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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Rock News for Monday 15th February, 2010

NEWMAN REVEALS ARTWORK FOR NEW ALBUM & PRE-ORDER DETAILS
Chrome Dome music is proud to reveal the artwork for the latest album by Newman, "The Art Of Balance"

The album will be released through the Chrome Dome label on March 15th and is now available for pre-order from http://www.newmansound.com/

The 8th album from one of the UK's top melodic rock acts includes the following tracks :
Hero To Zero, Edge Of The World, Endless, The Miracle, Stay With Me, Tumble Down, Wish You Well, Find My Heart, Your Surrender, Break It Again, Forever, and Stronger.

Check out http://www.newmansound.com/ for further details and to listen to 1 min soundbytes of all 12 songs.

Angels and Airwaves offers new album "Love" for free!
The very talented Angels and Airwaves or "AVA" band - As they are best known by their fans - featuring former Blink 182 guitarist / lead singer Tom DeLonge are offering their latest album, 'Love' for free via mp3 download.
There is of course an option at the download site to donate to the band to help out, but that is down to the individual to choose if they do or don't.
Download site is here:

Tom DeLonge formed the band around 2005 when Blink 182 were on a hiatus and they released their first album 'We Don't Need To Whisper' in 2006.
They've since followed that with 'I-Empire' (2007) and the pretty special DVD rockumentary, 'Start The Machine' in 2008.
The rest of the band is made up of guitarist / keyboardist David Kennedy, Matt Wachter (Bass) and drummer Atom Willard.
They are also complemented on additional keyboards by Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
The band put's on an awesome live show, which is well worth checking out if you get the chance, but meantime, enjoy the new album. On first listen to me, very cool stuff.


Over The Rainbow not over yet and still going strong!
Over The Rainbow was the band put together by various former members of the band Rainbow, that was created by one Ritchie Blackmore, after he quit Deep Purple.
The Over The Rainbow band was originally formed late in 2008.
Joe Lynn Turner who along with the other 4 ex-Rainbow band members, asked if Ritchie Blackmore's son Jurgen Blackmore would be interested in keeping the music of Rainbow alive, since his Dad was no longer interested in playing rock and roll music.
Apparently the story goes that Ritchie actually gave his son his blessing to go ahead and enjoy himself!

Anyway, the band seems to be still entertaining many people as more and more shows continue to be added. the latest being as follows:

April 2010
Thu Apr 15 '10 Prague, Czech Republic Retro Music Hall
Fri Apr 16 '10 Zlin, Czech Republic Masters of Rock Cafe
Sat Apr 17 '10 Bratislava, Slovakia PKO
Mon Apr 19 '10 Budapest, Hungary A38
Thu Apr 22 '10 Kerkrade, Netherlands The Rock
Fri Apr 23 '10 Zaandam, Netherlands De Kade

July 2010
Thu Jul 8 '10 Kvinesdal, Norway Norway Rock Festival
Fri Jul 9 '10 Söderala, Sweden Rockweekend Festival
Sat Jul 31 '10 Kotka, Finland Festival Tent

The current line up of Over The Rainbow is:

Joe Lynn Turner - Lead Vocals (Rainbow 1980-1984)
Bobby Rondinelli - Drums (Rainbow 1980-1983)
Greg Smith - Bass (Rainbow 1994-1997)
Jurgen "J.R." Blackmore - Guitar (son of the founder of Rainbow, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore)
The keyboard slot for these dates is unknown, as to who will be filling in, after Paul Morris completed the last set of dates with the band last year.

Additionally, previously on keyboards for Over The Rainbow has been:
Originally Tony Carey  (Rainbow 1975–1977) who was replaced in the band last year by the aforementioned Paul Morris (Rainbow 1994-1997).
Follow the bands current goings on here:

FM's new album Metropolis to get European release
 For those out there that didn't know - I know, I am guilty of not posting this before! - UK AOR band FM will release their latest album, 'Metropolis' on March 29th, in the UK / Europe.

These guys are great musicians, for anyone that has never checked them out, you are missing out! :)
In the UK they've had 11 albums released - Yes count them - since 'Indiscreet' in 1986 and I know this does include 1 'Best of FM - Only The Strong' and a double live set in 'No Electricity Required' but even so, worth investigating if you haven't done so already.
I was fortunate to see them live twice back in the 80's in the UK and since they reformed in 2007 they've gone ahead and played just a few key gigs - In the UK - but they've been welcomed back with open arms!
The current band line up is:
Steve Overland (Vocals & Guitars)
Merv Goldsworthy (Bass Guitar & Backing Vocals)
Pete Jupp (Drums & Backing Vocals)
Jem Davis (Keyboards)
and newest member ...
Jim Kirkpatrick (Guitars & Backing Vocals)
Keep up with the band through:
and

Journey's Neal Schon says, 'Simon Cowell is brilliant!' What?!

At least that's something he said according to an interview Journey's guitarist Neal Schon has done with UK Classic Rock magazine's Peter Makowski, after Makowski said, "So, Don’t Stop Believin’ is back in the charts?"
Neal Schon: "I know, man. It’s unreal. I just got back from London. I was over doing some interviews and the song kept climbing up the charts. Simon Cowell called our office; they wanted permission to redo the song for the X Factor show. We heard the version and we weren’t crazy about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Simon is brilliant. When I watch him on American Idol I pretty much agree with everything he says. But in this particular case it was two different producers and I don’t see anything wrong with our original version. If it’s not busted, don’t fix it. The rest of the band felt like that too. We decided to say no.

Randy Jackson (Judge on American Idol and former Journey bass player) came back at me and said: “Dawg! Come on!” I said: “Randy, it ain’t gonna happen. We’re going to stick to our guns.”

Schon goes on to talk about more, including a new album in the works.
It's not the whole interview posted, but there is more here: 
http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/neal-schon-simon-cowell-is-brilliant/

Finally, sad news R.I.P. Doug Fieger (1952 - 2010)
(Picture courtesy of The Detroit News - http://detnews.com/ )

Doug Fieger, the lead singer of the rock band The Knack, has died at the age of 57, after a battle with cancer, his brother the prominent Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger, confirmed on Sunday 14th February.
This from The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100214/METRO/2140317/Knack-lead-singer-Doug-Fieger-dies-of-cancer#ixzz0fZv5wr1c

Fieger sang lead vocals on The Knack's 1979 hit "My Sharona," which held the No. 1 spot for six weeks.

He had attended Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School in Oak Park and Oak Park High School, but of late
Fieger had been living in Woodland Hills, Calif. and was being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

"Everybody knows they're going sooner or later," Fieger told Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin in a January interview. "I don't know any better than anyone else when I'm going.
"I've had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don't feel cheated in any way, shape or form."
That January interview can be read here:
http://detnews.com/article/20100111/OPINION03/1110333

The singer had performed on a track of former Kiss guitarist, Bruce Kulick latest album, 'BK3.'
Sad news indeed.

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