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.”
Read our Review of Van Halen Guitar Hero on Sony PS3 From Activision.
The undeniable success of Beatles Rock Band and Metallica Guitar Hero has shown that rhythm action games that celebrate the works of one band can be fun, entertaining and profitable. I mean, who wouldn’t want to breeze through a rendition of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ with a few friends or to rip it up with a run through of the heavy metal stormer ‘Battery’ with some boozed up buddies. So when Activision announced they were bringing out a Guitar Hero dedicated to Van Halen, I couldn’t help but wonder why?
Do people even listen to Van Halen anymore? Their brand of stadium filling 80s ‘cock-rock’ seems about as irrelevant to today’s musical climate as you can get. Even at their heyday they only had a handful of decent tunes, surely not enough to dedicate an entire game to on the already bloated Guitar Hero franchise. So why does this game exist at all? Can there really be enough die-hard Van Halen fans in the world to financially support this release? Even with the vast amounts of non-Halen filler songs that litter this game (tenuously chosen by the young 17 year old Wolfgang Van Halen and consisting mainly of awful pop-punk and middle of the road American rock) it is hard to imagine anyone caring enough to pay full whack for what, content wise, would have been better suited as a download pack rather than a full release.
Perhaps instead the game is some kind of vanity project for the band who, not content to slip quietly into dignified obscurity, demanded to see themselves rendered up there on the digital stage along with the Beatles and Metallica. I suppose there is some slight appeal in seeing four spandex-clad hairspray addicts rock out to ‘Hot For Teacher’, but alas, even this most minor and dubious of pleasures is denied to us as the developers have chosen to recreate the band as they are now; middle-aged, creaky and most importantly devoid of the signature big 80s hair that is synonymous with their music, a completely baffling choice.
Having said all this, it is worth noting that despite the apparently questionable reasons for its existence, Van Halen Guitar Hero remains a fun rhythm action game at its heart. It is no different in its feel from any of its peers and has the same expertly tailored difficulty levels and sense of solo-satisfaction as any of a similar ilk. Some stand out songs (White Wedding, Jump) capture the feel-good factor of Guitar hero at its best but don’t really bring anything new to the table. It is a sad thing when the most redeeming feature of a new game is that it hasn’t deviated from a tried and tested formula and this unfortunately is Van Halen Guitar Hero’s only success, as the lack of any decent Van Halen specific content, (as is so evident in the Beatles and Metallica games) and the high quantity of below average filler songs make this game very poor value for money. A very badly thought out release.
2010 – First Post-Flood Gibson USA Guitar Presented to Slash
On the heels of a worldwide jaunt across the globe celebrating his first solo album release, legendary guitarist Slash was presented with a very special “first guitar” from the world’s premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology, Gibson USA. The story of the American icon’s recovery and resurgence from the May 2010 floods in Nashville was presented with strong testament in West Hollywood, California at the Key Club on Monday, August 20, 2010, where Slash was presented with the very first guitar to roll off the production line since the devastating floods hit Music City. The guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Studio, came off the production line in July, 90 days after the flood, and was kept on display at the plant for all employees to view prior to it being given to signature artist Slash.
Gibson Guitar was also an official sponsor of the Sunset Music Festival supporting the rock legend Slash on Thursday, August 26, 2010 during an official citywide proclamation in West Hollywood that declared it officially “Slash Day.” Slash was honored at a special tribute at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard for his extraordinary contribution to the rock-and-roll legacy which is the Sunset Strip. Gibson GuitarTown has been installed along the Sunset Strip with a prominent centerpiece of the exhibit being a ten-foot tall Gibson guitar sculpture uniquely themed “Slash.”
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 – Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Anniversary Pushes Some in Texas to Seek Memorial
NEW YORK (CBS) Twenty years after his death, a Texas community is still seeking to honor native son Stevie Ray Vaughan.
The Grammy-winning singer and guitarist died in a helicopter crash Aug.27, 1990, and is buried in his hometown of Oak Cliff, Texas, on the outskirts of Dallas.
Jeff Castro, an Oak Cliff resident who co-founded an annual tribute motorcycle ride and concert that commemorates Vaughan’s birthday in October, has long been lobbying for a memorial..
According to the Dallas Morning News, Castro approached the city about a statue and fountain in Kiest Park, where the musician hung out as a kid, but was rebuffed Others have put forward plans for permanent housing of Stevie Ray Vaughan artifacts.
Recently, when Industrial Boulevard was being renamed, some in Dallas sought that as an opportunity to honor Vaughan. But the city chose the name Riverfront.
“He was proud of telling people he was from Oak Cliff,” said local Vaughan biographer Craig Hopkins. “Even after he went to Austin, he made no bones about it.”
2010 – MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Guitarist Michael Schenker And Drummer Carmine Appice Perform With SCORPIONS; Video Footage Available
Hot Flashes
Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 06:53:38 EST
Guitarist Michael Schenker (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, UFO, SCORPIONS) and drummer Carmine Appice (MSG, VANILLA FUDGE, OZZY OSBOURNE) performed with the Scorpions in Rosemont, IL on stage on August 21st at the Rosemont Theatre. Fan-filmed footage of Schenker performing ‘Another Piece Of Meat’ and Appice playing ‘No One Like You’ is available below.
2010 – MUSTAINE: I Don’t Want To Repair My Relationship With METALLICA. I’d Like To Have A New One – Aug. 21, 2010
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and SLAYER guitarist Kerry King took part in a joint interview for the September/October 2010 issue of Revolver magazine. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
Revolver: You both recently took part in the seven Sonisphere “Big Four” shows in Europe with METALLICA and ANTHRAX. What was that like?
King: It was one of those rare moments when everything comes off even better than you expected.
Mustaine: It was awesome. It was just like back in the day when we were all just four young bands getting to know each other and hanging out. The first time I went onstage [in Warsaw], James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] was up on my side and did that little knuckle-punch thing with me. It was a really cool moment.
Revolver: Was it awkward to share a bill with METALLICA, the band you cofounded and were later kicked out of?
Mustaine: No, it was exciting. We’ve all wanted this to happen for a long time, and METALLICA finally decided the time was right. Before the first show they threw a dinner for the bands, and I went up to James and said, “I don’t want to repair our relationship. I’d like to have a new one.” And that’s pretty much what I said to Kerry when I saw him in Japan. I mean, we’re all older now. Back then, I said stuff that was regrettable and I’ve grown up a lot.
King: I kind of think of this as ground zero. This is our new starting point. Let’s go from here and try to learn each other again.
Revolver: Will the “Big Four” tour be coming to the United States?
King: That’s the first thing I said to James when I saw him. I went, “Dude, if this goes well, there’s no reason to gyp the rest of the world. Everybody else wants to see this show, too.”
Mustaine: All of our camps have talked, and Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] flat-out said to me that he wants this to keep going. He talked about it going on next year. And our agents say there is talk about this happening in 2012. So everyone’s talking about it now. It’s just a matter of making it happen.
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 - SLASH Featuring MYLES KENNEDY With Special Guest FERGIE To Perform At Sunset Strip Music Festival
The third annual Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF), set for August 26th – 28th, has announced 2010 honoree SLASH will perform with FERGIE and MYLES KENNEDY – two of the vocalists on Slash’s self-titled album, which topped the charts as the #1 rock album and #3 on the Billboard Top 200 list in its first week of release – during the Saturday, August 28th outdoor street festival.
Organizers also announced COMMON, SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS, NEON TREES, BIG B, and STEEL PANTHER have been added to the street festival lineup that is being headlined by the previously announced SMASHING PUMPKINS.
The boulevard is closed to traffic between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard and will be transformed into a premier concert destination with outdoor stages, beer gardens, a VIP lounge, food trucks, interactive experiences and live performances within the venues during the day.
For complete information about SSMF, including lineup announcements, visit SSMF.com.
2010 – Rockers The Who fear they’ve taken their final bow – because they’re struggling to stage shows with Pete Townshend’s hearing problems. The 64 year old has suffered from partial deafness and tinnitus for many years, and admits the condition is now so bad he is having to cut back the amount of time he spends on stage and in the recording studio.
He is testing new in-ear monitors, which help ease his tinnitus – but frontman Roger Daltrey fears their performance in London last month could be their last, if Townshend’s health problems persist. Daltrey tells Uncut magazine, “If carrying on is going to mean Pete going deaf, let’s stop now. Entering old age is a silent world – nothing is worth that.”
“That (last month’s concert) might have been the last gig. I honestly don’t know. We’re trying to deal with issues that we have never dealt with before. Our bodies are beginning to give up on us. I’ve had voice problems in the past year that I’ve managed to sort out and I’m really enjoying singing again but you have to be realistic – I am 66 years old.”
2010 – AC/DC Triumph in Chart Thanks to ‘Iron Man 2′
The rock band’s songs which are compiled in an album and used as the soundtrack to the Marvel movie is topping the U.K. Albums chart.
AC/DC Triumph in Chart Thanks to ‘Iron Man 2′
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AC/DC have returned to the top of the U.K. album chart with a little help from Iron Man. The group’s “Iron Man 2″ soundtrack has beaten Paul Weller to the top spot and the rockers are well on course to end Lady GaGa’s run at the top of the European album charts.
“Iron Man 2 – Official Soundtrack” is only AC/DC’s third chart topper in the U.K. Weller’s “Wake Up the Nation” debuted at two on the new countdown, with Meat Loaf’s new album “Hang Cool Teddy Bear” entering the chart at four.
Meanwhile, Diana Vickers’ “Once” tops the new singles chart in the U.K., ahead of “OMG” by Usher.
The sale of “Iron Man 2″ soundtrack could boost the sale of the movie’s tickets as well. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke as the hero and the villain respectively, the film is heading to theaters starting May 7.
2010 – Slash Sneaks Conan O’Brien Onto Leno Show April 7, 2010
Slash pulled off the ultimate act of defiance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” last night — dude rocked a Team Coco pin on the air during his performance at the end of the show! Though it appears NBC tried to edit around the Conan O’Brien support symbol, a few shots of the pin still managed to make air. No word if Jay even noticed.
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