Classic Rock

Black Country Communion Release Date Details

2010-06-10T12:29:00.003+01:00

Black Country Communion – the supergroup consisting of Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian – will release their debut album 20 September, reports planetrock.co.uk.
All twelve songs on the album are sung by Glenn Hughes, with the exception of Song Of Yesterday and The Revolution In Me which are both sung by Joe Bonamassa. Hughes and Bonamassa share lead vocals on Sista Jane and Too Late For The Sun. Also included is a new version of Medusa, which Hughes originally recorded with his first band Trapeze.
Album Track Listing:
1. Black Country

2. One Last Soul

3. The Great Divide

4. Down Again

5. Beggarman

6. Song Of Yesterday

7. No Time

8. Medusa

9. The Revolution In Me

10. Stand (At The Burning Tree)

11. Sista Jane

12. Too Late For The Sun
You can watch an extended set of interviews with the band members about the making of the album at their official website. The video contains a number of excerpts from the new record.

http://www.bccommunion.com/

Black Country No More?

2010-04-27T12:41:00.004+01:00

The Joe Bonamassa / Glenn Hughes / Jason Bonham / Derek Sherinian supergroup temporarily known as Black Country looks like its already on shaky ground, reports planetrock.co.uk.

The supergroup, who have a finished album in the can with a September release date scheduled, have hit some problems, according to their producer.

In a series of posts on his Facebook page, producer Kevin Shirley reveals that there were some fairly major problems with the band late last week. Here’s the first post:

“Black Country looks to have imploded, with a completed album in the can! We set out as friends and lovers of music, to make something special. Then the managers got involved... and kept changing their wants, ultimately demanding EVERYTHING! I can't absolve all the musicians - but one I can completely absolve, is the one who actually has a career and has just been voted Best Guitarist in the World - who was 100% open ALL the way. And he doesn't ride on anyone's coattails... see below. Maybe they'll come to their senses.... I'm not holding my breath.”

A little later on Friday a second post doesn’t exactly fill you with confidence that everything is well in their world:

“OK - I have been urged to amend this - like everything on the internet, things get twisted! I believe there is a salvage operation to rescue survivors from the downed BC plane. I have just had a big conversation with Glenn, who is mortified about the situation, as he has really put his heart and soul into it. I love Glenn. Here's the salvage plan ... See guys - everyone is equal. It's that easy. Morality rules..... managers try to. I am mad too!!!”

And then yesterday a final post on the matter revealed that the saga was still dragging on:

“...and it continues. Derek has asked me to do some damage control after the Blabbermouth article "makes it seem that I was one of the problems and implies that I don’t have a career..... I do not deserved to be lumped in with the (challenging parties)." That's Sunday's post - logging off now as there is life other than this nonsense too.......”

However, on Sunday Glenn Hughes posted on his Twitter page “Don't worry.. we have made an amazin' album...we aint splittin' up..we want everyone to hear this.. GH”

Are they all talkin' about the same band?

We'll see soon enough.

Black Country Album Released This Summer?

2010-01-20T13:20:00.003Z

The Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham supergroup has issued its very first press-release, reports planetrock.co.uk.

As well as confirming that the band is called Black Country, the press release reveals that the band has a fourth member in Derek Sherinian, who has played with Dream Theater, Billy Idol and Alice Cooper. It also reveals that the band’s debut album will be released later this year – as early as late summer.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

“A new super group has been formed with Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian and Joe Bonamassa. They are calling themselves Black Country, taking their name from the industrial area in England from which Bonham and Hughes both hail. The band is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin) cutting tracks for an upcoming album to be released in late 2010 or early 2011.
“With Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner) on drums, Sherinian (Dream Theater, Billy Idol, Alice Cooper) on keyboards, Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze) on bass and vocals and Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, the band already has six tracks cut. The next recording session will take place in March and the band hopes to finish recording in early April.

Shirley made this announcement on his website:

"So there it is folks - the cat is out the bag! This is Black Country. The songs are all original and what a line-up. They are all the very best players in the world, for my money!"

Shirley added, "Jason Bonham is a totally unique drummer and a supreme, yet oh-so-tasty powerhouse. Derek Sherinian is super versatile, and is playing mostly overdriven Hammond organ in this ensemble and is the colour on the palette. Glenn Hughes plays bass and sings with a range very, very few can even get close to, and Joe Bonamassa, perhaps the best Blues Rock guitarist around, plays hard riffing guitar as well as adding his signature vocals alongside Glenn. You'll just have to wait - we're planning to get this out late summer, and it's promising to be phenomenal!"”

The Hoax Are Back

2009-11-09T13:47:00.008Z

"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?

2009-11-09T13:15:00.004Z

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

2009-11-09T13:10:00.002Z

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

2009-11-09T13:07:00.002Z

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”

Zeppelin Insect Repeller

2009-05-01T15:23:00.002+01:00

A Nevada community has resorted to using Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones to fight a swarm of problematic crickets.
Every year residents of Tuscarora, Nevada are plagued by a marauding swarm of millions of Mormon crickets, but this year the residents fought back using an ingenious method to deterring creatures.
Using ear-splitting levels of music by Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones, played from dawn till dusk for several days (when the crickets are most active), the residents have managed to divert the swarm away from their town.
The Guardian quotes local resident Laura Moore as telling the Wall Street Journal "Crickets kind of sleep at night, so I would wake up first thing in the morning to get the music on and we would shut the music off at night."

Aerosmith Album Postponed

2009-04-09T14:36:00.002+01:00

Aerosmith have delayed the release of their new album after illness and touring commitments caused them to run out of time to record.

The band were hoping to have the record completed prior to their US summer tour, which kicks off later in the spring but Joe Perry tells Billboard.com that following Steven Tyler’s recent bout of pneumonia the band won’t make their deadline.

"(We) realized there wasn't any chance of getting it finished before we hit the road for the summer. So basically we had to push (the album) back, and when the band gets off the road, that's when we'll pick up the Aerosmith record."

Perry also revealed that the Boston rockers will be touring with ZZ Top on their US dates and that they are also in talks about a European leg later in the year, with details to be announced soon.

And thanks to the delay, it seems that we may see a new Perry solo effort – a follow up to his Grammy nominated 2005 self-titled effort - sooner rather than later.

“I have a big chunk of time before the tour, so I'm gonna try to get the solo record done as soon as I can,” Perry says. “Chances are you're gonna be hearing that before you hear an Aerosmith record...'cause I expect the Aerosmith tour, God willing, to continue through the fall.”

Spinal Tap World Tour lasts One Night

2009-04-09T14:31:00.002+01:00

Spinal Tap are to make their long awaited live comeback in the UK for a one-off date at Wembley Arena.

The brilliantly named One Night Only World Tour takes place at Wembley Arena on 30 June and will see the band supported by The Folksmen (fans of the film A Mighty Wind will be fully aware of just who that is).

The show is in recognition of the 25th Anniversary of the brilliant This Is Spinal Tap.

“If we're going to do a World tour on only one night, at least it's this world"

Nigel Tufnel

"This show will be dedicated to all of our drummers who have passed on, either to their reward or to middle management at Sainsbury's."

David St. Hubbins.

"One night is not enough, and it's way too much!"

Derek Smalls

Tickets for the show go on general sale on Thursday at 9am.

Beatles Website To Offer Back Catalogue?

2009-03-26T13:58:00.002Z

Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are looking at releasing the Beatles back catalogue through their own website, reports Blender.
The two surviving members, along with the estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, have been negotiating with Apple about an iTunes release.
But Harrison's son Dhani said they are not satisfied with the offer made by Apple and they may go elsewhere.
He said: "We're losing money every day. So what do you do? You have to have your own delivery system, or you have to do a good deal with Steve Jobs."
But he says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree."
Meanwhile, the Beatles edition of the Rock Band video game has been given a September 9 release date.

Hendrix Acoustic Tape For £100k

2009-03-26T13:17:00.002Z

A never before heard demo tape reel of acoustic Jimi Hendrix recordings is set to be auctioned next month, reports Planet Rock.

The tape features just Hendrix, an acoustic guitar and an occasional harmonica on 14 tracks. The tape features many of the songs that would end up on Electric Ladyland as well as a cover of Dylan’s ‘Tears Of Rage.’

According to the Independent On Sunday the tape was recorded in Hendrix’s flat in London and was given to his neighbour, Carl Niekirk, after Hendrix borrowed some milk & sugar.

“It was a constant stream of people coming and going and partying,” Mr Niekirk told the Independent. “Because I asked him, he just gave it (the tape) to me. As simple as that.”

The tape then passed to Mr Niekirk’s sister and lay forgotten in a wardrobe for years before it was sold for a nominal fee to Mark Sutherland and Paul Jackson, who run the Cafe Music Studios in east London just over ten years ago. And now, after years of legal wrangling with the Hendrix estate, the pair are finally free to sell the tape.

The tape is expected to fetch between £50,000 - £100,000 when it goes to auction on 28 April.If you have a little spare cash and fancy splashing out on something rather special then head to www.famebureau.com .

Heaven & Hell Preview Single

2009-03-26T13:13:00.001Z

Heaven & Hell have unveiled a preview of their “debut” single, ‘Bible Black'.

The single will be released ahead of the release of the band’s new studio album, The Devil You Know on 28 April, says Planet Rock.

The single is a chugging metal titan that sounds, not surprisingly, like Dio-era Sabbath at its peak. The band have apparently lost none of their fire and if this song is a signal of intent then the album should be something really special.

The Devil You Know is technically the band’s debut studio album, although it will fundamentally be a follow-up to Sabbath’s 1992 album Dehumanizer.

The band have already announced an extensive European tour in support of the new record, although no UK dates have been confirmed as yet.

Santana Play Silverstone

2009-03-26T13:10:00.002Z

Santana has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Silverstone Classic, reports Planet Rock.

The Silverstone Classic is the country’s biggest rock and racing event featuring three days of rare cars, races, displays, fairs, exhibitions and, of course, a headline performance by a major rock artist.

Santana will top the bill at this year’s event, which takes place between 24 - 26 July. So far it’s the only UK date on the legendary guitarist’s European tour.

Here's the full European tour schedule:

4 July - Bucharest, B'estfest Festival

6 July - Istanbul, Kuracesna Arena

8 July - Athens, Karaiskaki Stadium

11 July - Belgrade, Youth Festival

12 July - Croatia, Varazdin Festival

14 July - Trieste, Trieste Piazza unita d'Italia

15 July - Brescia, Brescia Palafiera

17 July – Kitzbuehel Festival

18 July - Mainz, City Park Fair

19 July - Straubing, Jazz on the Danube festival

21 July - Halle, Gerry-Weber Arena

22 July - Dortmund, Westfalenhalle

23 July - Hamburg, Stadtpark

25 July - Northamptonshire, Silverstone Race Track

Woodstock 40th Anniversary

2009-03-26T13:06:00.002Z

The Woodstock Festival is looking to be reborn in 2009 as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary.

The festival’s co-founder Michael Lang is currently seeking sponsorship for the event which he hopes will be a reunion of sorts with at least some of the bands that played in 1969 returning to the stage for this year’s event.

“There would be a lot of legacy bands – the Who, Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joe Cocker maybe,” he told Billboard Magazine. “And it would be people like Steve Earle and Ben Harper. There's certainly room for the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews...That would be the shape of the music.”

The difficulties faced at the moment all revolve around finance, however. Lang wants the festival to be a free event, and that means that he needs a lot of money to help fund it.

"It's free, but it costs a lot of money. That's kind of what we're in the middle of right now. Depending on how successful we are in raising that sponsorship money will determine when and how we do this event – or if we do this event, frankly.

"The festival celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 1999 with a festival headlined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but the event was marred by complaints about facilities and access to water which eventually led to a mass riot by the festival goers.

Billboard reports that the festival will be celebrated in many other ways during 2009, including a release of a director’s cut, four hour version of the seminal ‘Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace And Music’ film featuring 18 performances that weren’t in the original movie.

Rhino Records will also release a six CD box set of performances from the festival.

Guns 'n' Roses Dates Imminent?

2009-03-26T13:02:00.002Z

Guns N’ Roses appear to be preparing for something as they announce the arrival of yet another guitarist, reports Planet Rock.

The official departure of guitarist Robin Finck, who has rejoined Nine Inch Nails, was confirmed on the Guns N’ Roses website as it also confirmed the appointment of new guitarist DJ Ashba.

Ashba is a member of SIXX:AM, Nikki Sixx’s side project, with whom he co-wrote the 2008 Motley Crüe album Saints Of Los Angeles.

"DJ's a gifted, energetic guitarist that Guns N' Roses is proud to have on board!!" says Axl Rose on the band’s official website. "We're very excited to have the opportunity to work together. Guns' radar has silently been aware of DJ's presence for quite some time. He brings a fresh approach to our particular brand of mayhem expanding the tapestry of Guns N' Roses live. Once DJ's name was in the hat, the hat disappeared!!

"Rumours persist that details of a GNR world tour will be announced very soon. The appointment of a new guitarist seems to suggest that those rumours may well be true.

Purple Add Second London Date

2009-03-26T12:59:00.003Z

Deep Purple have added a second date at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, reports Planet Rock.

The band will now play the London venue on 14 & 15 November after overwhelming demand prompted them to add the second show.Deep Purple are to play a handful of other shows around the country including dates in Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Here are the dates:

Apollo, Manchester - 10 November

S.E.C.C., Glasgow - 11 November

NEC, Birmingham - 13 November

Hammersmith Apollo - 14 November

Hammersmith Apollo - 15 November

Hendrix Film In The Pipeline

2009-03-26T12:56:00.002Z

A new DVD about Jimi Hendrix and his time in London in 1969 is to feature candid “reality TV” style footage, Planet Rock has revealed.

The footage was shot in February 1969 in the month building up to Hendrix’s performances at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Hendrix’s sister Janie, who is the CEO of Experience Hendrix “the company who handles the publishing rights to the legendary guitarist’s music) says that a camera crew followed him for a month, yielding candid footage of him at home, about town and hanging out backstage.

The news comes hot on the heels of a new publishing deal that has been signed between Experience Hendrix and the Universal Music Publishing Group that will see Universal exclusively handling Hendrix’s catalogue around the world for the next five years.

Speaking about the deal, Janie Hendrix revealed that there is still “10 more years of Hendrix music in the vaults”, and as well as the aforementioned Royal Albert Hall DVD and album, there looks likely to be at least one other new album released this year – probably an unreleased Band Of Gypsys live album.

New Chickenfoot Material

2009-03-26T12:53:00.000Z

The first new music by the Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith supergroup is now online, reports Planet Rock.

The two tracks by the band have been previewed very briefly in previous posts by the band on their official website, but the songs have now been completed and added in full.

Both songs are groove based rockers based around Joe Satriani’s simply riffs, with the rhythm section keeping it heavy and Sammy Hagar doing his best “Robert Plant” over the top. In terms of sound this is pitched somewhere between Van Halen and Led Zeppelin, with what sounds like an inordinate amount of fun thrown into the mix.

No word on an album or tour yet but confirmations on both are expected soon.

As well as the two songs more info can be found at www.chickenfoot.us

Johnny Winter UK Tour

2009-03-18T13:18:00.002Z

Blues legend Johnny Winter has announced a series of dates across the UK.
Winter will appear in the UK in May, kicking off with a gig at the Glasgow Academy on 21 May.
Tickets for the shows are on sale now.

Academy, Glasgow - 21 May
York Opera House - 22 May
Shepherds Bush Empire, London - 23 May
The Stables, Milton Keynes – 24 May
The Globe, Cardiff - 25 May
The Globe, Cardiff - 26 May
Robin 2, Dudley – 27 May
Princess Pavilion, Falmouth - 28 May
The Assembly, Leamington Spa – 29 May

UFO UK Dates

2009-03-18T13:14:00.003Z

UFO will play an extensive UK tour this summer in support of their new album, The Visitor.
The band, who release their new album on 2 June, kick off their UK tour in Brighton on 9 June. Their UK dates will conclude at the Bulldog Bash in Stratford-Upon-Avon in August, reports Planet Rock.

The tour, however, will come a little too soon for founding member Pete Way who is still recovering from the liver disease that prevented him from working on the new record.

Tickets for the dates are on sale now.

9th June - Concorde 2 - Brighton
10th June - The Junction - Cambridge
12th June - Spring & Airbrake - Belfast
13th June - 02 Academy - Glasgow
14th June - 02 Academy - Newcastle
16th June - 02 Academy - Leeds
17th June - Rock City - Nottingham
19th June - Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton
0th June - Academy 2 - Manchester
21st June - 02 Academy - Bristol
23rd June - The Brook - Southampton
24th June - Shepherd's Bush Empire
7th August - Bulldog Bash - Stratford-Upon-Avon

Trower And Bruce UK Date

2009-03-18T13:09:00.005Z

Jack Bruce and Robin Trower are to play a date together in the UK, reports Planet Rock.
Bruce & Trower will play a one-off date at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on Wednesday 5 August in support of last year’s excellent Seven Moons album. It will be the first time that they have played in the UK together in support of the collaboration album.
The two legends will be joined by drummer Gary Husband (Level 42), who also played drums on the album, for the one-off date.S
even Moons is the fourth collaboration between former Procol Harum guitarist Trower and Cream’s iconic bassist. Tickets for the Shepherd’s Bush show are on sale now.

Bad Company To Reunite For 2009 Tour

2009-03-17T11:13:00.003Z

Paul Rodgers will reunite Bad Company for a world tour in 2009, reports Planet Rock.
While the Queen and Paul Rodgers project takes a well earned break after a hectic 2008, Paul Rodgers will reunite with Simon Kirke and Mick Ralphs for a tour later this year.
A post on the band’s official website simply says “Bad Company to tour in 2009!”.
The band last toured in 2002, although the last time the original line-up of the group toured was in 1999. Original bassist Boz Burrell sadly passed away in 2006.
Kirke, Ralphs and Rodgers played a one-off live date in Hollywood at the end of last year. That show has been filmed for a live DVD that’s due out in the next couple of months.

No Reunion Till Rod Gives The Nod

2009-03-04T14:09:00.001Z

Any future Faces reunion will depend on whether Rod Stewart agrees to it, according to Ian McLagan.

Last year saw rumours circulating that the band were on the verge of reuniting for a world tour and even a brand new album, their first since 1973. The reunion would have seen the four surviving members of the band reunite with Red Hot Chili Pepper, Flea, replacing the late Ronnie Lane. However, in January both Rod Stewart and Flea denied any knowledge of the reunion.

Speaking to Billboard Ian McLagan says he had met up with Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Kenney Jones and Stewart’s touring bassist for three days of rehearsals last November and despite it being “really, really great”, he has heard nothing since.

“I'll get a call eventually, and maybe we'll do something in June or July,” McLagan says, “'cause I don't want to do anything next year. I'm not gonna wait again. It's either gonna be this year...It's now or never! I've got my fingers crossed, but I'm not going to waste energy trying to make it happen. I've worked for 30 years trying to make it happen. It's now in the lap of the gods -- or the hands of Rod, maybe.”

McLagan says that Jones, Wood and himself have a new plan to entice Stewart into the reunion. “We do a couple shows and film it. Whether Rod wants to do that...I'm hoping he'll be into that 'cause it'll be such a lot of fun. It's what the three of us would like Rod to agree to.”

McLagan is currently touring his latest solo album Never Say Never in the US with his Bump Band.

Oasis Unsuitable For China

2009-03-04T14:04:00.002Z

Oasis have been deemed unsuitable to perform in China, it has been revealed.

The band were due to perform a couple of shows in the country in April, but after the dates were mysteriously cancelled yesterday the reason was yet to be revealed.

But the band released a statement yesterday afternoon that revealed the reason why the dates had been cancelled.

“According to the show's promoters, officials within the Chinese Ministry of Culture only recently discovered that Noel Gallagher appeared at a Free Tibet Benefit Concert on Randall's Island in New York in 1997, and have now deemed that the band are consequently unsuitable to perform to their fans in the Chinese Republic on 3rd and 5th of April, during its 60th anniversary year.

“Oasis are extremely disappointed that they are now being prevented from undertaking their planned tour of mainland China and hope that the powers that be within China will reconsider their decision and allow the band to perform to their Chinese fans at some stage in the future.”

In their homeland, meanwhile, things are going a little better with the band confirmed as one of the headliners at this year’s V Festival, which takes place on 22 – 23 August.

Joe's New Album Hits UK Charts

2009-03-04T13:58:00.003Z

Joe Bonamassa’s latest album The Ballad Of John Henry landed in the Top Thirty of the UK charts this week.

Joe reached number 26 in the UK album charts this week, marking his best debut in this country to date following last year’s live album Live From Nowhere In Particular making its debut in the top 50.

Joe is on tour in April, and although most of the tickets have already been snapped up there are a handful left so make sure that you get your hands on some.

Bruce At Hyde Park Calling

2009-02-10T13:52:00.002Z

Bruce Springsteen has been confirmed as a headliner at this year’s Hard Rock Calling which takes place in Hyde Park.
When Bruce and the E Street Band appear on stage on Sunday 28 June it will be their first ever festival appearance outside the US.
There had been strong rumours that Bruce would be appearing at Glastonbury Festival this year, but with the festival taking place at the same time as Hard Rock Calling those rumours must surely be in doubt.
Springsteen’s support at Hard Rock Calling will come from the Dave Matthews Band and the Gaslight Anthem, with more to be confirmed.
The headliner for the Saturday night of Hard Rock Calling is yet to be confirmed.
Tickets for Hard Rock Calling go on sale on Friday 13 February at 9am.

Keith Moon Recrives Honour

2009-02-06T08:44:00.002Z

The Who’s enigmatic drummer Keith Moon will receive a Blue Plaque at the spiritual home of swinging 60s London, The Marquee Club.

The blue plaque will be unveiled on Sunday 8 March at the site of the legendary club, which played host to many of the bands that would go on to become legends (Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Cream, Pink Floyd, Manfred Mann, The Who, The Nice, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Genesis, Moody Blues to name just a few).

Moon is to receive the honour after Gary and Melissa Hurley spearheaded a movement with the backing of the Heritage Foundation (David Graham-Chairman, Robin Gibb CBE-President) which convinced Westminster City Council to give permission for family, friends and fans to honour legendary rock drummer.

Last year English Heritage rejected the same proposal saying that Moon didn’t qualify for the honour as the Plaques were reserved for “only the most outstanding historical figures.”

However, The Independent reports that the Heritage Foundation side-stepped English Heritage and made a deal directly with Westminster Council to place the Plaque on the site.

Moon’s bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will be on hand for the ceremony.

Plant Explains Zep Decision

2009-02-06T08:39:00.002Z

Robert Plant has explained that it was concern about the legacy of Led Zeppelin that prevented him from saying “yes” to a reunion.

Speaking to Absolute Radio, Percy said that apart from the fact that the band was “incomplete” he felt that he had to protect the legacy of the music.

"The reason that it stopped was because we were incomplete, and we've been incomplete now for 28 years,” he said. “And no matter what you do, you have to really guard the discretion of what you've done in the past and make sure that you have all the reasons in the
right place to be able to do something with absolute, total conviction.

"To visit old ground, it's a very incredibly delicate thing to do, and the disappointment that could be there once you commit to that and the comparisons to something that was basically fired by youth and a different kind of exuberance to now… it's very hard to go back and meet that head on and do it justice."

Plant is due to release his 2nd album of collaborations with Alison Krauss later this year. The duo were recently confirmed as one of the live acts at the Grammys where they are nominated for several awards.

John Martyn 1948-2009

2009-01-30T14:33:00.002Z

British songwriting legend John Martyn has passed away aged 60.

Born Iain David McGeachy in September 1948, a forty-one year career has seen Martyn release 20 studio albums and numerous live records. He is regarded as one of the most influential British songwriters of all time and his seminal album, Solid Air, is regularly named in “Greatest Album” polls around the world.

Many of his albums are at times wildly experimental and, and his genre defying tendencies may have cost him the widespread commercial success that looked likely after Solid Air was released in 1973.

His erratic flirtations with folk, blues, jazz, rock and even reggae may have confounded many, but his body of work speaks for itself. In a forty year career Martyn created some of the most inventive and surprising music of all time.

During his career he worked with artists such as Phil Collins (repeatedly), David Gilmour and Eric Clapton.

Martyn was also made an OBE in the Queen’s Honours List in the New Year.

His personal life saw its fair share of upheavals and dramas with two failed marriages and a battle with alcoholism, followed in 2003 by the trauma of losing his right leg. Despite this Martyn continued to play live, with his most recent tour just last year.

The cause of death has not been revealed.

The Feud Goes On

2009-01-29T14:00:00.002Z

The long feud between Martin Turner and Andy Powell is in danger of turning ugly once again after Turner told Powell to “f*ck off” in a magazine interview.

Speaking to Classic Rock Magazine, Turner said that he had tried to reunite the famously acrimonious line-up this year for their 40th Anniversary, but was rebuffed by Powell.

“We had a brilliant offer to put the band back together, so long as there were three original members. Ted Turner, Steve Upton and myself approached Andy [Powell]. A year later he was still stalling. Now he’s announced a 40th anniversary gig at Shepherd’s Bush and wants the three of us to join him on stage to perform guess what? The whole of Argus.”

“Wow, what a great idea,” said Turner, whose own version of Wishbone Ash has already re-recorded and released the seminal album. “Andy Powell can f*ck off. We won’t be his support band.”

Click Here To Read The Interview

Mott The Hoople Re-form

2009-01-23T15:39:00.002Z

The original line-up of hugely influential rockers Mott The Hoople are to reunite for a pair of dates in October, reports Planet Rock.

Ian Hunter, Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, Overend Watts and Mick Ralphs will reunite for the first time in 35 years for two dates at Hammersmith Apollo on 2-3 October.

The 40th Anniversary shows take place at the venue where part of Hoople’s classic Mott The Hoople Live album was recorded in 1973.
Tickets for the two shows are on sale on 22 January at 9am.

The Answer Free Download

2009-01-23T15:36:00.001Z

The Answer are offering a free download of one of the tracks from their forthcoming new album Everyday Demons.
‘Demon Eyes’ is available to hear and download from Spin.com right now and is a taster of the brand new, and eagerly anticipated new album from the boys from Downpatrick.
Everyday Demons is released in the UK on 2 March and is the follow-up to their excellent debut album Rise.
The band are current on tour with AC/DC in the US, and fans can also expect to see them warming up the crowd on their European tour which kicks off in February. They also play a sold out headline show at The Dingwalls in London on 12 February.
Click Here To Download

Bruce & Trower Dates

2009-01-23T15:32:00.003Z

Jack Bruce and Robin Trower have announced a handful of European dates.The duo released the excellent Seven Moons album in 2008, although they are as yet to tour the record as a duo. But that should change in February when the Cream and Procul Harum legends play four dates together in Germany and Holland.As on the album, Level 42 drummer Gary Husband makes up the final part of the band.
No word on UK dates as yet, but if any are announced we’ll let you know.Here’s their current European schedule

25 February - Tollhaus, Karlsruhe, Germany

26 February - Kantine, Cologne, Germany

28 February - Concertgebouw De Vereeniging, Nijmegen, Netherlands

1 March - Music Hall, Worpswede, Germany

Faces Have Written New Album

2009-01-23T15:24:00.003Z

The Faces have finished writing their new album, the follow up to 1973’s Ooh La La.
According to the Daily Mirror, Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart wrote the album whilst holidaying together over Christmas.
The red-top says the two legends spent time in Costa Rica, Bermuda and Miami to get inspiration and then wrote the album in just three days.
Ronnie Wood told the Mirror at the South Bank Awards "I had a great time. It wasn't so much a holiday but a mini world tour."Wood also told reporters that the Rolling Stones would be heading out on another world tour in 2010.Meanwhile, the Faces are still seeking a suitable bass player to replace the late, great Ronnie Lane. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ enigmatic four-stringer, Flea, is rumoured to be in pole position for the job while his band are on indefinite hiatus.
Wood also told reporters that the Rolling Stones would be heading out on another world tour in 2010.
Meanwhile, the Faces are still seeking a suitable bass player to replace the late, great Ronnie Lane. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ enigmatic four-stringer, Flea, is rumoured to be in pole position for the job while his band are on indefinite hiatus.

Joe Bonamassa Extends Tour

2008-12-09T17:06:00.002Z

Joe Bonamassa has added several dates to his Spring UK tour.

As well as the previously announced Royal Albert Hall show, which is almost entirely sold out, the Planet Rock presenter will be playing five shows across the UK.

Joe launches his new album, The Ballad Of John Henry, on 23 February.

Tickets for the shows are on sale now.

Here are the dates:
22/04/2009 - Gateshead, The Sage

23/04/2009 - Wolverhampton, The Civic

27/04/2009 - Glasgow, The Academy

08/04/2009 - Sheffield, City Hall

29/04/2009 - Cardiff, St David's Hall

04/05/2009 - London Royal Albert Hall

Coldplay Sued By Satriani

2008-12-09T16:58:00.002Z

Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay for stealing one of his songs for their new album says Planet Rock.

Satch has filed a lawsuit against the indie-poppers after they apparently stole "substantial original portions" of his 2004 song If I Could Fly for their track Viva La Vida, the title track of their new album.

Speaking to Music Radar, Satriani said that he’s pretty hurt by the whole ordeal and that it never had to come to a lawsuit.

"I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much," Satriani says. "The second I heard it, I knew it was ‘If I Could Fly’.

"I spent so long writing the song, thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it - and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own.

"Everybody's assumes I'm trying to go after these guys in Coldplay, as if I'm doing this with malice," he says "That's the furthest thing from my mind. I'm just doing what I need to do as an artist,to protect what's mine, to protect those feelings I put down in song.

"I did everything I could to avoid a court case with this situation. But Coldplay didn't want to talk about it. They just wanted this whole thing to go away. Maybe they figured this little guitar player guy will leave them alone after a while, I don't know. "But we're talking about a piece of art that I created, and that's something I feel is important. I think everybody should feel that way."

Coldplay have yet to respond to the lawsuit.

Mitch Mitchell Dies

2008-11-13T11:47:00.002Z

Mitch Mitchell, the drummer with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, has died aged 61.
Mitchell was found dead in a hotel room in Portland, where he had been touring with the all-star tribute act, Experience Hendrix.
The cause of death is yet to be established, but first reports suggest that there’s nothing suspicious.
John “Mitch” Mitchell, the child actor star of the TV series Jennings in the late 50s turned drumming legend with the Jimi Hendrix, has died aged 61.
A jazz drummer by trade, Mitch Mitchell played in a number of bands prior to joining the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Mitch had stints in bands such as Johnny Harris and the Shades, The Pretty Things, The Riot Squad and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, but despite his enormous talent never found a permanent home until former Animals bassist Chas Chandler called him about auditioning for a new band with a prodigious new talent called Jimi Hendrix at the helm. Mitchell fought off competition from a huge number of talented drummers, and reportedly turned down several job offers (including ELP) to bag the job.
The original line-up of the Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded just three albums, but they were three albums that changed the world of music forever with their combination of blues, riffs and psychedelia that helped soundtrack a generation.
The first two tracks on the Experience’s first album, Are You Experienced? – the down and dirty ‘Foxey Lady’ and the psychedlic masterpiece ‘Manic Depression’ – sum up perfectly the soul of Mitch Mitchell’s drumming. A solid, driving beat combined with a free flowing jazzy rhythm that, along with Cream’s Ginger Baker, helped pioneer the term “fusion.” This style was not lost on Jimi Hendrix, who used to feed off Mitchell’s dexterity and flexibility just as much as Mitchell used to feed off Hendrix.
The Experience came to an end in 1969 with Hendrix unable to decide on a musical direction, and although Mitchell played again with a new incarnation of the band the following year with Billy Cox replacing the unfortunate Noel Redding, the reunion would come to a premature end with Jimi’s death in September 1970.
For the next couple of years Mitchell worked with the Experience’s engineer Eddie Kramer to release unreleased and partially completed Hendrix studio material. Cry Of Love and The Rainbow Bridge would be unveiled in 1971 (both contained material that was intended for Hendrix’s First Rays Of The New Rising Sun), while War Heroes would be released in 1972.
Mitchell’s post-Hendrix music career began in the innovative, but commercially unsuccessful Ramatam who released just two albums and only lasted for two years.
And for the past 30 years, Mitchell worked fairly consistently with a number of well known rock stars (including Jeff Beck, Jack Bruce, Terry Reid) and a host of jazz and blues musicians, and has helped with the numerous posthumous Hendrix releases over the past decade. He was always happy to talk about his time in the band in various documentaries, articles and books. And in 1990 Mitchell published his own book, Jimi Hendrix: Inside The Experience, which detailed his life in the iconic band.
Earlier in 2008 Mitchell came out of semi-retirement to join the Experience Hendrix Tour, an all star touring band that celebrated the iconic guitarist's music, and featured a number of high profile musicians, including Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Cesar Rojas, David Hidalgo, Brad Whitford, Hubert Sumlin, Chris Layton as well as Eric Gales and Mato Nanji. Their tour finished just five days before Mitch Mitchell passed away, and he was due to fly home to England the day he died.
Mitchell was the last member of the original, legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience to pass away following Jimi in 1970 and Noel Redding in 2003.

Was Jack Bruce Joking? Who Cares?

2008-11-06T13:21:00.004Z

After Jack Bruce’s comments about Zeppelin on Monday night at the Classic Rock Awards, some people suspected that he may have had his tongue firmly in his cheek. It turns out that they may have been right
Speaking to the JJ & Lynne Morning Show on 94.7 WCSX in Detroit, Jack says that he was having fun with the Press, although he does have another semi-dig at Jimmy Page in the process.
"I was just having some fun with the press gallery really…being fairly tongue in cheek…. The thing about Zeppelin is obviously its a little bit of jealousy on my part or more than a little bit because the audience was created by Cream and Jimi Hendrix…this sort of very large audience…then Zeppelin came along and had a very easy ride in that way. We were the pioneers and pioneers don’t always get the recognition they deserve. On the other hand, let’s face it: Jimmy Page ain’t no Eric Clapton…no matter what anybody thinks.”
He also added, jokingly “The only decent guy…the one good guy in that band is dead…so what are you gonna do?...The trouble is if you say anything about the establishment…In Britain you mustn’t criticize the Queen or Led Zeppelin”.

Quite rightly so. Jimmy and Zeppelin took rock music to new heights after Cream disbanded.

Any true rock fan worth his salt would rather listen to Pagey any day.

Come on Jimmy, give the old sweaty a tongue lashing.

Brian May Axed From GNR Album?

2008-11-06T13:16:00.002Z

Guns n Roses have reportedly removed Brian May’s work on one of the songs that appears on Chinese Democracy, reports Planet Rock.
Way back in 1999 the Queen guitarist recorded guitar parts for a song entitled ‘Catcher N The Rye,’ and despite being nearly a decade old the song has been named as one of the tracks on Chinese Democracy which is out in just over two weeks time.
However, a leaked copy of the album’s sleeve notes do not appear to include Brian May in the credits, which has led people to speculate that Brian May’s guitar work has been axed.
In a post on his website Brian says that he can understand “Ah… well, I did not know this! Well, it is a shame, perhaps… I did put quite a lot of work in, and was proud of it. But I could understand if Axl wants to have an album which reflects the work of the members of the band as it is, right now. I do have mixes of the tracks with my guitar on, work tapes at the time, but they will remain private, out of respect for Axl.”

New Kinks Album In The Pipeline

2008-11-06T13:12:00.001Z

Influential 60s icons The Kinks are apparently working on a new album.
Ray Davies told the BBC that the band had started working on new material, although he’s not sure about the standard.
"We've started a little bit of this and that," he told BBC News. “But it is too early to judge the quality. It depends if there's good music. We want good new music. I'd like to do it as a more collaborative thing than we used to do."
The band last performed together and recorded in 1996, although their much touted reunion has been on the cards for some time. His brother Dave Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 and they have been waiting for him to be well enough to start work again.

Aerosmith New Album Almost There

2008-10-23T12:34:00.001+01:00

Aerosmith have finally returned to the studio to work on their delayed new album.
Speaking to Billboard, guitarist Brad Whitford says that the band have already recorded the bulk of the material and expect to have the record finished in the near future.
"We're sitting on a bunch of music we've already recorded for a new album," says Whitford. "We haven't gone back into the studio the put the final touches on it and get it done and still don't know when we're gonna do that. Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later."
The album will be the band’s first since 2004, and their first album of entirely original material since 2001’s Just Push Play.
The band recently reiterated their intention to take the new album out on the road in the Spring for a world tour.

Gilmour Dedicates Award To Wright

2008-10-08T12:18:00.002+01:00

David Gilmour picked up the Q Award for Outstanding Contribution on Monday night and dedicated the trophy to late bandmate Richard Wright who died recently.
Accepting the award, Gilmour said “I’m going to dedicate this to my old friend and colleague Richard Wright who died a couple of weeks ago with whom I’ve worked for 40 odd years.
"There’s all sorts of music I won’t be able to play without him which is a source of great sadness for me," Gilmour said. "One of the last things he wanted to do was play a big outdoor festival such as Glastonbury which we were unable to do.
"Anyway, as I say he deserves this just as much as I do. You could say that he worked in the position of second fiddle to the pushier chaps at the front, but his work was vitally important to our entire career."
Gilmour also made a toast to his bandmate, who received a standing ovation from the audience.

Chickenfoot Debut Almost Ready

2008-10-08T12:13:00.003+01:00

The band that is currently known as Chickenfoot is well underway with its debut album, reports Planet Rock.
The band, which features Joe Satriani, former Van Halen alumni Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith, has recorded nine songs for their album.
Speaking to Billboard.com Joe Satriani says that the idea for the new band came about in February when they played together for the first time.
"We were very excited about that show," tells said. "We had never played together before and when we walked off stage, we looked at each other like, 'Wow, there's a connection here. We should do something about it.' So last week we were together for five days and we recorded nine tracks.
"As soon as Sammy and myself finish touring our separate solo tours we'll reconvene in Northern California and finish the record," he continues. "We hope to mix the album in January, have it ready for April and then we'll follow it up with a tour."
He added that the band’s current name of Chickenfoot was simply something that Sammy Hagar had come up with and will not be the actual name that the band use.
And what can we expect from rock’s latest supergroup? "We'll draw from funk, blues and experimental. We know what we want to get out of it,” he told Billboard. “We want passages in songs that develop and we want everyone's personality to be able to come out. So, it's going to be expansive but it's going to be rough."

Historic Doors Release

2008-10-08T12:06:00.003+01:00

Rhino and Bright Midnight archives are set to release the Doors' Live At The Matrix 1967, the latest instalment in the band's acclaimed series of archival live albums, reports Planet Rock.
While there are a number of Doors live albums this one is unique in that it was recorded prior to the band’s huge success at a show in San Francisco where just a handful of people turned up.
The double disc album contains early versions of many of the tracks that appeared on their first album, which was released later that year, alongside a number of cover versions and extended jams.
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek says of the album "It was early 1967 and The Doors were about to enter the consciousness of the nation. And this is the way it sounded."
Here’s the tracklist:

Disc One

1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)

2. Soul Kitchen

3. Money

4. The Crystal Ship

5. Twentieth Century Fox

6. I'm A King Bee

7. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

8. Summer's Almost Gone

9. Light My Fire

10. Get Out Of My Life Woman

11. Back Door Man

12. Who Do You Love

13. The End

Disc Two

1. Unhappy Girl

2. Moonlight Drive

3. Woman Is A Devil/Rock Me

4. People Are Strange

5. Close To You

6. My Eyes Have Seen You

7. Crawling King Snake

8. I Can't See Your Face In My Mind

9. Summertime

10. When The Music's Over

11. Gloria

Oasis Cliff Richard Rip Off?

2008-10-07T08:28:00.002+01:00

Oasis have been accused of nicking, borrowing - you know, ripping off - a bit of Sir Cliff Richard's 1976 hit Devil Woman on their new song The Turning, reports Music Radar.
Noel, Liam Gallagher and company posted the song on their MySpace page last week ahead of Dig Out Your Soul's release today (Oct. 6), and almost immediately, Cliff Richard fans began writing on the singer's website about what they say is an uncanny resemblance.
One user by the name of Rolybunny says, "This is a rip-off. What'll they do next? Remix Mistletoe and Wine?" On the other hand, some Richard fans are elated, viewing the similarities as something of an honor for the aging pop singer. Janine Castle, from the International Cliff Richard Movement, says, "I'm astounded Oasis use Cliff as their muse - but delighted. I can hear the similarities. It's about time Cliff's musical genius got some recognition."

Plant Agrees To Zeppelin Tour (Allegedly)

2008-09-27T11:44:00.002+01:00

Rock legends Led Zeppelin are finally set to embark on a reunion tour after West Bromwich-born lead singer Robert Plant caved in and agreed to join the rest of the band, it was reported on birminghammail.net.
Guitarist Jimmy Page, aged 64, bassist John Paul Jones, 62, and drummer Jason Bonham, 42, son of the late Led Zep drummer John Bonham, from Redditch, were resigned to going on the road without Plant.
They even rehearsed with stand-in singers in preparation for a tour next year following the massive success of a one-off concert at London’s 02 Arena last December.
It is understood that the rehearsals for a replacement lead vocalist finally persuaded Plant, aged 60, who grew up and began his musical career around Kidderminster in Worcestershire, to return to the Led Zeppelin line-up.
Plant, who has been spending a lot of time working with country singer Alison Kraus, helped celebrate last October’s re-opening of Birmingham Town Hall.
A source close to Led Zeppelin said: “The rest of the band had all but given up on Robert joining them, but they were determined to go ahead and had started to seriously explore other avenues. “When Robert realised the band were serious about doing it without him, he realised he couldn’t face the thought of not being involved.”

McCartney Rocks Tel Aviv

2008-09-26T12:28:00.003+01:00

After a 43-year wait, Paul McCartney performed his first concert in Israel tonight (Sept. 25) in Tel Aviv, kicking it off with the familiar Beatles song "Hello, Goodbye" to the joy of tens of thousands of cheering fans, reports Billboard.
McCartney billed the concert "Friendship First," saying he's on a mission of peace for Israel and the Palestinians.
During "Give Peace a Chance," he stopped and let the audience sing the chorus alone. "Here tonight you sang it, you want it," the 66-year-old rocker said. He dedicated the song to his fellow Beatle, John Lennon, who was killed in New York in 1980. Fireworks lit the sky as McCartney sang "Live and Let Die."
A crowd made up of Israelis of all ages, estimated at 40,000, cheered as McCartney performed outdoors in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park on a warm late summer night. Some wore T-shirts with the slogan, "I love Paul."
He greeted the crowd with a mixture of English and Hebrew, wishing them "shana tova," happy new year, ahead of next week's Jewish new year holiday. He added "Ramadan kareem" in Arabic, a greeting to Muslims, who are marking their holy month.
CM8ShowAd("Middle");
His repertoire included many Beatles hits, as well as songs from his post-Beatles group, Wings. The songs included "Yesterday," "Back in the USSR," "Hey Jude" and "Jet."
The Beatles had been scheduled to perform in 1965. But in one of the country's most widely repeated tales, an Israeli official supposedly called off the concert for fear it would corrupt the nation's youth. Only in recent weeks, it turns out the story may not have been true.
So pervasive is this story that Israel's ambassador in London, Ron Prosor, sent a letter to McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving Beatles, to express regret over the matter.
"Israel missed a chance to learn from the most influential musicians of the decade, and the Beatles missed an opportunity to reach out to one of the most passionate audiences in the world," he wrote. He invited them to play during this year's celebrations marking Israel's 60th anniversary.
When McCartney announced plans for tonight's concert, he acknowledged the brouhaha, saying he was finally coming "43 years after being banned by the Israeli government." He promised to give fans "the night they have been waiting decades for."
Ahead of the concert, newspaper columnist Yossi Sarid, son of the Israeli official who allegedly banned the Beatles, went on a campaign to clear his father's name. Sarid claimed his father had nothing to do with the decision, and that it involved a more mundane feud between two Israeli concert promoters.
Sarid, reached ahead of the concert, said he hadn't heard from McCartney's people and had no plans to attend. "The tickets are too expensive," he said.
A small group of Palestinians had urged McCartney to call off the show, saying it was supporting the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. A radical Muslim preacher in Lebanon also called on McCartney to cancel the show.
During a visit to the biblical town of Bethlehem on Wednesday, McCartney brushed off the criticism. "I get criticized everywhere I go, but I don't listen to them," McCartney said. "I'm bringing a message of peace, and I think that's what the region needs."

Kinks To Reform?

2008-09-25T12:21:00.003+01:00

Ray Davies has told BBC Radio 4 that the seminal English band The Kinks could reform soon.
However, not content for them to function as little more than a nostalgia act, he wants the band to work on new material.
Davies told the UK radio station: "There is a desire to do it. The thing that would make me decide 'yes' or 'no' would be whether or not we could do new songs.
"I couldn't do it just for nostalgic reasons. My pitch to the other guys in the band was what would we have written if we hadn't had our first hit, You Really Got Me?
"What if we put ourselves in that situation, what would have happened? I think new work is important for artists as they mature and get older."
He went on to explain that the main obstacle to them reforming was the illness of his brother, guitarist Dave Davies, who suffered a stroke in 2004.
Here's a reminder of what was so great about The Kinks, this video of the band rocking an NME awards show in 1965, introduced by an appallingly-attired Jimmy Saville.

McCartney Tells Terrorists To Shove It

2008-09-20T10:50:00.002+01:00

Paul McCartney’s concert in Israel next week could be his last, because a gang of Islamic extremists are running around telling everyone that they’re going to kill him if he follows through with his plan to play there.
However, Paul McCartney has shown admirable strength of character by refusing to bow to these religious fanatics. In fact, if anything this death threat has just strengthened Paul McCartney’s resolve.

Next Thursday he is playing a concert in Tel Aviv, which would be fine except for all the Islamic extremists carping on about killing him if he does. But, as The New York Times reports, McCartney is unbowed:
Paul McCartney has refused to cancel his concert in Israel, despite threats from Islamic militants, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. The response follows comments made by Omar Bakri Muhammad, a militant Lebanese Islamic activist, in an interview. Mr. Bakri said, “If he values his life, Mr. McCartney must not come to Israel… He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.”

Paperwork Hitch To Zeppelin Reunion

2008-09-20T10:45:00.002+01:00

Singer Robert Plant insists he hasn't ruled out another Led Zeppelin reunion. Turns out he just hates paperwork, that's all.
Apparently, there's a lot of it attached to anything Zep-related, and it's this kind of bureaucracy that puts him off the idea.
SinceLed Zeppelin's historic one-off gig at London's O2 arena last year - the band's first concert in 19 years - they have been hounded by rumours of a world tour. All of which makes Plant, still on tour with bluegrass star Alison Krauss (whose legal documents must be written on Post-It notes), skittish about hitting the road.
Just for the O2 show, Plant says, "The endless paperwork was like nothing I've experienced before. I've kept every one of the emails that were exchanged before the concert and I'm thinking of compiling them for a book, which I feel sure would be hailed as a sort of literary version of Spinal Tap."
In must will come as a harsh slap to millions of Zeppelin fans, Plant adds: "Led Zeppelin's never been about the fans. We've always been about four guys coming together to make thrilling, disturbing rock 'n' roll. On our own terms."
Coming together on your own terms? Avoiding paperwork? Hmmm, seems like Plant could use a lawyer. You'd think he could afford one.

Floyd's Rick Wright Dies

2008-09-17T11:21:00.003+01:00

Pink Floyd keyboardist and founding member Rick Wright has died.
The musician passed away at home on Monday 15th September aged 65 after losing a battle with cancer.
A spokesperson for Rick's family said: "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died after a short struggle with cancer. The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
Rick played with Pink Floyd from 1965 - originally alongside the first line-up of Roger Waters, Nick Mason and the late Syd Barrett - and continued to play with the group until 1985.
The self-taught musician was seen as the early driving force in the band, alongside frontman Syd, and his organ playing was one of the distinguishing features of debut album 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn'.
Rick saw his responsibilities as a songwriter increase in the group after Syd left in 1968 and was replaced by David Gilmour. He composed and recorded vocals on two songs on the band's second album 'A Saucerful of Secrets'.
He also wrote 'Us and Them' and 'The Great Gig in the Sky', both of which featured on the band's seminal album 'Dark Side of the Moon'.
David paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying: "He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound. I have never played with anyone quite like him."
Tensions between Rick, bassist Roger and David led to a fall out during the making of 'The Wall' album, and Rick was subsequently not included on the group's 1983 album 'The Final Cut'. He then left the group in 1985.
He later rejoined the band following Roger's departure, and recorded two more albums with drummer Nick and David - 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' and 'The Division Bell'.
The last time the band performed together was in 2005 when all four members took to the stage for the Live 8 charity concert in London - the first time in 25 years they had all played together.
Rick also released two solo albums, 'Wet Dream' in 1978 and 'Broken China' in 1996. He is survived by three children and third wife Millie.

New Peter Green Anthology

2008-09-12T15:48:00.003+01:00

A comprehensive new anthology that covers the entire career of troubled guitar genius, Peter Green is due to be released on 27 October.
Simply titled The Anthology, the 4CD, 64 track collection starts with Peter Green’s work with John Mayall in the early 60s and runs chronologically via Fleetwood Mac all the way through to Green’s recent work with the Splinter Group.
Here’s the full tracklist:

Disc 1
1. Evil Woman Blues With John Mayall
2. The Stumble With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
3. Sitting In The Rain With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
4. The World Keep On Turning With Fleetwood Mac
5. The Supernatural With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
6. Looking For Somebody With Fleetwood Mac
7. Long Grey Mare (Feat. Bob Brunning) With Fleetwood Mac
8. Stop Messin' Around With Fleetwood Mac
9. Train Is Coming With Eddie Boyd & His Blues Band
10. Greeny With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
11. Soul Dressing With Peter B's Looners
12. I Loved Another Woman With Fleetwood Mac
13. No Place To Go With Fleetwood Mac
14. You Don't Love Me With John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
15. Lazy Poker Blues With Fleetwood Mac
16. Merry Go Round With Fleetwood Mac
17. Trying So Hard To Forget With Duster Bennett
18. Ramblin' Pony With Fleetwood Mac
19. Drifting With Fleetwood Mac

Disc 2
1. Black Magic Woman With Fleetwood Mac
2. Albatross With Fleetwood Mac
3. Ain't Nobody's Business With Otis Spann
4. Someday Baby With Otis Spann
5. Watch Out With Fleetwood Mac (Blues Jam At Chess)
6. Ooh Baby With Fleetwood Mac (Blues Jam At Chess)
7. Horton's Boogie Woogie - (Blues Jam At Chess)
8. Love That Burns With Fleetwood Mac
9. First Train Home With Fleetwood Mac
10. Need Your Love So Bad With Fleetwood Mac
11. Don't Goof With The Spook With Peter Bardens
12. The Answer With Peter Bardens
13. Homage To The God Of Light With Peter Bardens
14. Oh Well Part 1 And Part 2 With Fleetwood Mac

Disc 3
1. Man Of The World With Fleetwood Mac
2. Before The Beginning With Fleetwood Mac
3. Momma Don'tcha Cry Peter Green, Solo
4. Underway With Fleetwood Mac
5. Rattlesnake Shake With Fleetwood Mac
6. It's Gonna Be Me Peter Green, Solo
7. White Sky (Love That Evil Woman) With Fleetwood Mac
8. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) With Fleetwood Mac
9. Show-Biz Blues With Fleetwood Mac
10. In The Skies Peter Green, Solo
11. Like A Hot Tomato Peter Green, Solo
12. Whatcha Gonna Do? Peter Green, Solo
13. Carry My Love Peter Green, Solo
14. Corners Of My Mind Peter Green, Solo
15. Hidden Depth (Feat. Zoot Money) Peter Green, Solo

Disc 4
1. Big Change Is Gonna Come With Splinter Group
2. I'm A Steady Rollin' Man (Feat. Otis Rush) With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
3. It Takes Time With Splinter Group
4. Don't Walk Away With Splinter Group
5. Heart Of Stone With Splinter Group
6. Love In Vain Blues With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
7. From Four Until Late (Feat. Dr John) With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
8. I'm Ready For You With Splinter Group
9. Cruel Contradictions With Dick Heckstall-Smith
10. Me And The Devil Blues With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
11. Cross Road Blues (Feat. Buddy Guy) With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
12. Dead Shrimp Blues (Feat. Hubert Sumlin) With Nigel Watson & Splinter Group
13. Travelling Riverside Blues (Feat. Joe Louis Walker & Honey Boy Edwards) With Nigel
Watson & Splinter Group
14. Time Keeps Slipping Away With Splinter Group
15. Look Out For Yourself With Splinter Group
16. Albatross With Chris Coco

Review - Ryan McGarvey - Forward In Reverse

2008-09-02T13:36:00.013+01:00

Ryan McGarvey was born on October 30th 1986, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At a very early age Ryan took an interest in music, in particular the guitar. As an infant, Ryan would crawl over to his father Patrick while he was playing and listen intently.

At two years old, Ryan received his first real acoustic guitar, made by Harmony.

At around seven years old, Ryan's interest in music intensified. He became well acquainted with the music he had grown up listening to from his parents record collection of classic hard rock. Soon he was trying to recreate the sounds he heard coming from those albums by such artists as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan. From these early influences, Ryan discovered new artists.

New inspiration developed from these new artists such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chris Duarte, Ian Moore and Joe Bonamassa.

Gathering inspiration from all of these influences helped shape the sound which would soon become Ryan's own.

In his second year in high school, Ryan's first band won a city wide talent competition, allowing the him to open for internationally known Latino singing sensations Sparx and Lorenzo Antonio. The concert was held at Sandia Casinos outdoor amphitheatre to a sold out crowd, exceeding 5,000 people.

Ryan won the contest the following year too. Since then, Ryan has performed at many of the most prestigious venues and festivals in New Mexico, Texas, and southern Colorado.

As well as playing with many well known blues musicians in the southwest, Ryan has also had the opportunity to jam with Mississippi Delta Blues legends Kenny Brown and Cedric Burnside at the Thirsty Ear Festival.

He has since opened, and played for the likes of Phil Brown, John Hammond Jr. , Buddy Guy, Joe Ely, Ozomatli, Reckless Kelly, Junior Brown, Tim Reynolds, Shannon Curfman, Shemekia Copeland, Blue Oyster Cult, Gov't Mule, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Joe Bonamassa and many others as well as being asked to sit in with the likes of his heroes Wes Jeans, Chris Duarte and Ian Moore.

At the 2006 Guitar Center "Guitarmaggedon" Ryan was named the "Next King Of The Blues" champion for New Mexico and was most recently voted in 2007 "Best Blues Act" of the year by The Weekly Alibi's (Readers Poll). Ryan also took home the 2007 New Mexico Music Award for "Best Musical Production: Blues" in addition to being nominated for "Best Musical Production : Mainstream/Rock".

Now 20 years of age, his debut CD "Forward In Reverse" available and he is presently playing shows throughout the southwest U.S. backed by his band.

The album’s pace is set with the sounds of blues harmonica combined with slide guitar on the intro to "Right In All The Wrong ways" and never lets up.
"Joyride" sounds like early Bad Company before morphing into a full blown guitar workout with two extended solos. Aficionados of great guitar will love this track.
"Texas Special", a tribute to SRV, is the only time McGarvey truly travels this route and it is well worth the journey. With a passing resemblance to "Scuttlebuttin'", it's a model for this facet of his playing style. Featuring lightning quick fingerwork, this live favorite captures perfectly what the legendary bluesman was all about.
"Someone Like You" brings a touch of modernity to the proceedings.
"Second Time Around" is an acoustic workout with its delicate picking providing a change of pace to the blistering guitar work featured elsewhere.
Tough, hard rocking blues is what you get with “Crying Over You”, bringing the sound of classic Chicago guitar based blues to the modern age.
Next comes the instrumental "Mystic Dream". Beginning with an intro similar to recent live renditions of Joe Bonamassa's "Mountain Time", with a middle eastern vibe, it has a spaced out, psychedelic feel. It builds in intensity until exploding guitars take flight. This track alone would serve notice that McGarvey is poised to become one of the cream of the crop of new blues rock players.
The last track is another high note, a down and dirty blues, "Blue Eyed Angel Blues". With strong vocals and more explosive playing, it's a fine end to a very strong debut.
Whereas artists like Joe Bonamassa are dragging the blues kicking and screaming into the new century, it's players such as McGarvey who are it's future. Purists will probably wince when they hear some of this, but seeing as earlier (and sometimes the same) said keepers of the blues museum felt the same way about Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Page, Hendrix and Jeff Beck in the past, he seems to be in good company.
Preview the future of the blues today without hesitation. You won't be disappointed. In the crowded blues rock multitude, McGarvey stands out as the real thing.

Let's hope we see him over here soon.

"Ryan's playing has the passion and exuberance of youth, but its further lifted by a deep dedication to his craft. His technique is awe-inspiring, but it's the dawning subtleties and emotional range that hints of the greatest possibilities--"- Ian Moore

"Look for this young lion in the future because he's looking for his own sound and what I've heard so far, I like it."- Chris Duarte

http://cdbaby.com/cd/ryanmcgarvey

Winwood On Tour

2008-09-02T13:09:00.003+01:00

Former Blind Faith & Traffic star Steve Winwood is touring the UK this winter.
The legendary keyboardist & songwriter will play six dates promoting his excellent Nine Lives album, which was released earlier this year.
Winwood has been busy this year. As well as the new album, he reunited with Eric Clapton for a sold out and very well received three night stint at Madison Square Garden back in February.
Tickets for the UK dates are on sale now from http://www.livenation.co.uk/

New Bonamassa Album Hits Charts

2008-09-02T12:58:00.004+01:00

Joe Bonamassa’s new live album, Live From Nowhere In Particular, is hitting the charts around the world.
It currently lies at number 45 in the UK charts, and at number 5 in the UK indie charts.
Meanwhile in his native US the album is really riding high. Now they do have a lot of charts over there so pay attention:
It is number 1 on the Billboard Blues Charts and number 136 in the general Billboard Charts.
If you haven’t heard it yet it is well worth hearing. It will certainly feature as one of the best albums of the year.

Original Stones Logo Back Home

2008-09-02T12:54:00.004+01:00

The original artwork of the famous Rolling Stones Tongue & Lips logo has been bought at an auction by the V&A Museum in London, reports Planet Rock.
John Pasche originally designed it in 1970 and it has adorned every Stones album since 1971 and remains one of the most recognisable rock images.
He was apparently paid £50 for the rights to the logo in 1970 and a further £200 in 1972.
The V&A Museum bought the original drawings of the for around £50,000 at a US auction last week after learning they were on sale. They’re now on display at the museum.
Speaking to the Guardian, Pasche says that funds would go towards his family. "I have an 11-year-old son and this money is going to go towards his education," he said.

New Zeppelin Tracks Hinted At

2008-08-26T13:21:00.003+01:00

Although it has been rumoured for a while, drummer Jason Bonham confirmed last week that he is indeed working on new material with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, says Jam music. This fuels a bit more speculation that something might be in the works regarding a highly anticipated Zeppelin reunion tour despite singer Robert Plant pretending to doze off at the notion last month at a Toronto news conference.
"I've been over a couple of times with Jimmy and John Paul just trying to do some new material and writing," Bonham told Detroit classic rock radio station WCSX last Friday. "So I don't know what it will be but it will be something. I mean this is something that I always wanted to do but trying to predict what it will be at the moment ... all I know is I have the greatest pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and try and work on some new material, so it's been fantastic in that aspect."
Bonham, who had been drumming for Foreigner recently, also announced that he will stop touring with the band at the end of August to allow for some downtime to be with his children and also in the event something else becomes a reality in the future, most likely a Zeppelin tour.
"I'd say it's too early to tell, the possibility of doing something I really felt like it was in the cards from the moment we walked off stage after the O2 (reunion show at London's O2 Arena last December)," Bonham said. "There was obviously a lot of politics and things. It wasn't just as cut and dry as just go and do it."
The announcement came days before Page performed Whole Lotta Love with Leona Lewis at the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Page is also scheduled to appear at the Toronto International Film Festival next month when the music documentary It Might Get Loud makes its world premiere

AC/DC Album Release Date Confirmed

2008-08-20T08:34:00.002+01:00

AC/DC have confirmed the final details about their eagerly anticipated new album, Black Ice, says Planet Rock.
The album is out in the UK on 20 October and contains fifteen tracks, opening with the new single, ‘Rock n Roll Train’ which will be released to radio on 28 August (you may want to stay tuned to Planet Rock around then).
In the US Black Ice will be released solely in Walmart, Sam’s Club and on their official website.
The band also release a new DVD called No Bull: The Director’s Cut on 9 September. The DVD is a film of a Madrid concert from 1996.
Here’s the tracklist for Black Ice:
Rock'n'Roll Train

Skies on Fire

Big Jack

Anything Goes

War Machine

Smash n Grab

Spoilin' for a Fight

Wheels

Decibel

Stormy May Day

She Likes Rock'n'Roll

Money Made

Rock'n'Roll Dream

Rocking All the Way

Black Ice

No New Squeeze Album In The Pipeline

2008-08-18T08:26:00.004+01:00

Despite a reunion of frontman Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook and an upcoming U.S. tour, there are no plans for a new Squeeze album at the moment."No, we're not kind of talking about any of that for the time being," Difford tells Billboard.com "Glenn's got a solo record coming out very soon, and I've just had a solo record come out ('The Last Temptation of Chris'), so ... (Squeeze) is kind of like the mothership, and we're satellites that go off."Nevertheless, Difford -- who re-joined Tilbrook for live shows again last year after a nine-year break -- says the current Squeeze reunion "feels great," and that he'd entertain the notion of doing another album under the band moniker at some future juncture. "I think it would be nice. It would be an interesting thing to do," he notes. "For the time being, we've got quite a lot on our plate."Difford say Squeeze, whose last new album was 1998's "Domino," will not be playing any of his or Difford's solo material in concert. "It's very strictly a Squeeze show," he explains. "I don't think Glenn would really want to play any of my songs, particularly. And I think it's important for us to keep our separation between what we do individually and what we do together."Squeeze's U.S. run starts Aug. 21 in Washington, D.C. and wraps Sept. 16 in Seattle.
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Difford made "The Last Temptation of Chris," his first solo album since 2002's "I Didn't Get Where I Am," with Boo Hewerdine. He's already eyeballing his next project but hasn't yet decided on a collaborator."The idea is to just start writing one day and have a record the next," Difford explains. "All the concepts happen in a short space of time. That's the way I like to work. That way you can capture everybody's ideas and musicianship and it's all very fresh."

Lennon's Killer Denied Parole

2008-08-13T13:31:00.002+01:00

John Lennon's killer has been denied parole for a fifth time because of "concern for the public safety and welfare", it has been announced.
The BBC website says Mark Chapman, 53, will remain in Attica prison, New York, for at least another two years.
Chapman told parole board members at a hearing that he planned the killing "with an essentially clear mind".
A lawyer for Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, said she was "very pleased" with the board's decision.
Chapman shot the former Beatle as he and wife Ono returned to their Manhattan apartment building on 8 December 1980.
He has been in prison for 27 years since pleading guilty to the murder.
The board noted that Chapman had a clean disciplinary record since 1994 but said his conduct had "precipitated a horrendously tragic event which has impacted many individuals".
"Your discretionary release at this time would thus not be compatible with the welfare of society at large," the board added.
A spokesman for the New York correctional services department said Chapman was being held in an isolated unit away from other prisoners because of fears for his safety.
Chapman, who had a history of mental illness before he committed the murder, was also denied parole in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006.
He will be allowed to apply again in 2010.

Queen + Paul Rodgers Album Release Date

2008-08-13T13:14:00.003+01:00

Queen + Paul Rodgers have announced that they will release their debut studio album "The Cosmos Rocks" world wide on September 15, 2008, except for North America where it will be released on October 14, 2008, reports antiMusic.
Simultaneously, Queen + Paul Rodgers embark on a 33-date Europe and Northern Eurasia tour beginning mid-September. The tour reaches the UK on October 10 with 11 dates including two at London 02 and the tour's final date at Wembley Arena on November 8.
Here is the press release about the album:-
The first thing you notice about The Cosmos Rocks, the much anticipated first album from rock legends Queen + Paul Rodgers is "all tracks written by Queen and Paul Rodgers"…"produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor" (indicating that between them they played all instruments, including bass - Paul and Brian swapping duties - in case you were going to ask). This is obviously not a case of Rodgers lightly stepping in to fill a vocal gap, as some might have been drawn to assume would be the case when the three of them got into the studio together.
No, this is a full bodied, group endeavour: May, Rodgers and Taylor in a totally democratic union, even down to equally sharing the credits. The album's dedication to legendary Queen front man 'Freddie Mercury,' (you'll also see thanks credits to John Deacon and Paul Kossoff) shows the band mates still feel his presence strongly enough to dedicate this entirely new work to him, nearly 13 years on from Queen's last studio album.
You also wonder how Rodgers who takes control as main vocalist on all thirteen tracks here feels about his work being dedicated to the man whose fans still worship at the altar of the pre-Mercury demise Queen.
But then thinking about it, it doesn't seem quite so strange. Brian May and Roger Taylor have, after all, never shied from acknowledging the mighty presence Mercury provided to the band on stage and the wonders of his extraordinary creativity in the studio. Mostly, they acknowledge how even today, they still miss 'dear Fred'.
In the case of Rodgers, he can stand assured in the fact that Mercury always rated him as one of the best rock voices of his time. It is public record that Mercury would make a point of dropping into the Marquee or any number of other London venues when Rodgers was performing with his band Free. Mercury often in his past acknowledged FREE's Fire And Water as one of the albums to most influence Queen. On top of this, Rodgers has now played enough sold-out and wildly received dates as Queen + Paul Rodgers to know that it works, and that the acceptance is there. You only had to be there at last month's Nelson Mandela 90th birthday concert to feel the heat from the audience to the band's blinding set.
It all makes perfect sense when you get the opportunity to see what the band have to say about the sessions:
"We went in and played, every day, and ALL kinds of things happened, little bits of chemistry happening between us. It's good, organic music.
"There's a lot of guitar orchestras and some of our old trademarks, but at the core of it you'll hear the three of us playing. People really, truly playing together in the studio - you don't get that much these days. But, you will get it on their new album.
"Do they still call them 'albums'? I don't even know. But this is really, we believe, an Album in the old sense of the word - something you can put on and listen to all the way through, and it takes you on a journey ... the subjects and moods in it are widely spaced - but nevertheless, a challenge to the listener to put his day on hold for an hour or so, be drawn in, make connections, and experience something new.
"These days it has seemed to us that few people have this in mind - CD's by large tend to be a collection of songs, often produced by different teams, assembled in random sequence - with the idea that folks will shuffle the order on their iPods anyway. Of course you always have that option! But our teachers were THE BEATLES, HENDRIX, blues + soul and ... you know where we're going with this. "
The Cosmos Rocks was recorded and mixed at Taylor's The Priory studio between November 2007 and August 2008, and co-produced and engineered by Joshua J Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson. It marks the first album of newly recorded material from Queen + Paul Rodgers since they first set out on the road in 2005, and the first Queen studio album since 1995.
A first single from the album, 'C-lebrity' is released September 8 in enhanced CD, 7", and digital formats. Versions contain exclusive performances of Queen + Paul Rodgers live performances of 'Show Must Go On' and 'Fire and Water' filmed during Q + PR's 2005 Japanese tour.
The track, according to Roger Taylor – and seemingly much in keeping with many on The Cosmos Rocks – is the writers' skew on the times in which we live: " 'C-lebrity' is really a comment on the current concept of fame - success and all that goes with it. Getting your face on TV is enough - talent doesn't really enter into the equation. 'Celebrity' is an overused and devalued word today. I think the song shows we have lost none of the humour of Queen!"
Other tracks on The Cosmos Rocks include 'Cosmos Rockin'', 'Time To Shine', 'Still Burnin'' (a mission statement of why artists are compelled to create), 'Small', 'Warboys', 'We Believe', 'Call Me', 'Voodoo', 'Some Things That Glitter', 'Through The Night', 'Say It's Not True' (a new version of the track donated to Nelson Mandela's 46664 HIV Aids campaign), and 'Surf's Up, School's Out'.
The album is released in three physical formats: standard CD, deluxe package which includes additional DVD featuring 15 highlight performances by Queen + Paul Rodgers from the band's Super Live in Japan concert recorded live at Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo on 27th October 2005, along with double gate-fold vinyl release. The album will also have a special digital release including bonus tracks.
Track listing:
'Cosmos Rockin'' (4:10)
'Time To Shine' (4:23)
'Still Burnin'' (4:04)
'Small' (4:39)
'Warboys' (3:18)
'We Believe' (6:08)
'Call Me' (2:59)
'Voodoo' (4:27)
'Some Things That Glitter' (4:03)
'C-lebrity' (3:38)
'Through The Night' (4:54)
'Say It's Not True' (4:00)
'Surf's Up . . . School's Out!' (5:38)
'Small Reprise' (2:05)
Produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor. Co-produced and engineered by Joshua J Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson.
All tracks written by Queen + Paul Rodgers
Extra backing vocals on 'C-lebrity': Taylor Hawkins courtesy of RCA Records
This album is dedicated to Freddie Mercury.
For sound samples click http://www.thecosmosrocks.com/

Gary Moore New Studio Album

2008-08-12T15:45:00.003+01:00

Gary Moore's new studio album will be released next month.
'Bad For You Baby', which is released in late September and contains eleven new tracks, sees the excellent form he found on last year’s 'Close As You Get' continue.
No tour dates to promote the new record have been confirmed, but they're imminent.
The tracklist for the album is:
1. Bad For You Baby (Moore)
2. Down The Line (Moore)
3. Umbrella Man (Moore)
4. Holding On (Moore)
5. Walkin’ Thru The Park (Morganfield)
6. I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know (Kooper)
7. Mojo Boogie (Lenoir)
8. Someday Baby (Morganfield)
9. Did You Ever Feel Lonely? (Moore)
10. Preacher Man Blues (Moore)
11. Trouble Ain’t Far Behind (Moore)

Is Lenny New Velvet Revolver frontman

2008-08-12T15:25:00.002+01:00

Reports suggest that Velvet Revolver may be about to unveil Lenny Kravitz as their frontman.
According to a report in The Sun the reformed wild-child of US rock will be named as the shock replacement for the departed Scott Weiland.
The Sun said that according to 's source', “Velvet Revolver’s new album will draw heavily on their messy split with Scott. The band wanted a big name who could easily hold his own and reckon Lenny is just the man for the job.”
It had been thought that former Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon was the frontrunner after he performed a show with the band, but last week bassist Duff McKagan threw cold water on that rumour.

Oasis To Play Secret Gig

2008-08-06T16:10:00.002+01:00

Oasis have announced plans to perform a one-off gig for their fans in London, says the BBC.
They will perform tracks from their new album, Dig Out Your Soul, live to a select audience at a rehearsal studio in the capital.
Fans who have signed up to Oasis' official website are being offered the chance to enter a draw for the gig by posting their details on the site.
The concert will be the Manchester five-piece's first before they hit the road for a world tour later this year.
The gig, which will be held on 14 August, will be filmed and may be broadcast in the future.
The closing date for the draw will be three days prior to the gig.
Oasis' seventh album, Dig Out Your Soul, will be released on 6 October.
The first single to be lifted from the record will be Shock Of The Lightning, which is due out on 29 September.
The album was recorded with producer Dave Sardy at Abbey Road Studios and mixed in Los Angeles.

McCartney To Play Israel?

2008-08-05T08:23:00.002+01:00

Sir Paul McCartney has been asked to play a concert in Israel, 43 years after the Beatles were banned from performing in the country, says The Independent.
The star was approached about staging a Tel Aviv show this September, an insider confirmed last night. The revelation was greeted with excitement in the Israeli press. McCartney's spokesman said that nothing was confirmed, but negotiations were continuing.
McCartney, 66, and his fellow Beatles were banned from performing in Israel in 1965 when the country's then education minister, David Zarzevski, thought that a show by the band would threaten the morals of the nation's youth.
But this year Israel's ambassador to Britain, Ron Prosor, apologised during a trip to the Fab Four's home city of Liverpool for the "misunderstanding".
He sent letters to McCartney, his fellow surviving Beatle Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison, writing: "There is no doubt that it was a great missed opportunity to prevent people like you, who shaped the minds of the generation, to come to Israel and perform."

The Verve Back On Form For Their Fourth Album - 11 Years Later

2008-08-01T15:18:00.004+01:00

The Verve roars back to life after an 11-year hiatus between new albums with "Forth," a bracing blend of the experimentalism of the group's early work and the more structured songwriting of its last two efforts.

The set is due Aug 25th in the U.K. on Parlophone.

Only one song is less than five minutes long on "Forth," which begins with the seven-minute jam "Sit and Wonder." Atop a big bass groove and foreboding atmospherics, frontman Richard Ashcroft pleads, "Lord, give me the light," setting the table for the single "Love Is Noise," the most electronic track of the Verve's career.

The cut's sampled "woo-hoo" vocal and synths stake out new territory, but rarely have Ashcroft's vocals sounded as raw and angrily passionate.

"Love Is Noise" will be released in the U.K. Aug 4th digitally and Aug 11th in physical form.

"Forth" is further highlighted by the dreamy "Judas," arguably one of the most beautiful songs the band has yet penned, and the anthemic ballad "Valium Skies," a sure-fire future concert staple which is reminiscent of the hit "Lucky Man" from 1997's "Urban Hymns."

"I See Houses" muses on Ashcroft's everyday surroundings while pivoting between the eerie vibes of 1995's "A Northern Soul" and the elegant emoting of "Urban Hymns."

Jeff Beck At Ronnie Scott's

2008-07-31T13:48:00.003+01:00

Jeff Beck has announced 6 shows in 5 days at the world famous Ronnie Scott’s Club in London’s Soho, running from November 27th to December 1st.

Featuring drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, keyboardist Jason Rebello, and young bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, Jeff will be performing a wide selection of material over the week.

Ronnie Scott’s only holds 200 people and has recently had a £3 million makeover. No seat is more then 50 feet from the stage. This is a rare opportunity to catch one of the world’s greatest guitarists in a very intimate environment.

For tickets and information go to http://www.jeffbeck.com/www.ronniescotts.co.uk

Cream To Reunite?

2008-07-30T13:57:00.003+01:00

Jack Bruce says that the members of Cream may discuss reuniting when they next meet up, says billboard.com.
The legendary bassist revealed that Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and himself were planning to meet up in October at the first Drummer Achievement Awards in London, where Baker was due to have been honoured with an award by cymbal manufacturer Zildjian. However, the awards were cancelled.
"I think there might be a chance of some more," he told the magazine. "I would like to do some more, 'cause I enjoyed it (the previous reunion). It was very emotional. I would like another shot at it.
"It's quite difficult for us, 'cause it's all very separate," he continues. "Ginger's living in South Africa. Eric's this mega-star, and it's difficult for us to keep in communication. But as soon as we do it's wonderful."
He recently celebrated his 65th birthday, and has been busy 2in 008. A collaboration album with Robin Trower was followed by BBC Sessions album and more recently a six-CD career retrospective called Can You Follow?
He’s also due to tour with the Hippie Fest alongside Eric Burdon & The Animals, Badfinger and a host of other 60s legends.

The Answer And Black Stone Cherry To Tour

2008-07-30T13:50:00.002+01:00

The Answer are to tour with Black Stone Cherry later this year.
Both bands will play on the same bill for eight UK dates in December.
The Answer are currently in the studio working on their second album.
Tickets are on sale now.
Here are the dates:
Manchester University - FRI - 05/12/2008
Carling Academy Newcastle - SAT - 06/12/2008
Barrowlands, Glasgow - SUN - 07/12/2008
Carling Academy, Sheffield - TUE - 09/12/2008
Carling Academy, Birmingham - WED - 10/12/2008
Carling Academy, Bristol - THU - 11/12/2008
Carling Academy, Oxford - SAT - 13/12/2008
Carling Academy, Brixton - SUN - 14/12/2008

New Dylan Rarities Album In October

2008-07-30T13:45:00.004+01:00

A new collection of Bob Dylan rarities is set for release on 6 October, says planetrock.co.uk.
Tell Tale Signs is the eighth part of Dylan’s excellent Bootleg Series and is a collection of unreleased material recorded between 1986 – 2006.
You can get a taster of the album by logging onto http://www.bobdylan.com/. There's a free download of a song called ‘Dreamin Of You’ on offer. It was apparently originally recorded in 1997 during the Time Out Of Mind sessions.
The album will be available as a double-disc collection or a deluxe triple-disc set.
Here’s the full tracklist:
Disc One: 1. Mississippi 6:04 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) 2. Most of the Time 3:46 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy) 3. Dignity 2:09 (Piano demo, Oh Mercy) 4. Someday Baby 5:56 (Alternate version, Modern Times) 5. Red River Shore 7:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) 6. Tell Ol' Bill 5:31 (Alternate version, North Country soundtrack) 7. Born in Time 4:10 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 8. Can't Wait 5:45 (Alternate version, Time Out of Mind) 9. Everything is Broken 3:27 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy) 10. Dreamin' of You 6:23 (Unreleased, Time Out Of Mind) 11. Huck's Tune 4:09 (From Lucky You soundtrack) 12. Marchin' to the City 6:36 (Unreleased, Time Out of Mind) 13. High Water (For Charley Patton) 6:40(Live, August 23, 2003,Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)
Disc Two: 1. Mississippi 6:24 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind) 2. 32-20 Blues 4:22 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong) 3. Series of Dreams 6:27 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 4. God Knows 3:12 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 5. Can't Escape from You 5:22 (Unreleased, December 2005) 6. Dignity 5:25 (Unreleased, Oh Mercy) 7. Ring Them Bells 4:59 (Live at The Supper Club, November 17, 1993,New York, NY 8. Cocaine Blues 5:30 (Live, August 24, 1997, Vienna, VA) 9. Ain't Talkin' 6:13 (Alternate version, Modern Times) 10. The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore 2:51 (Live, June 30, 1992,Dunkerque, France) 11. Lonesome Day Blues 7:37 (Live, February 1, 2002, Sunrise, FL) 12. Miss the Mississippi 3:20 (Unreleased, 1992) 13. The Lonesome River 3:04 (With Ralph Stanley, from the album ClinchMountain Country) 14. 'Cross the Green Mountain 8:15 (From Gods and Generals Soundtrack)
Disc Three (Deluxe Set Only) 1. Duncan & Brady 3:47 (Unreleased, 1992) 2. Cold Irons Bound 5:57 (Live at Bonnaroo, 2004) 3. Mississippi 6:24 (Unreleased version #3, Time Out of Mind) 4. Most of the Time 5:10 (Alternate version #2, Oh Mercy) 5. Ring Them Bells 3:18 (Alternate version, Oh Mercy) 6. Things Have Changed 5:32 (Live, June 15, 2000, Portland, OR) 7. Red River Shore 7:08 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind) 8. Born in Time 4:19 (Unreleased version #2, Oh Mercy) 9. Tryin' to Get to Heaven 5:10 (Live, October 5, 2000, London, England) 10. Marchin' to the City 3:39 (Unreleased version #2, Time Out of Mind) 11. Can't Wait 7:24 (Alternate version #2, Time Out of Mind) 12. Mary and the Soldier 4:23 (Unreleased, World Gone Wrong)

Drummers In The Premier League

2008-07-22T13:31:00.002+01:00

A case study compiled by the University of Chichester and the University of Gloucestershire concludes that drummers burn as many calories per hour as professional footballers, according to planetrock.co.uk.
The study, which used Blondie drummer Clem Burke as its subject, shows that drummers burn between 400-600 calories per hour with a heart rate of around 150bpm – as many as a Premiership footballer does during a match.
Dr Marcus Smith, of Chichester, told The Independent that “there is a clear link between fitness and performance. Musicians need exceptional stamina to sustain optimum output, especially when on tour.
“Footballers can normally expect to play 40 to 50 games a year. But in a 12-month period, Clem played 90-minute sets at 100 concerts. If you studied the heart rates of a Premiership footballer and Clem over 90 minutes, you wouldn't know which was which.”
Which proves that a) footballers must be lazy and overpaid, and b) that you really do need to be slightly crazy to be a drummer.

No More Who Studio Albums?

2008-07-16T11:27:00.003+01:00

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has hinted the band may never release another album of new material - because they have "done enough already", according to Tiscali. The singer is adamant he would love to record a new LP, but insists "it doesn't really matter" as the band have so much previous material to work with.The legendary rockers haven't released a new studio album since 2006's Endless Wire, despite reported plans to release a record of soul classics earlier this year (08).But Daltrey insists the lack of new material will not stop the band from touring.He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "No one plays our music better than us. By the end of this year, after we've done this short stint and got Japan under our belts, we'll have a re-think."I would like to do 'Quadrophenia' (tour) again. I think that tour was way ahead of its time when we did it back in 1996. There's so much we can do, but the road does wear you down."

Official, Rock Music Is Too Loud

2008-07-15T11:43:00.002+01:00

MUSIC chiefs were blasted last night for using computers to make albums louder, says The Sun.
Bosses are artificially enhancing sound levels because they believe the noisier a record is, the more copies it will sell.
But fans say some tracks are now so distorted they can make listeners feel nauseous.
And Britain’s leading studio engineers have launched a campaign to make records range in levels to avoid one loud blur.
Among records blasted by engineers is the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication which some branded “unlistenable”. An online petition has even been launched to have it “remastered”.
Other albums slated by studio experts are works by Oasis, the Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen.
Peter Mew, senior mastering engineer at London’s Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles made many of their hits, said: “Record companies are competing with each other to make their album the loudest. The quieter parts are becoming louder and the loudest parts are just becoming a buzz. This could be the reason CD sales are falling.”
Geoff Emerick, an engineer on the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s album, said: “A lot of what is released today is basically a scrunched up mess".

Faces Members Considering Reunion

2008-07-11T13:09:00.003+01:00

Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan has confirmed the rest of the band, including Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, have been considering a reunion, says the BBC website.
"We're hoping to get together later this year to play and then we may have some news, but I want it to happen, badly," he told BBC 6 Music.
McLagan said Stewart was the only member uncertain about reforming.
"Rod hasn't wanted to do it for a long time. He didn't see the need in it but I think he really wants to now."
It has been nearly four decades since the band, known for hits such as Cindy Incidentally and Stay With Me, first formed.
"It's going to be great if it does happen," McLagan said.
The band was formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie.
The remaining trio - Ronnie Lane, McLagan and Kenney Jones - were joined by Wood and Stewart.
Wood has since become for known for playing in the Rolling Stones and Stewart has had a successful solo career.
Rod Stewart has finally agreed to reforming, McLagan saidMcLagan said now they had all agreed to reform, they were trying to find a time that was convenient for everyone.
"The Stones aren't going to tour for over a year so Woody has a window of opportunity; Rod has a window approaching.
"My window is ever being opened and shut but I'll open that window and climb through it to work with The Faces anytime, and Kenny's up for it," he said.
The star, who has been working on some new material, thinks they would start playing in London and possibly go on to the US.
"It would be great to record new tracks. I have a couple of songs that Rod might like.
"We'd have to see - I think that would be the way to go, though, not just to go out on tour. It'd be great to have an album," McLagan said.
"I've got my fingers crossed, my eyes and my legs crossed," he added.

'Lost' JIMI HENDRIX Album Discovered - July 7, 2008

2008-07-08T14:01:00.003+01:00

World Entertainment News Network report sthat a lost album Jimi Hendrix recorded with rocker Stephen Stills has been discovered more than 30 years after it was recorded.

Stills recently found the recording among a stack of material he taped during the 1970s, and his Crosby, Stills and Nash bandmate, Graham Nash, is helping him prepare it for release.

Nash tells the Las Vegas Sun, "He has an enormous history of recording. In the '70s, he was a recording fool. He just found a bloody album he made with Hendrix.

"'Oh yeah, I forgot that.' We've got to listen to that... I want to listen to every track he ever recorded in case he recorded with Al Jolson."

The First Band I Saw Live, Surrey Tavern, Kennington Oval, Sometime in 1969

2008-06-04T13:26:00.013+01:00

Juicy Lucy were saucy blues-rockers, who formed in 1969 from the ashes of the cult band The Misunderstood, uniting vocalist Ray Owen, steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell and keyboardist Chris Mercer. Later, they added guitarist Neil Hubbard, bassist Keith Ellis, plus their drummer Pete Dobson.
The Band immediately notched a UK Top 20 hit with their cover version of the Bo Diddley perennial "Who Do You Love?".
Their self-titled debut album then fell just failed to reach the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart.
Line-up changes were quickly afoot as ex-Zoot Money singer Paul Williams, guitarist Micky Moody and drummer Rod Coombes replaced Owen (who left for a solo career), Hubbard and Dobson for 1970's Lie Back and Enjoy It (#53 - UK Albums Chart). Bassist Jim Leverton replaced Ellis for the follow-up, 1971's 'Get a Whiff Of This'.
The constant personnel changes clearly took their toll on the band both creatively and commercially, with co-founders Campbell and Mercer both leaving prior to the fourth Juicy Lucy album, 1972's 'Pieces'. This was recorded by a makeshift line-up of Williams, Moody, keyboardist Jean Roussel and the former Blodwyn Pig rhythm section of bassist Andy Pyle and drummer Ron Berg. Juicy Lucy disbanded shortly after.
Micky Moody (born 30 August 1950, in Middlesbrough), later joined the inaugural Whitesnake line-up in 1978. Prior to that he was a member of another rock outfit, Snafu, between 1973 and 1976. Moody also released the bluesy solo album 'I Eat Them For Breakfast' in 2001. Plus, Juicy Lucy's version of the song "Who Do You Love?" was featured in 'Shellshock: Nam '67'.
Founder member Ray Owen revived the name in 1995 for the albums 'Blue Thunder' and 'Here She Comes Again' on which the lineup was completed by Mike Jarvis (guitar), Andy Doughty (bass), and Spencer Blackledge (drums). A couple of years later this version of the band broke-up but Owen wanted to continue, especially when he formed a musical partnership with a guitarist known as Mr. Fish. Legal problems kept the new band from using the Juicy Lucy name however, so they gigged as Ray Owen's Moon (Moon being the title of Ray Owen's 1971 solo album).
By 2004 Fudge and Fletch had joined on bass and drums respectively and the legal issue was settled. The new Juicy Lucy spent 2006 working on a new album (subsequently titled 'Do That And You'll Lose It'), and touring the UK with fellow rock veterans Nazareth.
They played the Cambridge Rock Festival (2007) and are building a solid live reputaion. Their origins are not forgotten however, and the present Juicy Lucy still plays "Mississippi Woman", "Who Do You Love?" and more from their first album.

Who were the first band you saw live?

New AC/DC Album Later This Year

2008-05-28T13:31:00.002+01:00

AC/DC fans can expect the band's next album of new material sometime later this year. The band are currently recording in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien and long time audio engineer Mike Fraser. This will be the band's first collection of new material since the release of 'Stiff Upper Lip' in 2000.

Expect a tour to be announced as soon as release dates have been finalised.

Curved Air reform for concert tour

2008-05-16T12:20:00.004+01:00

The pioneering music group Curved Air is reuniting for a tour in 2008. A series of concerts have been arranged from June and include the Isle of Wight Festival on Friday, June 13. The lineup sees iconic vocalist Sonja Kristina teaming up again with other founding members Darryl Way and Florian Pilkington Miksa.

http://www.curvedair.com/

The Hoax Biography and Discography

2008-04-30T17:13:00.010+01:00

The Hoax formed in 1991 and after a few get together jams with a drum machine the four members (Hugh Coltman - Vocals, Jon Amor - Guitar, Jesse Davey - Guitar and brother Robin Davey - Bass) decided it was time to recruit a drummer. They phoned local drum hero Dave Raeburn who was at the time a drum teacher in Trowbridge and asked if he could recommend anyone. Will Lunn, another Trowbridge native was suggested and the first Hoax line up was born.
The bands first gig was supporting local favorites, The Havana Fireflies, at Easterton Village Hall. The Hoax's set that evening comprised of 5 covers including, Jeff Healey's ‘Confidence Man’ and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘The House Is Rocking’.
Will Lunn stayed with the band for their first 7 or so gigs and then departed to join indie hopefuls BIG, the next drummer to join the line up being Andy Phillips from Devizes.
The Hoax continued to play locally and started building a considerable following playing the local pub circuit. They started to write their own material and recorded a number of demo's. Andy Phillips departed from the band in 1993 and so another call was made to local drum hero Dave Raeburn, but this time it was to ask him if he would like to join. Dave accepted and shortly after the band recorded their first full length album which was self titled and released on cassette, which quickly sold out, with only 100 being pressed.A copy found its way into the hands of legendary British producer Mike Vernon. He had just started a new label called Code Blue, which was affiliated with Warner. He saw The Hoax open for Smoking Joe Kubec in Boarhunt, Nr. Portsmouth and immediately said he wanted to sign the band.After numerous meetings the band finally signed a 5 album deal with Code Blue/Warner and started recording their first proper album in Monnow Valley studios in South Wales with Vernon co producing. 'Sound Like This' was released in the UK in November 1994 and was critically acclaimed by the press. Q magazine’s Mark Cooper exclaimed 'The last time Englishmen played blues- rock with such flair and conviction they had names like The Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers and even the Rolling Stones'.The band continued to tour the UK and Europe and in 1995 they did a six week stint in the States. They opened for Buddy Guy and Chris Duarte, as well as playing a host of headline slots at venues such as The House Of Blues and Mick Fleetwood’s club in Washington.
The Press in the US also loved the album with Billboard Editor Timothy White dedicating his ‘Music To My Ears’ column to the band.They continued touring for the best part of two years and then started work on their second album. With the record company pressuring the band to come up with radio friendly singles the first attempt at recording the album was abandoned and The Hoax re-recorded the whole album adding 3 new tracks. The album was received with mixed reviews, and the band grew very unhappy with their record company’s lack of promotion.
In 1997 they decided to start afresh and freed themselves from the Warner contract. After releasing an EP on their new Label ‘Credible Records’ the band started writing material for a new album as well as continuing to tour.
Shortly before starting work on the new album Dave Raeburn left the band and The Hoax were hunting for drummer number four. After searching the country and auditioning countless drummers they found the shuffling king Mark Barrett. Mark had previously supported the hoax with another band in his native Lincoln. After a couple of rehearsals and a few gigs the band started recording their new album in Shropshire.
February 1998 saw the release of Humdinger, the bands best selling album and loved by fans and critics alike. The next year saw the band tour throughout Europe and establish themselves as the live band to see. They were soon headlining festival after festival as well as appearing on the bill with the likes of BB King, Jimmie Vaughan, Paul Weller and Robbie Williams. After a tour of Canada and another treck around Europe, the band decided it was time to quit. They announced a farewell tour as well as releasing a Live Album 'Live Forever'.
The Hoax played their final UK show at a packed house at London's Astoria and their final show to a sell out crowd at Holland 013 venue.
With the former members all working on new projects The Hoax might be gone but they are far from forgotten.

Discography

The Hoax

Cassette album produced by The Hoax
Released:1993
100 copies pressed
Earned the band a contract with Warner

1. Headless Chicken
2. Scaramouche
3. Swallow My Pride
4. Get Some Money
5. Gaffa Tape & Jaffa Cakes
6. Money Back
7. Blisters On Your Feet
8. Sore Thumb
9. Inside My Head

Sound Like This

Produced by The Hoax & Mike Vernon
Label: Warner/Code Blue (Atlantic : USA)
Released:1995 (1995 : USA)

1. Lizard Like Me
2. Much Too Much
3. Scaramouche
4. Wake Me Up
5. Swallow My Pride
6. Twenty Ton Weight
7. Headless Chicken
8. Driving Blind
9. Head Neck
10. Don’t Bust A valve
11. Take The Money And Run

Unpossible

Produced by The Hoax
Label: Warner/Code Blue
Released:Nov 1996

1. Turn It Upside Down
2. Emperor’s New Clothes
3. Will Be True
4. Let It Ride
5. Fistful Of Dirt
6. Realisation Dawns
7. Off Your Head
8. Got It Bad
9. Hungry Man’s Blues
10. Fingers Of One Hand
11. Don’t Let Me Cry

Humdinger

Produced by The Hoax
Label: Credible (UK) Dixie Frog (Europe)
Released:Feb 1998

1. High Expectations
2. Feeding Time
3. Last Man Down
4. Superstition
5. Something Out Of Nothing
6. Groove Breaker
7.I Want To Be Loved
8.. Long Way Home
9. Bones
10. Don’t Shake My Hand

Live Forever

Produced by The Hoax (Live Recording)
Label: Credible (UK) Taxim (Germany) Bertus (Holland)
Released:Oct 1999

1. High Expectations
2. Feeding Time
3. Last man Down
4. Superstition
5. Something Out Of Nothing
6. Groove Breaker
7. I Want To Be Loved
8. Long Way Home
9. Bones
10. Don’t Shake My Hand

Singles & EPs

Scaramouche - Extra tracks: Scaramouche Edit (USA Atlantic)

Take The Money And Run - Extra tracks: Spanish Omelette (UKWarner/Code Blue)

Night Will Come EP (Credible Records) Released:1997
1. The Night Will Come
2. Shadow Boxing
3. My Own Way
4. Instrumental B Side Shuffle In B Part 2
Something Out Of Nothing/Superstition – Double A Side (Credible Records) Released:1998

Letz Zep

2008-04-30T14:29:00.003+01:00

Saw this Led Zeppelin tribute band at Otford Village Hall in Kent last May and was very impressed with the standard of musicianship, their adherence to the original songs and the length of their set (3 hours non-stop). In particular the guitarist was absolutely outstanding but all four of them were fantastic.
I saw Zeppelin live 3 times in the 70’s, at Wembley, Alexandra Palace and Earls Court and Letz Zep were almost faultless.

They are well worth seeing and are playing at the Orchard Theatre, Dartford this Friday, 2nd May.
If you can’t make it, visit their website to find out about future dates. The link is below.

http://www.letzzep.com/

Wishbone Ash Biography

2008-04-24T13:55:00.007+01:00

The story of Wishbone Ash began in July of 1966, when Martin and Glen Turner met Steve Upton. The Turner brothers' drummer had just quit their band, and when they learned that Upton had played professionally in England and Germany, they asked him to join them.

The new trio called themselves the Empty Vessels, after the proverbial saying, "empty vessels make the most noise". Soon afterward, the trio changed their name to Tanglewood and moved from their native Exeter to London. They didn't have much luck initially, and were on the verge of disbanding when they were booked into the Country Club in Hempstead, opening for former Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf. Into that club wandered Miles Copeland, a young man new in town and impressed by what he heard.

"Miles was an expatriate who had been brought up in Beirut by a Scottish mother and a southern American father," Andy Powell recalled. "His experience with rock music was minimal. London, I think, was a really mind-blowing experience for him, and Tanglewood had a very English sound. Steve was a jazz-oriented drummer, and Martin Turner's bass was very far out in front of the mix. Martin played melodically with a pick, in the English style of Jet Harris (of the seminal British group, The Shadows), Paul McCartney, and later Sting."

Copeland invited Tanglewood to his father's house in St. John's Wood, and offered to manage the band. Guitarist Glen Turner opted to return to Exeter, but Martin and Steve decided to keep trying.

"Miles started running advertisements in the music papers," said Powell, "and prospective guitarists would come to the house and audition. It finally came down to Ted Turner and myself, and they couldn't decide between us. So the band decided not to hire a keyboard player, as they'd originally planned, and took us both instead!"

The new group was subject to a variety of influences. Powell was a veteran of various semi-pro blues and soul outfits, and a player who listened to bands from Fairport Convention to the Who. "Pete Townsend had a profound impact on me as a rhythm player", Powell said. He credits his experience in soul bands, working with horn section harmonies, with inspiring the dual lead guitar format that he and Ted Turner developed. David "Ted" Turner (no kin to Martin) had also played with a blues band, and was influenced by American blues players such as B.B. King. The rhythm section , Martin Turner and Steve Upton, was into more progressive groups and was "hugely impacted" by Led Zeppelin. Martin was also influenced by the Who's John Entwhistle. From that disparate combination of elements came the distinctive sound of Wishbone Ash.

"It was crucial in those days that everybody have their own sound," said Powell. "There was a great spirit in the air in the late 60's. The clubs were very active, there was a lot of R&B, and a lot of blues, like the Pretty Things and early Fleetwood Mac. The scene was open to anything that would expand the imagination."

As for the group's name, Powell explained, "We wanted something that wouldn't tie us down to a particular style. Miles came up with a number of wacky names - I remember Third World War and Jesus Duck. Finally there were two lists, one of which had the word Wishbone on it and the other of which had Ash. The combination sounded intriguing - actually, it sounded like more than it was."

The members of the band were determined to succeed. Andy said,"We were provincial boys coming to London, so there was a very strong commitment to stay and make something of the situation. The bedsit that Ted and I lived in for six months was condemned. Miles, at the same time, lived around the corner from Paul McCartney." Naturally, the band spent as much time at the Copeland house as possible. Ted Turner recalled that "Miles had a healthy supply of crumpets for us, and we lived on crumpets in those days." "We had only one place to go, and that was up," Andy agreed. "I was playing on a home-made guitar.

Martin was playing on a homemade bass, and we built our own speaker cabinets in a garage. We were literally existing on about 15 dollars a week. One flat that I lived in had a gas heater that I kept going by recycling the same shilling through the coin box for a month. We took about six weeks, rehearsing from eleven in the morning until eleven at night, to put completely new songs together. We weren't always happy with everything we did, but we knew that we were good and that we had created a distinctive sound. We didn't even give ourselves the license to think that it wouldn't work."

In the meantime, Miles tried to find work for the band. He was, Powell recalled with affection, a slow starter. "We were the first band that Miles had ever managed. He was clueless, completely at odds with the music business as it was practiced in London, which in hindsight was probably to everyone's benefit."

The band's first-ever job was as opening act for Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation at Dunstable Civic Hall. Since the band at first aroused little interest at home, the increasingly inventive Copeland used some of his contacts to land the group work in Europe. Paris became to them the kind of developing ground that Hamburg had been for the Beatles. "Blind Eye" was the band's first single. Andy described it as "a jazz, blues, riffing kind of thing written by Ted and myself. The riff for the twin lead guitar parts was a very specific continuation of some horn parts I'd been writing in soul bands." When Ted Turner heard it on the radio for the first time, "It was very exciting. It was also the first time I heard myself sing - after that I always tried to get the others to sing!"

The band's first big break resulted from a gig with Deep Purple. Ritchie Blackmore jammed with Powell during a sound check, and was impressed enough to mention the group to Purple's producer, Derek Lawrence. Lawrence, in turn, was impressed enough that he convinced the "powers that be" at Decca Records (US) to sign the band. As a result, Wishbone had a record deal in the United States before they had one in England!

The band's following multiplied, and they released their first album, Wishbone Ash, in 1970. It contained the song "Phoenix", arguably Wishbone's masterpiece. Ted Turner described it as "just an elongated, structured, jam", but it was a perfect showcase for their dual lead guitar work. The only other British band using twin lead guitars that Wishbone was aware of was the obscure Blossom Toes, now memorable mainly as the breeding ground for longtime Rod Stewart guitarist Jim Cregan. "We didn't become aware of the Allman Brothers", Powell said, "until we came to the States. Years later, we were very surprised when we heard Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird", which struck us as very much the same sort of thing as "Phoenix"."

That first album was followed by Pilgrimage in 1971, and Argus in 1972. The British music magazine Melody Maker awarded Argus the accolade of "The Best British Album Of The Year." "Blowin' Free", Ash's signature tune from that album, came together as an exercise around the "D" chord. Ted Turner called it "a rip-off of a bit in "Tommy" that I put in a different time." Wishbone Ash toured with the Who on their "Won't Get Fooled Again" tour, and "you can imagine how inspiring that was". Powell said that "Time Was" was another Who-inspired song, "probably the most of any we've ever done. There was a lot of Keith Moon in Steve's drumming."

In 1973 the band produced Wishbone Four and their first concert album, Live Dates. The Wishbone Four album sounded very different from its predecessors. Andy said, "A lot of bands were going into the country to write - Traffic did it, Led Zeppelin did it. We put everything into the back of a truck and moved to a cottage on the island of Anglesey off the Welsh coast. All four of us and two other guys were stuck in a six-room cottage, miles from anywhere, with no phone, TV, or radio. There was a sign on the gate that said "Pen Y Bonc", which we always took to be the name of the cottage. Years later we found out that it was the Welsh for "Please close the gate"!" Ted Turner added, "We all brought air pistols and tried to shoot rabbits and birds and things. We wound up spending more time on that that on putting the album together. I hit a robin, and haven't fired a shot since."

After the Live Dates tour, Ted decided to call it quits. "I was going through different phases musically." he explained, "and wasn't satisfied with what I was doing with Wishbone Ash. We had done very well and I was only 24. I did session work, got married, had a family and just lived life."

Ted was replaced by Laurie Wisefield. "When Ted left," said Powell, "we needed to get something going pretty quickly. I saw Laurie in New York, playing with the band Home, who were Al Stewart's backing group at the time. He came back to London for rehearsals in Miles' basement, and we decided that we could work together." Ash's first album with Wisefield, 1974's There's The Rub, was their first to be recorded in the United States. It was made under the supervision of Eagles and Joe Walsh producer Bill Szymczyk at the Criteria Recording Studios in Miami. The band then moved to the States full time and settled in Connecticut, where Andy still lives.

Of the change in guitarists, he said, "The contrast was quite marked. I was always the more frenetic player, and Ted was bluesier and more laid-back. Laurie didn't really come from a blues background so much as a country-rock background. He was into finger-picking, a very rhythmic player." (Indeed, when Wisefield left the group, he went on to play first with Tina Turner and then with Joe Cocker.)

Still signed to MCA in England, Wishbone moved to the Atlantic label in the United States for their next two albums, Locked In and New England. The group returned to MCA Records in the U.S. for Front Page News (1977), No Smoke Without Fire (1978), and Just Testing (1979). Just Testing was the first album the group recorded with producer Nigel Grey, at Surrey Sound in the English town of Leatherhead. Powell said of it that it "marked quite a change, in that you could see the band becoming much less loose than on the earlier albums. The more disciplined, rhythmic, feel was Laurie's contribution."

Martin Turner was the second original member to leave, replaced by respected British bassist John Wetton (King Crimson, Family, Roxy Music and U.K.) for the 1981 album, Number The Brave. The last album recorded on MCA before the band left that label was 1981's Hot Ash This album, assembled by Leon Tsilis, is a compilation of live tracks that had appeared on Live Dates II, (MCA Europe) and a bonus track, "Bad Weather Blues", that had never appeared on any album. After leaving MCA, the band recorded two more albums, Twin Barrels Burning (Fantasy Records) and Raw To The Bone. Trevor Bolder, of Uriah Heep & David Bowie fame, replaced Wetton on bass for Twin Barrels Burning. Mervyn (Spam)Spence replaced Bolder on bass and tackled the lead vocals on Raw To The Bone.

In 1986, Andy Powell and Ted Turner were contacted by their original manager, Miles Copeland, from whom they had separated around the time they recorded New England. Copeland was a major success in the music business by then, managing The Police and running his own label, I.R.S. Records. IRS was about to launch a series of all-instrumental albums, and Copeland asked Wishbone Ash to participate in the project. The result was the reunion of Andy Powell, Ted Turner, Martin Turner and Steve Upton. That line-up lasted for three years, releasing Nouveau Calls and Hear To Hear. Then, after more than 20 years with the group, Steve Upton retired from the music industry. He was replaced on drums by Ray Weston & Robbie France for the recording of the band's final IRS album, 1991's Strange Affair.

With a new lineup including Weston and Andy Pyle on bass, Wishbone Ash recorded Live In Chicago for the Griffin Label. Live In Chicago is a collection of classic songs such as "The King Will Come, "Throw Down The Sword", "Blowin' Free" and "Living Proof". This live collection also includes songs never before released in the United States; "Strange Affair", "Standing In The Rain" and "Hard Times."

In 1995 Ted Turner left the band for the second time. The only original member, Andy Powell, has since put together several line-ups, all of which have given fans the authentic "Ash experience". A 1994 European tour, featuring the team of Andy Powell, Roger Filgate, Tony Kishman and Mike Sturgis, culminated in the recording of the album "Live in Geneva". In 1996 Wishbone released their first studio album in several years. Titled "Illuminations", it shows off the band's unique trademark harmony guitar work beautifully. 1997 saw the release of a four-CD box set, "Distillation", that showcases Wishbone's work over the years from 1970 to 1995.

At the end of 1996 Roger & Tony decided to throw in the towel and become "Beatles". It wasn't long after that that Andy recruited Mark Birch & Bob Skeat to fill the void left by Filgate and Kishman. After a brief tour of the UK, Mike Sturgis was offered a professorship at a local university, which he decided to accept. It wasn't long after that when Andy rang his old friend Ray Weston to see if he would be interested in joining the new band. As they say, "the rest is history".

The current band, Andy Powell, Bob Skeat, Mark Birch and Ray Weston are currently on tour in Europe supporting the release of their newest album "Bare Bones" and paving the way to the big events planned for Wishbone's 30th anniversary celebration in the year 2000.

By 1998, Kishman, Sturgis and Filgate had departed and Powell formed another new Wishbone Ash with bassist Bob Skeat, guitarist/vocalist Mark Birch, and former drummer Ray Weston. During the line-up changes, Andy Powell released two electronic dance albums on UK indie label Invisible Hands Music under the name Wishbone Ash. The albums were ambitious dance projects that contained electronic beats blended with Wishbone Ash guitar riffs. Trance Visionary was the first of the pair, spawning a 12" single of four mixes that was a clubland smash and reached number 38 on the UK dance chart. Psychic Terrorism followed.

The band then released an acoustic album of classic and new songs entitled Bare Bones before hitting the road in 2000 to celebrate their 30th anniversary. A filmed show was held at Shepherds Bush Empire in London, where the band welcomed special guests Laurie Wisefield and Claire Hamill as well as other friends for a star-studded concert that resulted in Live Dates 3 and a live DVD.

In 2001 , Mark Birch was replaced by guitarist Ben Granfelt. The band hit the road for their most extensive touring schedule in years. Wishbone Ash returned to the studio in 2002 for the Bona Fide album. 2003 saw the band touring across the world with Savoy Brown, playing their largest number of American dates since the 1980s.

Ben Granfelt left the band to continue working on his solo career. Granfelt's mentor, Muddy Manninen, joined the band. In late 2006, the band released a new studio album entitled Clan Destiny. In 2007, longtime drummer Ray Weston left the band, stating that he was tired of constant touring and wanted to concentrate on different things [3]. He was replaced by seasoned session drummer Joseph Crabtree, known for his work with Pendragon and King Crimson violinist David Cross. In late 2007, the band released their latest album Power of Eternity; their first with new member Joseph Crabtree.

Recent times have seen a further twist in the Wishbone Ash story, with founder member Martin Turner forming Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash (rights to the band name are retained by all four original members). Featuring guitarists Keith Buck and Ray Hatfield, and drummer Rob Hewins, the band has toured the UK/Europe performing material from the band's heritage years, as documented on their debut releases New Live Dates Vols. 1 and 2 (released 2006 and 2007 respectively). Original Wishbone Ash member, Ted Turner, performed four songs at the band's February 2006 Birmingham show; these tracks were included on New Live Dates Vols. 1 and 2. In March 2008 Keith Buck left the band with his place for recent live shows being taken by Danny Willson (of Showaddywaddy).