The Hoax Are Back

"The last time Englishmen played Blues-Rock with such flair and conviction, they had names like John Mayalls Blues Breakers or even The Rolling Stones".
This was what Q Magazine said about the band's 1994 debut album 'Sound Like This'. They went on to win 5 consecutive British Blues Awards cementing them a place in the British Blues hall of fame.
Following the success of this album, the band embarked on a worldwide tour, including an extensive tour of the United States, where they opened shows for Blues legend Buddy Guy.
In 1995, the British Blues Connection presented them with the award for Blues Band Of The Year and Blues Album Of The Year.
A second album, Unpossible , was released on Code Blue in 1996, before the band founded their own record label, Credible Records, and released arguably their finest album, Humdinger, in 1998 with new drummer Mark Barrett.
As this album rode a wave of critical acclaim and commercial success, the band hit the peak of their powers on stage too, performing sell-out shows all over Europe, and opening for the great BB King, among others. Record deals with Warner Bros and Atlantic Records coupled with world tours encompassing 18 different countries, helped the band build a dedicated following across the globe. It was their blistering live shows which earned them the reputation of being the hottest ticket in town, securing them appearances on Later with Jools Holland and features on VH1, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Buddy Guy, BB King, Dave Mathews Band, Paul Weller and Robbie Williams. In 1999 after a whirlwind 5 years in the limelight and nearly 2000 gigs under their belt, the young band (then still in their early 20's) decided to call it quits.
Each member has gone on to achieve a diverse array of success. Singer, Hugh Coltman, released his debut solo album for Universal France and received a nomination for the "Prix Constantin" (France's Mercury music awards). Guitarist Jon Amor has forged a successful solo career releasing 5 studio albums. Bass Player Robin Davey won the "Stanley Kubrick Award" at Michael Moores Film Festival in Michigan USA for his directorial debut, "The Canary Effect". His band The Bastard Fairies, an eclectic pop duo based in Los Angeles, released their debut album to much acclaim, leading to 1 million downloads and a win at The American Indian Motion Pictures Awards for Best Music Video. His Brother, Guitarist Jesse Davey, also found success in the film world directing music videos for the likes of Gavin Rossdale and Papa Roach receiving a nomination for Best Music Video at the Kerrang Awards. He has also remained a much sought after guitarist appearing alongside Sting, Ringo Star, Joss Stone and Mick Jagger. Drummer Mark Barrett continued to be a mainstay on the UK music scene helping to shape the emerging sound of The 22-20's as well as appearing with the hottest new blues talent.
2010 will mark the bands 20th anniversary and as a special warm up to a world tour, The Hoax will embark on a 7 Date European tour starting in December 2009. The band will also release a single, featuring their first new music in over a decade, plus a tenth anniversary edition of Humdinger, a 2 Disc DVD/CD, including The Hoax Live In Concert, The Making Of Humdinger Documentary, Promo Videos, Unseen Footage, Photo Gallery, Bonus Tracks and more.
Follow this link to purchase http://www.thehoax.co.uk/ (£10 dearer at Amazon).
Follow this link for concert tickets http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=355579&interface=

The Hoax are: Hugh Coltman (vocals and harmonica) Jesse Davey (lead and rhythm guitar) Jon Amor (lead and rhythm guitar) Robin Davey (bass) Mark Barrett (drums).

Has Steven Quit?

According to Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles, Joe Perry seems to think that Steven Tyler has left Aerosmith, reports planetrock.com.
After rumours emerged last week that Aerosmith were due to have an emergency meeting to discuss their future, Joe Perry has revealed that he thinks Steven Tyler has actually quit the band.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, guitarist Perry revealed that he didn’t know much more than we do, but said:
“Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don’t know any more than you do about it. I got off the plane two nights ago. I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don’t know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Other than that, I don’t know.”
“As far as replacing Steve, it’s not just about that, it’s also four guys that play extremely well together, and I’m not going to see that go to waste. I really don’t know what path it’s going to take at this point, but we’ll probably find somebody else that will sing in those spots where we need a singer and then we’ll be able to move the Aerosmith up a notch, move the vibe up a notch.”
Part of the problem, it seems, is that Perry can’t contact Tyler.
“He’s notorious for that,” Perry said. “That’s one thing I’ve learned to live with. I try to overlook it. I like to pick my battles. Frankly, the last few months I’ve been wanting not to rock the boat. I don’t want him cancelling any more gigs. We really wanted to do these last four. We just kind of didn’t want to call him out or anything and get him anymore pissed off, for whatever reason. So we just let things lie. So we did the gigs and, like I said, I got off the plane and saw this online. That’s how I know about it.”

ELP To Play Festival

Emerson, Lake & Palmer are to headline Classic Rock Magazine’s inaugural High Voltage Festival in 2010, reports planetrock.com.
The High Voltage Festival will take place on Sunday 26 July, and is a joint venture between Classic Rock Magazine and The Mean Fiddler organisation, and it is hoped that the event will become the biggest and best ‘adult rock’ festival in the UK.
According to ELP, fans can expect “cannons, pyrotechnics and a supreme production alongside the stunning musicianship and songs that made ELP the legends they truly are”.
More details on the line-up, location and tickets will be revealed via Classic Rock Magazine in the coming weeks.

New Songs Please

A group of increasingly disillusioned AC/DC fans have pleaded with the band to change their setlist for the remainder of their Black Ice World Tour, reports planetrock.com.
An open letter on AC/DC fansite www.acdcfans.net asks the band to change the setlist which hasn’t altered at all since the tour kicked off in 2008.

The letter reads:
“Dear Malcolm, Angus, Cliff, Phil and Brian
“We represent an extremely vocal group of your most loyal fans. Just a handful of us have collectively attended more than 157 of your concerts (and counting) since 1978 and estimate we’ve contributed more than $84,000 (and counting) to the AC/DC juggernaut. We are just the tip of the iceberg.
“Now while those numbers may seem insignificant given your touring history and estimated wealth, for us the numbers represent a passionate investment of time and hard earned money in your music. We are AC/DC fans for life, and we wouldn’t change that for the world.
“However, there is something we’d like AC/DC to consider changing…
“The set list.
“On the current Black Ice World Tour, during which some of us having travelled across Europe, the United States and flown between the two continents (with flights already booked to Australia to catch the Australian leg), we have listened to you play the same great songs each and every night. We absolutely appreciate every song you play, but we can’t help but wonder if the band is getting a little bored of playing the same songs night after night.
“Are you aware there are thousands of fans just like us who have spent months discussing the Black Ice World Tour set list, every one of them hoping that the band will play something other than songs geared towards casual fans? The sort of fans that put money in your pockets, but who don’t have the same level of passion for your music as us. They may cheer at the concerts, they may go home happy… but they only came to hear Thunderstruck. They don’t eat, sleep and shit AC/DC like we do.
“As the greatest band on Earth, we think it is a travesty that you are not playing songs that are dear to yourselves and your long term loyal fans – the songs from albums that critics wrote off, but which we both know are some of the finest from your back catalogue.
“So, we’d like you to consider changing the set list. We won’t be rude and say ‘play this’ or ‘don’t play that’ – we’ll leave it to you to decide – surprise us! Please give us, and the many thousands like us, some hard hittin’, heavy rockin’ tracks that we, the true long term fans of AC/DC, know and love.
“Thank you for your time and your music.
“Yours respectfully in rock
acdcfans.net”