Nearly 40 years after making their legendary album Exile on Main St., the Rolling Stones have found four tracks originally planned for the record.
The songs - which have never been aired and were unknown to Stones aficionados - were discovered after Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards listened again to the original master copies of the sessions for the 1972 rock and roll classic.
The newly-discovered tracks are called Plundered My Soul, Dancing In The Light, Following The River and Pass The Win.
An insider who has heard two of the tracks said: 'Plunder My Soul is a classic authentic blues riff with an unmistakable Keith lick and abstract lyrics from Mick, while Following The River is a classic ballad in the tradition of Wild Horses.'
Jagger and Richards found the songs when they were asked by their record company, Universal Music Group, to listen to the tapes again because of plans to reissue the record.
Initially, the two stars believed they had used all the songs on the album. But when they went back into the basement of the band's offices in London, they discovered the four songs.
Sir Mick, 66, revealed: 'I went back in the archives and dug out a load of things. I added some percussion and some vocals. Keith put guitar on one or two.'
Richards, 66, added: 'I really wanted to leave them pretty much as they were. I didn't want to interfere with the Bible, you know.
'They still had that great basement sound.'
The band recorded some of the songs in an improvised studio beneath Nellcote, Richards' chateau on the French Riviera, as well as in Los Angeles and London-The length of the recording period - from 1968 to 1972 - and the various locations is also believed to be one of the reasons why the tracks disappeared.
Ironically, on its release, the album initially received a lukewarm response from critics, but it still went to number one on both sides of the Atlantic. It is now regarded as a masterpiece.
The Stones are to re-release the album with ten bonus tracks - of which four are the newly discovered songs.
It will come out on May 17 and will coincide with a documentary, Stones In Exile, which has used archive footage to chronicle the making of the record.
According to the New York Post, a Manhattan federal judge ruled yesterday (Thursday, February 25) that Ozzy Osbourne can proceed with his lawsuit against guitarist Tony Iommi over use of the BLACK SABBATH name.
Ozzy filed a lawsuit against Iommi in May 2009, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band's name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Osbourne is suing Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.
The Manhattan federal court suit also charges that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.
Lawyer Andrew DeVore argued yesterday that Osbourne signed away all his rights to the BLACK SABBATH trademark after he quit the band in 1979.
Osbourne's lawyer, Howard Shire, called that agreement a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined in 1997 and took over "quality control" of the band's merchandise, tours and recordings.
In a statement released on May 29, 2009, Ozzy said about his decision to sue Iommi, "It is with great regret that I had to resort to legal action against my long-term partner Tony Iommi, but after three years of trying to resolve this issue amicably, I feel I have no other recourse.
"As of the mid-1990s, after constant and numerous changes in band members, the brand of 'BLACK SABBATH' was literally in the toilet and Tony Iommi (touring under the name BLACK SABBATH) was reduced to performing in clubs. Since 1997, when Geezer [Butler, bass], Bill [Ward, drums] and myself rejoined the band, BLACK SABBATH has returned to its former glory as we headlined sold-out arenas and amphitheatres playing to upwards of 50,000 people at each show around the world. We worked collectively to restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name 'BLACK SABBATH,' which led to the band being inducted into the U.K. and U.S. Rock And Roll Hall of Fames in 2005 and 2006, respectively.
"Throughout the last 12 years, it was my management representatives who oversaw the marketing and quality control of the 'BLACK SABBATH' brand through Ozzfest, touring, merchandising and album reissues. The name 'BLACK SABBATH' now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour.
"Tony, I am so sorry it's had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you. I don't have the right to speak for Geezer and Bill, but I feel that morally and ethically the trademark should be owned by the four of us equally. I hope that by me taking this first step that it will ultimately end up that way. We've all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old BLACK SABBATH album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright.
"We're all in our 60s now. The BLACK SABBATH legacy should live on long after we have all gone.
"Please do the right thing."
Osbourne added in a separate online post, "I am very saddened that I've had to take legal action against Tony. This is something that I've tried to avoid for years. I am not Geezer or Bill's voice. However, 'till the day I die I will not change my mind on this issue. The BLACK SABBATH trademark should be equally owned by Geezer, Bill, Tony and I as the true BLACK SABBATH lineup is Tony, Geezer, Bill and I. We've all been mates since school. I've always said there is an invisible thread that holds us together.
"Tony, let's get this ridiculous issue sorted and move on with our lives. You're 61, I'm 60. I hope that we've got a good 20 years left in us. But if not, God forbid something happens to you. What's going to happen to the BLACK SABBATH trademark? Who's going to oversee it? Don't you think after we're long gone the rights should stay in your family, my family, Bill's family and Geezer's family?"
Ozzy's suit follows one filed by Iommi in December 2008 against Live Nation. In that filing, Iommi claims the concert giant sold merchandise bearing the band's logo, despite the 2006 expiration of a merchandising deal, reportedly worth nearly $80 million. Soon after that agreement concluded, Iommi reclaimed the band's trademark.
Iommi's suit argues Live Nation continued to sell more than 100 items of merchandise featuring the band's likeness, name and logo, despite the receipt of cease-and-desist orders from the guitarist's camp. Iommi's suit seeks damages in the amount of three times the profits from the merchandise sales, plus a halt to the BLACK SABBATH product sales.
Iommi and SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler both said some less than kind things about working with Osbourne in a spring 2009 interview with Decibel magazine. The pair released a new studio album as HEAVEN & HELL, the post-Ozzy version of SABBATH featuring vocalist Ronnie James Dio, and Butler said that working with Dio was much easier than Osbourne. He explained, "Ronnie's a songwriter in his own right — he's got tons of ideas. Whereas Ozzy . . . in the old days, he'd come up with a vocal line and I'd write the lyrics. Ronnie is 100 percent involved in both the musical side and the vocal side, and he writes his own lyrics as well."
Butler added that Osbourne didn't take him seriously as a songwriter, saying, "If we were with Ozzy and I came in with the killer riff of all time, Ozzy wouldn't even think of doing it because I'm not the guitarist and that's the way he thinks . . . That's why it was so bloody hard to write anything."
Butler said about HEAVEN & HELL's debut CD, "The Devil You Know", "If we'd written this album with Ozzy, we'd still be working on the first track."
Iommi added that there was a sharp difference between the singers live as well, saying, "It was great being with Ozzy on the road . . . but with Ronnie it's a lot different, because we go out and we know exactly what we're gonna be doing. With Ozzy, we didn't really know. It was touch and go sometimes on some of those early shows, whether he was gonna turn up, if he'd be able to sing, if his voice was gone, or what. We'd have to cancel shows, which Geezer and myself really hated. But with Ronnie, we've never canceled a show."
A QUADRIPLEGIC AC/DC fan suffered serious facial injuries when a mate accidentally hit the joystick of his motorised wheelchair and catapulted him into the mosh pit during a concert at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre on Saturday night.
Witnesses said a metal pin used by the 31-year-old Morningside man to manoeuvre objects became a spear and imbedded in his eye as his chair crashed more than a metre to the centre's floor.
QSAC faces criticism for not placing a proper barrier in front of the special wheelchair podium that would have prevented the accident.
Photos obtained by The Courier-Mail show while the podium had side and rear barriers, the only front barrier was a strip of floor timber and plastic caution tape.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/gallery/0,23816,5065693-5007115,00.html
The incident happened about 10pm as more than 45,000 fans danced to the legendary Aussie rockers during the second of their two sold-out Brisbane shows.
The man's friend moved his left hand when it struck the joystick and the wheelchair shot forward and fell end over end.
"He was shattered, just devastated by what happened," a person said of the distraught mate.
Paramedics immediately attended the quadriplegic, a former truck driver who became paralysed after an accident.
A Princess Alexandra Hospital official said the man was out of intensive care yesterday but was still in a serious, but stable condition. He had no information on whether the man had lost an eye.
QSAC venue manager Patrick Oxley had no comment and referred questions to an official for Stadiums Queensland. It issued a statement saying it was aware of the incident and was investigating.
According to Guardian.co.uk, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson's Friday-night "Rock Show" may go off the air if digital radio station BBC 6 Music gets axed as part of BBC's overhaul of its digital services.
BBC's web output could be cut in half, with online staff numbers and budgets to be slashed by 25% following director general Mark Thompson's strategic review of the corporation's scope and activities.
Dickinson has been BBC 6 Music since the station's launch.
Bruce's Friday-night "Rock Show" features the IRON MAIDEN singer introducing the best metal and hard tunes to hit the airwaves, and providing a worthy successor to the "Tommy Vance Rock Show".
Bruce has interviewed the biggest names in the rock world today, including Lemmy from MOTÖRHEAD, all four members of METALLICA and former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley.
British heavy metal legends SAXON have been confirmed for the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which is set to sail from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on January 24, 2011 and return four days later. SAXON will play two unique shows. One night they will perform the "Wheels Of Steel" LP in its entirety and on a different night, for the second show, they will play "Strong Arm Of The Law" from start to finish.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMON AMARTH
EPICA
FINNTROLL
RAVEN
SAXON
SODOM
SONATA ARCTICA
STRATOVARIUS
TROUBLE
ULI JON ROTH
WITCHBURNER
70000 Tons Of Metal will sail Monday, January 24 , 2011 aboard the Royal Caribbean "Majesty of the Seas" from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico and will not return you to the real world for four days until Friday, January 28, 2011.
Make no mistake, 70000 Tons Of Metal is not your grandma's cruise. It's also not one of the cruises that share the ship with normal cruise guests. This is an all-ship heavy metal cruise! Can you imagine that? A whole luxury cruise ship full of metalheads? And since there is no backstage area you will have the opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It's like everyone has a backstage pass and you might even need a vacation from this vacation when all is said and done!
Ticket prices start at US$666 plus US$249 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board entertainment, all meals and non-alcoholic and non-carbonated drinks at the on-board restaurants and 24-hour room service!
AEROSMITH, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, MASTODON and FEAR FACTORY have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place June 25-27, 2010 in Dessel, Belgium.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
36 CRAZYFISTS
A DAY TO REMEMBER
AEROSMITH
ALESTORM
ALL SHALL PERISH
AMON AMARTH
ANATHEMA
ANVIL
AS I LAY DYING
ATREYU
BEHEMOTH
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
BLEEDING THROUGH
BLOODBATH
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHANNEL ZERO
DEADLOCK
DEICIDE
DORO
FEAR FACTORY
GHOST BRIGADE
HAIL OF BULLETS
IGNITE
IMMORTAL
JOB FOR A COWBOY
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
KISS
KORPIKLAANI
MASTODON
MOTÖRHEAD
MUCKY PUP
MY DYING BRIDE
NECROPHOBIC
NILE
OBITUARY
PARADISE LOST
RATT
RISE TO REMAIN
SABATON
SAXON
SEPULTURA
SLAYER
STEEL PANTHER
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
TANKARD
TARJA
THE FACELESS
THERION
U.D.O.
UNEARTH
WALLS OF JERICHO
The last two headliners will be announced in the next two weeks.
The following bands have been added to this year's installment of the Hellfest, set to take place June 18-20, 2010 in Clisson, France:
AIRBOURNE
ALICE COOPER
ANNIHILATOR
AS I LAY DYING
BLASPHEME
CARCASS
DEFTONES
DOOM
ELECTRIC MARY VULCAIN
EXODUS
FEAR FACTORY
FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM
HYPOCRISY
INFECTIOUS GROOVES
KALISIA
MASS HYSTERIA
MOTÖRHEAD
SAXON
SLAYER
STONE SOUR
TAMTRUM
THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
UNEARTH
For a complete list of artists performing at this year's event, visit www.hellfest.fr.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, DEFTONES , ALICE IN CHAINS, STONE SOUR, AS I LAY DYING and DEVILDRIVER are among the newly confirmed bands for this year's Nova Rock festival, set to take place June 11-13, 2010 on the Pannonia Fields in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria (near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian and Slovak borders).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
36 CRAZYFISTS
A DAY TO REMEMBER
AIRBOURNE
ALICE IN CHAINS
AMON AMARTH
AS I LAY DYING
BEATSTEAKS
BELA B
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
DEFTONES
DEICHKIND
DEVILDRIVER
FLYLEAF
GREEN DAY
HEAVEN & HELL
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HOT WATER MUSIC
JOB FOR A COWBOY
RAMMSTEIN
RED LIGHTS FLASH
RUSSKAJA
SKA P
SLAYER
SPORTFREUNDE STILLER
STONE SOUR
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
SUBWAY TO SALLY
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
THE HIVES
THE PRODIGY
THE SORROW
UNEARTH
WOLFMOTHER
More acts will be announced soon.
According to Crain's New York Business, VELVET REVOLVER /ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan's autobiography was up for auction last week.
Based on the 40-page proposal that made the rounds of publishing houses, McKagan's book would begin on the day in 1994 when his pancreas burst from alcohol abuse. It would recount his rise through the music scene , his fall into drug abuse and his recovery, which included two years of celibacy and a degree in finance from Seattle University.
Bidding last week topped $250,000, according to an industry source cited by Crain's New York Business.
McKagan's wife, model and swimwear designer Susan Holmes, revealed via Twitter that Duff on Febraury 19 that Duff had just returned from New York City where "he met and was wooed [by] 13 of the best book publishers" regarding the U.S. release of his upcoming book.
In a May 2009 interview with TimesRecordNews, McKagan said that his book will be about his life's adventures and experiences.
"I just started writing," he said at the time. "We'll see how it goes, maybe up to 10,000 words and then I'll actually sit down and read it and see if it's going in the right direction. I like writing, and I don't take myself too seriously, so it should be interesting."
A sample of Duff's writing which may, or may not, end up in the forthcoming book can be found at SeattleWeekly.com.
Duff's VELVET REVOLVER/GUNS N' ROSES bandmate Slash has already published his own book, while ex-GUNS drummer Steven Adler will publish his life story, "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses", in June.
***UPDATE*** A spokesperson for Softdrive Records has informed BLABBERMOUTH.NET that details of Scott Weiland's live album have not yet been officially confirmed and will be announced as soon as they are available. The information below was taken from Best Buy's web site and should be treated as a rumor only.***
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS/ex-VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland will release a solo live album, entitled "Live In Los Angeles", via his own record label, Softdrive Records.
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Paralysis
02. Killing Me Sweetly
03. Mockingbird Girl
04. Big Black Monster
05. Blind Confusion
06. Mountain Song
07. Do It For the Kids
08. Interstate Love Song
09. Missing Cleveland
10. Barbarella
The CD artwork can be viewed below.
A release date for the effort has not yet been announced.
In other news, Weiland is scheduled to appear on Carlos Santana's forthcoming album, a collection of cover versions of iconic rock songs. Weiland will be featured on Santana's rendition of THE ROLLING STONES' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking".
Weiland's second solo album, "Happy In Galoshes", was released in November 2008 via Softdrive Records and distributed by New West Records/ RED/Sony. The CD, produced by Scott Weiland and Doug Grean (VELVET REVOLVER, SHERYL CROW, CRYSTAL METHOD), with select tracks recorded by Steve Albini, features a collection of songs that bring a revitalizing sound to Weiland's highly praised and unique musical style. The album also features several guest appearances including Adrian Young, Tony Kanal and Tom Dumont of NO DOUBT, who, along with Grean and Weiland, penned "Paralysis", which features Young on drums. "She's so Cold" was co-written by Gary Beers from INXS.
"Happy In Galoshes" sold 10,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart.
ADLER'S APPETITE, the band led original GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler, has been in the studio all week putting together new original music for a spring/summer release. "The songs sound great," says Adler, "It feels so good to finally be moving forward and doing this with this lineup. It's been a long time coming, but will be worth the wait."
ADLER'S APPETITE is planning on debuting some of the new songs at the Key Club on April 10. They are also in the process of approving dates for a European tour set to start mid-May.
ADLER'S APPETITE's current lineup is rounded out by vocalist Rick Stitch (of the Los Angeles-based group LADYJACK), guitarists Alex Grossi (HOOKERS 'N' BLOW, ex-QUIET RIOT) and Michael Thomas (FASTER PUSSYCAT) along with bassist Chip Z'nuff (ENUFF Z'NUFF).
ADLER'S APPETITE played its first show with Stitch on April 17, 2009 at the The Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana, California.
Singer Sheldon Tarsha announced his departure from ADLER'S APPETITE in April 2009, saying it was "time now for me to follow my heart and continue working with my original band."
According to HarperCollins.com, Steven Adler has set "My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses" as the title of his tell-all biography, which is presently scheduled for a June 22 release. The 304-page hardcover book is available for pre-order for $25.99 at this location.
Adler was featured in "Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House", an eight-episode, one hour series that premiered in January 2009 on VH1.
The other members of GUNS N' ROSES band threw Adler out in 1989, saying his drug use was harming his performance. In 1993, the band agreed to pay him $2.3 million to settle Adler's lawsuit claiming a 1990 agreement by which he gave up his interest in the band was read to him and signed without his attorney present.
According to Haaretz, METALLICA will perform at Ramat Gan Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 22, the event's promoter confirmed Saturday.
This will be METALLICA's third visit to the country; they appeared at the Amphi Park in Rishon Letzion in 1999 and Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park six years earlier.
At the end of January, METALLICA was presented with a gold plaque signifying Brazilian sales in excess of 45,000 copies of the band's 2008 album, "Death Magnetic". The band also received a platinum award recognizing sales in Brazil of more than 60,000 copies of the group's "Orgullo, Pasión Y Gloria - Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México" (Pride, Passion And Glory Three Nights In Mexico City) DVD — which was recorded on June 4, 6 and 7 of last year at Foro Sol in Mexico City. The award presentation was held in the afternoon of January 30, just hours before the band's performance at the Morumbi stadium in São Paulo.
A policeman was injured and 120 people arrested when rioting broke out outside METALLICA's January 26, 2010 concert in Santiago, Chile, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune. Authorities said that most of the arrests were made when hundreds of fans who did not have tickets attempted to force their way into the Club Hipico horse-racing grounds to see the show, which was attended by a crowd of more than 50,000. Police colonel Miguel Angel Castro said, "A group of people tried to enter without tickets and Carabineros (militarized police) had to act, launching water."
Charges against those arrested included disorderly conduct, drug possession and drinking in public.
The gig was the sixth on METALLICA's South American trek, which began on January 19 with the band's first-ever appearance in Lima, Peru. The crowd of 55,000 at that show was the biggest for a musical event in Peruvian history.
The group wrapped the first leg of the jaunt at the end of January in Brazil, resuming in early March with stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama and Colombia.
MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson will take part in an online chat on Saturday, February 27 at the MegaFanClub at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
This is a fan-club-members-only chat. You must be a member of the MegaFanClub to participate. Click here to join.
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine revealed in his latest TheLiveLine "audioblog" that the band has commenced filming a video for the song "The Right To Go Insane".
"The Right To Go Insane" comes off MEGADETH's latest album, "Endgame", which was recorded at Vic's Garage, the band's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California. The CD was helmed by Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).
MEGADETH will join forces with TESTAMENT and EXODUS for a month-long jaunt that will find these thrash titans crisscrossing the nation on the "Rust in Peace" twentieth anniversary tour. These will be incredibly special shows that will delight MEGADETH fans, as the band will be playing its landmark, genre-defining album, 1990's "Rust in Peace", in its entirety, in addition to other MEGADETH setlist favorites.
The tour will kick off on March 1 in Spokane, Washington and will run through the end of the month.
Former KISS and current GRAND FUNK RAILROAD guitarist Bruce Kulick will guest on "Eddie Trunk Live" on Monday, March 1 on Sirius (channel 19) / XM Radio (channel 53). The program airs from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. EST.
Kulick's third solo album, "BK3", sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"BK3" was released in Europe on January 29 via Frontiers Records and in North America on February 2 through Twenty 4 Records/Rocket Science Ventures. The first single from the album was released on January 12. The track "Hand Of The King", featuring Nick Simmons (son of KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons), is a digital-only release available at all online music stores, including iTunes.
If you ever play Six Degrees of Bruce Kulick, the guitarist's résumé will keep you happily busy for hours. Having been tapped by artists as diverse as Meat Loaf and Kanye West, the veteran axeman's boundless creative energy permeates his third solo LP, "BK3". In the works for nearly six years and produced by Jeremy Rubolino, "BK3" delivers explosive hard rock arrangements and addictive pop melodies that honor both Kulick's singular past and bright future. And then there's the jaw-dropping guest list, boasting members of KISS, THE KNACK, TOTO, MÖTLEY CRÜE and more.
"BK3" track listing:
01. Fate
02. Ain't Gonna Die (featuring Gene Simmons )
03. No Friend Of Mine (featuring John Corabi)
04. Hand of the King (featuring Nick Simmons)
05. I'll Survive
06. Dirty Girl (featuring Doug Fieger)
07. Final Mile
08. I'm The Animal (featuring Tobias Sammet & Eric Singer)
09. And I Know
10. Between The Lines (featuring Steve Lukather)
11. Life
BANG TANGO, BULLETBOYS and original W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes will perform at "Darryl Kunkle's Kick Cancer's Ass" benefit show on Tuesday, March 9 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Hard Rock Café at Station Square. The show will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a special spiritual tribute to local '80s metal fan Darryl Kunkle, who was diagnosed with a form of cancer called mesothelioma.
The "Darryl Kunkle's Kick Cancer's Ass" benefit concert is being produced by Lawless Entertainment and will be filmed by local TV show "GlamSLAM28 Presents…The Music Asylum" for future airing.
BANG TANGO's lineup for the performance will include original lead singer Joe Leste alongside Alex Grossi (QUIET RIOT, ADLER'S APPETITE) on guitar, Anthony Focx (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) on guitar, Trent Anderson (DOGS DIVINE, D'MOLLS) on drums and Lance Eric (LUNCHBOX) on bass.
Holmes will play a special "W.A.S.P.-plus" set with members of BANG TANGO and guest lead singers.
Kunkle underwent a 14.5-hour surgery earlier this month to remove a giant tumor from his abdomen to the crust of his diaphragm. While in the I.C.U., Kunkle awoke to greet his wife, Dianne, with a "Hi, sweet pea" and later alerted the doctors that in no way shape or form would he be staying in the hospital any longer than needed because he "had a show that he was NOT going to miss." The doctors feel that they got 99% of the cancer out, but Kunkle will be undergoing additional chemotherapy.
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is believed to be attributed to exposure to asbestos.
Kunkle was enlisted in the Air Force stationed in Panama and was trained to work on brake linings that may have been lined with asbestos. He was also employed by the Nabisco company for six years in which the building he worked was closed for asbestos removal.
This show will benefit Kunkle's additional medical and prescription costs.
Get tickets at www.showclix.com or by contacting the Hard Rock Café by phone at 412-481-ROCK. Tickets are only $13 in advance and $15 at the door.
At Guitar Center in Robinson Township , guitarists Chris Holmes and Alex Grossi will make an in-store appearance from 5 to 6 p.m. BANG TANGO and Chris Holmes will take a private tour of Heinz Field, soaking in the Pittsburgh culture earlier in the day as well.
DOWN/ex-PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo has signed a contract with MetalSucks.net writer and acclaimed true crime author Corey Mitchell to help pen the singer's autobiography. An official press release on the matter is expected next week.
Anselmo was recently interviewed for the 200th issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, which coincided with the five-year anniversary of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN) passing. When asked if he feels he's been portrayed fairly in the wake of PANTERA's break-up, Anselmo said, "If someone's formed an opinion about me, it's a vicarious opinion and they don't know me personally, so I always say that you can't form an opinion about somebody through the black-and-white words in glossy, overpriced magazines.
"I think that anyone who knows me or has spent time with me wil llet you know that they got my back. They know I'm a good man. I know I'm a good man and life can be cruel and life can be hard, but it shows character, so I think with that character, everything's been just OK."
Regarding how he has changed in the five years since Dimebag's tragic passing, Anselmo said, "I guess back surgery would be one of the big things.
"Once you have titanium in your body, especially the way I do, a triple fusion... I destroyed three discs, jumping all over the stage, into the crowd, off PA speakers, off Vinnie Paul's [PANTERA] drum set...
"I crushed my back for the cause, for the music. I bled every night for the music.
"I was very young. I didn't know what else to do.
"I definitely have an addictive personality but it's apparent that painkillers and drugs and whatnot are addictive. You take a look around at today's youth and you take a look... it's a plague, especially in America. It's a fucking plague. People of all ages, man, not just the youth. So I fell into that trap. Either way, I came out of that trap.
"Once you have hardware in your body, you have to respect every moment. Every morning I wake up, there's regimens. There is no time for me to get smashed drunk anymore. I can't afford hangovers. I can't afford my muscles to be dehydrated. I hurts. It only makes my day worse.
"I have to do a 30-minute stretch-out regimen every morning before I do anything. So there's a lot of discipline in my life.
"I've... I guess it's a common thing for people who have truly overcome in their minds, to reach out and help other people who are struggling.
"I gave a talk at a local college last year... or when I was rehabbing... it was earlier this year [2009], maybe March, something like that. Anyway, I did a talk at Loyola University to about 300 music majors [see first of seven video clips below]. They had had a classmate overdose and die and it had affected everybody in the class. I was asked to come and talk to these people and I did and it was a great experience.
"Other than that, I've reached out and I've helped several motherfuckers with battling addictions. I've fought tooth and nail for their lives...
"Put it this way, I guess I got about a 80/20 success ratio as far as that goes. Some people are just not ready. Some people need to learn for themselves. They need to hit rock bottom. As much as we all try to help... and I remember clearly, people telling me, 'Phil! Phil! There's something wrong,' and 'You've got to do this, you've got to do that,' and I was sitting there thinking I was the most important fucking person on Earth because my back was hurting and I'd be like, 'There's no fucking way I'm quitting drugs...' It's a very common thread among motherfuckers. Denial and anger and resentment at people fighting for your life, so I've been going through a lot of that lately, helping motherfuckers out.
"You know, my house is open to those people who really want to succeed. I've had people come out to my woods and get their heads on straight. And when you help someone else out, it only reinforces your strength. It really does. It really does."
EXODUS, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DARK TRANQUILLITY, JORN, GRAND MAGUS, THERAPY?, ADEPT, SWITCH OPENS, DEGRADEAD, CRESCENDOLLS and SURVIVING THE CHARAD have been confirmed for this year's Getaway Rock festival, set to take place July 8-10 in Gävle, Sweden.
Comments festival manager Tomas Jernberg: "When we in the fall of '09 initiated the thought of doing a festival we decided to focus on booking real good bands and to keep with our concept. We aimed for a broad line-up and our ambition has always been to offer the visitors high quality acts. When we now can announce EXODUS and CANNIBAL CORPSE, whom has been frequently requested through our forums, website, as well as DARK TRANQULLITY and the U.K. legends THERAPY?, on top of the acts we previously announced, it feels like we are getting there."
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ADEPT
AGGRESSIVE CHILL
AIRBOURNE
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CAVALERA CONSPIRACY
CORRODED
CRESCENDOLLS
CRUCIFIED BARBARA
DARK TRANQUILITY
DEATHSTARS
DEGRADEAD
DEICIDE
ENGEL
EUROPE
EXODUS
GRAND MAGUS
HEAVEN'S BASEMENT
ISOBEL & NOVEMBER
JORN
LAVETT
MEGADETH
MOTÖRHEAD
MUSTASCH
OVERKILL
RAUBTIER
SONIC SYNDICATE
SURVIVING THE CHARAD
SWITCH OPENS
THE GENERALS
THE QUIREBOYS
THERAPY?
VADER
WOLF
The festival will host three stages and over 60 bands.
For more information, visit www.getawayrock.se.
The Triton Power Cruise — which was set to sail April 30 - May 3 on the Carnival Imagination from Miami, Florida — has been cancelled. The organizers have issued the following statement on the matter:
"Due to an extreme medical crisis within the promoter's family, it is with a heavy soul we report the cancellation of the Triton Power Cruise. This cancellation does not represent a failure on behalf of any individual, band, sponsor, ticket sales, or the cruise line. Any speculation otherwise would be categorically erroneous.
"All tickets purchased may be honored to cruise on the Carnival Imagination without the event and a partial refund will be credited to those exercising this option. Purchasers who would prefer a full refund will receive 100% of their purchase paid."
The Triton Power Cruise was scheduled to feature performances by the following acts:
CIRCLE II CIRCLE
CRIMSON GLORY
THE ELEMENT
EUMERIA
EVERGREY
FUTURES END
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
PAGAN'S MIND
SEVEN WITCHES
SHADOW GALLERY
For more information, visit www.tritonpowercruise.com.
Guitarist Herman Li of British extreme epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE will embark on an Ibanez -sponsored guitar workshop tour of Europe. Apart from showcasing his unique playing style, Herman will answer questions from the audience and talk about everything from performance techniques, to the business side of the music industry.
"I really want to encourage people to come to these workshops not just to sit and watch, but to participate and ask questions to get as much as they can from this experience," said Herman. "I'm looking forward to connecting with the fans on a more personal level and being able to share some knowledge with them first hand."
Here are the confirmed dates so far, with more to be added:
Mar. 09 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Feedback
Mar. 10 - Saint-Nicolas, Belgium - Key Music
Mar. 11 - Niederlenz, Switzerland - Musik Produktiv Schweiz AG
Mar. 12 - Pfaeffikon, Switzerland - Seedamm Music Store
Mar. 13 - Morges, Switzerland - Boullard Musique SA
Mar. 14 - St. Gallen, Switzerland - Musik Shop
Mar. 16 - Nancy, France - Music Academy International
Mar. 17 - Toulon, France - Le Vox – Steel Music – La Garde
Mar. 18 - Trento, Italy - La Pietra Music Planet
Mar. 19 - Modena, Italy - Lenzotti Strumenti Musicali
Mar. 20 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock and Classics S.L
Mar. 22 - Seville, Spain - MAT Guitar & Bass
Mar. 23 - Lisbon, Portugal - Music Factory
Apr. 27 - Guildford, United Kingdom - ACM
Apr. 28 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - PMT
For more information, visit www.hermanli.com.
Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD have cancelled the remaining shows on their Norwegian tour because vocalist Steve Lee was taken ill. According to the Norwegian newspaper Haugesunds Avis, Lee was forced to leave the stage 35 minutes into GOTTHARD's February 25 performance in Bergen and was rushed to a medical center, where he was diagnosed with high fever and a damaged voice. He is not allowed to speak for ten days in order to insure full recovery.
Ticket refunds for the cancelled GOTTHARD shows are available at points of purchase.
GOTTHARD's latest album, "Need To Believe", was recently certified platinum in the band's home country for sales in excess of 30,000 copies.
The group was presented with the platinum-award plaques on January 9 at the "Swiss Awards 2009", which also included the TV premiere of GOTTHARD's new radio single, "Don't Let Me Down".
GOTTHARD's "Unconditional Faith" video can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Zagreb, Croatia last summer and it features performance footage filmed inside the boxing ring that was used in an upcoming movie in which boxing champion Henry Maske plays the title role of Max Schmeling.
"Need To Believe" was released on September 4, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Touting eleven No. 1 albums and six Top 10 singles in their career, GOTTHARD has opened for such renowned artists as AC/DC , DEEP PURPLE, BRYAN ADAMS and BON JOVI throughout Europe. The band has also had the honor of performing at the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival, is two-time winner of its native country's Prix Walo Award, recipient of Monaco's International Music Award, and has had its music featured on the soundtrack to the European television series "Frankie".
According to a posting on KITTIE's official Twitter profile, the Canadian all-girl metal band just got confirmed for its first support tour in 10 years." The group states, "Finally a band with enough balls to take us on tour! Stay tuned for big tour news!"
In a recent interview with RockMusicStar.com, KITTIE guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander stated about the band's touring plans, "We have some stuff that's coming down the pipe right now. But nothing is 100% confirmed, so I really can't give you any guarantee. But expect to see us out on a touring, festival kind of tour in July and August. And there's some other things as well, that hopefully will be happening in September. But with this industry, you don't really know if it's actually going to happen or not, until you are standing on the stage. It's crazy."
KITTIE's latest album, "In The Black", sold around 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 132 on The Billboard 200 chart.
KITTIE's previous CD, "Funeral for Yesterday", opened with 9,000 units back in February 2007 to land at No. 101.
"In The Black" was made available in Europe on October 23, 2009 via Germany's Massacre Records.
Regarding KITTIE's new video, "Sorrow I Know", Morgan Lander recently told AOL's Noisecreep, "We are a metal band, but as women, we wanted to do a role-playing, dress-up video. All of our videos have always been us in the live setting, with some storyline. We wanted more costume-y video, with a little more movie feel. . . We had the idea for the 1920s, with a speakeasy concept. We thought about it for quite some time and brought it to Dave Brodsky, who directed it, so the search began for some authentic-looking speakeasy. We found a place in New York called The Back Room, which is a 'members-only' place, and we got to rent it out for the day. They still serve all of their drinks in tea cups, prohibition style, and we did a casting call for the extras and our fans and kids from message board came out. People flew from Florida and all kinds of places to be in it. The makeup and hair took a long time, since the styles of the day were complicated."
Berlin, Germany's PitCam Production conducted an interview with KITTIE when the group played in Berlin on January 6, 2010. Watch the chat below.
FEAR FACTORY and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES have been confirmed for this year's FortaRock festival, set to take place July 3, 2010 at Park Brakkestein in Nijmegen, Holland.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
BEHEMOTH
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
DEICIDE
DECAPITATED
ENSIFERUM
EX DEO
FEAR FACTORY
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
KREATOR
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
For more information, visit www.fortarock.nl.
Eulogy Recordings has announced the signing of New Jersey's ENDER. The band's debut album, "This Is Revenge", was recorded at Treehouse Studios in Jersey City with producer Weston Kleinknecht for a spring release.
Commented drummer Danny Lavarco: "We are very excited to announce that we have signed with Eulogy Recordings. We join the ranks of such great bands they have put out over the years and are stoked to be a part of the Eulogy family.
"We wanted a label that would absolutely love our band, and Eulogy definitely was the right route to take.
"We will be announcing a release date for our album soon, and as well as a bunch of tours we are currently working on right now. We will also have a bunch of new merch to go along with it.
"We are excited to work with John and the rest of the staff over at Eulogy!
"We thank everyone for their support over the one year we have been a band and it's all because of you guys that this is all happening for us. We can't wait to get the album out and see everyone on the road!"
Eulogy owner John Wylie added, "ENDER is relentless and determined to be heard. From the first time I heard this band I knew that they were something special. They combine a number of different elements of heavy music to create a band that demands your attention. We are very excited to have them as part of Eulogy."
ENDER is a hardcore/metal band from New Jersey. Formed in May 2009, the group wasted no time, writing and recording a handful of songs and hitting the road for a self-booked three-week tour July 24-August 17, 2009.
ENDER is:
Danny Lavarco - Drums
Casey Conlon - Guitar
Sal Latrenta - Guitar
Mark Costa - Bass
Joe Benducci - Vocals
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/enderhardcore.
After spending two "intense" months at Necromorbus Studio (NOMINON, AVERSE SEFIRA, FUNERAL MIST, NEX, ONDSKAPT, MORK GRYNING, ADORIOR) in Alvik, Sweden, Swedish black metallers WATAIN have finally completed work on their as-yet-untitled fourth album, to be released by Season Of Mist on June 7.
Commented WATAIN frontman Erik "E" Danielsson: "I am now holding in my hand the final master tape of what might be the most dynamic and charged WATAIN release ever recorded. May the gods unto which it is written be pleased!
"We are very much looking forward to share this rich feast with our followers, whom we know have been hungering for a very long time. All I can say is that it will be worth the wait.
"We raise our cups unto all of you whose patience and support have been constant during the three fiery years since the release of 'Sworn to the Dark' and look forward to set the night aflame with you again soon!"
After announcing their special BATHORY tribute set on June 12 as part of this year's Sweden Rock Festival, WATAIN were approached by Sweden Rock Magazine to record a BATHORY cover for a special CD. In collaboration with Sweden Rock Magazine and Season Of Mist, WATAIN has put together a special CD that all subscribers of the magazine will get with issue #70 (out April 6). The CD consists of a cover of BATHORY's "The Return of Darkness and Evil" as well as the brand new track "Reaping Death", from WATAIN's asupcoming CD.
"The cool thing about Sweden Rock Magazine is that it covers metal's traditions and history and what metalhead head isn't aware of the genre's history?" says WATAIN frontman Erik "E" Danielsson. "It felt like the right forum for a tribute to BATHORY, one of extreme metal's forefathers, especially the Scandinavian side of it. All the pieces fell into place."
WATAIN didn't go for the obvious. Instead the band decided to do a cover of the early version of BATHORY's "The Return of Darkness and Evil", found on the cult 1984 compilation album "Scandinavian Metal Attack".
"It was the first recording BATHORY ever did and to me it feels like that song, in that version, sums up BATHORY: a Satanic MOTÖRHEAD, a pitchblack G.B.H. It's rooted in what was heaviest at the time, but took it one step further," says E.
BATHORY founder Quorthon died on June 3, 2004 from heart failure. What would he think of WATAIN covering his early work?
"I hope and think that our love of BATHORY is very apparent and I think he would've been very proud," says E. "We've rarely agreed to do a tribute, except in the case of DISSECTION. Our version is a pure tribute. We're not trying to make it into a WATAIN song, we're just pointing a big fucking spotlight at BATHORY. Hail the hordes!"
For more information, visit www.swedenrockmagazine.com.
Last but not least, WATAIN will release a single entitled "Reaping Death". It will be made available as a picture seven-inch EP on Walpurgisnacht. This single will feature the track "Reaping Death" along with a special B-side.
U.K. extreme metallers ANAAL NATHRAKH have commenced work on material for a new album, tentatively due before the end of the year.
ANAAL NATHRAKH's latest LP, "In The Constellation Of The Black Widow", was released in June 2009 via Candlelight Records. A limited-edition gatefold colored vinyl version of the effort was made available at the same time via Feto Records (the label run by NAPALM DEATH's Shane Embury and ANAAL NATHRAKH's Mick Kenney).
Drummer Joakim Antonsson has left Swedish melodic death metallers THE COLD EXISTENCE in order to focus on his other band NOX AUREA. The remaining members of THE COLD EXISTENCE say in a statement, "There is no hard feelings between the band and Joakim for this and we wish him good luck with his other bands."
The band adds, "We are in the middle of the writings for our new album that will be released on Pulverised Records later this year and PTR Derenius from Swedish band MALEFICIO will contribute with his drumming on this album. Bassist Peter Laustsen played together with PTR several years before and can promise that his skills will give the band the little extra we are looking for."
THE COLD EXISTENCE's third album will be recorded at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND guitarist) Sonic Train studios in Varberg, Sweden with Peter Laustsen at the helm. According to the label, THE COLD EXISTENCE's new material is "very fast and brutal and will be the best album by this band yet."
THE COLD EXISTENCE's latest album, "Sombre Gates", was released in March 2009 through Kolony Records. According to a press release, "bearing the legacy of DISSECTION, [THE COLD EXISTENCE's] blackened/death metal non-compromising sound is also reminiscent of such seminal bands as BEHEMOTH, NILE, AT THE GATES and HYPOCRISY. Willing to tour steadily through Europe, the band now relies on the super heavy and ultra-fast sound of an Andy La Rocque-mastered (KING DIAMOND) release. Black/death metal at its finest!"
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/thecoldexistenceonline.
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