Category : LATEST NEWS

KISS’ GENE SIMMONS SLAMS REALITY SHOW JUDGES WHO CODDLE CONTESTANTS, PLANS TO LAUNCH HIS OWN SHOW CALLED “COLISEUM”

Seems like KISS frontman Gene Simmons is no fan of reality show competitions where judges coddle contestants rather than being honest.

“You can’t sugarcoat s–t, pardon me. You can mentor anyone you like, but it’s a waste of time if they don’t have the goods intrinsically,” Simmons told The Hollywood Reporter at MIPCOM where he’s launching his new reality format Coliseum from Sierra/Engine Television.

Simmons is putting his own spin on the TV competition show genre by getting tough on contestants. Why? Because the music industry, like life itself, is cutthroat.

“Your qualification for being on this show is you can sing in the shower? Is that it, without paying any dues or writing songs or any stagecraft?” he questioned. Coliseum sees Simmons, who recently entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, challenging contestants to form rock bands with a winning musical voice and performance.

The KISS bassist will motivate evolving acts before they perform in front of an audience. “We want to open the trap doors of life and get tough. There will be heartbreak, and people are going to cry and their dreams will be shattered, just like in real life,” he said.

Simmons understands what leads singing competition show judges to nurture talent, rather than offer harsh and honest evaluations. “TV shows are fantasy because they’re selling soap suds. It’s family entertainment, it’s primetime, the kids are there, and they [broadcasters] don’t want to get too realistic,” he said.

But Coliseum will prize image over voice when judging talent. “We want to create superstars, not just singers that get record deals,” Simmons said. The other twist is that Coliseum will mix and match artists that contend on the show to find the perfect musical act.

source: hollywoodreporter.com

SINGER SCOTT WEILAND DISCUSSES SONG WRITING, INCLUDING SOME STP AND VELVET REVOLVER MATERIAL

Greg Prato of Songfacts spoke with former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland. Excerpts from the interview appear below.

Songfacts: How would you say that you write your best songs?

Scott Weiland: Well, this album is different, the current one that I’m working on with the band. In the past, writing alone, I’ve written much more eclectic records. It’s more obscure music. The two big bands that I’ve played in up to this point, Velvet Revolver and STP, are known for big, D-tuned power riffs, power chords, and big sound. So it’s different.

When I was writing with STP and Velvet Revolver, it was kind of the same thing: One of the guys would have a song idea and we’d kind of suss it out with the band and then I’d write my melodies and then write my lyrics to the melodies. And as a solo artist, I kind of felt free to go off and explore all different styles of music that I’ve been interested in over my lifetime and find some sort of cosmic melting pot for it. That was fun, but it was more difficult to bring that to the stage, because it meant we had to have more players and a lot of effects.

We’d bring in loops and stuff – the loops that we created for the album, we’d bring them out live. Which was fun, but I think for a lot of the STP and Velvet Revolver fans, it was kind of a stretch for them to wrap their heads around because they were very left-of-center records, 12 Bar Blues [1998] and Happy in Galoshes [2008]. This is much more of an indie-sounding record, but it still is very much a rock and roll record. There’s big, fuzzy riffs and it’s cool. It’s a whole new experience.

Songfacts: What was the lyrical inspiration behind the STP song, Dead and Bloated?

Scott: It’s not really about anything. It’s just stream-of-consciousness words. I mean, at the age of 21, 22, I didn’t have a whole lot of life experiences. So it’s more about the vibe, the angst and that kind of a thing, as opposed to actual life experiences.

Songfacts:…what about the STP song Creep, what do you remember about the lyrical writing of that song?

Scott: That’s just the idea of being a young person somewhere, caught between still being a kid and becoming a young man. It’s that youth apathy, that second-guessing yourself, not feeling like you fit in.

Songfacts: And what about Slither from Velvet Revolver?

Scott: That song, what was that song about? Just got done performing it. The lyrics are about a relationship. “When you look you see right through me, cut the rope, fell to my knees, born and broken every single time.” It’s just feeling not right in a situation.

Read more at Songfacts.

source: songfacts.com

EDDIE’S PODCAST WITH AEROSMITH’S JOE PERRY IS NOW AVAILABLE

Eddie’s podcast with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is now available for download. The interview can be obtained at iTunes and PodcastOne.

This interview was conducted at Joe Perry’s book signing in New York City on October 7th. To read details about Joe Perry’s biography, please click here and to see pictures from his Manhattan book signing, click here.

THE METAL GOD, ROB HALFORD, DISCUSSES HIS LOVE OF MICHAEL BUBLE AND PAVAROTTI

Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post spoke with the ever charming Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford. Excerpts from the interview appear below.

NY Post: You’re not afraid to talk about your love for Michael Bublé.

Rob Halford: Even though I’m a metal singer, the fact that I’ve been able to appreciate other types of performers has probably paid dividends.

When I listen to Michael Bublé, it’s exciting, it’s inspiring. I feel the same way with Michael Feinstein or Ryan Adams. I’m drawn to singers who have something different to say vocally, and Adele would be in there. I saw [Barbra] Streisand in Phoenix and that was mind-blowing. Her voice is just so pure.

NY Post: You’re definitely thinking outside of the metal box.

Rob Halford: I’ve also always had a passion for some types of opera — I’ve got a massive Pavarotti collection. I sing Nessun Dorma when I warm up backstage.

NY Post: Is Priest ever going to put out the tracks you guys did in ’88 with producers Stock Aitken Waterman, of Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley fame?

Rob Halford: I personally would love to release them, but there’s a different consensus within the band. Our rendition of [the Stylistics’] You Are Everything is just beautiful — it’s an ’80s megarock ballad, with big drums, big vocals, sweeping strings.

People are a lot more open-minded now, whereas in those days it could have created a bit of push-back, maybe even some damage to our reputation.

NY Post: Yet from Day 1, you’ve pushed the boundaries in your stage visuals, with all that leather and chains.

Rob Halford: The outfit I used to wear for our first three or four songs was like carrying one of those huge military backpacks! I had to have an operation on my spine a year ago.

My new outfits are just as visually strong but they’re about a quarter of the weight — we’ve reduced the tonnage of the studs [chuckles]. I’ve been in London working on them with Ray Brown. I look a bit like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz on the new tour.

Read more at the New York Post.

source: nypost.com

AC/DC RELEASE TRACK LIST FOR “ROCK OR BUST,” ALBUM AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

AC/DC have released the track listing for their forthcoming album, Rock Or Bust, out on December 2nd. See it below.

Rock or Bust track list.

1. Rock or Bust
2. Play Ball (To listen to this song, click the name)
3. Rock The Blues Away
4. Miss Adventure
5. Dogs of War
6. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder
7. Hard Times
8. Baptism By Fire
9. Rock the House
10. Sweet Candy
11. Emission Control

CD and LP versions of Rock or Bust are packaged in a limited 3D animated cover. All digital pre-orders of Rock or Bust come with an instant download of Play Ball.

Click the following links to order:

CD
LP
Digital