Category : LATEST NEWS

EDDIE VAN HALEN ON THE RUMOR THAT HE WANTED TO JOIN KISS: “IF IT HAPPENED I’M SURE I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED”

The Van Halen News Desk reports:

KISS’s Gene Simmons claims that he once had to talk Eddie Van Halen out of leaving Van Halen and joining KISS. Simmons has repeated this story a few times over the last 20 years, but we’ve never heard what Eddie Van Halen has to say about this story…until now!

The Van Halen News Desk has found a rare interview in which Van Halen was asked about this rumor. This interview, embedded below, was conducted by Alan K. Stout of The Times Leader. Alan states, ”It’s not everyday that a guy who, as a kid, wore a Van Halen t-shirt to school all the time and wore a “VH” necklace gets to chat at length with the guitar legend. But that’s what happened to me at The Times Leader back in the spring of 1995.”

It’s a typical Balance era interview until the interviewer pops the off-the-record question. Here’s the transcription of the KISS – related segment:

Alan K. Stout: I have this book [KISS’ coffee table book] KISSTORY, and there is a passage in there about you.

Eddie: Wow!

Alan K. Stout: It said back around ’82, you had dinner or lunch with Gene and Paul in L.A., and Ace [Frehley] had just quit, and you weren’t happy, and they talked about bringing you into the band. Is that true?

Eddie: Not that I know of.

Alan K. Stout: [Laughs] I didn’t think it was!

Eddie: Unless I was so fucked up I don’t remember…? They might have asked me…?

Alan K. Stout: I thought that’s a fascinating Eddie Van Halen story that I don’t think anybody knows.

Eddie: Not even me! Wow. No, I don’t have a clue. They might have just asked me in passing, and I just kind of laughed it off, probably.

Alan K. Stout: [Laughs] Yeah! I didn’t think it was something that was being seriously talked about.

Eddie: If it happened I’m sure I would have remembered.

Alan K. Stout: [Laughs] Funny story.

Eddie: That’s hilarious. Maybe they did ask me and I just thought they were joking…?

What do you think is the real story? Simmons insists this happened. Paul Stanley was just asked about this rumor, and said he never heard anything about it before. Eddie has never publicly said anything about ever wanting to join KISS. Who do you think is telling the truth? And who’s telling a different kind of truth?

Listen to the entire interview below. The KISS discussion takes place at the 15:45 mark.

source: vhnd.com

ROCK HALL DEFENDS THEIR POSITION ON KISS, CEO JOEL PRESSMAN SAYS SINGER AND THAYER “TOOK ON PERSONAS CREATED BY ACE AND PETER”

Gary Graff of Billboard reports:

With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony looming closer, neither KISS nor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation seem ready to relax the entrenched positions that led to the group’s decision not to perform April 10th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

KISS, according to frontman Paul Stanley, is upset that the Rock Hall plans to induct only the group’s founding lineup and tells Billboard that discussions about subsequent members “was shut down as a non-starter.”

Nevertheless, Stanley says KISS feels that honoring the other six musicians who have played in the band is “a very valid argument considering that there are people who played on multi-platinum albums and played for millions of people and were very important for the continuation of the band. And clearly when you’ve got a busload of Grateful Dead (members) who have been inducted and guys in the Chili Peppers who nobody knows who they are because they played on the very earliest albums are inducted…The list goes on and on of the inconsistencies. Now, I’m not pointing fingers at any of those people, but I’m certainly pointing a finger at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The only consistencies are inconsistencies and the rules clearly are there are no rules because the criteria for how and who gets in is purely based upon a personal like or dislike. And when I feel we’re being treated unfairly, I have issues with that.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation CEO Joel Peresman says that the decision about who to induct from any band is made by the Rock Hall’s nominating committee as well as an adjunct group of “scholars and historians” familiar with specific inductees and genres. “This isn’t chemistry or physics; it’s not an exact science,” Peresman acknowledges. “Sometimes there’s an entire body of work up until (the artists) are inducted, other times it’s a specific period of time that established the band as who they are. With KISS there wasn’t one person here who didn’t agree that the reason Kiss was nominated and is being inducted was because of what was established in the ’70s with Ace (Frehley), with Peter (Criss), with Paul and Gene (Simmons). That’s what put them on that map.”

Peresman adds that KISS “is a unique situation where you have artists who wear makeup as part of what the band’s about,” but the Rock Hall felt that the later members — including current guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, who are wearing Frehley and Criss’ makeup, respectively — “are fine musicians who…basically have the same makeup and are the same characters that Ace and Peter started. It’s not like they created these other characters with different makeup and playing different songs. They took the persona of characters that were created by Ace and Peter.” Persman notes that last year Heart was in a similar position, where the Rock Hall chose to induct the original ’70s sextet and not later musicians that played in the band.

But Stanley feels the situation with KISS is a bit more personal. “That it’s 14 years on (of eligibility) and we’re getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a clear indication that the people who hide behind that moniker don’t like us, but it reached a point where it was so absurd and ludicrous (to exclude Kiss) that they caved,” he says. “It’s like them swallowing a teaspoon of medicine they don’t want. It’s a bitter pill for them to swallow, so they’re making it as small as possible.”

Stanley says that the Rock Hall asked KISS to perform as the original quartet, in make-up, but he and Simmons — who have been playing with three-time KISS member Singer again since 2002 and Thayer since 2004 — were not confident the performance would be up to standard. “Honestly, I don’t want to roll the dice and possibly negatively impact on what I personally have been involved in building for 40 years,” he explains. “I have too much invested at this point. It really is a can of worms that I feel is better off left closed.” Peresman, meanwhile, says the Rock Hall has no plans for a performance stand-in for Kiss at the ceremony. “We have other artists, other inductees showing up and performing when they can,” Peresman says. “We’re very hopeful that Ace and Peter and Paul and Gene come and accept their award. We’re obviously honored to have them inducted.”

Read more at Billboard.

source: billboard.com

NEW YORK’S HISTORIC ROSELAND BALLROOM TO CLOSE IN APRIL

The New York Post reports that after almost a century of history, New York’s Roseland Ballroom will close in April with a run of seven shows by Lady Gaga.

Initially, Roseland was located at 51st Street and Broadway when it opened in 1919. During that period, the 3,200-capacity room was a hot spot for jazz and big-band music. The likes of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra headlined there multiple times, and ballroom dancing was also a big draw.

Roseland moved to its current 52nd Street location in 1956 and, at first, maintained its reputation for ballroom dancing — as well as being used for ice-skating and operating as a roller rink. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Roseland caught up with the times and started to host disco club nights and shows by modern rock, pop, dance and hip-hop acts (everyone from Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Rolling Stones to, last week, Lorde).

The sadness around Roseland Ballroom’s demise — five years short of its centennial, no less — is compounded by confusion. Owner Larry Ginsberg hasn’t made a public statement about what will happen to the site. Meanwhile, music-industry rumors vary from the building being demolished to make way for condos to an all-new Roseland opening in the future.

Whatever happens, the venue has already written itself into New York folklore.

source: nypost.com

KISS AND DEF LEPPARD ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

KISS and Def Leppard will team up this summer for a 42-city North American tour that will “deliver good news and excitement,” says KISS guitarist Paul Stanley.

The tour begins June 23rd in West Valley City, Utah, and wraps up August 31st in Woodlands, Texas. Tickets go on sale starting Friday.

The groups announced the tour Monday at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.The press conference was streamed live via the Live Nation website.

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott says he and Gene Simmons first discussed the idea of the two bands touring together when he and the Kiss bassist played some South American dates two years ago as part of a rock-and-roll all-stars tour. “It’s finally happened, which is fantastic,” Elliott says.

It’ll be the first time the two bands have shared a bill, though Stanley says, “We’ve run into each other at festivals. It just seemed to be a natural fit.” Stanley also noted that one of guitarist Phil Collen’s pre-Def Leppard bands, Girl, opened for KISS in the U.K. during the early ’80s.

KISS did a similar co-headlining tour with Motley Crue in 2012.

KISS released its first albums, 40 years ago, and the band will commemorate the anniversary with a slew of archival releases, including a 34-LP vinyl box set and a two-CD compilation called KISS 40. The group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame April 10th.

Def Leppard has been writing music for the group’s next album. “We all camped out at my house last month and wrote songs, which you will hear none of this summer,” Elliott says. Collen says he expects that album to come out in 2015.

Simmons says a dollar from each ticket sold on the tour will go to to the Wounded Warrior Project and other military non-profits. Those charitable partners include the USO, Hire a Hero, Project Resiliency/The Raven Drum Foundatio, and The Augusta Warrior Project. “Politicians fart through their mouth,” Simmons says. “Only the military makes freedom possible.”

Stanley adds that the group also plans to hire vets for its crew. “We try to find a couple of vets who want to go out and be part of the team,” he says. “This is a chance for somebody to travel and be part of the KISS Army.”

Elliot says he doesn’t see any rivalry developing between the groups while they’re on tour. “It’s two great bands that are going to be playing for the same amount of time,” he says. “It’s joint forces. I don’t see it as competitive at all.”

KISS/Def Leppard tour dates:

June:

23 – USANA Amphitheater, West Valley City, Utah
25 – Pepsi Center, Denver, Colo.
27 – Sleep Country Amphitheater, Ridgefield, Wash.
29 – White River Amphitheatre, Auburn, Wash.

July:

2 – Concord Pavilion, Concord, Calif.
3 – Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Wheatland, Calif.
5 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine, Calif.
6 – Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, Calif.
8 – The Forum, Los Angeles, Calif.
9 – Ak-Chin Pavilion, Phoenix, Ariz.
12 – Austin360 Amphitheater, Austin, Texas (on sale March 22nd)
13 – Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas, Texas
15 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
16 – Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
18 – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, Ga. (on sale March 22nd)
19 – PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, N.C.
20 – Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, N.C.
22 – Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Fla.
23 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Fla.
25 – Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, Va.
26 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, N.J. (on sale March 22nd)

August:

1 – Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Mass.
2 – Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.
3 – Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, N.J.
5 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (on sale March 22nd)
6 – Nikon At Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, N.Y. (on sale March 22nd)
8 – Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, Va. (on sale March 22nd)
9 – Pavilion at Montage Mountain, Scranton, Penn.
10 – Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, Conn.
12 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto, On.
13 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien, N.Y. (on sale March 22nd)
15 – Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, Wisc.
16 – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, Ill.
17 – Target Center, Minneapolis, Minn.
20 – Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
22 – Klipsch Music Center, Noblesville, Ind.
23 – DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, Mich. (on sale March 22nd)
24 – First Niagara Pavilion, Burgettstown, Penn. (on sale March 22nd)
26 – Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
28 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, Mo. (on sale March 22nd)
29 – BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla.
31 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Woodlands, Texas

additional source: usatoday.com

METALLICA DEBUT NEW SONG “THE LORDS OF SUMMER” WHILE ON TOUR IN SOUTH AMERICA

Kory Grow of Rolling Stone reports:

“We promised our fans we’d play a new song and we’ve been writing and creating away and we’re going to throw something at them on Sunday,” Metallica’s Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone last week. “We have something lined up that is fairly representative of where our creative headspace is at right now. It’s one of those things that’s like, ‘Here, we’re writing and we’re creating.'”

They debuted the new song — the epic, eight-minute The Lords of Summer — at their concert in Bogotá, Colombia on March 16th. It’s the band’s first original music since 2012’s Beyond Magnetic EP, and those tracks were outtakes from the band’s 2008 LP Death Magnetic. Metallica are on the first part of their Metallica by Request tour.

Listen to The Lords of Summer below.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

ANTHRAX DRUMMER CHARLIE BENATE AND WENDY DIO DISCUSS THE ALL-STAR DIO TRIBUTE ALBUM DUE FOR RELEASE NEXT MONTH

Greg Prato of Bravewords spoke with Ronnie James Dio’s manager Wendy Dio and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benate about the Ronnie James Dio tribute album, This is Your Life, which will be released on April 1st through Rhino Records. Highlights from interview appear below.

BraveWords: How did the initial idea come up to do the tribute album?

Wendy Dio: “I’ve been talking about it for two-and-a-half years. The idea came up because I just wanted to keep Ronnie’s legacy and music alive, but also, to raise funds for charity-for research and education into cancer, and to hopefully find a cure one day.”

BraveWords: How was it recording the song Neon Knights, and are you happy with how it came out?

Charlie Benante: “I love the way it came out. I pretty much think we hit it right on the head. Just like with our Anthems record, we didn’t want to go too far off course. We wanted to pay tribute to the artists and basically, the essence of what Dio and Sabbath at the time were about. So we just wanted to hit that right on the head, and we were all extremely happy with what we did.”

BraveWords: When did you first hear Ronnie, and what were your initial impressions?

Charlie Benante: “It was definitely back when he was with Rainbow. And I remember one of the big records at the time in the neighborhood was Rainbow Rising. I remember one of my friends had the painting on the back of his jacket – that’s how heavy we were into Rainbow. And me, I was never a big Deep Purple fan. But I loved Rainbow. And it probably has a lot to do with Ronnie’s voice. I mean, those songs off of Rainbow Rising are just fucking awesome. It’s just killer, that whole thing. So I became a Dio fan right away, and started following him. I was so happy about the Sabbath thing, but I was also worried – I was such a huge Sabbath fan at the time, and didn’t know what to expect. I remember my two friends, two brothers, Rich and Michael, they got the record first, and I’ll never forget listening to that record and the first song, boom. I was fucking hooked. That record to me…it was better than any of those last Sabbath records [1976’s Technical Ecstasy and 1978’s Never Say Die!]. And I think Ronnie had a lot to do with that.”

BraveWords: Any other Ronnie-related projects on the horizon?

Wendy Dio: “Planning on re-releasing Hear ‘N Aid next year, with the money going to the charity. And obviously, there is a lot of unreleased stuff there – there’s boxes and boxes and boxes that have been in storage forever. We just have to get the legal stuff done, which is the hardest thing. You can always get the bands to do something, but it’s the legal licensing of talking with the record labels they’re on and the management and so on, to get something off the ground. So we’re hoping to do that.”

BraveWords: And I recall hearing a while back that a book about Ronnie’s life was being worked on.

Wendy Dio: “Ronnie had written three-quarters of it, and I said I would finish it. I have a publisher, but I’ve been so busy with everything. And also, it’s kind of hard to sit down and have to spend four to six months of time just trying to deal with it. But it’s one of the things that I’m definitely going to finish this year – as well as a documentary. We are going to film a documentary of Ronnie’s life. I’ve already started that, actually.”

Read more at Bravewords.

source: bravewords.com