2010 – Sammy Hagar on Sharing Chickenfoot Drummer with Chili Peppers, Autobiography
Chickenfoot is four songs and “seven pieces of new music” into its second album, according to frontman Sammy Hagar. But he acknowledges there’s some concern about keeping that not-so-old gang of theirs together.
The challenge is drummer Chad Smith and his regular gig with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are currently writing for the follow-up to 2006′s “Stadium Arcadium.” “Once they start recording, Chad’s never going to be able to get a break,” Hagar tells Billboard.com. “If he does, he’ll get a couple weeks here, a couple days there, which is not really enough to devote to Chickenfoot. And when they’re done with [the album] they’re gonna go on the road for a year and a half. So we either have to get a new drummer or wait for Chad…which is unfair to Chickenfoot. It’s too good a band.”
But Hagar says he, Smith and rest of Chickenfoot — guitarist Joe Satriani and founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony — are not frustrated by the situation. “We care, but at the same time [Chickenfoot] is not mandatory,” Hagar explains. “It’s not like we feel like, ‘Hey, this is our only chance in life.’ Everyone’s already been there, done that. Chickenfoot is not our bread and butter, and I think that’s really important.”
Chickenfoot will play together again on Sept. 10 in Indio, Calif., and Sept. 11 in Stateline, Nev. Hagar says the group had plans to hit the studio after that but things are “kind of up in the air.”
However, the frontman is stoked by the material he and Satriani are writing, including the four songs Chickenfoot has already worked on as a quartet. “We probably have a record ready to go,” Hagar reports. “It’s just waiting for when we can all get together to do it” — a process also complicated by the Oct. 5 release of Satriani’s next album, “Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards,” and a three-plus month world tour that starts Oct. 16 in Ireland and comes to North America in December.
Meanwhile, Hagar and his band the Wabos are currently supporting Aerosmith. He has no recording plans of his own at the moment but is working on an autobiography, “Red,” with San Francisco music journalist Joel Selvin that he promises will be “really revealing, right down to just about everything you’d want to know” — including his tenures in Montrose and Van Halen.
“I figure there’s only one shot at an autobiography, and you’ve got to tell the story, as much as it may be painful,” says Hagar, who has made two previous attempts at his memoirs. “I really believe there’s a lot of people out there that really have no idea where I came from and who I really am. I’ve never been a press junkie, and I think that’s a good thing. So I think the book is going to blow people’s minds.”
2010 – Due to illness and under doctor’s orders, Jackson Browne will not be able to perform his show in Buffalo, NY at the Shea Performing Arts Center scheduled for tonight, August 30, 2010. Efforts are being made to reschedule, and at his time, his tour will resume on September 1, 2010. Refunds available at point of purchase. Ok conspiracy buffs. Justin Bieber also cancelled a New York state appearance “Due to illness and under doctor’s orders”. Coincidence? We’ll wait for someone to start a blog and somehow link these two together.
2010 – Serj Tankian says System of a Down have discussed how to deal with a potential reunion – and even though they haven’t agreed whether or when to do it, they know how they’ll tell the world.
The singer eels he’s been misquoted in stories which say he’s working on a jazz album, and System fans are underestimated when it comes to understanding his solo career.
Tankian tells Rock Radio’s Andrew Watson: “I’m not working on a jazz album at all. My album is orchestral rock, a very different thing. I’ve written a jazz opera, though, and it will open in Cambridge, Massachusetts, soon. It’s two different things.
“I’m asked if I think System fans might be bewildered with the solo work I’m doing. That’s not giving our fans enough credit. They like more than just heavy metal music – so do most people. So they’ll find it quite easy to get my music, and come with me if they want to.”
SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjian last week hinted a reunion could be on the cards, even though Tankian has commented he’s happy with his solo work. But he confirms the subject has been raised.
The frontman says: “If we decide to do it, the first people to find out will be our fans, on the website. We’ve all agreed that as a band.”
Rock Radio broadcasts a Reading/Leeds special this afternoon (Sunday, August 29) at 2pm, with Rock DJ Tom Russell presenting some of the bands playing this year while looking back at acts who have appeared in the past.
2010 – As reported before, Carlos Santana‘s new album “GUITAR HEAVEN” will feature his version of Leppard’s “PHOTOGRAPH”, with Chris Daughtry on vocals. The album won’t be out until September 21st, but here’s a sneak peek of the song shot during a special showcase live show in Las Vegas last week.
2010 – Michael Jackson is most downloaded artist of all time: Report
LONDON: ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson has become the most downloaded artist of all time and is most popular in India, according to a new report.
The ‘Thriller’ hitmaker, who died of a drug overdose aged 50 last June, is the world’s most popular solo star, ahead of the likes of Lady Gaga, Elvis Presley, the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna according to download records from Nokia’s Ovi Music Store.
Musicologist Geoff Roberts believes the singer’s birthday which is today could be responsible for an increase in his popularity, Contactmusic reported.
“Michael Jackson has always been a pop music legend. But the anniversary of his death and upcoming birthday celebrations seem to have revived Jackson fever as fans rediscover his songs – making him the most popular solo artist of all time,” Roberts said.
Jackson is most popular in India where he accounts for 26 per cent of the country’s entire Ovi downloads, followed by the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Finland.
His 1982 single ‘Beat It’ is the most popular track at the Ovi store, with ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Thriller’ close behind.
Meanwhile Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Indiana, will mark his birthday with a party outside his childhood home.
2010 – OZZY OSBOURNE
RELEASES “LIFE WON’T WAIT,”
THE SECOND SINGLE FROM
HIS WORLDWIDE SMASH ALBUM ‘SCREAM’
THE VIDEO FOR THE SONG IS BEING DIRECTED
BY JACK OSBOURNE
FIRST-EVER OZZY iTUNES APP
AVAILABLE NOW
As OZZY OSBOURNE gears up for the August 14 launch of the 2010 OZZFest, the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has released “Life Won’t Wait,” the second single from his worldwide smash Epic Records album SCREAM, which entered the charts in June in the Top Ten in more than 10 countries. The video for the hard-hitting and melodic life-affirming song is being directed by OZZY’s son, Jack Osbourne, and it was shot last week at various locations in Los Angeles.
At the same time, OZZY’s first-ever official free iTunes app–simply called OZZY–is available now and allows fans to enter the world of The Prince of Darkness. Users can experience music from OZZY’s 30-year solo career with access to a full discography featuring direct links to his iTunes page for a one-stop link to purchase of any song or album from his catalog. In addition, once downloaded, users can view music videos and photo galleries, access OZZY’s current concert dates and buy tickets for upcoming shows, or can instantly post comments and photos from shows they’ve just attended. A built-in fan wall also allows users to communicate with each other and search (by location) to find fellow OZZY fans in their town. The OZZY app is fully integrated with his official Twitter feed and has direct links to all of his other social networking sites as well as Ozzy’s official online store.
SCREAM is OZZY’s first album in three years and 10th studio album overall. He recorded most of it at his Los Angeles home studio, The Bunker. It was produced by OZZY and Kevin Churko, both of whom did the same honors for OZZY’s 2007 worldwide million-seller Black Rain. OZZY co-wrote all the songs on SCREAM, primarily with Churko. First single “Let Me Hear You Scream” hit #1 on both Active Rock charts (for two weeks) and #1 at Mainstream Rock (for 11 weeks). “Life Won’t Wait” is being cited in various reviews as one of the album’s standout tracks.
2010 – Ozzy still ready for the challenge of being Ozzy
By Rege Behe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Ozzy Osbourne has been the subject of more parodies than most sitting presidents. He’s variously portrayed as the intemperate rock star, the guy who bit the head off a bat during a concert, or the hapless father at odds with his family on the reality show “The Osbournes.But during a recent teleconference to promote Ozzfest, which arrives Thursday at the First Niagara Pavilion in Burgettstown, Osbourne projects a different image. Sure, he’s sometimes hard to understand, but that’s only because of his Brummie accent, the regional dialect particular to natives of Birmingham, England. He’s cogent, thoughtful and most importantly, sober.The latter condition is a relatively new state for the 61-year-old musician, one he admits he wasn’t keen to embrace.”When I first started to get sober, I thought, ‘Well, how can I enjoy music without drugs or alcohol in my system?’ ” he says. “And I had to come to a decision where I’d get help …A clean and sober Ozzy seems like an amusement park without the roller coasters. But Osbourne doesn’t really miss the attendant drama that comes with substance abuse. With a new album, “Scream,” a new healthier regimen and perhaps a new sense of purpose, he sounds revitalizedJust don’t expect any mischief with Motley Cure, who joined with Osbourne in 1984 for “one of the most intense tours I ever did,” he says. “I don’t think that it’s going to be as it was, I mean, in the respect of getting loaded and all that (stuff). I don’t do that anymore, you know.But despite past foibles and misadventures, he never took live performances for granted.”When everything is in the right place and it’s going well and my voice is on form, you know, and the crowd is giving me some craziness …. when it’s going great, there’s nothing in the world to come anywhere near — love, sex, drugs, there’s nothing can touch it,” he says. “But at the other end of the spectrum, when it’s going bad, there’s nothing worse, as bad as that. The challenge is still there for me.With Ozzfest, however, all Osbourne basically does is show up. When asked about selecting the bands on the tour, he says son Jack takes care of that detail. Asked about any new innovations with his stage show, and he replies, “I ask Sharon (his wife) what I got to do.But Osbourne is being pro-active in one area that means the world to him. Osbourne recently stated that he’d be in favor of reuniting with original Black Sabbath members Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.”We’re talking and that’s a good sign,” he says.”We’re not at war with each other … I was speaking to Bill Ward last night. I’ve got to speak to the other two. But it was in the last attempt where we just all met without saying anything to each other (after) quite a few years. I’m trying to get things done right, talking at least. I can’t give any dates, ’cause I don’t know anything. I don’t know whether they want to do it with me, or whatever, but I’m starting to feel (things) ease up for it. To be honest with you, I would love to do a killer Black Sabbath album. It would make my life, my whole thing, round up perfectly for me.There is one other thing Osbourne would like to accomplish before his voice deserts him or before he’s too old to care: He’d like to have a No. 1 record in the United States, something that eluded him even in the halcyon days of Sabbath. And if conditions are right, Osbourne might even try to reinvent himself.”I’d like to get a fictitious band name and do something completely different than heavy music, you know,” he says. “(Do) something a different way, because being Ozzy Osbourne — having the track record I’ve had — it’s very difficult. But if I want to try something like a blues album, it’s very difficult to do that. (It would be) ‘What the hell is he doing now?’ “
2010 – Welcome news for Van Halen fans: The clearest signs that an album and tour are in the works for next year have emerged.
While the webosphere has bantered rumors and various reports about a possible album with original frontman David Lee Roth since last year, a recent release announcing a re-upped deal between publisher Warner/Chappell and Eddie and Alex Van Halen stated that the band “is currently in the studio recording an album with Roth that is due for release in 2011.”
Meanwhile, Van Halen manager and Live Nation Entertainment executive chairman Irivng Azoff mentioned on a conference call last month and an earning’s call last night that Van Halen was expected to tour next year. That’s good news for Live Nation as a disappointing 2010 season is hitting the touring giant’s earnings. Van Halen’s 2008 reunion tour with Roth was a massive success. It raked in a total gross of more than $93 million and close to one million in attendance from 74 shows, according to Billboard Boxscore.
A new Van Halen album would be the band’s first studio album since 1998′s “Van Halen III,” which featured vocals by Gary Cherone, and the first with Roth since 1983′s “1984,” one of the band’s best-selling albums.
2010 – QUEENSRŸCHE Brings Cabaret Show To Las Vegas – July 27, 2010
Fan-filmed video footage of Seattle progressive rockers QUEENSRŸCHE performing the song “Another Rainy Night (Without You)” on July 24, 2010 at the Crown Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of the band’s current Queensrÿche Cabaret tour can be viewed below.
A review of the concert is available at Examiner.com.
QUEENSRŸCHE’s Queensrÿche Cabaret tour is being filmed for future DVD release. The trek, which kicked off last Thursday, was previously described by the group as “Teatro ZinZanni meets Cirque du Soleil, with the band performing their hits and never-heard-before selections accompanied by go-go dancers, burlesque dancers, drag queens, a juggler, ballet dancer, trapeze artist, a contortionist and others. Definitely a fun-filled evening like no other full of freaks and shrieks!”
In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, singer Geoff Tate stated about QUEENSRŸCHE’s upcoming album, set for release in 2011, “It’s a progression away from where we’ve been — into some new territories. [It's a] very modern approach to what we do — modernizing our sound a bit more. . . It’s kind of a modern approach to song arrangement — utilizing different sound effects and sounds sources; playing the instruments in a different way than what we have before; really experimenting a lot with the structure of rhythm and bringing it into what’s modern.
“Next year is our 30th anniversary. We’ve done a lot of different kinds of records at different times. We’re definitely trying to make a record of the time, rather than something of a different time. How’s that for vague?”
QUEENSRŸCHE’s twelfth studio LP, the epic concept album “American Soldier”, was made available from Atco/Rhino in March 2009 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital). The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group’s singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts — from World War II to Iraq — Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war.
2010 – Ozzy: I’d Never Have Removed Daisley And Kerslake From Albums
mdome / News / 07/07/2010 15:23pm
Ozzy Osbourne has said he was against the idea of replacing Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake’s work on his first two solo albums.
In 2002, bassist Daisley and drummer Kerslake were removed from the Blizzard Of Ozz and Diary Of A Madman albums, after they took legal action for unpaid royalties. Their parts were replaced by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin respectively.
Ozzy told Pulse Radio: “Believe me, it wasn’t my doing. I mean, I didn’t know that was being done, ’cause Sharon (Osbourne) was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, ‘What did you do that for?’ And she said, ‘The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.’ And I said, ‘You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.’ I mean, I wouldn’t have done that.”
The original recordings are being restored for the 30th anniversary reissues of these iconic albums. These are due out later in 2010.
2010 – LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – The good news for Stone Temple Pilots is that the band’s first studio album in nine years will be the highest debut on the U.S. pop chart next week.
The bad news is that it will likely sell only 60,000-70,000 copies, industry prognosticators say.
Still, that might be enough to dislodge current Billboard 200 champ, “Glee – The Music Volume 3: Showstoppers,” which opened at No. 1 Wednesday with sales of 136,000 units last week.
Stone Temple Pilots’ self-titled album marks the follow-up to 2001′s “Shangri-La Dee Da” which opened at No. 9 with 98,000 copies. Before that, “No. 4″ bowed at No. 6 with 120,500 units in 1999. Meanwhile, “Purple” (1994, No. 1) and “Tiny Music … Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop” (1996, No. 4) averaged opening-week sales of more than 207,000 copies.
The second-highest debut could be the “Sex and the City 2″ soundtrack, which may sell around 30,000 copies. With the film bowing in theaters Thursday, that number could grow. The soundtrack for the first film opened at No. 2 with 66,000 copies two years ago.
Other sets expected to debut high on the Billboard 200 next week include Marc Anthony’s “Iconos” and Widespread Panic’s “Dirty Side Down.”
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