WKHY Rock Report (May 30, 2013) |
Bad Company's interview, audience question-and-answer session and performance at L.A.'s Grammy Museum on Tuesday was taped for future airing by AXS TV. The three living original members -- singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke-- spoke fondly of their very early days, before they even planned to have a band together.
The trio also went into detail about the loose way their classic debut album was recorded. Rodgers recalled how he'd sung the album's title track outdoors when recording it. In addition to discussing that and a lot more, they performed:
- "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy"
- "Feel Like Makin' Love"
- "Bad Company"
- "Shooting Star"
- "Can't Get Enough"
- "Movin' On"
Bad Company starts its 40th Anniversary co-headlining tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd on Saturday in Rancho Mirage, California.
BLACK SABBATH: Host Yawn Hall Event
Black Sabbath hosted a town hall-style event last night in celebration of yesterday’s release of 13, their first studio album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years.Held in lower Manhattan at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art, which was once a Neo-Gothic Jewish Synagogue built in 1849, it was hosted by comedian Jim Norton and streamed online. Ozzy and Geezer Butler were there and Tony Iommi was beamed in from his home in Birmingham, England, and Brad Wilk, the album’s drummer, from his home in Los Angeles.
The 90-minute event opened with a documentary on the making of the album that was put together by Ozzy’s son, Jack. This was then followed by videos for two of the songs -- “God Is Dead?” and “End of the Beginning” -- and the night should have ended there. Some of the contest winners asked questions that were answered in the documentary, Norton tried his best to deliver the funny and failed, and there were no major revelations. Nothing was said about their upcoming tour, drummer Bill Ward not being on the album or tour, Iommi’s battle with cancer or Ozzy’s revelation that he had fallen off the wagon during the recordings. But, Norton did make a point of repeatedly saying how much he loved Sabbath, how honored he was to be there, how 13 was number-one in 50 countries since its release internationally on Monday, as well as poking fun at two of the fans who were give the opportunity to ask questions via Skype.
MUMFORD, SPRINGSTEEN, KID ROCK, U2: Protest Songs Before G8
Mumford and Sons, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Kid Rock are among the acts that have performed songs for the Agit-8 campaign.Started by Bono's One organization, the campaign features the artists tackling various protest songs to raise awareness about world poverty before this year's G8 meeting in Northern Ireland on Monday and Tuesday.
Songs that have posted on One's YouTube channel so far have included Kid Rock doing "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield and Mumford and Sons with Elvis Costello tackling Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad."
Videos from Springsteen and U2 will be posted later this week. The U2 clip was shot last month on the roof of Electric Lady Studios ion new York.
PEARL JAM: Argo Play for Yourself!
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder played for one his smallest audiences in years last week.Vedder did a four-song acoustic set for former president Bill Clinton, Ben Affleck and 50 guests at a private event at the Los Angeles home of agent Patrick Whitesell and his wife Lauren. The night featured a Q-and-A moderated by Argo director Affleck that benefited the Eastern Congo Initiative.
Source: New York Post
ERIC CLAPTON: Down, But Not Entirely Out
Eric Clapton has pulled the plug on his shows Tuesday night in Vienna, Austria and Wednesday in Stuttgart, Germany due to severe back pain.His spokeswoman tells us, “He is currently with specialists who will be able to better determine the course of treatment... He’s had physiotherapy in the past for his back, given that being on stage for hours each night on tour can be physically demanding. But he has never had to cancel a show before, so this is clearly a new, more severe incident. We’ll know more once the specialists spend a little time with him.”
Clapton's shows this Friday and Saturday in Oberhausen, Germany and Cologne, Germany will go on as scheduled. The tour runs through June 19th in Prague in the Czech Republic.
BON JOVI: Sambora on Edge
Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora is feeling a little bit on edge -- after Jon Bon Jovi made a snide comment about the differences between him and U2 guitarist The Edge.Jon appeared on Ellen and spoke about Sambora's sitting out the band's current tour for personal reasons, saying, “Life goes on, so if someone chooses not to be here…unlike if this were, God forbid, The Edge, and he for some reason couldn’t make a U2 show, [then] it would be very difficult to just step in.”
A source tells Radar Online that Sambora was livid and fired off a three-word E-mail reading, "Hire The Edge."
The insider says, “Richie was so pissed off and insulted with the Edge comment that he couldn’t bite his tongue any longer. He sent Jon an E-mail, but Jon did not respond. Jon hasn’t called Richie once since this all began."
Headlines for Tuesday, June 11, 2013
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: North American Dates Announced
Queens of the Stone Age have announced their first North American tour in support of ...Like Clockwork.Josh Homme and company will kick things off August 2nd at Lollapalooza in Chicago and visit 24 cities before it wraps up October 11th with their second set at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
SAMMY HAGAR: Serving Up a New Rum
Sammy Hagar is expanding his line of Sammy's Beach Bar Rum. He is calling this new batch Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Red Head after his fans, the Red Heads. It has the flavor of Macadamia nuts soaked in white rum and it's colored red. He debuted the drink at his Las Vegas Tiki Party on Saturday with a special concoction, the Mai Tai Red Head. He says to look for it in the near future.
METALLICA: Another Orion Fest Seems Likely
At the close of their second Orion Music and More festival on Sunday, Metallica indicated that they'd like to bring it back next year.Even though they've expressed some concern that the gathering isn't turning a profit, they seemed upbeat as they left the stage after their two-hour closing set. Frontman James Hetfield asked the audience if they thought the festival should return to the Belle Isle, Michigan venue next year. After an affirmative cheer rose, he said, 'As long as you promise you'll be back, too...and bring some friends." Earlier, bassist Robert Trujillo, playing a set with his Trujillo Trio, had said from the stage that they'd "definitely" be back.
On Saturday, Metallica gave the crowd an early surprise when they turned out to be the group billed as Dehaan. They proceeded to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1983 debut album, Kill 'Em All, by playing it from start to finish.
Source: Billboard
KISS: Tweet This
So if you think all the rock acts on Twitter are actually the ones doing the tweeting, guess again.Gene Simmons has a Twitter account, but he confesses that he's not the one posting to it. Earlier today (Monday), he tweeted, “OK it's Gene. I've decided to tweet on my own. I have a little hotel time on my own. So, here's my first tweet. Wassup. (Hate that word.)” And a little while later, a second tweet: “OK. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Really -- who has time to do all this? C'mon. You could spend your whole life tweeting.”
KISS are on tour in Europe, and the other day they ran into Rush, who used to open for them in the ’70s. Paul Stanley says, “When we were on the tarmac getting ready to take off from headlining our night at Sweden Rock Festival, another private jet landed and I had to get off to greet and spend a few minutes catching up with the next night's headliners, my long-lost friends Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. Time flies, and thankfully we're all still having fun!"
BAD COMPANY: A Longer Tour and an L.A. Warmup
Bad Company have extended their 40th anniversary tour into late September. It starts this Saturday in Rancho Mirage, California, and the end date is now September 29th in Pomona, California.Bad company are rehearsing in Los Angeles this week, and tonight (Monday), they'll make their first-ever late night network TV appearance when they perform on Leno on NBC. Then on Tuesday, they'll take part in a question-and-answer session at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.
ROGER DALTREY: Cancer Charity Concert
Roger Daltrey will play a solo show in August to benefit his Teen Cancer America charity. The August 10th show at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California will be part of the Orange County Fair.Daltrey launched Teen Cancer America last year. It's an off-shoot of his Teenage Cancer Trust charity in England. Teen Cancer America's mission is to improve the quality of life for teens and young adults with cancer by partnering with hospitals to create facilities, develop and support programs, and raise awareness.¿¿
GOV'T MULE: First Album in Four Years
Gov't Mule are back with their first album in four years.Shout!, due on September 24th, contains 11 new originals. The album will be packaged with a bonus CD that includes those 11 songs sung by guest artists. The lineup for the bonus disc will be announced soon.
RADIOHEAD: Charges Filed for Toronto Stage Collapse
Charges have been filed against the promoter of Radiohead's 2012 Toronto show, in which drum tech Scott Johnson was killed when the stage fell.The Ontario Ministry of Labour has filed charges against Live Nation, a Toronto staging company and an individual engineer, alleging failure to "ensure the structure was designed and constructed to support or resist all likely loads and forces, it was adequately braced, there were no excessive loads and every employer complied with the act."
A hearing is scheduled for June 27th. If convicted, the corporations could be subject to millions of dollars in fines, and individuals involved face $25,000 in fines per charge or up to a year in prison.
Live Nation says in a statement, "We absolutely maintain that Live Nation and our employees did everything possible to ensure the safety of anyone who was on or near the stage involved in the tragic incident that led to the unfortunate death of Mr. Scott Johnson… We will vigorously defend ourselves, and we are confident that through this process, the facts will come to light and we will be exonerated."
On June 16th, 2012 Johnson was killed and three others were injured when a portion of the stage at Toronto’s Downsview Park caved in before the band’s concert that evening. Radiohead postponed that show and the remainder of their U.S. tour due to the accident.
Source: Toronto Star
MOTLEY CRUE: Sixx's Mother Dies
Our condolences go out to Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, whose mother Deana Richards passed away over the weekend.Sixx revealed the passing in a tweet on Sunday that said, "RIP Mom -- 5-5-1939 to 6-8-2013." Sixx didn't reveal the cause of death. Nikki later tweeted on Monday morning, "Been one hell of a week. My 12-year-old daughter wrote 'Live in the Moment' and stuck it on our refrigerator. Out of the mouth of babes."
DEF LEPPARD: Campbell has Cancer
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has announced that he has cancer.
Campbell issued a statement saying he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the beginning of the band's residency in Las Vegas in March. He's two months into chemotherapy and is "feeling rather spiffy, all things considered. Hodgkin's has an over 80 percent cure rate, so by my reckoning, if you’re going to have a cancer, Hodgie's is the one to have!"
Campbell adds, "The reason I'm sharing this with you is because, despite cancer and chemo, me and my new aerodynamic hairstyle (read: no hair) are going on tour this summer with the band, and I don't want anyone to be so shocked by my new look that they ask for a refund. Simple economics, really."
Def Leppard starts a European tour on June 21st, with a brief North American run beginning July 10th. Campbell still plans to tour with the Dio tribute The Last in Line in August.
Headlines for Monday, June 10, 2013
IN STORES THIS WEEK
Ozzy Osbourne reunites with Black Sabbath for 13, their first studio album together since 1978.Black Veil Brides add a bonus CD to Wretched & Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones: Ultimate Edition.
Jimmy Eat World returns with their first album in three years, Damage.
Z.Z. Top's The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990 is a 10-CD box set with the best known work of the trio's career.
ROGER WATERS: One With the People of Turkey
Roger Waters has written a letter to the people of Turkey in support of their uprising against Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who they feel is forcing conservative Islamic values on them and is pushing grandiose urban development projects at the expense of local residents.Waters writes, “I am with you! We are with you! You are so right to resist the forces of autocracy and repression. It doesn't matter who they are. If I read the Internet right, in your case, you are resisting autocratic religious zealots… Every time a man or woman or child takes to the streets, and stands up for human rights, for self determination, for democracy, for Mistress Liberty, the rest of the world is in debt… Your great country stands at the gateway between east and west. ISTANBUL is legend in the history of civilization. Your resistance today may well be a turning point between all of us and a return to the dark ages…”
BLACK SABBATH: A New York Town Hall Event
Black Sabbath will mark Tuesday’s release of 13, their first studio album with Ozzy Osbourne in 35 years, by holding a Town Hall event that night in New York at the Angel Orensanz Foundation For Contemporary Art. Ozzy and Geezer Butler will be there and Tony Iommi will be beamed in from his hometown of Birmingham, England. The event will be hosted by comedian Jim Norton and will be streamed on YouTube and Google starting at 7 p.m. ET.Also taking part via satellite are Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, who played on 13, and Ozzy’s son, Jack Osbourne, who filmed the album’s recording sessions.
RUSH: In the Fall
The next Rush concert film, The Clockwork Angels Tour, will be out in the fall and a two-minute trailer is now online. The band captured their shows last November 25th in Phoenix and the 28th in Dallas for this film.Rush does the final show on the European leg of their Clockwork Angels tour Monday night in Helsinki, Finland. They then start the last leg of the tour on June 21st in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
See video HERE!
TOM PETTY: Fire Marshals Cut Theater Show Short
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had their show at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles cut short Saturday night by fire marshals.The band had six more songs left in their set when the marshals pulled the plug, saying the venue's 1,200 person capacity had been exceeded by more than 100 people.
Petty and the Heartbreakers issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying that, "The number of tickets sold was NOT above the legal capacity of the building. The venue and Ticketmaster documentation confirms this. The Fire Marshal decided that the number of people on the floor (as opposed to on the upstairs balcony or terrace) was unsafe. [We] and our representatives rely on the concert promoter and venue representatives to give us an accurate breakdown of the legal capacity for every part of the building and to provide security and other staff to enforce this. We are still investigating all details of last night's situation and will keep you informed."
Many fans are skeptical about the venue telling the truth about the amount of tickets sold. There were multiple reports that the Fonda box office sold floor tickets to the entire line waiting for Ticketmaster cancellations Saturday, as well as employees letting other walk ups into the venue for $80.
TWISTED SISTER: They're Not Gonna Take It
Dee Snider has mixed feelings over the lawsuit his Twisted Sister bandmate Jay Jay French has filed against the Twisted Sisters coffee shop in Mission, Missouri.
Dee says, “He is very crazy about protecting the trademark, and he sues everybody. People are going crazy because it seems like this Goliath is attacking this David, this poor little David, for the Twisted Sister trademark... I said, 'You know, man, you've got to call into some of these TV shows and some of these radio shows, and defend yourself.' Because he apparently tried to work something out with the people at that shop, and their first response was, 'Who's Twisted Sister?'... Everybody's heard of Twisted Sister… For better or for worse, it's a household word."
The owners of the shop, Sandi Russell and Nancy Hansen, say the name is a reference to a family label given to them by their late brother. He used to call Nancy the "blond tornado," which morphed into the name of the shop. However, due to Jay Jay’s actions, they are considering changing the name.
METALLICA: Want to be in the Black
Metallica were looking forward to the second edition of their Orion Music and More festival this weekend on Detroit's Belle Isle, but they've been crossing their fingers that it’s financially worthwhile.Drummer Lars Ulrich says, “I wish we broke even last year [with the first festival in Atlantic City, New Jersey]. I'd obviously like to get into a situation where it's not costing us, but that will probably be another couple of years away. You've got to be in it for the long haul."
Joining them this year were Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday, along with Rise Against, Silversun Pickups and a reunion of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo's band Infectious Grooves.
Metallica headlined Sunday’s show, which also includes Deftones and another Trujillo side band, The Trujillo Trio.
MARILYN MANSON: Dedicates Song to Paris Jackson Then Wields Meat Cleaver
Marilyn Manson dedicated his song "Disposable Teens" to Paris Jackson at L.A.'s Gibson Amphitheater Thursday, then proceeded to simulate her suicide attempt using a meat cleaver. Observers say the shock-rocker dragged the cleaver up and down his forearm.The 15-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson allegedly attempted suicide on Wednesday by slashing her wrists with a cleaver and ingesting 20 Motrin. Some reports have speculated that she was upset at not being allowed to attend the Manson concert. In the wake of that report, Manson had told TMZ earlier on Thursday that he hoped Jackson felt better and that she could be on his guest list anytime she wanted.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
AEROSMITH: BBQ Sauce & Coffee Anyone?
While we wait for Aerosmith to hit the road this summer, here’s an update on some of their culinary offerings.Joe Perry says the newest batch of his Bone Yard Brew Hot Sauce should be hitting store shelves the week of June 10th. He says to look for it at Shaw’s Supermarkets.
And Perry is a big supporter of drummer Joey Kramer’s Rockin’ and Roastin’ coffee, saying he likes the decaf, into which he mixes “a chunk of 80 percent pure chocolate and four drops of liquid cayenne pepper.”
NINE INCH NAILS: Belew's Out
Trent Reznor has yet another hole to plug in Nine Inch Nails. Guitarist Adrian Belew has quit just months after joining forces with the revived band.Belew made the announcement in a long Facebook post that he deleted and replaced with the simple statement, “Concerning me being part of the 2013 Nine Inch Nails band: It didn’t work.”
The guitarist initially went on at length, saying, "Before this goes too far, let me say this: I greatly respect Trent and the music he makes. No one is at fault. We both agreed it just was not working. NIN will do an amazing show and I am back where I belong."
Reznor had previously said that working with Belew was the catalyst behind his decision to bring NIN back to life.
BLACK SABBATH: Video Unveiled, Questions Answered
Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler were on hand Thursday for the world premiere of Black Sabbath's "God Is Dead?" video at what was billed as "A Town Hall Event" at L.A.'s Harmony Gold Preview Center.Following the showing of the nine-minute clip, which won't be officially released until June 17th, the two took the stage to answer questions from the invited guests, who were mainly journalists. Former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde attended with his kids.
With Ozzy's son Jack as moderator, the two spoke about:
- What it was like to be making new music together again 35 years after their last studio album
- Producer Rick Rubin's role in the making of their new album, 13, which comes out Tuesday
- How guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with lymphoma made Ozzy feel their own problems were small in comparison
- How long it took for Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk to click with the band after original member Bill Wardopted out of the project over money
- How Ozzy came up with the title "God Is Dead"
- How, when they listened to the material a few weeks in, it was as good as anything they'd previously done and gave them enough inspiration to go on and finish it. That wasn't the case during their first attempt at reuniting for an album in 2001.
BLACK SABBATH: Video Unveiled, Questions Answered
Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler were on hand Thursday for the world premiere of Black Sabbath's "God Is Dead?" video at what was billed as "A Town Hall Event" at L.A.'s Harmony Gold Preview Center.
Following the showing of the nine-minute clip, which won't be officially released until June 17th, the two took the stage to answer questions from the invited guests, who were mainly journalists. Former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde attended with his kids.
With Ozzy's son Jack as moderator, the two spoke about:
- What it was like to be making new music together again 35 years after their last studio album
- Producer Rick Rubin's role in the making of their new album, 13, which comes out Tuesday
- How guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with lymphoma made Ozzy feel their own problems were small in comparison
- How long it took for Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk to click with the band after original member Bill Wardopted out of the project over money
- How Ozzy came up with the title "God Is Dead"
- How, when they listened to the material a few weeks in, it was as good as anything they'd previously done and gave them enough inspiration to go on and finish it. That wasn't the case during their first attempt at reuniting for an album in 2001