Category : LATEST NEWS

ALICE COOPER INDUCTED INTO WHITE CASTLE HALL OF FAME

Dreams can come true, as rock icon Alice Cooper can attest, following his induction into the White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame at White Castle headquarters in Columbus, Ohio on July 7th, 2014.

As a child of Detroit, Alice learned to love White Castle’s iconic sliders at an early age, and has never lost his taste for them over the years. He also learned to love rock and roll, and pursue his career in a band, and achieved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Little did he know that another Hall of Fame, also in Ohio, was in his destiny.

Following a tour of White Castle headquarters led by Bill, Marci and Lisa Ingram (the company is a fourth-generation family-owned business), company VP Jamie Richardson conducted a brief chat with Alice in a room full of White Castle employees, including a band that performed some of Alice’s songs (he actually JOINED them for No More Mr Nice Guy, much to their surprise), and then Alice was presented with a plaque commemorating his induction into their White Castle Cravers Hall of Fame.

Said Alice, “a lot of my fellow rockers are going to be envious of this honor.” Asked how it compared to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Alice responded “there’s no comparison,” carefully ducking the question.

The stop at White Castle headquarters took place on a day off during Alice’s summer tour as Very Special Guests to Motley Crue on their All Bad Things Must Come to An End tour, which plays the Schottenstein Center in Columbus tonight as part of the 72 show run. The summer tour continues through August 31st, and then resumes in autumn, October 10th through November 22nd.

Alice has often talked about his love of White Castle in interviews and on his syndicated Nights With Alice Cooper radio program, and served White Castle at the party following the premiere of the Super Duper Alice Cooper documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in April in New York City. The documentary, produced by Banger Films (same team that produced the award-winning Iron Maiden and Rush documentaries), has recently been released in both DVD and Blu-Ray by Eagle Rock Entertainment.

JUDAS PRIEST DISCUSS “REDEEMER OF SOULS”

Gary Graff of Billboard reports:

Rob Halford and his bandmates wanted to “reinvestigate the roots of (Judas) Priest” for Redeemer of Souls, the band’s 17th studio album and first set of new material since the concept album Nostradamus in 2008, released today (July 8). Watch a special behind-the-scenes video of the making of Redeemer of Souls, premiering exclusively on Billboard.com, below.

Halford tells Billboard that exploration started during Priest’s 2011-12 Epitaph World Tour, the group’s first outing with guitarist Richie Faulkner in place of co-founder K.K. Downing. “We played a little bit of everything from our recordings over the past decades, and I think that spirit seeped back into our musical consciousness somehow,” the frontman explains. “So when we got together to start writing the music for Redeemer of Souls, particularly from (guitarist) Glenn (Tipton) and my perspective, we were carrying a lot of eternal stuff from the beginning of the band. I think the general consensus is that most of this music is very classic Priest; there are textures and atmospheres and things from the 70s and 80s, maybe even the 90s to this music.”

…Halford says he and Tipton were slightly apprehensive about writing without Downing for the first time in the group’s history, but he says working with Faulkner — who joined Priest in 2011 — proved a seamless transition. “Richie’s contribution can’t be overstated,” Halford notes. “It really wasn’t that different — two guitar players and a singer as a writing team, so the format was very, very much the same as it’s always been. When you bring in a guitar player who’s also a very proficient writer and has great skill as a lead guitar player and a tremendous dynamic on stage, that’s got to have some kind of effect on you. I was watching a really cool clip of (Queen’s) Brian May and Roger (Taylor) sitting next to Adam (Lambert), and both Brian and Roger said that (Lambert) just kind of kicked them in the ass, brought another level of intensity and energy to the band. And I feel very, very strongly that’s what Richie did for us as well.”

Read more at Billboard.

source: billboard.com

BON JOVI’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE WILL BE HOSTING SCREENINGS OF “ACCESS ALL AREAS: A ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY” ON JULY 9TH

Bon Jovi is very excited to announce that they will be hosting two special screenings of the rare Bon Jovi documentary Access All Areas: A Rock & Roll Odyssey on BonJovi.com on Wednesday, July 9th.

Time Zone First Airing Second airing
Los Angeles July 9 at 11:00 AM PDT July 9 at 6:00 PM PDT
New York July 9 at 2:00 PM EDT July 9 at 9:00 PM EDT
Sao Paulo July 9 at 3:00 PM BRT July 9 at 10:00 PM BRT
London July 9 at 7:00 PM BST July 10 at 2:00 AM BST
Tokyo July 10 at 3:00 AM JST July 10 at 10:00 AM JST
Sydney July 10 at 4:00 AM AEST July 10 at 11:00 AM AEST

Tweet #AccessAllAreas to join in the conversation during the screenings.

Access All Areas follows the band during the New Jersey Tour, from 1988 to 1990, and includes exclusive live, backstage, and candid behind-the-scenes footage.

Previously only available in the US on VHS tape, this documentary was just re-released last week on DVD as part of the New Jersey Super Deluxe Edition album, available now through Amazon.

SEASON 13 “AMERICAN IDOL” WINNER CALEB JOHNSON’S TO RELEASE “TESTIFY” ON AUGUST 12TH

Michele Amabile Angermiller of the Hollywood Reporter reports:

American Idol season 13 winner Caleb Johnson will release his new album, Testify, on August 12th. The album is available for pre-order at iTunes.

“It’s been crazy,” says Johnson of shuttling back-and-forth from the American Idol LIVE! summer tour to the studio to put the finishing touches on Testify. “You kind of have to get in the zone where you are going non-stop. You are working 24-7, so you just get in a mode… Now everything is done and I can focus on the tour.”

Johnson has described Testify as “the church of rock and roll. … It’s over-the-top, it’s dramatic, it’s raw…theatrical like Queen and Meatloaf…heavy, stripped-down blues rock.”

Read more at the href=”http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-worship/american-idol-winner-caleb-johnson-716460″ target=”_blank”>Hollywood Reporter.

Watch some of Caleb’s performances on the past season of American Idol below.

Rival Son’s Pressure and Time:

Led Zeppelin’s Dazed and Confused:

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Travelin’ Band:

Whitesnake’s Still of The Night:

American Idol season finale with KISS:

source: hollywoodreporter.com

MOTORHEAD PREMIERE “LOST WOMAN BLUES”

UDR/Motörhead Music has released a video for Lost Woman Blues, filmed live at The Warfield in San Francisco on April 18th, 2014. Watch the clip below.

As previously reported, the reissue of Motorhead’s Aftershock album has been pushed back due to a production error and will be reportedly released on August 25th.

SLIPKNOT’S LEGENDARY “KNOTFEST” RETURNS TO THE U.S. ON OCTOBER 24TH-26TH

Slipknot are set to return to the U.S. with their own Knotfest–an extraordinary three-day metal and heavy music destination festival–to be held October 24th-26th at San Manuel Amphitheater & Campgrounds in San Bernardino, CA. This marks the first time Knotfest will be held in the same location for multiple days.

Knotfest U.S. 2014–powered by Rockstar Energy Drink–will feature a Slipknot-curated lineup of over 60 bands performing on five stages on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a Friday night VIP Pre-Party Bash, band performances and other activities for those that purchase VIP or Camping Packages. The weekend will feature performances from Slipknot, Danzig, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Anthrax, Killswitch Engage, Tech N9ne, Of Mice & Men, Black Label Society, Testament, Hatebreed, Atreyu, In This Moment, Carcass and many more. A list of artists performing each day is available now at www.knotfest.com.

Slipknot will close the Main Stage both Saturday and Sunday, with unique sets each night, featuring brand new music and an entirely new stage set and experience. In addition, all ticket purchasers will receive a digital copy of Slipknot’s forthcoming album, to be delivered on release date.

“Knotfest is a chance for Slipknot to bring the sensory-overload of a wild European festival–and now we’re coming for you, California,” says Slipknot’s M. Shawn Crahan (Clown). “Playing two different sets over two nights at one location is a new experience in the history of this band. This year’s Knotfests in the U.S. and Japan are going to be on another level.”

Every Knotfest has been a fully immersive experience for fans, and this one ups the ante. In addition to performances from more than 60 of the heaviest bands on the planet, attendees will descend into an apocalyptic underworld featuring over 20 festival attractions including a Slipknot Museum (curated by the band), carnival rides, a zip line across the festival grounds, drum circles, pillars of fire, freaks, fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, and so much more.

Campers and VIP ticket holders receive a free Friday night show with Suicide Silence, The Black Dahlia Murder, Butcher Babies and more, as well as an early preview of the festival area and Slipknot Museum showcasing the band’s history. VIP ticket holders also can attend a Friday night special VIP Pre-Party Bash with music by Slipknot’s DJ Sid.

Knotfest tickets are on sale now at www.knotfest.com. Limited quantities of Early Bird Discounted 2-day and 1-day festival tickets, as well as Camping Packages are available while supplies last at www.knotfest.com. VIP packages go on sale Wednesday, July 9th at 10:00 AM PT. A limited number of four different levels of VIP packages will be available with amenities including exclusive merchandise bundles, early entrance to a 21+ VIP Lounge, Pit Pass or the best Reserved Seats in the house, preferred parking and more. Hotel packages and travel packages will be available soon. To view all ticket options for Knotfest, visit: www.knotfest.com.

Doors open at 11:00 AM each day and the show runs until 12:30 AM on Saturday and 11:30 PM on Sunday. The Knotfest camping area will be located in a grassy county park adjacent to the venue’s VIP area.

Knotfest is a short drive from San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, San Joaquin Valley, and many more cities in the Southwestern USA.