Motley Crue and Sixx:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx has posted the following message on his Facebook page:
“I have been performing during the last few months with a pretty intense double hernia but you gotta give 100% even through the pain onstage.The good news is yesterday I got surgery on both sides and it went really really well. My lovely wife, kids and Leica have been really taking care of me.I should be up and kicking ass in a few weeks and back in the gym/tour in 6 weeks. Looking forward to seeing you all back out on the road..
PS..Holy Jesus, it feels like I got kicked in the stomach by a horse.They gave me some pain meds but I am trying to not take them and luckily Courtney Bingham-Sixx looks pretty hot in her nurse outfit…”
Motley Crue are currently on break from their Farewell Tour which is scheduled to resume on October 10th in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Richie Kotzen has released a video for the song War Paint which appear on his The Essential Richie Kotzen which was released on September 2nd. Watch it below.
To see Kozten’s video for the song Walk With Me, also from this collection, please click here.
Here’s the complete track listing of The Essential Richie Kotzen:
CD1:
1. War Paint *
2. Walk With Me *
3. Love Is Blind
4. Go Faster
5. Fooled Again
6. OMG (What’s Your Name?)
7. Help Me
8. Bad Situation
9. Lie To Me *
10. Fear
11. You Can’t Save Me
12. Doing What The Devil Says To Do
13. Remember (Reprise)
* never before released *
CD2:
1. What Is (2014)
2. High (2014)
3. Change (2014)
4. Special (2014)
5. Paint It On (Acoustic Version)
6. Holding On (Acoustic Version)
7. Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice) – (Acoustic Version)
8. The Road (Acoustic Version)
9. Regret (Original Demo Version)
10. Damaged (Original Demo Version)
DVD:
1. Walk With Me (2014)
2. Paying Dues (2009)
3. 24 Hours (2011)
4. Larger Than Life (2009)
5. Losing My Mind (2005)
6. Help Me (2012)
7. Chase It (2008)
8. Player (2011)
9. The Shadow (2011)
10. My Angel (2011)
11. I Would (2008)
Deep Purple will release their Live In Verona DVD and Blu-ray on October 20th through Eagle Rock Entertainment.
Filmed in the spectacular surroundings of the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheatre originally built in 30 AD, this concert from the summer of 2011 sees Deep Purple joined on stage by the German Neue Philarmonic Orchestra for performances of all the band’s classic tracks.
Deep Purple remains one of the finest hard rock bands on the planet and is undoubtedly at its best when performing live. Here the orchestral arrangements give an added depth and range to the familiar songs and the band respond to both playing with the orchestra and performing in such a historical location to deliver a brilliant show in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd.
Live In Verona track listing:
1. Deep Purple Overture
2. Highway Star
3. Hard Lovin’ Man
4. Maybe I’m A Leo
5. Strange Kind Of Woman
6. Rapture Of The Deep
7. Woman From Tokyo
8. Contact Lost
9. Guitar Solo
10. When A Blind Man Cries
11. The Well-Dressed Guitar
12. Knocking At Your Back Door
13. Lazy
14. No One Came
15. Keyboard Solo
16. Perfect Strangers
17. Space Truckin’
18. Smoke On The Water
Watch a performance clip of the song Space Truckin’ from Live In Verona below:
Greg Prato of Brave Words spoke with frontman Ron Keel. Excerpts from the interview appear below.
BraveWords: What made you choose to write an autobiography, Even Keel, at this point?
Ron Keel: I think the only reason anyone should write a non-fiction book is if they’ve got a good story to tell, or important or interesting information to convey. And I’m always telling stories…whether in interviews, sitting at a bar or around a campfire, whatever. Songwriters and entertainers are usually storytellers by nature anyway. About ten years ago, I started writing my stories down, usually on long flights or road trips to pass the time, and found I really enjoyed the process. If I hadn’t put a hard deadline on publishing this year, I would have kept on writing for at least another ten years – but I really wanted to release the book simultaneously with my new album which is pretty much my autobiography set to music.
BraveWords: How would you describe Gene Simmons as a producer? (Simmons produced Keel’s The Right to Rock and The Final Frontier)
Ron Keel: You know, I think the marketing, make-up and money masks the fact that Gene is really a genuinely great human being with an intense passion for music, and also a deep knowledge and respect for rock & roll history. Not only what Gene did for my career, but what he taught me about making great albums – those lessons are still with me in every recording session I do.
BraveWords: I was surprised Keel never opened for KISS in the ’80s. Was this ever discussed?
Ron Keel: Believe me, I begged. I’m not sure why it never happened either, but never say never – maybe that’s one more dream that will come true. I can tell you, Gene was very active in trying to help us get gigs – I remember him on the phone with Ozzy, telling Ozzy he should give us the opening slot. Ozzy ended up going with some band called Metallica, but Gene gave it his best shot!
BraveWords: Something else I was surprised about – since Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley used to collaborate quite a bit with outside songwriters during the ’80s, that you didn’t collaborate with either on a KISS tune, while such others as Tommy Thayer and Kane Roberts did. Was this ever discussed or attempted?
Ron Keel: It should have I guess, because Gene gave me a lot of input on his songs which we recorded, and he of course had a lot of input on our tunes, and we worked really well together, but it was probably a matter of time. When we were in the studio recording those albums, we were focused on the task at hand and there wasn’t much opportunity to just sit around with instruments and notebooks and create, we were pretty busy making albums. And when it was time to get away from the sessions, we’d go out to eat, or go to a club or a concert, or go to Gene’s place and watch KISS video clips.
BraveWords: A few years ago, I wrote the book The Eric Carr Story. Did you ever cross paths with Eric?
Ron Keel: Eric hung out a few times during the recording sessions, but we never got to know each other well. My impression of him was that of a really nice guy, quiet and humble when he was not behind the kit.
BraveWords: Who were some bands that Keel toured with back in the ’80s, and what are some standout memories of those tours?
Ron Keel: Of course the final leg of the Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet tour stands out – they were at their peak, these were huge arenas sold out for two or three nights (we did three nights back to back at Madison Square Garden on that tour). Another high point for us was our sold out headline tour of Japan in 1986, opening for Van Halen at the Texxas Jam that same year. Coming back to my old hometown of Phoenix opening up for Mötley Crüe in the same arena where I used to fight my way to the front row and dream of being up there centerstage. The 80’s were great, but I’m very fortunate to still be experiencing peaks that are just as gratifying – like last year’s Monsters Of Rock Cruise, when we did two badass Keel gigs, I did my solo gig, I got to sing with the guys in Cinderella, did the all-star jam with Frank Hannon, and capped it off when Lita Ford asked me to join her onstage to do the Ozzy part on Close My Eyes Forever. This year we celebrated Keel’s 30th anniversary by killing it on the main stage at the M3 Festival in Baltimore, and you can’t put a price tag on kicking that much ass.
BraveWords: What are your thoughts on Steeler, and working with Yngwie Malmsteen at the time?
Ron Keel: Steeler has a special place in metal history and certainly a special place in the hearts of the fans. Of course I tell the entire story of Steeler in my book, focusing on the positives and skipping over some of the speed bumps, but Steeler was part of a magical time in rock history during the heyday of the Hollywood metal scene, and nothing can change that. And the album we released (1983’s Steeler) has become a cornerstone of that era, so I’m very proud of that fact. Yngwie and I were both too stubborn to compromise, and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway – he would still have quit the band to join Alcatrazz when he got the call from Graham Bonnet, no matter what the situation with Steeler might have been.
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Richie Kotzen released The Essential Richie Kotzen today (September 2nd) on Loud & Proud Records. To celebrate his newest project, he’s hitting the U.S. concert trail starting November 1st in Annapolis, MD at Rams Head Tavern. Before then, he’ll be spending September and most of October on a headlining tour which will take him through Europe and Mexico.
The Essential Richie Kotzen is a two-CD and DVD career retrospective set that encompasses this iconic talent’s entire career of his most essential work: classic material; acoustic performances; bootleg material; and two brand new songs (War Paint and Walk With Me). The DVD features music videos, acoustic performances, and bootleg material. A new official video for War Paint will premiere on MusicRadar.com later this week. In the meantime, the video for Walk With Me (filmed entirely on Kotzen’s iPhone) can be viewed below.
Fans can check out exclusive full album streams of each disc on MTV.com and GuitarWorld.com.
Kotzen personally curated The Essential Richie Kotzen from his 18 solo albums in order to give listeners the most comprehensive, cohesive, and concise introduction to his extensive body of work. “I’ve really changed and grown as an artist and as a person,” he says. “I hand-selected songs so newcomers can get into my music and learn who I am as a recording artist.”
Rave reviews of The Essential Richie Kotzen have already started to surface:
“Kotzen is an artist with a centered musical philosophy anchored by soulful music and a perfectionist’s attention to craft… THE ESSENTIAL RICHIE KOTZEN is an excellent career retrospective by an underrated songwriter.” (Oscar Jordan, Vintage Guitar)
“The extensive combo perfectly captures his dynamic musicianship, his jaw-dropping guitar solos, and his tangy blend of rock, blues, and soul, and will encourage listeners to discover more of his work…” (Bear Frazer, Arena.com)
“Richie Kotzen is one on the most ridiculous guitar players alive today…If you have only heard Richie in other bands (or have no clue who he is) then you really need to hook yourself up and give him his due. Richie has an incredibly soulful voice and did I mention his guitar solos are other worldly? Get the book of his musical life and discover some magic.” (Jason Lally, Realrockreport.com)
Check out Richie Kotzen at any of the following stops, with more dates to be added in the coming weeks on all of his official websites:
November:
1 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern
3 Londonderry, NH Tupelo Music Hall
4 Boston, MA Wilbur Theater
5 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
7 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
8 Reading, PA Building 24
9 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
11 Pittsburgh, PA Altar Bar
 from their forthcoming album, Modern Vintage. Listen to them below. Stars: Let’s Go: To listen to Sixx: A.M.'s Gotta ... )
 on Loud & Proud Records. To celebrate his newest project, he’s hitting the U.S. concert trail ... )
