” Varona states.

For more details on Steven Adler’s upcoming event or to RSVP to attend, please visit www.stevenadlerart.com. To learn more about Forgotten Saints, please visit www.forgottensaintsla.com.

HEAR ‘N AID PROJECT TO BE RE-RELEASED TO RAISE MONEY FOR RONNIE JAMES DIO’S CANCER CHARITY FUND

Ronnie James Dio’s widow/manager Wendy Dio has confirmed that the Hear ’N Aid project has been resurrected with proceeds going to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

“We are in talks right now with a couple of record labels to reissue Hear ’N Aid, with the funds going to Stand Up And Shout (Cancer Fund),” she said during an appearance on the March 30th edition of Eddie Trunk’s SiriusXM satellite radio show, Eddie Trunk Live. “We have so much stuff that was never released before, behind-the-scenes stuff that was shot during the whole time. We have photos galore of everybody that was involved in it, and I think it’ll be fantastic. We just have to work on it. It may not come out this year, because I want everything to be perfect, as Ronnie would want it to be, but I am in talks about it and that will be coming out.”

Wendy also revealed that a new Hear ’N Aid-style song will be recorded by classic and current artists to raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, which has already raised close to $1 million.

“That’s something we’re working on as well,” Wendy added. “We wanna make something really special for the fans and to raise money, of course, for the cancer fund.”

On May 20th and May 21st, 1985, the metal community gathered at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California to record “Stars” which as released as 7″ and 12″ versions, with funds going to famine relief in Africa.

The project included contributions from Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen, Quiet Riot, Dokken, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Queensrÿche, Blue Öyster Cult, Y&T, Journey, W.A.S.P. and Night Ranger among many others.

A documentary was shot of the recording process and released simultaneously.

source: bravewords

BLACK STAR RIDERS ARE COMING TO NEW YORK WITH EUROPE

A celebrated contribution into the pantheon of rock music, Black Star Riders – whose line-up features guitarist Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy, 21 Guns), vocalist Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy, The Almighty), guitarist Damon Johnson (Thin Lizzy, Alice Cooper, Brother Cane), drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Y&T, Megadeth) and bassist Robbie Crane (Ratt, Lynch Mob) – just completed a successful European tour last month with multiple sold-out shows. They’ll be touring through six U.S. markets this month (three as special guests to Europe) in support of their second Billboard-charting sophomore album The Killer Instinct.

4/23/15 Kewadin Casino – Sault St. Marie, MI
4/24/15 Potawatomi Casino – Milwaukee, WI (with Europe)
4/25/15 Fineline Café – Minneapolis, MN
4/26/15 Granada Theater – Lawrence, KS
4/28/15 House of Blues – Chicago, IL (with Europe)
4/30/15 Irving Plaza – New York, NY (with Europe)

Watch the official videos for Finest Hour, Killer Instinct, Kingdom Of The Lost, and Hey Judas.

Black Star Riders on the web:

blackstarriders.com.
facebook.com/blackstarridersofficial/a>
twitter.com/blackstarriders
YouTube.com/blackstarriders