Friday, January 29, 2010

Rock News for Friday 29th January, 2010

Hey All, sorry that this news update is limited ...
The sickness has spread through the Williams household and tonight I feel completely beat and just sick ...!

So, sorry again for this being a little lame so far, will try to do some updates tomorrow morning , so it's still relevant for Friday!
Thanks and have a great weekend, don't get sick!!!

Robin Trower Announces 2010 European Tour Dates

Legendary rocker Robin Trower has been doing pretty good on touring over the last few years, gathering great reviews and even recording a double live album in 2008 at Michigan's Royal Oak Music Theatre
that was released exclusively through his website.
Then last year he released a new album in "What Lies Beneath."
 
Trower has just gone and announced some European gigs, although most are UK dates.
Here's the listing so far and yeah, I know ... They are not until September! (C= Confirmed by the way!)September 2010
Day City Venue Info Status

04 Holland Tegelen Festival - C

08 Cardiff The Globe - C

09 Bilston Robin 2 - C

10 Birkenhead Pacific Arts Centre - C

11 Glasgow Academy - C

12 Holmfirth Picturedrome - C

15 Norwich Waterfront - C

16 Newcastle Academy - C

18 London Shepherds Bush Empire - C

22 Bath Komedia - C

23 St. Ives Cornwall Festival - C

24 Barnstaple Queens Hall - C

25 Sevenoaks Stag Theatre - C

26 Brighton Komedia - C

October 2010

09 Paris Bobino, with Hot Tuna

All the details on Trower and all you need: http://www.trowerpower.com/

Check these guys out!
 OK folks, can't say too much on this project right now but I do strongly recommend, if you like to rock with like a blend - That part of is not does no dispute. - of say the best parts of earleir AC/DC Bon Scott period, some Aerosmith and Rolling Stones at their best for god measure too!
The band is "Black Robot"  and yeah, you may think it sounds a cheesy name BUT I'm telling you, these guys have something that I think will blow a lot of people away in 2010!

I just have a feeling that they will be BIG! It's so catchy and raw too!
Track's like "Baddass" is great and their cover of JJ Cale's "Cocaine," is really giving it some too!
Go check them out here:

Daughtry tour rolls on well into 2010

Chris Daughtry, this guy seems to go from success to success, hopefully he won't burn himself out!

On the back of his massive success with Daughtry's second band album, "Leave This Town," he and his namesake band have just extended their current tour, this from his website:
Following the success of its nationally televised New Year's Eve performance in Times Square, Daughtry reveals plans for the second leg of its U.S. arena tour, which is scheduled to begin March 18 in Baltimore, Maryland and will continue into the summer.
For full tour dates - As there are so many! - check here:

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Rock News for Thursday 28th January, 2010

Dokken to release Greatest Hits 2 and new single now available

(Current Dokken band pic courtesy of www.dokken.net/)
Don Dokken and his merry bunch of sidekicks are about to release a new - although sadly only a ... - Greatest Hits package, titled ..., yes, "Greatest Hits 2!"
It does have a new track, a new single, "Almost Over" on there which is currently available for download through the re-opened Dokken store http://www.dokkenstore.com/ where they annouce:

"DOKKEN is planning another tour this year with a lot of BIG surprises for you, so get ready by purchasing the first single, "Almost Over" from the great new release GREATEST HITS II."

Dates so far posted are running from February into April and you can check them out with all other Dokken stuff here: http://www.dokken.net/

Paul Rodgers approached about Aerosmith gig
UK Classic Rock magazine has revealed that during their awards event in London last November, when Joe Perry approached Paul Rodgers about the Aerosmith "going's on!"
The story reads like this:
During a break in the ceremony (Joe) Perry approached Scott Rowley, Classic Rock’s Editor In Chief, and asked him: “Can you introduce me to Paul Rodgers?”
Amazingly, Perry had never met the Free/Bad Company/The Firm/Queen + Paul Rodgers frontman before.

Rowley guided Perry to Rodgers’ table and the two stars engaged in conversation ...
Classic Rock’s Jerry Ewing, who was sitting at the table, overheard Perry make a direct approach to Rodgers about replacing (Steven) Tyler in Aerosmith.

Ewing recalls:
“Basically Scott came over with Joe Perry who had asked to be introduced to Paul. After an initial introduction Perry started saying how Rodgers was his second-favourite vocalist of all time.
“Rodgers typically asked who Perry’s favourite was, and Perry said: ‘The lead singer of Aerosmith.’ Cue some embarrassed laughter.
To read more on the story go to:

Steve Lukather new album kicked off
January 27Steve Lukather is working on a new studio album. Follow his new project from the first ideas in October 2009 till the planned release in fall 2010 right here!

Lukather: "Well day one could not have gone better! We cut the first one, a tune I wrote with Steve Weingart and we cut #2 also a song I wrote with CJ (Vanston). It is GREAT to be in the studio with my band, Steve (Weingart ), Carlitos (Del Puerto) and Eric "biggie" V(Valentine). Steve Macmillin's sounds are fantastic and I am so excited already. I am gonna be workin my ASS off till I leave for the Japan/Asia tour and I am up early studying THAT music then poff to the studio to cut my stuff and I am still hiking-running everyday (unless it is raining) and life is great. BUSY and tired, but a good tired if ya know what I mean. I am NOT wasting my time on earth. I miss my wife and baby Lily but they come back today and I miss Tina and Trev but hopefully will see them for dinner tonight. NO rest for me but I like being busy. I love my life...,
Luke"
 
AXEL RUDI PELL - NEW DVD AND NEW ALBUM UPDATE


A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! We´re very sorry that it took so long for another News update, but the Band still´s working on the new CD. "This will be definately our masterpiece! Everybody in the band is so excited about the new songs and I really can say that it will be our best album by far. The recordings are completely finished now and Charlie Bauerfeind and I will finish the mix next week. In the meantime enjoy the new DVD called "ONE NIGHT LIVE - Live at the Rock Of Ages Festival 2009" which will be released in Germany on February 19th and in the rest of the world on February 22nd 2010. As the title says it features our complete 75 min. performance of last year´s Rock Of Ages Festival in Germany. We definately didn´t do any overdubs, so what you hear and see is what really happened that night, with all the mistakes and "blue" notes ! But that´s Liv(f)e !!!" - Axel Rudi Pell


Stay tuned for some more info on the next studio album soon!
http://www.axel-rudi-pell.de/index1.html


DAY OF FIRE RELEASE NEW CD 'LOSING ALL'




JANUARY 26 VIA RAZOR AND TIE

BAND LAUNCHES NATIONAL TOUR WITH COLD AND NONPOINT FEBRUARY 16 AS FIRST SINGLE "LATELY" BUILDS AT ACTIVE ROCK RADIO

GO TO ITUNES AND PURCHASE THEIR LATEST ALBUM 'LOSING ALL'
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-dark-hills/id350017140?i=350017241&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

Nashville-based rock band DAY OF FIRE have just released their third CD LOSING ALL--a powerful hard-rock record that explores the meaning of rebirth--January 26 via Razor And Tie. After four special CD release shows in the Southeast, DAY OF FIRE will join Cold and Nonpoint on the road February 16 for a run of U.S. shows.

LOSING ALL's first single "Lately" is currently at #35 and climbing on R&R's Active Rock Monitor chart. Drummer Zach Simms, who wrote the chorus during a time of turmoil surrounding the band, reveals that the song is about "letting go of the things that have been clouding your mind." He continues, "hopefully it will give people a reason to chase their dream that may have been shattered by someone telling them that they could never achieve it."

DAY OF FIRE features Josh Brown (vocals), brothers Joe Pangallo (guitar) and Chris Pangallo (bass), and Zach Simms (drums). Brown grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, where he picked up songwriting and a serious drug habit at age 15. Two years later he became the frontman for Full Devil Jacket, and at 22, scored a major record deal. The band toured with Creed and Nickelback and made a splash at Woodstock '99, but on his way to success, Brown had a major crash: a heroin overdose in an Orlando bathroom which put his career on hold while he rehabbed and rethought his life.

In a recent feature in Billboard, Brown elaborates: "I was already a drug addict when I got my first record deal, and when someone gave me a pile of money I was like, 'Man, I'm going to do more drugs than I've ever done.' I did, and that lifestyle was killing me. I just came to the realization after OD'ing a couple of times I needed to change. (January 16, 2010)"

After several years out of the spotlight, Brown had a burst of inspiration, re-emerged with a new slate of songs and assembled Day of Fire. The group's first two albums--"Day Of Fire" (2004) and "Cut & Move" (2006)--sold more than 150,000 copies combined. LOSING ALL was recorded in 2009 near the band's Nashville home base with producer Rogers Masson (Marilyn Manson, Song Of America, The Early Hours).

For Day of Fire, LOSING ALL isn't about despair and endings, but hope and fresh starts. During the two years the band was working on the album, they experienced various personal and professional changes. Brown explains in Billboard: "We changed management. We changed booking agencies. We changed labels. At the time, I was going through a divorce. Me and my wife are back together now, but my life was just turned upside down completely. So that's what the record is about--pretty much having the rug pulled out from under you. (January 16, 2010)"

But even when Day of Fire was at a low point, somebody cut them a break: Chris Daughtry, who had opened for DAY OF FIRE a year before his career-changing stint on American Idol. Daughtry invited Day of Fire on tour and co-wrote three tracks on LOSING ALL, including the chugging, melodic "Hello Heartache," "When I See You" and "Airplane."

The band held nothing back on LOSING ALL, and everyone drew on intense, raw personal experiences for nearly every track. Super-charged slow roller "Airplane" describes Brown meeting his wife for the first time at a Type O Negative concert and the swirling grind of "Cold Addiction" examines the horrors of being trapped inside cocaine dependency.

Ultimately, Day of Fire's true strength is their sincerity, honesty and ability to connect with audiences on a personal level. "We all go through dark times, but we can go through them together--that's what rock & roll is about to us," Brown says.

The group has received early praise from the media for LOSING ALL, as evidenced below:

"Laying it all out on the line and re-energizing their passion for music, Day Of Fire has resurfaced as a band in complete focus, evident on this record...The genuinely honest songwriting on Losing All is definitely Day Of Fire's most endearing and compelling body of work to date. Needless to say, this is hard rock at its best, unfiltered, unabashed and powerful."
--Gian Erguiza, FrantikMagazine.com, January 14, 2010 (4 out of 5 star review)

"...perfect examples of rock done right in modern times as they combine emotional depth with riffs, pounding drums, wailing vocals, and thick, dirty bass lines."
--James, UnderTheGunReview.net, January 7, 2010

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Rock News for Wednesday 27th January, 2010

John Waite To Bring High-Octane Show Back to Europe

(John Waite live Mt. Clemens, MI June 2009 - Photo - Alun Williams)

New Live Album, "In Real Time," Set for February 2010 Release

NASHVILLE, TN – John Waite will bring his trademark dynamic live performances back to Europe for a 14-city sweep in February and March, 2010. Beginning in Vienna, Austria on Feb. 17, 2010, the tour will include stops in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Portugal.

In Real Time, an electrifying new live CD recorded on tour last year with Waite’s super-charged three-piece band, will be released in conjunction with the 2010 European tour and will be available for sale at each performance and on iTunes. Classic hits like “Change,” “Missing You,” The Babys’ “Back On My Feet Again,” Bad English’s “Best Of What I’ve Got” and “When I See You Smile” and even a blistering cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” take on entirely new lives in their raw forms on the spontaneously delicious "In Real Time."

“It’s a lot of the hits played how we play them live,” Waite says of In Real Time. “It’s like late 60’s rock in London when it was performance driven, prior to becoming commercialized – back in the days when everybody got in a transient van, sat on the amps and drove for hours to the next gig. When I set out to do this record, I wanted to simplify it down to what I remember rock and roll being as a kid – a three-piece band with a singer – so it’s very raw and right on the edge.”

Fans attending Waite’s shows in Europe can expect the same kind of unrefined live energy that In Real Time delivers.

Waite is currently collaborating with Matchbox 20 lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook, as the two ready fresh new music for Waite’s highly anticipated forthcoming solo EP, which is also set for a 2010 release.

2010 JOHN WAITE EUROPEAN TOUR
Date Time Venue City
February 2010
February 17 8:00 PM Szene Vienna, Austria
February 18 8:00 PM Metropolis Music Hall Munich, Germany
February 20 8:00 PM Badisch Brauhaus Karlsruhe, Germany
February 21 8:00 PM Turock Essen, Germany
February 22 8:00 PM The Spirit of 66 Verviers, Belgium
February 24 8:00 PM Cultuurporium Boerderij Zoertermeer, Netherlands
February 25 8:00 PM De Bosuil Weert, Netherlands
February 26 8:00 PM De Lantaarn Hellendoorn, Netherlands
February 28 8:00 PM The Brickyard Carlisle, U.K.
March 2010
March 1 8:00 PM Bank’s Robin 2 Wolverhampton, U.K.
March 2 8:00 PM The Underworld Camden, London, England
March 4 8:00 PM Cinema São Jorge Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
March 5 8:00 PM Ritmo y Compãs Madrid, Spain
March 6 8:00 PM Kultur Fabrik Roth, Bavaria, Germany

AC/DC secure Iron Man 2 soundtrack

I guess AC/DC are determined to keep in the limelight, right after yesterdays announcement on headlining the UK's Download summer festival at Donington this year, they go and post something else today!
Yes, they've got the Iron Man 2 soundtrack which in fact looks like nothing new to get excited about for true fans, but perhaps a good new compilation.
Here's the press release that came with the above picture:

"Shoot To Thrill" Worldwide Video Premiere & 'AC/DC: Iron Man 2' Preorder 01/26/2010

AC/DC has just announced 'AC/DC: Iron Man 2,' the official album set to be released April 19th through Columbia Records in support of the upcoming 'Iron Man 2' film from Marvel Studios. The album will feature 15 classic AC/DC songs, selected from ten of the band's studio albums ranging from 1976 to 2008. Included in the album are notable classics such as "Shoot To Thrill," "Thunderstruck," and "Let There Be Rock" as well as "War Machine" from the recent 'Black Ice' release.

Making its worldwide premiere today is the official 'AC/DC: Iron Man 2' video for "Shoot To Thrill" (North America fans visit http://www.vevo.com/, ex-U.S. fans can see it here: http://www.acdcrocks.com/shoottothrill/ ). The video features the original "Shoot To Thrill" track from 'Back In Black' and was filmed live in Buenos Aires last month while the band was on their sold out Black Ice World tour.

Preorders begin today, January 26th, at http://www.amazon.com/ for the Deluxe CD/DVD and 2LP Vinyl version of 'AC/DC: Iron Man 2,' and at http://www.walmart.com/ for the 'AC/DC: Iron Man 2' CD. The film opens internationally beginning on April 28, 2010. In the U.S., the film will be distributed by Paramount Pictures and is scheduled for release on May 7, 2010.

7 Day Binge (featuring 3 Doors Down's Todd Harrell) New Album Today!!

7dayBinge Album In Stores Now! $3.99 at Best Buy!


Head out to your local Best Buy and pick up 7dB's self titled debut album. Available today! 7dayBinge includes Todd Harrell of 3 Doors Down on bass, Jon Nicholson of the Muzik Mafia on guitar and vocals, Kenny Olson of Kid Rock’s band on lead guitar, and Shannon Boone on drums. “7dayBinge” will be released by Rock Ridge Music. The band plans to tour in support of the album; tour dates will be announced as they are confirmed.
 
Dates so far include a cruise that also features, 3 Doors Down, Shinedown and Lifehouse:
 
Jan 29 2010 8:00P - Hard Rock Nashville - Reverb Room Nashville, Tennessee

Apr 15 2010 8:00P  VH1 Best Cruise Ever - feat. 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Lifehouse and more!
Apr 16 2010 8:00P VH1 Best Cruise Ever - feat. 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Lifehouse and more!
Apr 17 2010 8:00P VH1 Best Cruise Ever - feat. 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Lifehouse and more!
Apr 18 2010 8:00P VH1 Best Cruise Ever - feat. 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Lifehouse and more! 
Apr 19 2010 8:00P VH1 Best Cruise Ever - feat. 3 Doors Down, Shinedown, Lifehouse and more!

 
... And finally if you hadn't heard ....



It seems "limbo land" is he or isn't he anymore Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was spotted at a Home Depot store in Rancho Mirage, California this past weekend, where he treated shoppers to another impromptu vocal performance.


Tyler, who was out and about on Saturday, randomly picked up a store microphone and belted out two of Aerosmith’s biggest hits – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) and I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – over the sound system for the DIY’ers to enjoy.

The story has been spread all over the web basicallybut read more here:



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Rock News for Tuesday 26th January, 2010

AC/DC to Headline Download Festival


England...this summer, there's gonna be some rockin'! With three Monsters of Rock Festivals under their belt, AC/DC has a history of bringing the big guns to the UK's Donington Park, and this June, they're coming back for another go around. Get ready.

On June 11th, as part of their still-growing summer schedule in Europe, the 'Rock N Roll Train' will be storming through the UK as AC/DC headlines the first night of the UK's three-day Download Festival. It'll be their first time back at Donington since their historic appearance before 70,000 fans at the 1991 Monsters of Rock Festival, which was famously captured in the Live at Donington DVD.

Tickets for the festival go on sale online on January 29th at 9 AM (local time).
http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/home/index.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2findex.aspx
http://www.myspace.com/acdc


M.S.G. Japan - 30th Anniversay Tour Poster

(Poster picture courtesy of Wayne Findlay MySpace)

Folks, it's just a taster, as you know there's more to come!
The Michael Schenker Group featuring the awesome line up of:
Michael Schenker - Guitars
Gary Barden - Vocals
Simon Phillips - Drums
Neil Murray - Bass
Wayne Findlay - Keyboards / Guitars
Have just finished their Japanese dates to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of M.S.G. and while they were there, they recorded some shows for a live DVD and hopefully CD too.
Nothing more right now, but soon is all I can say!

Thunder Mountain Rockfest in North Dakota

An impressive line up for a summer festival in North Dakota is taking shape, for the weekend of July 8th - 10th, 2010.
So far the line up confirmed is as follows:
THURSDAY

ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE
FOGHAT
THE SWEET
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS
W/CHUCK NEGRON OF 3 DOG NIGHT
THE GUESS WHO

FRIDAY

NELSON
JANI LANE OF WARRANT
GREAT WHITE
KIX
SURVIVOR
NIGHT RANGER

SATURDAY

THE VEER UNION
CAVO
HINDER

Tickets and more information can be found here:

Deep Purple 2010 Tour Dates announced

(Deep Purple today - Picture courtesy of www.deeppurple.com)

Classic British rockers Deep Purple have recently announced 2010 Tour Dates, although sadly as yet, no USA dates are among them and no mention of any new album either, yet.
They'll kick off the tour in Brisbane, Australia in April and the tour will run right through until the end of November as things stand now.
Deep Purple – you gotta experience them LIVE! Here the dates below.

Date and Location:
Tue 4.27.10 Brisbane, Australia

Wed 4.28.10 Sydney, Australia

Thu 4.29.10 Newcastle, Australia

Sat 5.1.10 Canberra, Australia

Sun 5.2.10 Melbourne, Australia

Mon 5.3.10 Adelaide, Australia

Wed 5.5.10 Perth, Australia

Mon 5.10.10 Hong Kong, China

Wed 5.12.10 Singapore

Tue 5.25.10 Yerevan, Armenia

Fri 5.28.10 Johannesburg, South Africa

Tue 6.1.10 Cape Town, South Africa

Sat 6.5.10 Zagreb, Croatia

Wed 6.9.10 Celigny, Switzerland

Mon 6.28.10 Belfast, Ireland

Wed 6.30.10 Cork, Ireland

Wed 10.27.10 Olomouc, Czech Republic

Sat 11.13.10 Trier, Germany

Sun 11.14.10 Freiburg, Germany

Tue 11.16.10 Mannheim, Germany

Thu 11.18.10 Memmingen, Germany

Fri 11.19.10 München, Germany

Sat 11.20.10 Nürnberg, Germany

Mon 11.22.10 Berlin, Germany

Tue 11.23.10 Rostock, Germany

Wed 11.24.10 Braunschweig,, Germany

Fri 11.26.10 Oldenburg, Germany

Sat 11.27.10 Hamburg, Germany

Sun 11.28.10 Essen, Germany

Tue 11.30.10 Stuttgart, Germany

For more details on exact venues and ticket information, go to:

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Big News Announcement - Sunday 24th January, 2010

German rockers The Scorpions are calling it quits


As legendary German rockers The Scorpions prepare to release their latest album "Sting In The Tail" and set out on a world tour to promote it, today Sunday 24th January 2010, they have announced to the world that this will indeed be their very last tour and possibly album.
Today's Press Release at the bands website www.the-scorpions.com/english/ reads like this:

Important Message to our Fans

It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.


While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpion’s extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.


We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years!


We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album for you.


And now… let’s get the party started and get ready for a “Sting in the Tail”!
See you on the world tour,
Yours


Scorpions

The two short 40 seconds sample tracks are here:
"Raised on Rock" - mms://the-scorpions.com/scorpions/ror_snippet.wma
"The Good Die Young" - mms://the-scorpions.com/scorpions/tgdy_snippet.wma
From:
http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/
http://www.myspace.com/officialscorpions
The Scorpions - A little history.

The band that brought us classic albums like "In Trance," "Taken By Force," the excellent live release from 1978, "Tokyo Tapes," "Lovedrive," "Blackout" and many more along with their very strong 2007 release "Humanity Hour 1" were formed in 1965 and have for the most part gone from strength to strength.
Current original members Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker started the the band in 1965, were joined by Rudolf's brother Micheal Schenker (Who went on the become a star in his own right.) in 1970 and in 1972 the band released their first album "Lonesome Crow."

Scorpions in 1965 (Picture credit www.the-scorpions.com/english/)
They supported that release by touring opening for classic rockers Uriah Heep, UFO and Rory Gallagher.

By 1974, after Michael left in 1973 to hook up with UFO they had been joined by Uli Jon Roth (Another well known guitarist today), bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Jürgen Rosenthal.
Drummer Rosenthal was replaced in 1975 by Rudy Lenners and in 1977 Herman Rarebell joined the band.
Uli Jon Roth left the band in around 1978. The band were briefly helped out by Michael Schenker who played on a couple of track on 1979 release "Lovedrive." before new boy Matthias Jabs came onboard. Schenker Junior also played on some of the bands live dates in support of the Lovedrive release.

With the line up that featured Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Buchholz, Rarebell and Jabs, it seemed they hit gold - So to speak. - as the band broke the USA with releases, "Animal Magnetism" (1980), "Blackout, (1982)" and "Love at First Sting (1984)."
Then "Savage Amusement," the last album co-produced with Dieter Dierks, was released in 1988. It reached N° 3 in the US chart and N° 1 in Europe.
In 1990 the band released "Crazy World," the first album to be produced by the band themselves.
Crazy World was recorded in Los Angeles, co-produced by Keith Olsen and featuring the smash hit "Wind of Change," immediately became the most successful CD to date. Not only that but "Wind of Change" was the worldwide top single of 1991, occupying the N° 1 slot in 11 countries.
When the 1992 "Crazy World" tour finished, The Scorpions and their long-time bass player Francis Buchholz parted ways.

1993's "Face the Heat" album (co-producer: Bruce Fairbairn), featured the band’s new bass man, conservatoire graduate Ralph Rieckermann.
At the end of 1995, just prior to completing the "Pure Instinct" CD (Co-produced by Keith Olsen and Erwin Musper) that was released in 1996, the SCORPIONS’ veteran drummer and long-time companion Herman "The German" Rarebell left the band.
Prior to the bands "Pure Instinct" tour of 1996 / 97 the band were joined by former Kingdom Come drummer, James Kottak.
In 1999 the band released "Eye to Eye" and toured in support also.
2000 saw the band record "Moment of Glory" with the Berlin Philharmonica and this line up: Klaus Meine(Vocals), Rudolf Schenker(Guitars), Matthias Jabs(Guitars), James Kottak(Drums) and another bass player in Ken Taylor for the recordings.
 
With an easing back again in 2001, the band released "Acoustica," an album of the band classics given the acoustic treatment and an album cover that almost copied their classic "Blackout" release. With the line up for this release consisting of: Klaus Meine(Vocals), Rudolf Schenker(Guitars), Matthias Jabs(Guitars), James Kottak(Drums), Ralph Rieckermann(Bass), Christian Kolonovits(Piano), Johann Daansen(Guitars), Mario Argandona(Percussion) and Ariane Arcu(Cello).
  
It was 2004 before their next release "Unbreakable" the bands twentieth release in the bands 35 years so far and this was when the band brought in another bass player, Pawel Maciwoda who has remained constant with the band through the tour that supported that release and the "Humanity Hour 1" recordings and tour right up until today.

The Scorpions from 2004 - 2010 ((Picture credit www.the-scorpions.com/english/)
I'm sure that 2010 release "Sting In The Tail" and subsequent tour in support will be nothing less than impressive. I guess we can be encouraged that the tour should last around 2 - 3 years, maybe enough time for them to slot in perhaps another new album?!
Thanks to the Scorpions for some great decades of awesome rock music!

Alun Williams - Chambers of Rock