SO DOES EDDIE TRULY LOVE OR HATE “STUMP THE TRUNK?” READ HERE TO FIND OUT

eddie400 Lauren Wise of the Phoenix New Times spoke with our very own Eddie Trunk, read excerpts from the interview below.

Phoenix New Times: This 14th season of That Metal Show has been pretty exciting so far, especially with all of the diversity. While I know you were most excited about Geddy Lee, whose debut on the show are you most pumped for?

Eddie: Hmmm… it’s hard to, um… it’s hard to pinpoint any one thing. But actually, as of just a few seconds ago, I think we pretty much can say that we’re done with locking in Kirk Hammett from Metallica to come back on. That’s an interesting story because the last time we had Kirk on, was when we had the Scorpions original guitar player, Uli Jon Roth, on the show. And Kirk and I bonded over the fact that we love stuff like that. He’s a huge UFO fan, as am I.

After we did that show a few years, Kirk said that it would be amazing to do a show like that again, with [former UFO guitarist] Michael Schenker on. And I was just like, maybe we can make that happen. So somehow it looks like the stars aligning, and it’s something I’ve been working on right up until the second I’m now talking to you, and it looks like we’re going to have a show coming up, probably next month, where we’ll have Kirk Hammett from Metallica and one of his heroes, Michael Schenker, on together. That’s about 99 percent at this point, but if that happens that will certainly be one of the highlights.

Phoenix New Times: So, do you truly love or hate Stump The Trunk?

Eddie: Ummmmm. That’s…that’s a two-edged question. Well, listen: it’s great to be known for something. It’s funny. I guess it would be like asking a band if they love or hate a hit record that they might be tired of playing. Laughter. It’s a blessing for sure, because it’s great to be known for something so much like that. It’s become crazy; even internationally when I travel people will come running up to me needing to “stump the trunk.” I do a live feed show, both on my own and also with Don and Jim, in clubs and stuff around the country. When we do that show, the majority of people there are pouncing ready to do “stump the trunk” because we do live trivia at the end of the show. It’s funny to me, because I don’t think I know it all at any stretch. But I do know more than the average person, because I’ve been doing this my whole life; it’s what I do. So I get that people find it fun and get into it.

So it is a blessing, as long as everyone doesn’t take it too seriously and understand that it’s a bit. The thing I always want to stress is that I’m the last guy in the world to run around and say I know it all. And while it’s fun when I get it right, what’s most fun for me is when I get it wrong, because I’m learning. Being in this business over 30 years, it’s always good to learn.

Phoenix New Times: ..What 2015 albums are you most looking forward to?

Eddie: Hmm, well, there’s a few out already that I absolutely love and they’ve come out already. One is, the new album from Black Star Riders, which used to be Thin Lizzy. Their second record just came out called The Killer Instinct, which is an early candidate for my album of the year.

Phoenix New Times: Speaking on technology and constant information provided on screens, how do you think social media affects the mystique of music? Like do you think Arthur Brown, Sabbath and Alice Cooper would still be the icons they are if there had been a YouTube and Twitter when they were starting out?

Eddie: That’s really tough to say. And I honestly don’t know. But I do miss some of the mystique of music in bands. I do think that is something we’ve really lost. And there are still bands from the ’70s that sort of keep that mystique up a little bit — like AC/DC for example. They are very, very stealth in the way they do things! You never know what’s coming or what they’re going to do. They actually just recently launched an official Twitter, which is obviously run by someone not in the band. And then there’s Van Halen, who is very cagey about what they do. And Iron Maiden is never gonna tell you what they’re gonna do until the last second they have to and every single thing is in line. So there are bands that are able to control and manage the information that gets out about them. And I think that’s cool.

But I don’t know if we would still look at some of those bands and feel like they still had the same aura about them in social media was around when they started. But I think there’s a “right” balance that can be struck, where fans can get information but the band isn’t too open where there’s no mystique or surprises. I think the biggest key is to find that balance. I know for myself, personally, handling Twitter is what I do most. I’d say about 95 percent is stuff about music and what I’m doing in my world, and maybe 5 percent is personal, which is extremely rare.

Phoenix New Times: You’re a big supporter of the Ronnie James Dio Cancer fund. Wendy Dio asked you to host some of the fifth anniversary events this May, so can you elaborate on some of the activities you’ll be involved in?

Eddie: Wendy reached out to me for us to discuss in t he next week or two actually, so I don’t have an exact idea of what I’m going to be doing specifically. But basically I’m there as she needs me. I had the incredible honor of hosting Ronnie’s memorial service five years ago when he passed away. So I know there will be a similar event to mark five years at his burial site which is open to the public. That will be a major event. I know there’s a bowling event and a motorcycle rally; three days and three events. But I’m basically there to help as she needs me, whether it’s interviews, hosting, meet and greet, helping with the raffle… whatever help she needs. The Dio Cancer Fund is a wonderful cause and I’m thankful to be a part of it again.

Read Eddie’s entire interview with the Phoenix New Times, here.

source: blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com

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METAL HAMMER INTERVIEWS EDDIE TRUK, READ IT HERE

eddie-trunk400 Joe Daly of Metal Hammer spoke with Eddie, the interview appears in its entirety below.

Metal Hammer: We’re entering a period now where a lot of our legends – like Malcolm Young – are reaching an age when they simply can’t carry on any further. Before discussing the next generation of legends, let’s talk about the defining characteristics of a truly iconic metal band.

Eddie: As far as I’m concerned, the first thing that grabs you about an all-time great metal band is the riffs, and of course, the all-time riff king is Tony Iommi. Secondly, great bands convey a sense of power and aggression, particularly the guitars. Third – and this is probably counter to what some people feel – I need vocals and melody. I know there are a lot of different styles of metal out there and there’s a large number of fans who love the more extreme styles, like death metal. That’s not for me, that’s just my personal taste. A song must have some sort of singing and some level of melody in the vocal for me to like it. I’m not saying that everybody’s gotta sound like Freddie Mercury or Geoff Tate or Dio, but there has to be some melody.

Metal Hammer: How important are lyrics in metal?

I think it’s nice when there are lyrics with some thought behind them, but in all honesty, I don’t think that it’s a make-or-break proposition when it comes to hard rock and metal bands. I think that a lot of it is about the energy, the aggression and embracing metal as a way to blow off some steam and escape the problems of the world or what you’re dealing with that week.

Metal Hammer: Do you think that it’s gutsy or lazy when a classic band modifies their sound to keep up with prevailing trends?

Eddie: A lot of the bands who have tried to do that have pretty much failed. Def Leppard comes to mind. They made Slang in the mid-90s, where they got away from being Def Leppard and tried to get more into the sounds of the mid-90s and it failed. Fans didn’t like it because it wasn’t what they wanted from Def Leppard. I like when artists stay true to what they are but also try different things throughout their career that build on what they’ve already done, rather than chase a new sound that’s become popular.”

Metal Hammer: Leppard come to mind as one of those bands that came up short on their overhaul, but conversely, Anthrax’s The Sound Of White Noise might be one of the better examples of a band modernising their sound without appearing cheap or abandoning their roots.

Eddie: Without a doubt, that’s a great example of a record where the band stayed within their wheelhouse. They didn’t get too far out there. If I’m not mistaken, Dave Jerden produced that record and he had done stuff with bands like Alice In Chains and Jane’s Addiction, so there are definitely different sounds on there and it is a great record, but mainly because it encompasses a lot of the classic Anthrax elements, like the speed and the aggression. Although the counter to all that is that they were also one of the first bands to introduce rap into metal. As a fan, that was a little bit too far out of reach. The Sound Of White Noise was great but I’m not a rap fan. I’m a fan of metal. I know that some people will say that I should have an open mind, and I do, but I like what I like, and I like singing and not rapping.

Metal Hammer: To what extent, if at all, do significant lineup changes dilute a band’s legacy?

Eddie: I think it’s a case-by-case. Look at AC/DC – with the arrival of Brian Johnson, they actually got even bigger. That band is as big as any band in the world and they don’t have their original lead singer. To some degree, I think Van Halen with Sammy Hagar were able to pull it off. Actually, not to some degree – they truly did. Van Halen with Sammy, whether you like that lineup or not, was enormously successful. For a younger audience, that’s their generation of Van Halen. I think about this a lot – the band completely ignores that era of their history because of the falling-out with Hagar. I can’t think of another band that has a catalog of music that includes maybe five or six records with legitimately ten or twelve hit songs that will never be performed or heard again. Songs that have completely been ignored! They’re on the shelf and there’s no way they’ll ever be played again unless Hagar goes back to Van Halen, because there’s no way David Lee Roth can sing that stuff. I just read that the Roth records are going to be re-mastered – again – but to this day, they still haven’t (re-mastered) the Hagar catalogue. Listen, it doesn’t hurt Van Halen because they’re huge and the stuff with Roth was great, but what other band could afford to leave that many hits on the shelf?

Metal Hammer: Please pull out your crystal ball for the final question. We know the Ice Age is coming when a lot of legendary acts won’t be around anymore. Looking around at who’s playing now, who are going to be metal’s living legends in 2025?

Eddie: Ten years from now, some of the bigger bands from the ’80s should still be able to do it. So I’d think that puts Metallica at around age 60, so they should still be able to hold that throne if they do things smart and take care of themselves. In the newer school of bands, you have to hope that a band like Avenged Sevenfold or a band like Slipknot – bands who have laid down some pretty deep roots by now and already are huge – can continue to grow, continue to evolve and continue to come up with original stuff and carry metal forward into the next era. Five Finger Death Punch are huge. You hope that these bands that are younger and newer can carry the flag, not implode and keep writing at a high quality. They need to continue to find their own voice as well. They all show their influences very proudly – some would say that some do a little too much ha ha – but I think that’s fine at this point in their careers because they’re still relatively young. I was very encouraged when I saw Avenged a year ago. You can say what you want about how original the last record was, but to me it was encouraging to see all these really young kids in the audience, wearing concert t-shirts and fully-engaged in a guitar-based, heavy rock band. You’re right though — some of these guys currently carrying the flag should have stopped ten years ago and they’re still going, unfortunately hurting their legacy. But I’ve never been more encouraged by new music than I have been recently. I really love Kyng, I love Rival Sons and I really like Monster Truck. Big, loud, guitar-based stuff with great vocals. I hope this continues to evolve and that we see more of these guys in the years to come. And one more thing – I just saw Alice Cooper a couple weeks ago, and something tells me that we’ll still be seeing Alice in 2025!

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JAMEY JASTA OF HATEBREED AND ARMORED SAINT’S JOHN BUSH & JOEY VERA DROP BY THIS WEEK’S “THAT METAL SHOW”

Thatmetalshowlogo With Season 14 of That Metal Show already making history (the Season 14 premiere was the second most watched Season Premiere in the history of the series) VH1 Classic’s centerpiece in original programming returns this week with an all new episode that welcomes Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed alongside John Bush and Joey Vera of Armored Saint. Jamey Jasta talks about the upcoming Hatebreed tour, the podcast he hosts, recounts how a recent tour they did with Black Label Society was one of the best he has ever done, and even gives a compilation CD to each member of the audience. John Bush and Joey Vera talk about their forthcoming seventh album Win Hands Down, their upcoming tour with Saxon and recall memories from their time in Anthrax.

The episode also features shred guitar maestro Michael Angelo Batio making his debut on That Metal Show as the guest musician. Michael amazes the crowd with his double neck, v-shaped guitar and demonstrates why he is one of the fastest guitar players on the planet. He also fills the hosts in on his upcoming career retrospective Shred Force 1: The Essential Michael Angelo Batio, which is slated for release next month. Jason Becker also checks in to the show via the Metal Modem. Through his interpreter he discusses working with David Lee Roth and how he developed a way to speak using his only his eyes through a computer. He also talks about his career and his ongoing love for guitar and music.

Jamey, John, and Joey candidly reveal their love of coffee and beer in the Put It On The Table segment. Eddie has a difficult time with Stump The Trunk this week with one lucky fan taking home a signature Michael Angelo Batio guitar from Dean guitars. Take It Or Leave It has the hosts discussing the recent surge of VIP experiences from artists at concerts, and the TMS Top 5 tackles the Top 5 Replacement Members in Bands who weren’t singers. Notable musicians such as Kirk Hammett, Neil Peart, Adrian Smith, Jason Newsted, Zakk Wylde, and Gary Moore all become part of the discussion until the final 5 make it to the top of the board. The Throwdown pits the first two Dio era Black Sabbath albums against each other when Heaven And Hell goes up against Mob Rules.

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.

Audience tickets for upcoming tapings are now available via Gotham Casting at gothamcasting.com/gothamrsvp/.

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JAKE E. LEE’S RED DRAGON CARTEL PARTS WAYS WITH SINGER DARREN SMITH

jakeeleeband2013600 Guitarist Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel has parted ways with singer Darren Smith, who will be joining his former bandmates Harem Scarem on their upcoming tour. A replacement will be announced shortly. No reason has been given for Smith’s exit, although the Canadian vocalist has issued the following brief statement:

“It is true I left RDC, kinda complicated but I think it was the right thing to do. One day I’ll comment more, for now ‘thats all folks!!!'”

Jake E. Lee is best known for his work in Badlands and as guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne on Bark At The Moon and The Ultimate Sin albums. Released in early 2014, the Red Dragon Cartel debut also features various guest appearances from some of music’s most notable faces including Cheap Trick vocalist Robin Zander, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno, Kill Devil Hill/Pantera bassist Rex Brown, Slash’s Conspirators Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz and In This Moment front woman Maria Brink. The album was produced by Ronnie Mancuso and Jake E. Lee and was executive produced, mixed and mastered by Kevin Churko (In This Moment, Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch).

Harem Scarem has since confirmed a home town show with Darren Smith on April 2nd at The Oshawa Music Hall; the official gig flyer can be seen below.

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source: bravewords.com

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FORMER GUNS N’ ROSES BANDMATES DUFF MCKAGAN AND IZZY STRADLIN RECORD A NEW SONG TOGETHER

duffmckaganandizzystradlin640 Duff McKagan has completed a partial Guns N’ Roses reunion, recording a new song on his birthday with former bandmate Izzy Stradlin.

“We were talking on the phone, and [Stradlin] said, ‘Let’s go record a song,’” McKagan tells Vorterix. They completed the tune, along with drummer Taz Bentley of Reverend Horton Heat fame at a studio owned by Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age.

“I have it,” McKagan says of the track. “It just got mixed. It’s a super kick-ass song, and we just had fun.” The question, of course, is whether McKagan and Stradlin will explore this GNR offshoot more fully down the road. “We’ll probably do it some more,” McKagan confirms. “We’re gonna maybe record some more. But we just enjoy making music together and enjoy each other’s company. We’re allowed to do that.”

Up next for Duff, he’s planning to publish a new book later this year titled How to Be a Man (and Other Illusions), inspired by a column McKagan produced for Seattle Weekly.

additional source: ultimateclassicrock.com

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WATCH AN EPK FOR WHITESNAKE’S “THE PURPLE ALBUM” HERE

whitesnakeband2015-640 Rock icons Whitesnake are set to return with their 12th studio album this spring. The Purple Album will be released in Europe on May 15th and in North America on May 19th via Frontiers Music SRL.

The Purple Album is a re-imagination of classic songs from David Coverdale’s time as the lead singer for Deep Purple’s Mark 3 and Mark 4 studio albums. The album is currently available for pre-order in various configurations on Amazon: a standard edition and a deluxe edition featuring two bonus tracks, four music videos and a Behind The Scenes featurette on the recording of the album and in a double LP vinyl format. Plans are also underway for a special limited box set edition with memorabilia and merchandise. All details will be announced soon.

“It’s a tribute. A homage. It’s a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago,” states Coverdale. “As I said to Ritchie, you guys set me on an incredible journey that continues today and I couldn’t have asked for better teachers. The University of Deep Purple was an extraordinary, amazing school to learn from. We can’t wait to play these songs in concert!”

To read more about this release and hear the first single Stormbringer, please click here.

Watch an EPK for this album below.

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