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Friday, November 5, 2010

Michael Schenker Group - 30th Anniversary Concert review

Michael Schenker Group – 30th Anniversary Concert
Live in Tokyo album review
Released on: Inakustik through MVD. Release Date: Available now.
Double CD set, DVD and Blue Ray available.


This M.S.G. release has been made available as a 2 CD set, DVD and Blue Ray, for those of you out there looking to check this out.
The last two or so years have been good for Michael Schenker, as he appears to have put a lot of his demons behind him, got himself in pretty good shape and by all accounts has been playing better than he has in years, literally!

2008’s studio release ‘In The Midst of Beauty’ reunited the man with the majority of the original line up that released the very first Michael Schenker Group album, back in 1980, minus Mo Foster on bass, but including Gary Barden, Don Airey and Simon Phillips, ably assisted on bass by Neil Murray (Ex-Whitesnake, etc).

To celebrate 30 years since Mr. Schenker started MSG - as it’s best known - he talked Simon Phillips and Neil Murray to join Gary Barden, Wayne Findlay (Long time MSG member) and himself to return to the city that recorded his classic live album ‘Live at Budokan’ and the guys stepped up to the invitation!

I must admit I was really looking forward to this release, for a very long time, as the shows took place back in January of this year and yet it’s only just been released now (Late October.). Why so long, beats me, although maybe it’s something to do with how Gary Barden sounds today … We all get older I guess and many vocalists tend to struggle with maintaining their voices to a top level … Anyway, on with the review!

The album starts with Schenker’s, ‘Welcome Howl’ as it’s titled here on the sleeve notes, with just him and some keyboards backing him, for an atmospheric start and then ‘wallop!’ Here’s the band for ‘Feels Like a Good Thing’ and Barden sounds OK, if a little strained, lacking here is stronger backing vocals, a point I noticed throughout listening. Schenker sounds great though and Simon Phillips and Murray are solid enough, keyboards fairly low in the mix though.

‘Cry For The Nations’ is next up and starts solid enough, although rhythm guitar sound pretty thin and Barden starts something that seems to trend throughout this live album and that is he backs off from singing most of the choruses, leaving it to the crowd, which fortunately works for him, as the crowd is clearly very happy to be here to see this line up.

Barden introduces next track as, ‘You might remember this one, it’s something about little woe woes!’ Hmmm … Woof, woof’s perhaps?! ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ is certainly good to hear again, although Barden’s voice is up and down … The keyboards big string sound, backs up Schenker’s soloing well and Phillips and Murray are keeping thing solid enough too.

‘Armed and Ready’ comes next and musically sounds great and I don’t know how Barden has been on other live dates, but he does sound like he’s struggling some and yes, he has the audience take the lead on the first chorus and later chorus but Schenker adds some additional soloing which is great but – I’m guessing – Wayne Findlay’s backing vocals are so low in the mix … It’s almost like …, well why weren’t they mixed in better?

It’s really a great reminder of how good the songs were from that first MSG album and ‘Victim of Illusion’ next is another fine example of that, sadly Barden’s voice is weak again and it’s like he feels he has to add extra screams to try and make it up.

‘Are You Ready To Rock’ next, starts with Schenkers riffing and clearly gets the crowds complete support, Barden’s ‘singing’ on this track is perhaps at it’s worst so far … It’s a real shame as I know he’s older and it’s tough to retain good vocals as the years go on, particularly with some of the songs demands from MSG and I can remember Barden playing some great shows back in the day. This sadly isn’t one of those nights.

I really think they shouldn’t have used this show for the live release, but as I mentioned before, I don’t how Barden’s voice was at other times during the tour. He gets the audience into a sing along midway through and then just as you think they’re wrapping the song up, Simon Phillips gives us a drum solo. You go mate! Fairly short and sweet though, compared to what he’d do with Toto.

A track from the ‘Midst of Beauty’ next in ‘I Want You’ and I thought this should possibly work better for Barden as it’s something he’s done more recently and should be within his reach and for the most it’s OK, but again when it comes to the chorus he reaches to the audience to sing it and as it’s a newer song perhaps he was asking too much.
Schenker is on top form himself, soloing above and beyond the call of duty if you ask me!

Another newer song in ‘A Night To Remember’ next and Barden sings it at a fairly pedestrian pace. Again it’s OK and relatively safe for Barden it seems but he did sing it better on the album and the backing vocals sounded off at the one point they can be heard. Shame …

OK, they really can’t do any wrong with ‘Into the Arena’ next, very well done lads!

Onto the second disc and it opens with ‘Lost Horizons’ and the keyboards sound a little more emphasized during the verses and Barden perhaps a little more comfortable with this one. Murray’s bass plays out well, midway through, keeping true to the original. Schenkers playing sounds like he’s enjoying himself. Backing vocals towards the end, sound bad …

I think perhaps one of my favourite Schenker tracks live is next one, ‘Rock My Nights Away,’ it’s just so upbeat and all encompassing. Great stuff and Barden doesn’t sound too bad at all here. Fun track!

‘On and On’ next is another favourite live MSG track for me too and the keyboard intro here, probably throws a few people off.
Barden lets the audience take the choruses here too, overall not too bad at all.

Time for ‘Attack of the Mad Axeman’ next and it’s almost like Barden’s voice has warmed up a bit perhaps, as the second half of this double live set is clearly better vocally than the first disc. What a great track this is and I’ve always loved how it takes off after the midsection of the song. Schenker does not hold back at all!

‘Ride On My Way’ is another one from the ‘Midst of Beauty’ release and it’s OK, perhaps not one of the strongest tracks of that album, so perhaps a surprise choice for inclusion here …

OK, no denying Schenker’s history at all, certainly not with UFO and next up is the absolute classic ‘Rock Bottom.’
Barden again using the crowd as much as possible, even by singing one line of the verse, letting the audience sing the next and so on, but they are clearly lapping it up! Good stuff!

Odd choice for inclusion next with ‘Dance Lady Gipsy’ from the ‘Gipsy Lady’ album, maybe again kind of safe for Barden?!

Final number has to be ‘Doctor, Doctor’ from UFO and the crowd goes absolutely nuts! I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I’ve ever heard Barden sing this, it’s almost like he doesn’t take it seriously, just in how he presents it. Maybe it’s just me?

The DVD isn’t too bad either and you get the same tracks, obviously running straight through though. Again, Barden’s short fallings are apparent, perhaps more so at times?
There’s the addition of interviews with each band member too with the DVD, so that’s not too bad either.

It’s a real shame that Barden’s voice wasn’t really up to it, that and the backing vocals being off here and there, otherwise this really could’ve been a 5 out of 5 review. Schenkers playing is great and the musicianship from the rest of the band is still very good indeed. It’s just the vocals that are off from time to time. That to me is why it takes a hit in my final rating. That’s a real shame …

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.
Michael Schenker official website, right here!

Rock News for Friday 5th November, 2010

RIP Jim Clench
May 1, 1949 – November 2, 2010


Very sad to hear of the passing of Jim Clench, who had been Bassist / Vocalist with both Canadian top rock acts April Wine and Bachman Turner Overdrive over the years. 
He joined April Wine back in 1971 and played on three studio albums 'On Record' (1972), 'Electric Jewels' (1973), 'Stand Back' (1975) as well as the band's early live release simply titled, 'Live' in 1974.

In late 1977, Jim Clench was asked to step into some big shoes, after Randy Bachman quit Bachman Turner Overdrive, although he was in fact taking on Fred Turners role as bass player / backing vocalist, as Turner took on rhythm guitar and main lead vocalist in the band.
His first album with BTO was 1978's 'Street Action' and his second and last album with the band was, 'Rock and Roll Nights' (1979). Later that year, BTO split up until reforming in 1984, but Clench was not a part of that line up.

Then after a number of years between bands, he rejoined April Wine in 1992 when ironically they reformed after splitting up in 1986.
The reformed line up's first new studio release was 1993 well received 'Attitude' and Jim Clench went on to record another three studio albums with the band in, 'Frigate' (1994), 'Back To The Mansion' (2001) and final studio release, 'Roughly Speaking' in 2006.
There was also an excellent double live release 'Greatest Hits Live 2003' as well, where the band were also joined by former Coney Hatch vocalist / lead guitarist, Carl Dixon.
That was really it for Jim Clench who then seemed to call it quits on music professionally.
The actual cause of death has not been officially revealed at this time, although there's been one report that claimed it was lung cancer.
RIP Jim Clench, you made many rock and roll fans very happy with your contribution to music.
    
Rik Emmett update with his Newsletter

Former Triumph man - Well, they aren't giving us much hope on new material or live dates, are they?! - Rik Emmett, has just shared his latest newsletter with fans and I must say, it does always make for an interesting read. Take it away Rik!

NOVEMBER 2010
Ah, November – one of the ‘cruel’ transition months. The weather in Canada, where I live, is already turning edgy and frosty, and as I write this, tiny little creatures in strange costumes have started showing up, scaring the candy out of good folks in the neighborhood. Brrrrrrrr.

Predictions for October turned out pretty good. Jeannette and I had a wonderful weekend up in Mount Pleasant Michigan as our son was presented with an award at his university. And the HoB gig in Chicago on Oct. 28 with my old friend Jim Peterik and his World Stage group was great fun, hanging out with Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, Mike Reno of Loverboy, Don Barnes of .38 Special, Dave Bickell of Survivor, and Lisa McClowry. We raised some dough for San Miguel Schools, http://www.sanmiguelrocks.org/ and the World Stage band, as usual, was smokin’. One of the things that made the gig special for me was that I got to use my new Gibson CS-356 electric guitar [I call her “Ruby”], which arrived only a few weeks ago. Lovely, classy little lady. My wife maintains that she’s not jealous of The Lady In Red.

Dave Dunlop and I have the last 3 Troubs gigs in the U.S. this year coming up really soon – and as I hyped you last month, Cambridge, Philly and New York are going to be truly "can't miss" events. [Boston: http://www.passimcenter.org/ , Philly: http://www.tinangel.com/ , New York: http://www.citywinery.com/ ] You folks might be interested in checking these gigs out, for the crowd participation stuff that happens – some lucky folks get to come up and belt out "Lay It On The Line" backgrounds with us: plus Dave and I indulge in a crazy improve stunt song that’s all about getting the crowd into the act. Oh – and both Dave and I will be using our new Godin guitars – ACS-SA nylon string acoustic-electric models that have the coolest, most modern all-round vibe.
I also want to remind you all once again that I will also be closing out the 2010 ‘Trifecta’ tour season for the PRO Trio as well. That happens November 18 through 20: Oscar Lopez, Pavlo and I will be in –

Parry Sound Ontario Nov. 18, www.stockeycentre.com/,
Alliston Ontario 19th [ www.gibsoncentre.com/ ] and the grand finale is
Nov. 20 at Koerner Hall in Toronto [ http://performance.rcmusic.ca/venues/koernerhall ].

I don’t know how many of you newsletter folks manage to visit http://www.rikemmett.com/ regularly, but those that do might have noticed in our News section that I actually got voted in at # 44 for the top 50 acoustic guitarists of all time on the http://www.gibson.com/ site, which is quite an unexpected honor. I’m sure I don’t deserve it - but, as the sports guys often say, I’ll take it!

There are a few other under-the-radar gigs happening in November: Dave and I are doing an intimate private duo gig out west of Toronto in late November, and before Oscar flies back out west, after our Koerner Hall date, the PRO trio will be involved in taping a Christmas special out in Whitby Ontario on Nov. 23.

Many of our newsletter subscribers are Americans, so I want to wish our U.S. people a Happy Thanksgiving. Our Canadian celebration (our harvests come a bit earlier north of the 49th parallel) was outstanding, with far too many blessings to count, and the only regret is the amount of jail time I must do on the sunken treadmill in our basement [Yes – sunken. Someday, if nudged, I’ll relate the story … ] to try and burn off the calories from overindulging.

By the next time I write again, I will be rehearsing intensely for my early December orchestra gig down St. Catharine’s way, [Dec. 3] where I will play the hit-laden “Guitar Heroes” set list --- yes, Sultans of Swing, yes, Stairway! … yes, Clapton and Hendrix and Santana. Yes – sore, burning fingers!

Pekoe The Goldenest of Doodles is in perfect health – her sister, Bella the tiny tuxedo cat, managed to get her right rear leg dislocated and badly mangled, (can’t say for sure how it happened, but there were no bite marks, or other trauma, so it must have got caught and twisted somehow) so she’s in a splint / cast for – vet says – 8 weeks. Ha. That ought to be a challenge, keeping the likes of her calm and caged.

Recommended, outstanding, weirdly great movie rentals: Dean Spanley [an AMAZING ensemble cast, with truly great work by Sam Neill and Peter O’Toole]. Also – Please Give - again, an acting kind of small NY film, but a terrific cast, with some interesting perspectives on humanity, and how we treat each other, written and directed very well indeed by Nicole Holofcener.

As I sign off, once again, I want to thank you folks for the growth we’ve been experiencing at http://www.rikemmett.com/ – more visitors, more traffic, and more sales.
I am forever in your debt. And the adventure continues, onwards and upwards. Let’s chat again in a month, shall we?
Peace & Love & Cheers,
Rik

Carl Palmer says, no more ELP for me!

Original Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Not forgetting Asia! - drummer, Carl Palmer, has poured serious cold water on the possibility of further dates with a reunited E.L.P.
He says that the High Voltage show in the summer, in London was his last gig with the band.

Dave Ling, one of the better scribes at Classic Rock interviewed the man and in this brief summary, I think it says enough!
Dave Ling asked, 'After 12 years away, was it difficult to reactivate the beast?'

Palmer replied, “Well, for reasons I won’t go into it’s always hard to rev it up. We rehearsed for it for a month, which almost killed me. Not the physical side of it, just keeping interested. Me personally, I didn’t need a month. But that’s what we did, and when it came to the gig what you saw was what you got. That’s as good as it will ever be (again). Everyone seemed pretty happy with it, and I think that gig will be far as the three of us can take things.”

Enough said I think?!
To read more on this and it is interesting to hear his take, a little more, go to:

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Rock News for Thursday 4th October, 2010

Sweden's Roxette to hit the road for 2011 World Tour and new album too!


Many people wondered, whatever happened to Sweden's probably most successful, pop / rock duo.
Well, Roxette are back it seems with a world tour lined up starting in March 2011 and so far running through into July, but it seems like there's plenty of space for more dates in there.
Oh, and a new album is on the way too! Read on!

Roxette is setting off on a much anticipated world tour 2011.
The band kicks off in Kazan, Russia March 1st and will cover at least five continents during the year. Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle are returning to the world stage full of new enthusiasm after their six sold out concerts this summer. Roxette toured Europe in 2001. However, the last world tour took place in 1994-95 with the “Crash! Boom! Bang!” album.

‘If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, if there would ever be a new Roxette tour I would have very quickly said “No!”,´ says singer, guitarist and songwriter Per Gessle. ‘Knowing what Marie (Fredriksson, lead vocalist) had to go through in recovering from her severe illness, this is not only unbelievable, it seems almost magical to me. It will be wonderful to meet all our audience on Planet Earth again.’

‘I’ve been longing and hoping for this since 2002. It makes me incredibly happy to know we’re going to meet our fans all around the world again,’ says Marie.

Besides the tour, Roxette fans can look forward to a brand new album in the first quarter of 2011.
Tour Dates planned (So far!):

March 2011
1.3 Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia
3.3 MTL Arena, Samara, Russia
5.3 Palace of Sports, Yekaterinburg, Russia
7.3 Siberia Arena, Novosibirisk, Russia
10.3 Exhibition Center, Kiev, Ukraine
12.3 Minsk Arena, Minsk, Belarus
14.3 Siemens Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania
16.3 Riga Arena, Riga, Latvia
18.3 Saku Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
April 20111.4 Viva Cuervo Salon, Mexico City, Mexico
4.4 Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
5.4 Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
8.4 Orfeo, Córdoba, Argentina
10.4 Movistar Arena, Santiago, Chile
12.4 Pepsi on Stage, Porto Alegre, Brazil
14.4 Credicard Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil
16.4 Citibank Hall, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17.4 Chevrolet Hall, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

May 201111.5 Grand Arena, Cape Town, South Africa
14.5 The Superbowl, Sun City, South Africa
15.5 The Superbowl, Sun City, South Africa
20.5 World Trade Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

June 2011
3.6 See Fest, SFZ Schwarl frizeitentrum, Graz, Austria
5.6 O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
9.6 Plenen, Bergen, Norway
11.6 Zitadelle, Berlin, Germany
12.6 Hessentag, Frankfurt, Germany
15.6 Voelkerschlachtsdenkmal, Leipzig, Germany
16.6 Tanzbrunnen, Cologne, Germany
19.6 Torwar, Warsaw, Poland

July 2011
9.7 Bospop Festival, Weert, Netherlands
16.7 Nordkalks Dagbrot, Pargas, Finland
22.7 Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark
24.7 Trädgårdsföreningen, Gothenburg, Sweden
31.7 Suikerrock Festival, Tienen, Belgium
Dates to be added.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 66 DAYS!!
Ed Force One Back In Action For 2011

IRON MAIDEN, their crew and many tons of equipment, will once again be boarding Ed Force One in February 2011 to fly 50,000 miles round the globe on their continuing mammoth Final Frontier World Tour, playing 29 shows and visiting 26 cities in thirteen countries across 5 continents with Bruce (Dickinson)again in the pilot's seat, and heading into more new Frontiers of uncharted Maiden territory!!!

The first show will be on Feb 11th in Moscow's Olympic Stadium, after which the Boeing 757, which will have new designs to tie in with the new album and tour, will fly the band to Singapore and Indonesia for Maiden's first ever shows there, before arriving in Australia to headline two arena dates and five Soundwave Festivals. Ed Force One then turns its attention briefly to the Northern Hemisphere with a first show ever in South Korea and two shows in Tokyo, before heading all the way across the Pacific, a journey which (believe it or not!) is 6660 miles for two shows in Mexico. An extensive series of stadium shows through five South American countries follows, including a first visit to Belem, Northern Brazil, and, via Puerto Rico, the band will play the final show on this leg of the tour in Tampa, Florida, USA on April 17th, exactly 66 days after Moscow! (full dates below)

Says Bruce, "We were taken aback by the fantastic reaction from everyone to Ed Force One during the 2008/09 World Tour. As our fans all know from the "Flight 666" film, which documented the trials and tribulations we underwent in order to get the whole project literally off the ground, the end result was well worth all the effort and complex logistics we had to deal with! The band and crew enjoyed themselves so much travelling that way, it seemed only logical to set up this part of The Final Frontier tour in the same way so we could get to see as many fans as possible all over the World, only this time we're pushing the boundaries even further and going to more places Maiden has never been before... in true Frontier style!! We very much look forward to playing in Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea for the first time, as well as revisiting our fans everywhere else.

"The set list will be different to this year's tour. Of course we will play more songs from the new album and some other recent material, but we will include a healthy dose of older fan favourites as we will be playing to so many new faces who we know will want to hear those songs live for the first time. We will cram into the plane as much of the production we used this year as is physically possible, including of course Eddie, and intend to replicate the spectacular light show in as many places as we are able. All in all it promises to be a fantastic trip for everyone!! So see you all soon".


Since its release in August on EMI (UME in the US), "The Final Frontier" -- the band's 15th studio album - has proved their most successful chart album to date, registering the #1 sales chart slot in 28 countries around the globe; from Lebanon, Arabia and India in the East, to Canada in the West, New Zealand down South, throughout UK and Europe and across Latin America, as well as reaching No.1 in Billboard's European, Tastemaker and Rock Charts, and No.4 in the USA, which is the band's highest position ever there.

Having already played an extensive 25 date North American Tour and some selected European shows this year, Maiden will undertake a full European Tour in the summer of 2011. Some dates have already been announced but keep an eye on this site over the next few weeks and months for many more announcements.

FEBRUARY 2011
Fri 11 Moscow, RUSSIA Olympiski
Tue 15 Singapore Singapore Indoor Stadium
Thu 17 Jakarta, INDONESIA Stadium Utama Gelaro Bung Karno Senayan
Sun 20 Bali, INDONESIA Garuda Wisnu Kencana
Wed 23 Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Hisense Arena
Thu 24 Sydney, AUSTRALIA Entertainment Centre
Sat 26 Brisbane, AUSTRALIA Showgrounds (SOUNDWAVE FEST)
Sun 27 Sydney, AUSTRALIA Eastern Creek Raceway (SOUNDWAVE FEST)
MARCH 2011
Fri 4 Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Showgrounds (SOUNDWAVE FEST)
Sat 5 Adelaide, AUSTRALIA Bonython Park (SOUNDWAVE FEST)
Mon 7 Perth, AUSTRALIA Steel Blue Oval (SOUNDWAVE FEST)
Thu 10 Seoul, KOREA Chamsil Gymnasium
Sat 12 Tokyo, JAPAN Super Arena
Sun 13 Tokyo, JAPAN Super Arena
Thu 17 Monterrey, MEXICO Banamex Theatre
Fri 18 Mexico City, MEXICO Foro Sol
Sun 20 Bogota, COLOMBIA CC Sapo
Wed 23 Lima, PERU Estadio San Marcos
Sat 26 Sao Paulo, BRAZIL Morumbi Stadium
Sun 27 Rio De Janeiro, BRAZIL HSBC Arena
Wed 30 Brasilia, BRAZIL Nilson Nelson Parking Lot

APRIL 2011
Fri 1 Belem, BRAZIL Parque De Exposicoes
Sun 3 Recife, BRAZIL Parque De Exposicoes
Tue 5 Curitiba, BRAZIL Expotrade
Fri 8 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA Velez Sarsfield
Sun 10 Santiago, CHILE Estadio Nacional
Wed 14 San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA Coliseo De Puerto Rico
Sat 16 Sunrise, Florida, USA Bank Atlantic Center
Sun 17 Tampa, Florida USA St Pete Times Forum

JULY 2011
June 30- July 3 Roskilde, DENMARK Roskilde Festival
Fri 1 Gothenburg, SWEDEN Ullevi Stadium
Wed 6 Oslo, NORWAY Telenor
Fri 8 Helsinki, FINLAND Olympic Stadium
Sun 10 St Petersburg, RUSSIA SKK Peterburgskiy

(Please visit the Tour Dates page  - www.ironmaiden.com/index.php?categoryid=15 - for on-sale info and links)
As always we hope to facilitate 'First to the Barrier' for our fan club members at as many shows as possible, and exclusive ticket pre-sales in some countries (such as the USA), and details of these will be announced nearer the time here on http://www.ironmaiden.com/.

There is also a Fan Club trip planned for the Florida shows! Details are available here.
UK fans - don't worry, we most certainly haven't forgotten you ... you're next!!

New Lukather album available on iTunes in USA & Canada Nov. 12th!

Very brief update, for those of you that weren't aware of the latest from the Steve Lukather camp, but this posted over at:
 
Luke: "My new CD "All's Well That Ends Well" is out in the USA and Canada on November 12th on iTunes! The physical CD's will be out in January 2011!"
 
I'm fortunate to have heard it through one time and on first listening I have to say, it's not grabbing me as 2008's 'Ever Changing Times' did. I guess it's a grower ...
 
Vivian Campbell update from the Def Leppard camp
 
Vivian and his train wrecks at Harper's this Friday
 
http://www.defleppard.com/ - This Friday, November 5, you will have another chance to catch Vivian (Campbell) playing with his hobby project Sir Sodoff and The Trainwrecks at Harper's Bar & Grille in Tarzana, CA.

Vivian: "I strongly suspect that it'll be our last for this year, as rehearsals for my stint with Thin Lizzy start very soon, then holidays etc, and then I'm off to Europe to tour with Lizzy in January and February. It could be next spring before we have a chance to play with the Trainwrecks again!". Hence, make sure you catch this group while you still can! The show starts at 9PM.

Sir Sodoff And The Train Wrecks is a five-piece band consisting of Vivian (vocals and guitar), Glen Sobel (drums), Lou Castro (bass), Michael Fell (harp) and Kara Grainger (guitar and vocals). The band plays songs by Thin Lizzy, Horslips, Free, Rory Gallagher, some Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, plenty of other blues-type music, and of course a number of tracks from Vivian's 2005 solo album "TWO SIDES OF IF".

And finally ....

UK Classic Rock magazine 'AOR' Special Issue

Yes, for all you lovers of all things AOR / Melodic rock like, on November 17th (In the UK), Classic Rock magazine will put on sale a special edition of it's magazine, for the sum of £7.99.
When it will be available here in the US, is anyone's guess ...? Probably for something like $15!!!
Anyway, meantime, check out the cover here (Below) and go to their website, to read more about what will be inside the magazine!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Brief Rock News for Wednesday 3rd November, 2010

TSO Winter Tour news update


The Trans-Siberian Orchestra 2010 Winter Tour kicks off this Wednesday and we're looking forward to bringing you our biggest and most ambitious show yet. The band is rehearsing endlessly and the crew is working around the clock to take the TSO experience to the next level with some new surprises. We know that times our tough out there, however, we're not holding anything back!

Also, stay tuned later this month when TSO will be giving away a free MP3 download of a new take on a classic TSO track at Amazon.com.

We can't wait, as always, to see you out on the road!

- All of us with Trans-Siberian Orchestra

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
WINTER TOUR 2010


Visit our tour page for more details:
sign up for TSO's fan club community site at:


PRE-ORDER THE NEW ALBUM FROM DAVID "ROCK" FEINSTEIN, LEADER OF LEGENDARY ROCKERS THE RODS!


David "Rock" Feinstein - the former member of Ronnie Dio and The Prophets, The Electric Elves, Elf, and the leader of the legendary NYC band, The Rods - is about to unleash an all-new solo effort via the Niji Entertainment Group, 'Bitten By The Beast.'

Although the album's official release date is November 23, 2010, fans can now pre-order 'Bitten By The Beast' via the Official Ronnie James Dio webstore.


The nine-track disc will also be available as a deluxe digipack, and will certainly be of interest to metal fans worldwide, due to Feinstein's impressive hard rock pedigree.
But also, because the album features what turned out to be one of the last-ever recorded vocals by Ronnie James Dio (Feinstein's cousin), on the headbanging anthem "Metal Will Never Die."

"I feel like it was meant for me to write 'Metal Will Never Die'," explains Feinstein. "And it was meant to be that Ronnie James Dio should sing it! Whatever power it was that brought the two of us back together musically, I am so thankful for. Now, 'Metal Will Never Die' means more to me than any other song that I have written in my whole career as a songwriter and musician. I can't wait for the world to hear it!" And now, fans have the opportunity to pre-order and be the first to experience this must-hear metal disc.

'Bitten By The Beast' Tracklisting:
Smoke On The Horizon
Evil In Me
Break Down The Walls
Metal Will Never Die (Featuring Ronnie James Dio on lead vocals)
Kill The Demon
Rock's Boogie
Give Me Mercy
Run For Your Life
Gambler Gambler

For more information, visit:

Sweden Rock Festival 2011 will celebrate 20 years


Wow! Who'd have thought that event has been going 20 years and the event just seems to go from strength to strength. Every year everyone in the rock world hears about it and there have been some great DVD releases by bands that have played there too.
I think for next year the organizers should take it upon themselves to release the event, worldwide on CD and DVD!
A Sweden Rock Festival Anniversary event!

Anyway, getting off track here, but as early as it is already for the event happening in June next year, so far already Ozzy, Jason and the Scorchers (Remember them?!) and Saxon are among the names confirmed.
Both Jason and the Scorchers and Saxon will be celebrating anniversaries next year too!
Jason and the Scorchers will have been going for 30 years come 2011 and Saxon will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the 'Denim and Leather' album.
According to Blabbermouth.net, Saxon will be playing 'Denim and Leather' in it's entirety next year AND will be bringing 'the eagle' to the event! Ahh, I remember the old eagle well on many of the early Saxon tours playing at the old Portsmouth Guildhall!
You can read the Blabbermouth piece right here:
www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=148733
 To check out the Sweden Rock Festival site, go here:
 www.swedenrock.com/

The Cars reformed, new music, first sample

The reunited Cars line up, including this time around Ric Ocasek, have recently got things together, after the other guys in the band played shows as 'The New Cars' featuring Todd Rungren and there is some new music to be heard that the band have posted through their Facebook page.
The new song is called, 'Blue Tip' and you can sample it here:
www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=445115559565#!/TheCars
Don't get too excited though as they are only sharing just over a minute of the track!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Issa - Sign of Angels album review

Issa – Sign Of The Angels album review
Released on: Frontiers Records. Release Date: Available now.


Issa, interesting name young lady, I guess it perhaps gets more attention than Isabell right? Wow though! What a great voice!
I really must say, when I first heard of Issa (Isabell Øversveen), I couldn’t deny how stunningly attractive she was and then hold on a minute … WOW! Seriously, what a wonderful voice!
Hailing from Oslo, Norway she clearly has a very bright future ahead of her, as she sings superbly!

Starting with ‘Angels Crying’ it’s a great strong start to any album, great hook lines throughout, very big sound, incredibly good vocals and a very hard rocking backing band. Good strong opener.

‘I’m Alive’ next is almost like something Cher could’ve done when she was hooked up with Ritchie Sambora. It builds from a very atmospheric beginning, interspersed with infrequent punchy power chords before the huge almost Bon Jovi like chorus.
Issa has a voice that’s right there with Cher’s best material, even that Canadian temptress Lee Aaron and some of Heart’s more commercial rocking material. Good stuff indeed.

I can’t help thinking ‘Give Me a Sign’ reminds me specifically of something or maybe it’s just that absolutely hook laden that it’s screaming out to be heard! A very catchy up and down tempo track! Imagine The Corrs rockin’ out!

‘River of Love’ is written by Tom and James Martin, who’ve penned a number of House of Lords tracks among others and also Nick Workman (Ex-Kick) and who are now all in new band Vega and this clearly shows that together they can write pretty special tunes! It’s a great up tempo pop rocker. Again, I’m thinking a little of Cher at times, but I think that’s down to some of the production tweaks here and there.

A little eerie, even prog or borderline symphonic metal is possibly the best description of next track, ‘What Can I Do.’ Actually, the way it’s presented almost comes across like Evanescence. It’s a fairly slow paced number, heavily layered but with punchy power chords throughout, which is typical on the whole album.

Well, I guess ‘Closer’ likewise starts with an eerie’ish sound too, but before too long we’re into more familiar hard rockin’ stuff, for the chorus. The verse then take it back down a little before the more up tempo vibe of the chorus. Jakob Hazell is the guest guitarist on this track.

‘Unbelievable’ almost brings Roxette to mind (Anyone remember them?), how funny …
It’s a big power ballad production number and Issa is singing sweetly here. Nice stuff.

Those punchy, grinding chord patterns are back again for the intro of ‘How Will I Know,’ as the song chugs through the verses, with some of those atmospheric keys throughout and then a huge chorus that really grabs you. Sing along time!

‘As I Live and Breathe’ next is another creation of those Vega boys, Martin, Martin and Workman! Killer catchy hooks, what a great track … Heck! I’m already thinking I can’t wait to hear their (Vega’s) new album in December (Hopefully!).
Nice guitar solo, even if in one spot, it’s totally Bon Jovi like, a little like the overall song. Great track.

A motorbike starts this track ‘Flying High,’ then some keyboards and a scream! Follow that! They do, with the familiar trade mark (Now ...) crunching riffs again through the steady verse and then the chorus kicks in, big vocals as is par for the course throughout the album. Then an interesting bridge before the solo, then it’s back into the chorus again to sing the song out.

Power ballad time again with ‘It’s Not Me,’ which is a chug along steady number, with some really nice vocals and a haunting guitar solo. It’s well done.

Album closer is ‘Fallen Angel’ another chug along mid to up tempo track. Not too bad at all.
I suppose a little amusing is that clearly Issa is singing ‘He’s a fallen angel …’ The lyrics in the booklet read ‘She’s a fallen angel.’ Minor detail I guess … And that’s your lot!

It’s really not a bad album at all, Issa clearly has a great voice, the crunchy power chords throughout every song though, don’t give it a great deal of balance and that gets a little predictable. Peter Huss' solo work though has elements of Yngwie Malmsteen, even Steve Vai at times, not too bad at all.

The rest of the band is round off with Nobby Noberg (Bass), Tim Larsson (Keyboards) and Uli Kusch on drums.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Additional note:
I couldn't find a specific website for Issa and even the MySpace page looks like it could be someone wanting to be Issa or Isabell, as there's really nothing to it.
Probably for the best place to check her work out for yourself though, is through the Frontiers record label site. Here's a direct link to her album's promo: www.frontiers.it/album/4744/
Here's Frontiers website: www.frontiers.it/home/

Rock News for Tuesday 2nd November, 2010

Black Country Communion 2 album is on the way

So says Glenn Hughes, courtesy of his Twitter page! Check it out here and keep up with his various activities!

He says, 'Studio is booked in LA for BCC 2 in January (2011) ... Good times people ... It's nall about the music ... GH'
So there you have it! I must say, I have a little more belief in this happening than the second Chickenfoot release, but we'll see.

I thought the first BCC album had a number of high points, but I think the band were too often, doing the Prog Rock, 'drag the tunes out a bit,' a little bit too much.
The first one is a good one, just not all I'd hoped it would be.
If you missed my review first time around, go here:


JACKYL COLLABORATE WITH DMC ON NEW SINGLE! FALL/WINTER TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED!

What a kick ass year 2010 has turned out to be for rockers Jackyl! Jesse Dupree (Vocals), Jeff Worley (Guitar), Roman Glick (Bass) and Chris Worley (Drums) celebrated the release of the new Jackyl CD, ‘When Moonshine and Dynamite Collide’ by personally calling everyone that pre-ordered to thank them for their support. “We never expected just how cool that was going to be” Jackyl Lead Vocalist Jesse James Dupree quoted.
As their first single ‘She’s Not A Drug’ shot up the active rock charts, Jackyl continued to tour from coast to coast.

The shenanigans were just beginning! Dupree serves as executive producer of the truTV hit series FULL THROTTLE SALOON, which looks at the behind-the-scenes mayhem at Michael Ballard’s legendary biker watering hole in Sturgis, South Dakota. The second exciting season, which features a performance by Jackyl, launches on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 10 p.m. (ET).

Jackyl are ending 2010 with a bang by collaborating with R&R Hall of Fame legend DMC from Run DMC by releasing the single ‘Just Like A Negro’.
DMC will be performing the extremely powerful song with Jackyl on stage during their late fall and winter tour.

“Darryl is an inspiration and it’s an honor to sing and share the stage with him, especially having such a impacting message in our song, Just Like A Negro” says Dupree of DMC.

The single is available for purchase at http://www.jackyl.com/ and comes with a limited edition Jackyl featuring DMC poster, or download at ITUNES. Check out the video here:

JACKYL FALL TOUR DATES CONFIRMED:
November 2010
11/24 in Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre.
11/25 in Louisville, KY @ Phoenix Hill.
11/26 in Traverse City, MI @ Ground Zero.
11/27 in Flint, MI @ Machine Shop
December 2010
12/1 in Fargo, ND @ The Venue
12/2 in Council Bluffs, IA @ Whiskey.
12/3 in Green Bay,WI @ The Club at Tom, Dick, & Harry’s.
12/4 in Libertyville, IL @ Austins.
12/5 in Tailgaters – Bolingbrook, IL
12/10 in Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts 96 Rock X-Mas Show.

More dates TBC...
For more information, please visit:

Heart Comes Home ~ Canada Tour 2011

Heart had its musical genesis in Vancouver and as artists Canada has always been our spiritual home. Canadians love to rock and we are happy to be bringing Heart as it is now back to Canada. It's like Heart is coming home.”

Tour dates confirmed so far are:
Heart Comes Home - Canada Tour 2011
Tickets On-Sale November 5

January 2011January 28 St. John’s, NL Mile One Centre
January 29 Corner Brook, NL Pepsi Centre

February 2011February 1 Charlottetown, PE Charlottetown Civic Centre
February 2 Moncton, NB Moncton Coliseum Complex
February 3 Halifax, NS Halifax Metro Centre
February 5 Montreal, QC Place des Arts
February 7 Ottawa, ON Civic Centre Theatre
February 8 Kitchener, ON The Centre in the Square
February 9 Hamilton, ON Hamilton Place
February 11 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
February 12 Kingston, ON K-Rock Centre
February 14 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Arena
February 17 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
February 18 Saskatoon, SK TCU Place
February 19 Edmonton, AB Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
February 21 Grande Prairie AB Crystal Centre
February 22 Calgary, AB Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
February 24 Prince George, BC CN Centre
February 25 Kamloops, BC Interior Savings Centre
February 26 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Centre
For all things Heart: http://www.heart-music.com/

Luke and his band ready for Europe!

That's Steve Lukather to you my friends!
Yes, the band has been busy in rehearsals and now they're wrapping those up and are ready to hit the road!
This from the man's website and from the man himself!

Steve Lukather: "Last day of rehearsals yesterday. I just want to say the band is KILLIN it and I love them all! We have a diverse and killer set list, some surprises, alot of new and old solo stuff and everyone gets to shine. I am very happy and excited about the tour and I cant wait to hit it and see you all. Many thanks for the love and support and big ass hugs back to you all."

Keyboards man Steve Weingart adds: "We had a great last day of rehearsal yesterday. Trev Lukather, Jory Steinberg and CJ Vanston surprised us with a visit... big fun and laughs!
We're going to enjoy a nice weekend at home, then on Monday we're on a flight to Europe. We're all looking forward to getting over there and playing the new set! Have a great weekend!"
All the tour dates can be found here: www.stevelukather.net/ConcertGuide.aspx but beyond that, keep tab's on Steve Lukather at: www.stevelukather.net/

Uriah Heep offers fans VIP treatment on their brief upcoming US tour

Yes, it seems that Mick Box and the boys are offering through their website - http://www.uriah-heep.com/ - and http://www.rockandrolltshirts.com/ VIP packages of Silver and Gold.

The limited US tour dates are:
04.11.10 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Northern Lights Theater / Potawatomi Bingo Casino USA

05.11.10 Medina, Minnesota Medina Entertainment Center USA

06.11.10 Palatine Illinois Durty Nellies Buy Tickets USA

The VIP packages are as follows:
VIP - Silver Level
$99 VIP PACKAGE - SILVER LEVEL
EARLY ACCESS IN VENUE
VIEWS BAND SOUNDCHECK
MEET N GREET WITH MEMBERS OF URIAH HEEP
VIP LAMINATE - Ticket not included - NOTE: No ticket with this package!
(You have to purchase your ticket for the show, ahead of time!)

VIP-Gold Level
$299 VIP PACKAGE - GOLD LEVEL
EARLY ACCESS IN VENUE
VIEWS BAND SOUNDCHECK
MEET N GREET WITH MEMBERS OF URIAH HEEP
VIP LAMINATE
VIP EXCLUSIVE SEAT ON SIDE OF STAGE DURING PERFORMANCE (Limited to four seats per performance.)
$50 GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR ONLINE STORE
Follow this link for details:
www.rockandrolltshirts.com/Shop/Uriah-Heep
or follow the link through Uriah Heep's site here (Takes you to the same place!):

Please note!!!
Chambers of  Rock is not affiliated with either Uriah Heep or www.rockandrolltshirts.com in any way.
Your purchase through these sites, is completely the buyers sole responsibility!
Thank you. - Chambers of Rock.

Stryper - “The Covering” latest update

“The Covering” the new album from Stryper on Big 3 Records, will be released in the first quarter of 2011. An exact date has not been set but should be soon.

Originally, the album was projected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2010. However, the business and label team feel that more set-up time will allow for a stronger release of this amazing recording.
Stay tuned to http://www.stryper.com/ for updates.
The tracklisting once again is:

"Breaking The Law"
"The Trooper"
"Blackout"
"Over The Mountain"
"Set Me Free"
"On Fire"
"Highway Star"
"Heaven And Hell"
"Lights Out"
"Carry On Wayward Son"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"Immigrant Song"
Plus one new original song, 'God.'
 
Meantime, don't forget to check out those samples again at:

BRYAN ADAMS HAS RELEASED HIS NEW LIVE ALBUM 'BARE BONES', AN INSPIRED COLLECTION OF STRIPPED DOWN HITS SPANNING HIS ILLUSTRIOUS THREE-DECADE CAREER.

Bare Bones is an inspired collection of minimally arranged hits culled from Bryan Adams’ impressive body of work spanning three decades. Recorded in spring of 2010 during his "Bare Bones Tour," the disc captures a raw Adams, featuring only his distinctive voice and guitar, accompanied on select songs by keyboardist Gary Breit, lending a newfound appreciation and perspective to what many consider some of the most beloved songs in pop/rock music.
The release dates for Bare Bones are as follows:

November 1 - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, UK
November 2 - France, Spain
November 3 - Sweden
November 9 - Brazil
November 15 - Canada
November 16 - USA

Please note that you will be unable to purchase until release day for your country.
Tracklisting is:
1. You've Been A Friend To Me
2. Here I Am
3. I'm Ready
4. Let's Make A Night To Remember
5. It Ain't A Party (If You Can't Come 'Round)
6. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
7. Cuts Like A Knife
8. Please Forgive Me
9. Summer Of '69
10. Walk On By
11. Cloud Number 9
12. It's Only Love
13. Heaven
14. The Right Place 
15. The Way You Make Me Feel
16. The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
17. You're Still Beautiful To Me
18. Straight From The Heart
19. I Still Miss You... A Little Bit
20. All For Love
Download available here: http://musicstore.bryanadams.com/