CHAMBERS OF ROCK

A blog dedicated to coverage of rock news, reviews of CD's/DVD's, live gigs and interviews with musicians who have made rock music great! Coverage of hard rock, classic rock, AOR and popular melodic rock music across the genre. This blog is the creation of Alun Williams, a Brit now living in Michigan whose previous credits include writing for the following sites: www.classicrock.about.com www.classicrockrevisited.com and www.rocknrolluniverse.com (Now gone) I hope you enjoy your visit here!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Quick Late Update - Wednesday 7th April, 2010

*Aerosmith to headline hometown Boston outdoor show*

Just been made aware of this update tonight that I thought I'd share with you folks right away!

I will of course post a regular news update tomorrow, Thursday as well. :)

This Aerosmith news just posted from their MySpace page:

America's greatest rock and roll band is bringing you a very special event!

On Saturday, August 14th Aerosmith and The J. Geils Band will descend upon Fenway Park to deliver the grandest slam to their hometown crowd. For the first time ever, the Bad Boys of Boston will be bringing their brand of major league rock straight to Fenway Park.

Ticket pre-sales begin Monday, April 12th at 10am EDT.

Don't get shut out, make sure you've got your AF1 Membership to participate.

http://www.aeroforceone.com/index.cfm//shop.cfm/pk/category/ac/join

Free - Forever Free DVD Review

Free Forever – DVD review (Eagle Vision)

When I was growing up and hearing music – Which I really only started to get seriously interested in, when I was about 11. – I was into the likes of Status Quo, ELO, Slade, The Strawbs and The Sweet, to name a few and the 70’s had just arrived. The thing was my older brothers were into the earlier rock type stuff from the 60’s, I remember some Jimi Hendrix, The Faces, Pink Floyd, Cat Stevens as well as some 70's T-Rex and some stuff like …, Free.

So I had an awareness of it, but at that age it really wasn’t grabbing me but ..., it IS music that I have now come to appreciate, ahem, with age!

Anyway, so here we have ‘Free Forever’ a double DVD set of various bits and bobs of Free stuff, but sadly it is mostly just about 1970 and kind of focused around their appearance at the Isle of Wight festival in the UK, that same year. Also, there's something strange to me with this DVD coming out now, is that the date shown on when this package was all compiled, was in 2006 by David Clayton, 4 years back.

Another peeve here is that you know when you sometimes get into a new song and then get really sick of hearing it again and again on the radio, TV, etc, well … I used to like the Free track 'Mr. Big,' but to be honest on this compilation of material, 'Mr. Big' seems to show up again and again and by the end of getting through this, I really didn’t want to hear the song again for sometime!

It’s tragic that Paul Kossoff died so young after having been so caught up in the whole drugs mess.

Sad indeed.

To the material here on offer then, it starts with 3 video’s from German TV at the Beat Club and, ‘Man, that’s psychedelic video, man …!’

The tracks performed are 'Mr. Big,' 'Fire and Water' – Love this song! – and 'All Right Now' and wow, check out those flares, platform soles and hair!

Funnier still is the exact opposite that you see today – or should I say 2006 - on these guys, is short hair and very well in shape characters in Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke and Andy Fraser in each of the accompanying interviews throughout. I must say, these interviews are pretty good to follow. Entertaining stuff!

The Granada TV (UK) performance is a pretty good recording, but check out how stiff the audience was at the time! Maybe some suspicious substances doing the rounds to keep them mellow!

This show captured the band playing, 'Ride on Pony,' 'Mr. Big,' 'Songs of Yesterday' where they all get into it and loose, 'I’ll Be Creepin’' and 'All Right Now' which they are giving their all, but polite applause is all they get!

After this there’s the original ‘promo videos’ as they were at the time for, ‘All Right Now,’ ‘The Stealer’ – Great and much overlooked track! – and ‘My Brother Jake.’ There’s also ‘Love You So’ written by Kirke / Rodgers after Kossoff’s death, which isn’t that different from Black Sabbath’s ‘Changes’ to be honest. The video is made up of photos of Paul Kossoff as a tribute and then ‘Wishing Well,’ which must’ve been recreated later in the early 80’s as the lorry, sorry, truck that the girl gets into to drive away in, was ‘X’ reg., which was 1981/2.

It was entertaining that one, if cheesy, whilst the others were standard fare generally, but still good to watch.

Then there’s the bonus stuff here, with Top of the Pop’s footage, an Australia interview where I think the signs of exhaustion were starting to set in, where the band were being driven and driven to gig more and more.

There’s other video’s and some silent film too along with more interview material, including Paul’s brother Simon Kossoff, where he shares about the film that follows with Paul meeting his Dad, David Kossoff for fish and chips no less!

Who knows what they discussed, as David Kossoff had long campaigned against drug use, following Paul’s death.

Weird and wacky video’s from Andy Fraser, with his spiritual / exotic music follow here.

Disc 2 is a little disappointing, as it’s focused on the Isle of Wight festival performance, but it’s basically audio footage through 8 tracks, supported by photo images and you almost wonder why this disc wasn’t perhaps made a Dual Disc format, i.e. CD/DVD, so fans could play the tracks in their cars or wherever. Then what follows here is what video footage from the event was captured and that covers just 3 songs in ‘Be My Friend,’ ‘Mr. Big’ and ‘All Right Now.’

Then again, various other bonuses of photo’s and individual camera access for the Isle of Wight performance, so you can just stick with one view or another, etc. Then all the interview footage rolled into individual interviews with Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Andy Fraser and Simon Kossoff and then that’s about it really.

Some great footage here to see and again, I’m baffled by why if this is just being released now, why is the most recent date on the package shown as 2006?

It’s not indicated anywhere that it’s been remastered in any way or form so that really kind of throws me?

RIP Paul Kossoff, your guitar work was a certainly something special, that the world has lost and it was a tragedy, like so many other rock stars who threw away their lives at so young an age.

Your memory will certainly live on though.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Rock News for Wednesday 7th April, 2010

EUROPE: SPECIAL GUESTS AT UK SONISPHERE FESTIVAL!

EUROPE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED AS SPECIAL GUEST AT THE SONOSPHERE FESTIVAL ON FRIDAY JULY 30TH. THE 3 DAY EVENT, LOCATED AT KNEBWORTH, HERTFORDSHIRE IN THE UK, WILL RUN FROM JULY 30 - AUGUST 1ST. THE FESTIVAL INCLUDES IRON MAIDEN, RAMMESTEIN, MOTLEY CRUE, ALICE COOPER, IGGY AND THE STOOGES, SLAYER PLUS MANY MORE BANDS.

A YEAR SHY OF THEIR MEMORABLE HEADLINE SET AT LAST YEAR'S BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL, SWEDEN'S BIGGEST HARD ROCK BAND EUROPE WILL JOIN THE SONISPHERE CAST, HOT ON THE HEELS OF THEIR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STUDIO ALBUM "LAST LOOK AT EDEN" WHICH FEATURES THE SINGLES "NEW LOVE IN TOWN" AND THE TITLE TRACK.

"AFTER A SUCCESSFUL GIG AT BLOODSTOCK FESTIVAL IN 2009", SAYS LEAD SINGER JOEY TEMPEST, "WE'RE ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO PLAY SONISPHERE UK 2010. EVERYONE IN THE BAND EUROPE GREW UP LISTENING TO BRITISH ROCK AND TO BE ABLE TO PLAY SUCH A GREAT FESTIVAL AS SONISPHERE IS REALLY SOMETHING ELSE. UK IS THE CRADLE OF ROCK. WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO CRANK IT UP TO "12" AND PLAY OUR SCANDINAVIAN BUTTOCKS OFF. CAN'T WAIT!".

IF THE RAVE REVIEWS EARNED FROM THEIR HEADLINE SET AT THE BOA EVENT ARE ANYTHING TO GO BY, THEIR SET PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS, AS THE BAND PERFORMS SONGS FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM INCLUDING "THE BEAST", "NO STONE UNTURNED" AND "GONNA GET READY", AS WELL AS CLASSICS INCLUDING "ROCK THE NIGHT", "SUPERSTITIOUS" "SCREAM OF ANGER" AND OF COURSE, "THE FINAL COUNTDOWN"..

http://www.europetheband.com/homepage.html

Want a Free Download of Ratt's "Eat Me Up Alive?"

The opening track from Ratt's first album in over 10 years, "Eat Me Up Alive" marks the band's long-awaited return to their signature Ratt n' Roll form.

Brimming with Sunset Strip attitude and featuring a killer, timeless riff that has been a staple in Ratt’s music, setting them apart from the pack for over 30 years now, this track is an absolute must-hear, so go and get it for free for a limited time RIGHT HERE:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/eatmeupalive/

The new album, Infestation is out April 20th, but you can pre-order your copy now:

http://store.roadrunnerrecords.com/RATT-Infestation?partner=roadrunner

Album Tracklisting:

1. Eat Me Up Alive

2. Best of Me

3. A Little Too Much

4. Look Out Below

5. Last Call

6. Lost Weekend

7. As Good as it Gets

8. Garden of Ede

9. Take a Big Bite

10. Take Me Home

11. Don’t Let Go

http://www.therattpack.com/

Judas Priest's K.K. Downing and Ian Hill interview on Bruce Dickinson's BBC 6Music Rock Show

K.K. Downing and Ian Hill interview on Bruce Dickinson's BBC 6 Music Rock Show this coming Friday 9th April:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/bruce_dickinson/

The 'Listen Back' link will be live from after the show for one week.

http://www.judaspriest.com/home/default.asp

JEFF BECK TO PERFORM ON “IDOL GIVES BACK”

Emmy Award-winning IDOL GIVES BACK welcomes Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox and Jeff Beck as performers on this year’s event, airing Wednesday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Additional artists scheduled to perform and appear to be announced.

The brainchild of Simon Fuller, IDOL GIVES BACK has made history by raising over $140 million for charity to date. This year’s special will help raise awareness and funds to benefit various U.S. and international charities, including Children’s Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children’s U.S. Programs and the United Nations Foundation. As previously announced, News Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola, AT&T and ExxonMobil will return as corporate sponsors of IDOL GIVES BACK and will generously donate to the historic Emmy Award-winning television event. Viewers will once again be able to make donations during and following the show. In addition, the week’s voting results will be revealed, sending one of the finalists home.

This year, the special music event will feature performances and appearances by some of Hollywood’s biggest stars – as well as a few surprises. In previous years, IDOL GIVES BACK has welcomed President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former President George W. Bush, Brad Pitt, Bono, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Annie Lennox, Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, P!nk, Céline Dion, Robin Williams, Ben Stiller and others.

Viewers can be a part of something special this year and help those in need by joining the “Help Me Give Back” program, an online initiative that empowers individuals and teams to raise money for IDOL GIVES BACK at www.americanidol.com/idolgivesback

The Union offers this competition to meet The Union and watch the band soundcheck

THE UNION the band formed by LUKE MORLEY, formerly the guitarist for legendary UK rock band THUNDER and ex WINTERVILLE vocalist/guitarist PETER SHOULDER are giving their fans the chance to meet them and watch the band soundcheck, with a little competition.

This from the band's website:

'Competition - meet The Union and watch the band soundcheck'

As this is our first ever tour we wanted to try try something a bit different. We are offering the opportunity on every date for 4 people to meet Luke and Pete before the show, and then stay to watch the band soundcheck.

To be a winner you will need to do the following:

1. Own a ticket for one of the shows on our forthcoming UK tour which starts this Saturday April 10.

2. Answer the following 3 questions correctly: 1. At which famous London club venue did The Union make their live debut last December? 2. At which major rock festival are The Union appearing this summer? 3. Which of the band plays guitar left handed. Is it Luke or Pete?

Email us at lukeandpete@theuniononline.com putting "Soundcheck Competition" in the subject line, and tell us what the three correct answers are, and which show on the tour you are planning to attend.

Winners will be drawn and emailed the day before each show, so make sure you keep checking your email.

The Union Aftershow "meet and greet" news

In addition to the soundcheck competition, we are also going to be issuing invitations to a few of you to join us for a short reception after the show each night. Space is obviously limited in the venues we are playing on this tour, but we genuinely value the opportunity to talk to some of you and we'll be doing our best to make it work.

The people who receive these invitations will be selected at random from those of you who have been the most active on our share campaign, so if you want to snag an invite, you know what to do!

To apply for an invitation, please email us at lukeandpete@theuniononline.com putting "Meet & Greet" in the subject line, and tell us what you've have been doing to promote the band for our share campaign, and which show you will be attending.

We will let the winners know 24-48 hours before the show.

http://www.theuniononline.com/

and finally ....

Interesting to note what UK Classic Rock magazine has just picked up on over at the Rush website on their homepage ...
The band has started a clock ticking down to something, which will it seems be revealed tomorrow.
New album? New tour? New DVD? Farewell tour? Who know's, but check this out for yourselves here:
http://www.rush.com/

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Best British Rock Concert of All Time - Live at Knebworth CD review

The Best British Rock Concert of All Time - Live at Knebworth

20th Anniversary reissue (Eagle Records)

This concert that took place back in 1990 was generally a show that featured winners of the ‘Silver Clef award.’ The Silver Clef award was given to artists who have actively support charities such as Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and the Brit School for Performing Arts.

Artists here include the likes of Eric Clapton, Status Quo, Genesis, Elton John, Dire Straits, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd and Cliff Richard and the Shadows to name most here.

Ironically the 2 CD set here starts with Tears for Fears, who in fact were not winners of the award, but were invited as special guests, probably due to their popularity at the time of the gig.

All these artists have many great tracks in their repertoires and this could’ve easily been a 5 or 6 CD set for sure if not more, but unfortunately this is just a 2 disc set highlighting – if you will – the best of the show, so artists on here typically only got about 2 tracks each on these discs.

Tears for Fears open proceedings here with ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World,’ which actually has a tasty guitar solo at the end. Good start.

They then give us a really extended version of ‘Badman’s Song’ from their very good ‘Seeds of Love’ album.

Onto Status Quo then next, who are known best to many as the 12 bar masters in the rock world, but surprisingly their first number here is crowd sing along song, ‘Dirty Water’ from their ‘Rocking All Over The World’ album. Great stuff that brings back many fond memories of seeing Quo live when I used to live back in the UK.

Next, another Quo’s classic in ‘Whatever You Want,' and I can just imagine the British audience at Knebworth, all jumping up and down to this one. Quo were always a great people mover and a Quo crowd was a party crowd!

They finish their bit with the song that perhaps most people – in the UK – associate with them, in John Fogerty’s ‘Rocking All Over The World.’ Great stuff that the crowd clearly lap up here.

Remember Cliff Richard and The Shadows? Ha ha perhaps not for many, but that was how these 2 artists started out with success in the 60's, before Cliff took on a very successful solo career, likewise The Shadows too, with lead man Hank Marvin.

They give us, ‘On the Beach’ and ‘Do You Wanna Dance’ which are very ‘pleasant’ shall we say.

Next up, former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant with 3 of his solo tracks starting with rocker ‘Hurting Kind’ from the ‘Manic Nirvana’ album, along with slower number number ‘Liar’s Dance’ from the same album. Nice.

‘Tall Cool One’ next from ‘Now and Zen’ before Jimmy Page joins Plant for Led Zep’s ‘Wearing and Tearing,’ as they totally rock out. Go guys!

It’s really Phil Collin’s set next, but he introduces ‘some old friends of mine …,’ as Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford make the set a Genesis one as they close out the first disc. First with ‘Mama’ before the ‘Turn It On Again Medley’ paying tribute to many of their influences with snatches from, 'Somebody To Love; Satisfaction; Twist and Shout; Reach Out I’ll Be There; You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling; Pinball Wizard; In The Midnight Hour’ before finishing ‘Turn It On Again.’ Excellent stuff.

Phil Collins kicks off disc 2 with his solo ‘Sussudio’ track, at a lengthy 7 plus minutes, before Eric Clapton gives us a seriously extended version of the Cream classic ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ clocking in at almost 12 minutes, including an over 7 minute drum solo, why? Why not another Clapton track? Weird?!

Next the credit is given as Dire Straits although it’s just 3 of the bands line up in Mark Knopfler – Who I guess was Mr. Dire Straits – and John Illsley (Bass) and Guy Fletcher on keyboards, with ‘I Think I Love You Too Much,’ a great track with house backing band filling in the other slots.

Side note – I love the late Jeff Healey version of this track.

Time for the flamboyant Elton John to take the stage next with up tempo version of ‘Sad Songs’ and a ripping ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,’ for the Knebworth crowd.

An extremely funky version of ‘Coming Up’ with some scratching(?!) and what have you going on, for the start of Paul McCartney’s set what the heck?! His band included his late wife Linda McCartney on keys and backing vocals, also Robbie McIntosh (Guitar, vocals), Paul ‘Wix’ Wickens (Keys, vocals), Hamish Stuart (Bass, Guitar, Vocals) and Chris Whitten on drums.

Then it’s ‘Hey Jude’ time with the song that seems to get dragged out more and more by whoever seems to play it and don’t get me wrong, I used to really love most of the song, except for how long it does get dragged out for!

This one runs for just over 7 minutes for you.

Pink Floyd close things here with the excellent ‘Comfortably Numb’ for starters at almost 9 minutes long, then ‘Run like Hell’ plays out well as the final number on here.

It’s a good compilation CD, sure a couple of moans and gripes from me, but overall not a bad album.

Sadly, it’s just a reissue, nothing new, no new tracks or additional disc(s), but if you don’t have this, it’s not essential, but an interesting one perhaps for fans of any of the artists involved.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Rock News for Tuesday 6th April, 2010

Hey all, well, we've just had an incredible stormy morning with some serious golf ball and bigger size hailstones coming down here, amidst a huge thunderstorm, but that's passed now so, just a gloomy Tuesday afternoon, here in Michigan.

Not too much news for you today, kind of quiet out there on all counts, so I'm trying to get some reviews wrapped up to post for you folks.

Have a great week!

GARY HOEY On Tour With JEFF BECK

HOEY PERFORMS ACOUSTIC SETS ON EXCLUSIVE DATES

HOEY’S CLINIC TOUR EXTRODINAIRE ALL SPRING

HOLLYWOOD, CA (April 5, 2010) – Axe-slinger Gary Hoey is embarking on an exclusive run of tour dates with Jeff Beck and will perform acoustically an array of favorites. These shows come in the middle of Hoey’s spring run of National guitar clinics running up and down the East Coast.

These clinics start April 6 in Allentown, PA and continue till the end of May.

Hoey has been busy on many projects and 2010 is no different. He is currently wrapping up his latest album 'UTOPIA,' which will release on his own label Wazoo Music. Hoey also recently participated in Rock n’ Roll Fantasy camp where he joined an amazing line-up of rockstars such as Michael Anthony, Ace Frehley, Mark Farner and many more. This year’s camp was filmed for a new VH1 Classic reality show shot by reality show master Mark Burnett.

Hoey also recorded Jeff Beck’s “El Becko” and is on the upcoming release of the 'Les Paul Dedication – Guitar Masters Volume 3,' releases this summer. In late June, he will appear in Bangkok, Malaysia and Tokyo and of course the year will wrap up with Hoey’s Annual Ho Ho Hoey Rockin’ Holiday Tour beginning in mid November, stopping in approximately 20 US cities. Its Hoeys continual hard work and drive for his fans that make him one of the most sought after guitar guru’s in the business.

With a collection of 16 albums and five top 20 Billboard hits, it’s clear to see why Gary Hoey is listed in the top 100 greatest guitar players of all time. Whether Hoey plays rock, blues, surf or Christmas, Hoey’s command of each style makes his live show one of the most exciting on the circuit today.

GARY HOEY TOUR ITINERARY – SPRING 2010:

April 2010

April 06: Allentown, PA Dave Phillips Music & Sound Clinic

April 07: Wheaton, MD Washington Music Clinic

April 08: Catonsville, MD Bill’s Music Clinic

April 09: Virginia Beach, VA Alpha Music Clinic

April 12: Boston, MA Daddy’s of Boston Clinic

April 13: Portsmouth, NH Daddy’s of Portsmouth Clinic

April 14: Concord, NH Strings & Things Clinic

April 16: San Francisco, CA Nob Hill Masonic Center (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 19: San Diego, CA 4th & B (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 20: Exeter, CA Orange Blossom Junction

April 23: Houston, TX Fuller’s Guitar Clinic

April 24: Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theatre (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 25: Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Live @ Grand Prairie (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 27: Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 28: Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre (w/ Jeff Beck)

April 29: St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre (w/ Jeff Beck)

May 2010

May 06: Weymouth, MA South Shore Music Clinic

May 07: Hamburg, NY Music Exchange Clinic

May 08: Rochester, NY House of Guitar Clinic

May 11: Gaffney, SC Hames Music – Clinic

May 12: Marietta, GA Ken Stanton Music Clinic

May 13: Augusta, GA Portman’s Music Clinic

May 14: Daytona Beach, FL Total Entertainment Clinic

May 17: Manchester, NH Daddy’s Junky Music Clinic

May 18: Peabody, MA Daddy’s Junky Music Clinic

May 19: Augusta, ME Musician’s Choice Clinic

May 20: Brewer, ME Mark’s Music Clinic

May 30: Syracuse, NY NY State Fair Grounds

July 2010
July 09: Salisbury, MA Tupelo (Salisbury) Music Hall

July 10: Londonderry, NH Tupelo (Londonderry) Music Hall

July 22: New York City, NY BB King’s

August 2010

Aug 13: Costa Mesa, CA OC Fairgrounds

Aug 14: Redondo Beach, CA Brixton South Bay (tent)

For more information go to:

http://www.garyhoey.com/ or

www.myspace.com/garyhoey

Bon Jovi adds Kid Rock on select 'Circle' Tour Dates

Pollstar has learned that rockers Bon Jovi, currently on tour in support of their latest smash hit album, 'The Circle,' have added rock rapper Kid Rock to a few of their upcoming shows.

These being:

July 9 in E. Rutherford at Giants Stadium;

July 15 in Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium;

July 17 in Winnipeg at Canada Inns Stadium;

July 20-21 in Toronto at Rogers Centre;

July 24 in Foxboro, Mass., at Gillette Stadium;

July 28 in Regina, Saskatchewan, at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field

and

July 30-31 in Chicago at Soldier Field.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Rock News for Monday 5th April, 2010

Hi all, sorry for lack of updates this weekend, busy family weekend going on!

Anyway, back up to date with all the latest I have right here!

Bad Company updates and then some Free too

THE VERY BEST OF FREE AND BAD COMPANY FEAT. PAUL RODGERS Available NOW!

New CD release: 'The Very Best of Free and Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers' was released in the UK on March 29, 2010 by Rhino Records.

It was album of the week on BBC Radio 2 and now has hit the UK TOP 10!

Track Listing

1. Can't Get Enough (Bad Company)

2. Rock Steady (Bad Company)

3. Feel Like Makin' Love (Bad Company)

4. Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy (Bad Company)

5. Ready For Love (Bad Company)

6. Run With The Pack (Bad Company)

7. Seagull (Bad Company)

8. Shooting Star (Bad Company)

9. My Brother Jake (Free)

10. Wishing Well (Free)

11. Be My Friend (Free)

12. The Hunter (Free)

13. Little Bit Of Love (Free)

14. Fire And Water (Free)

15. All Right Now (Free)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UK TOUR SPECIAL GUEST STEVE RODGERS

Great news for fans attending the Wembley show!

Steve Rodgers will perform an acoustic set at Wembley Arena prior to Joe Perry Project and

Bad Company April 11, 2010 at 7:30PM.

BAD COMPANY ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE LIVE CD's OF UK TOUR!

Bad Company are delighted to announce that we will be working with instant music specialists ‘Concert Live’ on our forthcoming UK tour dates.

Concert Live will be recording 3 dates from the UK tour and creating live CD’s instantly at the shows for fans to purchase and take home straight after the concerts!

Recorded gigs are; Wembley Arena, Manchester MEN and Birmingham’s LG Arena, and the Live CD’s will be available after each of these shows as well as throughout the duration of the tour.

These CD sets are presented in deluxe 3 disc digipaks and are strictly limited edition!!

To ensure you get these ultimate souvenirs of your Bad Company concert, we urge you to order your copies now,

To get your hands on them, either for collection after the concert or home delivery, simply visit the Concert Live website http://www.concertlive.co.uk/ or here: http://www.concertlive.co.uk/tour.php?id=99#

If you are not coming to the live shows, but would still like to get a live CD from the tour, you can pre-order and choose to have it delivered to your front door. Worldwide delivery available!

Enjoy the show!

An interesting message from Carl Palmer

Scouting around as usual for the latest news updates for the site, I checked out Carl Palmer's site and this message from Carl to E.L.P. fans, was right at the top of the home page.

Looks like Asia has the power!

'Dear Friends and Fans of ELP,

It is with great sadness that I have heard about the abrupt cancellation of opening night to the 'EVENING WITH KEITH EMERSON / GREG LAKE' tour.

My commitments to ASIA and The Carl Palmer Band had made it impossible to perform at this time with Keith (Emerson) and Greg (Lake).

I have not spoken with either Keith or Greg, but I am very proud of the legacy that ELP has created. When I return to North America in October / November 2010, with The Carl Palmer Band, I will be performing much of that familiar music once more. In the end, it is our music that has made the difference, not the individuals, and it deserves to live on. That is the least I can do for the countless numbers of fans that have always been there for all three of us over these last 40 years.

Thank you, and I will see you in the fall of this year.

Sincerely.

Carl Palmer.

April 3rd, 2010'

So I guess folks, watch out for The Carl Palmer Band touring in the USA in the Fall of 2010!

Roadrunner Records announces a partnership with the Steve Miller Band

Bingo! Due out June 15th First Studio Album In 17 Years!

New York, NY: Roadrunner/Loud & Proud Records is pleased to announce a worldwide partnership with American rock ‘n’ roll pioneers, The Steve Miller Band and Miller’s new imprint Space Cowboy Records. Recorded at film producer George Lucas’ infamous studios at Skywalker Ranch, BINGO! is the band’s first studio album in 17 years. A true return to Miller’s roots, BINGO! echoes his early years in the Chicago music scene and features carefully chosen and crafted tracks performed in distinctive Steve Miller Band fashion.

“With the continuing evolution of the music industry and all the new exciting opportunities that are available, I feel this is a perfect time to start a new record company and establish new innovative partnerships. I am looking forward to a long relationship with Roadrunner / Loud & Proud” says Miller of the new endeavor.

Early reaction from fans and industry insiders are comparing the album to Miller’s 1968 masterpiece SAILOR. BINGO!, will be the first of two albums that were recorded together as a complete body of work, the second of which will be offered next year via the new label partnership.

“After many years of discussion and sharing ideas, the time has finally arrived for Loud & Proud and Steve Miller to work together,” commented Loud & Proud President Tom Lipsky. “We are proud to be Steve’s global label partner and excited to be involved with this landmark project.”

The Steve Miller Band is one of the biggest selling recording, touring and catalog artists of all time, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide throughout its career. SMB’s Greatest Hits 74-78 compilation reached prestigious Diamond Award certification with sales of more than 13 million units sold.

Roadrunner Records President Jonas Nachsin comments “Loud & Proud has been gaining serious momentum in the past few months and now boasts a substantial roster with the addition of the incredible Steve Miller Band. Roadrunner is thrilled to be marketing an artist of Steve’s legendary status along with our own diverse rock roster.”

BINGO! was co-produced by Andy Johns (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen), with artwork designed by the legendary Storm Thorgerson. These recordings feature longtime Steve Miller Band member Norton Buffalo, who sadly passed away in 2009.

Mile High Music Festival on August 14 and 15

On The Fields at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Headliners Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson

Plus Weezer, Steve Miller Band, My Morning Jacket, Slightly Stoopid,

Atmosphere, Phoenix, Train, Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Keane, Bassnectar, Cypress Hill, Z-Trip, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Drive-By Truckers, Railroad Earth, Ozomatli And Many Others

Tickets Go On Sale Saturday, April 10 At 10:00 AM MDT

No Additional Fees On Any Tickets! - Early Bird Tickets are $150 While Supplies Last

Colorado’s Mile High Music Festival officially announces its 2010 event: August 14 and 15 at The Fields at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. With Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson topping the bill of over 40 bands over two days, 2010 promises to be the festival’s biggest and best year yet.

In addition to the headliners, 2010 performance highlights include Weezer, Steve Miller Band, My Morning Jacket, Slightly Stoopid, Atmosphere, Phoenix, Train, Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Keane, Bassnectar, Cypress Hill, Z-Trip, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band, Drive-By Truckers, Railroad Earth, Ozomatli and many others. The complete list of performers is listed below. Doors will open at 11:00 a.m. each day.

A relative newcomer on the national festival scene, Mile High Music Festival has already become a summer tradition for Colorado residents and for music fans from coast to coast. The festival grounds, with its remarkable views of the Denver skyline and Rocky Mountain Front Range, is the perfect backdrop for this diverse, lively, and distinctly Colorado music and arts festival.

The Fields at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is conveniently located just nine miles from downtown Denver, and only 1.8 miles from the I-70 and Quebec exit.

TICKET INFO:

2010 Mile High Music Festival Ticket prices follow. No additional charges or fees apply!

Mile High Music Festival Early Bird Tickets are $150.00 for a two-day pass. Early Bird Ticket supplies are limited and will go quickly. Once the Early Bird Tickets are sold, the ticket price will be adjusted to $175.00 for a two-day pass while supplies last. The next ticket price level will be $200.00 for a two-day pass. No single day tickets are available.

VIP Passes, Hotel Packages and Layaway options are available. Visit http://www.milehighmusicfestival.com/ for more information.

Tickets go on-sale on Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 am MDT at http://www.milehighmusicfestival.com/ and http://www.tickethorse.com/

LINEUP INFO:

The complete line-up for Mile High Music Festival is:

Saturday, August 14

Jack Johnson

Steve Miller Band

Slightly Stoopid

Phoenix

Nas & Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

Keane

Cypress Hill

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band

The Samples (all original members)

Keller Williams

Rusted Root

Donavon Frankenreiter

One eskimO

Mayer Hawthorne & The County

ALO

Amos Lee

The Constellations

The Motet

Bobby Long

MyNameIsJohnMichael

Sunday, August 15

Dave Matthews Band

Weezer

My Morning Jacket

Atmosphere

Train

Jimmy Cliff

Bassnectar

Z-Trip

Drive-By Truckers

Railroad Earth

Ozomatli

Punch Brothers

Tim Reynolds & TR3

Trevor Hall

Matt Morris

BoomBox

On My Stars

Joe Purdy

The Knew

Danielle Ate the Sandwich

Mile High Music Festival is produced by AEG Live Rocky Mountains, Kroenke Sports Enterprises, and Starr Hill Presents.

SINGER/SONGWRITER ERIC SAGE ANNOUNCES HIS DEBUT ALBUM, REDEEM MY HEART (GLOBAL SONIC RECORDS), SET FOR AN APRIL 20 RELEASE

Get ready for a new voice in rock with a lot of soul and even more heart. Singer/songwriter Eric Sage will release his debut album Redeem My Heart (Global Sonic Records) on April 20, 2010.

Sage a professional singer with a three-octave range has already had quite a career. The singer/songwriter sang back ups for Vince Neil of Motley Crüe. He was the runner up in a worldwide competition for the lead singer of one of Canada’s biggest acts Saga. He recently auditioned for Velvet Revolver and is now the lead singer for The Bay City Rollers featuring Ian Mitchell, with whom he travels the world performing. “Music is the most powerful form of expression,” Eric Sage explains. “It evokes emotion on every level. It is the soundtrack for my life. I honestly don’t feel I chose it, I think it chose me.”

The much-anticipated album was produced by Billboard chart topping producer Erik Isaacs. It features guest musicians drummer Randy Cooke (Mick Jagger, Five For Fighting, Kelly Clarkson), guitarist Doug Bossi (David Coverdale, Don Henley and Greg Bissonette), guitarist Jason Hook (Five Finger Death Punch, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil), and bassist, Lance Morrison (Don Henley, Rod Stewart, Alanis Morissette).

Love. Loss. Struggle. And so much more. Eric Sage will take you there. Stay tuned for touring plans in the near future…

Friday, April 2, 2010

Rock News for Friday 2nd April, 2010

Frontiers Records announces the release of Y&T first studio album in 13 years

Entitled “Facemelter” the new album will be released on May 21st in Europe

Napoli, March, 2010 – Y&T, featuring original members Dave Meniketti (vocals and lead guitars) and Phil Kennemore (bass), along with longtime members John Nymann (guitar) and Mike Vanderhule (drums) have recorded their first studio album in 13 years, aptly titled “Facemelter” to be released in Europe on May 21st on Frontiers Records.

With a discography of 18 albums and three greatest hits collections, Y&T has sold over four million albums since their 1974 inception. The band has toured with numerous Rock icons including Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe, receiving constant and extensive airplay with hits such as Forever, Rescue Me, Mean Streak, and Summertime Girls. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five US top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T’s hits are still played nowadays on classic rock radio stations everywhere. Y&T’s high-energy music still captivates legions of fans around the globe, proving Y&T’s music timeless.

As the title indicates, Facemelter - the anticipated new recording - is a hard rockin’, song-oriented album that lives up to its name: it captures the band’s raw energy and tightness that they’ve become known for. Featuring heavy grooves, powerful guitars, and strong melodies, the band shows their versatility, delivering a range of high-energy rockers, mid-tempo head-bangers, modern rock grooves, majestic ballads, and signature Y&T rock anthems. To mark the return, the band engaged John Taylor Dismukes - the same artist who designed covers for Y&T’s classic albums “Mean Streak,” “Black Tiger” and “In Rock We Trust” - to create the amazing art of the new Facemelter.

“What a great feeling to dive back into making new Y&T music,” states Dave Meniketti. “After being away from it for this long, the anticipation of writing a new CD worth of material was, at first, a bit scary, but as soon as we started up I was happy to find how natural it was to get right back in it again. I think we're going to have to keep this up, because musically and emotionally, we still have a lot to say!”

“It's ridiculous that we waited so long to make a new record,” states Phil Kennemore. “In creating new music for Facemelter, I rediscovered the most important thing for any artist, and that is to continue creating . . . it feeds my soul. My hope for Facemelter is that people might just find a few new favorite Y&T songs.”

"We recorded together to capture as much of a live feel as possible which I feel is the strong point of the band," adds Mike Vanderhule, while according to John Nymann, “The chemistry we have between us makes it so easy to develop ideas. Now that we are ignited with new material, I can't wait to bring it to the stage.”

Face-melting is a term that has been with Y&T since the mid-’70s, when a rabid fan ran backstage and told the band, “you melted my face,” which inspired the group’s first publishing company: “Facemelting Music.”

If you haven’t yet taken Y&T’s new album for a ride, grab your leathers, strap yourself in, and prepare to have your face melted.

“Facemelter” includes the following tracks

Prelude, On With The Show; One Life; Shine On; Wild Child; I Want Your Money; I’m Coming Home, If You Want Me; Hot Shot; How Long; Gonna Go Blind; Don’t Bring me Down; Blind Patriot; Losing My Mind*

* Bonus track included on the first pressing in digipak

Y&T are:

Dave Meniketti - lead vocals, lead guitars

Phil Kennemore - bass guitar, vocals

John Nymann - guitar, vocals

Mike Vanderhule - drums & percussion, vocals

Confirmed Summer Tour Dates in Europe:

June 2010

June 10 ~ Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival

June 12 ~ Donington, UK - Download Festival

June 15 ~ Köln, Germany - Underground Cologne

June 16 ~ Zwolle, Netherlands - Hedon Podium

June 17 ~ Dordrecht, Netherlands - Bibelot

June 19 ~ Clisson, France - Hellfest

Weblinks:

http://www.yandtrocks.com/

www.myspace.com/yandtrocks

http://www.frontiers.it/

www.myspace.com/frontiersrecords

Five More Shows Added to United In Rock Tour!

Five more shows have been confirmed for the UNITED IN ROCK Tour with Foreigner, Styx and Kansas, shown in bold below! All five shows have a public on-sale date scheduled for 4/9!

All shows with Foreigner closing are shown below by an asterix next to the date. The remaining shows will have Styx closing, and special guest Kansas will be opening for all shows.

Shows confirmed so far are as follows:

Date City Venue VIP Pre-Sale On Sale

May 2010

*12-May Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre

13-May Baton Rouge, LA Baton Rouge River Center Arena

14-May Oklahoma City, OK Zoo Amphitheatre

15-May Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

18-May Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre

19-May Ontario, CA Citizens Bank Arena

21-May Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre

*22-May Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

23-May Jackpot, NV Cactus Petes Casino

*25-May Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion

*28-May Billings, MT Metrapark Arena

*30-May Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

June 2010
1-Jun Grand Island, NE Heartland Event Center

*3-Jun Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre

4-Jun Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis

5-Jun Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion

7-Jun Atlanta, GA Chastain Park

9-Jun Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre

*11-Jun Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre

*12-Jun Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live

13-Jun Gilford, NH US Cellular Pavilion

18-Jun Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

*20-Jun Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion

*24-Jun Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion

*26-Jun Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center

*27-Jun Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Don't see your city? Check out the list below to see if Foreigner, Styx, and Kansas are coming to a city near you!

+ You won't want to miss this line-up!

Salt Lake City, UT

Wantagh, NY

Indianapolis, IN

Milwaukee, WI

Omaha, NE

Lampe, MO

+The cities listed here are subject to change.

Scorpions - Last Ever Tour to Asia Announced

While still in the process of booking and selling out dozens of new dates in Europe, North- and South-America, Scorpions have announced their last ever tour to Asia. As part of the "Get Your Sting and Blackout World Tour" the band will be touring the Asian continent in February 2011. Klaus Meine explains: 'Throughout our career we have always loved to play in the Asian countries and to its diverse cultures and people. When we announced our final World tour earlier this year, fanmail started flowing in from Japan to Jakarta from Abu Dhabi, India and the Pacific Rim States and so it is a logical step for us to visit all those beautiful countries one last time and to celebrate with our fans.'

From: http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=108

Europe April Fools joke revealed!

I guess one of my news stories yesterday was indeed a prank!

I did think it a little strange at the time!

The band Europe has just announced this today:

02 / 04 / 10 - THOUSANDS PUNK'D IN APRIL FOOLS DAY PRANK

OF COURSE THE PURCHASE OF ROCKKLASSIKER FM WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE!

http://www.europetheband.com/homepage.html

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Michael Bolton - Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD review

Michael Bolton – Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Eagle Vision)

Sadly these days – for many rock fans – Michael Bolton is not the man he once was and is today best known to millions of housewives who just love the old crooner that he seems to have become.

That said a good guitarist friend of mine, a year or so back said he went with a lady friend, to go and see Michael Bolton live and came away saying, ‘You know what Al, at first I begrudged paying the ticket price, but by the end of the night, I realized it was a really good show and he impressed me and his band.’

So what to think about the Michael Bolton current validity as a singer, rock star and musician today, especially when you think back to the late 70’s when Bolton was in hard rock act Blackjack, with rock guitarist Bruce Kulick?

They even toured as opening act for Ozzy Osbourne, oh how the times change!

Bolton does have some good rock releases too in ‘Michael Bolton’ (1983) and ‘Everybody’s Crazy’ (1985), while in 1987 ‘The Hunger’ was a clearer indication of where he was headed with more ballads, but he still pulled in some classy rock guests on this release; Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon and Randy Jackson – Yes, today’s American Idol judge! – all from Journey, along with names like Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen), Eric Martin (Mr. Big) and David Glen Eisley (Giuffria, Dirty White Boy) on backing vocals too.

‘Soul Provider’ in ’89 was really the most obvious pointer of where he was going directionwise.
That said he also got recognized for his songwriting talents by many people and has written songs that have helped other artists to sometimes achieve a little unplanned success. Laura Branigan, Cher, Kiss, Kenny Rogers and many more too.

Since then he’s covered soul classics, band big songs, sung alongside opera legends Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras not to mention artists like Patti LaBelle, Céline Dion and BB King to name just a few and he’s even released an album called ‘Bolton Swings Sinatra.' I think it’s clear we won’t see another rock album from Michael Bolton again, that said his last album ‘One World, One Love,’ featured the promising single ‘Just One Love.’

OK, that’s a lot of background on the man, Michael Bolton, so what does this DVD offer?

Well, the man has still got his distictive voice, of that there’s no doubt and an impressive, big backing band, that includes one time AOR man Michael Thompson on guitar and musical director / guitarist Chris Camozzi can play a bit too as we see here clearly.

The crowd in London’s Royal Albert Hall though, was clearly filled with mostly the older, more mature women …

Opening with a very lengthy – over 6 minutes – ‘Soul Provider’ before continuing on the same path as he starts, with ‘Said I Loved You But I Lied,’ ‘Hope It’s Too Late,’ ‘To Love Somebody’ and ‘(Sittin’ on) The Dock Of The Bay,’ he has the audience in the palm of his hand from the start, giving them exactly what they wanted.

Now it’s serious crooner territory with, ‘You Don’t Know Me,’ ‘Summertime,’ ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ and ‘That’s Life,’ which are all very respectable and sure, it shows the guys ability to switch things around here and there.

He then gives us the song he co-wrote with current pop favorite, Lady GaGa in ‘Murder My Heart,’ mmm. Probably the less said about that, the better, although the presentation here isn’t too bad, with the exception of the ‘overdone’ handclaps of the modern day ‘R & B’ sound, Michael Thompson’s tasty guitar sound helps much.

Bolton then moves out to appear in the middle of the crowd for, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman.’

Now he switches into some of his better late 80’s material with, ‘How Can We Be Lovers,’ which seems to get the most audience participation of the evening. Then it’s ‘Steel Bars’ and ‘Time, Love and Tenderness,’ which were a little refreshing here.

‘Can I Touch You There’ next, then slips into that zome that really doesn’t work for me, then ‘Crazy Love’ and a nice version of ‘Georgia on my Mind.’

He then does an impressive presentation of the huge ballad ‘How Am I Supposed To Live Without You,’ with just the piano player and of course the Royal Albert Hall ladies choir for the chorus.

He closes the set and DVD of the show with what I will say is a better new song in the single, ‘Just One Love,’ which has a good full band backing sound and big hook in the chorus and then he’s done.

There’s a pretty reasonable and lengthy interview with the man as well as the bonus feature here, but it does seems that he’s rather avoid going over his rock era. Shame.

I really can’t knock the guys talent or the backing band and overall performance, it’s just that this really isn’t a rock DVD.

I covered this release here, because I admire the guys earlier rock work and his ability I guess to adapt in many different genres today.

Rating:

Overall performance / presentation 4 out of 5

For me personally, musical appeal: 2 out of 5.