Hey folks, well, seems I'm on a run of bad luck right now, can't believe it ...!
Our PC here, crashed while the kids were on it - Probably my first mistake! - major pain, tried System Restore, wouldn't do it .... Eventually got the Recovery to work, which restores the machine back to received in factory setting condition, meaning that you'll lose everything ...
I thought, well, thankfully I backed the machine up with the external hard drive ...
I thought wrong, well, kind of anyway ... The unit is playing up, works when it wants to and not always and what I was sure it backed up ..., well, it didn't!
We've lost a mass of family pictures, gig pictures that I took this past year and a bunch more. :(
It's also been murder trying to reinstall everything again, as when bought this PC, well, it's been a few years, so there's many updates to reinstall again and this has been a painful, ongoing process since Saturday morning and I'm still a long way off.
Sorry folks ... I'm sure you were looking forward to better news than just this.
Meantime, while I go through so much recovery of info and so forth, let me guide you to some of the competition ... I know, what am I thinking right?
Well, they seem in a better supported position than me right now to keep you up to date!
For the latest rock news, check out:
Also check out
www.classicrockmagazine.com/ certainly a few interesting stories there this weekend including
Emerson Lake and Palmer, Girlschool and news that
Joe Perry will be playing with
Paul Rodgers, it looks like in his band, since
Joe Elliott's Down 'n' Outz are opening for him?
For interesting pieces from time to time, check out my 'old boss'
Dave White's section on
About.com, by going here:
http://classicrock.about.com/I wrote for that site for just over four years, so that says a lot for the man, Dave's certainly a passionate guy about music too!
There's also
Jeb Wright's http://classicrockrevisited.com/ who I also briefly wrote for and he's pretty well hooked up with
VH1 as it seems
Dave Basner from
VH1 is the man behind most of the news stories there these days.
Jeb also has a whole host of supporting cast writing reviews for him, so some interesting stuff there too ...
Don't worry, I'm not calling it quits, I love doing this too much and have made some great friends along the way too, it's just with the time of year, recent day job demands and now the PC dumping on me ..., well all is not right in the world right now.
I will return, may it may be a couple of days unless I get some really good stuff.
Meantime here's just a couple of Press releases I received at the weekend.
Cheers folks and thanks for your continued support and understanding, Al.
JACKYL TO PERFORM ON truTV’s FULL THROTTLE SALOON!
JACKYL COLLABORATE WITH DMC ON NEW SINGLE!
What a kick ass year 2010 has turned out to be for rockers Jackyl! Jesse Dupree (Vocals), Jeff Worley (Guitar), Roman Glick (Bass) & 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.
Dupree also 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.
This year Jackyl does it bigger than ever and to celebrate their new album, “When Moonshine And Dynamite Collide” as well as the Sturgis Rally’s 70th Anniversary, Jesse James Dupree plans to get shot out of a cannon in the heat of the Jackyl performance. This night proves to be the wildest in Full Throttle history. Tune in Wednesday, Dec. 22nd and 29th to catch all of the action including Jackyl’s special guest, Rock ‘n' Roll Hall of Famer DMC.
The Full Throttle Saloon airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. (EST) on truTV.
Full Throttle Saloon is #3 ranked show in the primetime hour and is the #2 show for males 18-49.
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:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TMO9A7uccw
For more information, please visit:
MR. BIG New Release "What If…"
February 8th, 2011 on Frontiers Records U.S.A.
I know, like I haven't already plugged this release already ... Here's another press release on the forthcoming new album, although this does focus more on it's US release.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 9, 2010) MR. BIG is back to announce their highly anticipated new studio album entitled « What If… » on February 8, 2011 on Frontiers Records.
"What If…" is MR. BIG’s first all original album since the reunion of the four original members, Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey back in early 2009. Sixteen years after the release of "Hey Man," the new recording is set to bring back MR. BIG on the height of the current Hard Rock scene.
Guitarist Paul Gilbert said: “This is the first MR. BIG album I have been a part of, since fourteen years and it was done in a snap. It was fun and we had really a good time in making this one”. Continues Billy Sheehan “It’s so great to be back with Paul, Eric and Pat too. We wrote this record like we did in the old days for the first 2 records. Jamming together in the same room to write songs”. Pat Torpey adds “Some of the recording process is different now from what we were used to in the old times. But I think this record really managed to capture the performances of the band, not of the individual musicians”.
Eric Martin concludes: “I like to compare this to the first album, when we just got to know each other in a reharsal studio and cut it in 8 or 9 days. This is like chapter 2. We had so many years, so many records and so many things behind us. Now this feels like a beautiful brand new chapter starting for all of us”.
"What If…" was produced by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Rush, Iron Maiden) and the release will be followed by a World Tour which will kick off in South America in March and will hit Europe in early summer.
Formed in 1988, Mr. Big forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original line-up – vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Pat Torpey. Mr. Big produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres – be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock.
Their hits included "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), "Wild World", Green-Tinted sixties Mind", "Just Take My Heart", and a host of heavy metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", "Addicted to that Rush", "Colorado Bulldog", and "Take Cover".
“What If…” will be released in a special edition CD + DVD in digipak, regular CD, vinyl and digital download and in a limited edition luxury box including the CD, DVD, LP and exclusive memorabilia.
“What If…” tracklisting includes: Undertow; American Beauty; Stranger In My Life; Nobody Takes the Blame; Still Ain’t Enough for Me; Once Upon a Time; As Far As I Can See; All The Way Up; I Won’t Get In My Way; Around The World; I Get The Feeling; Unforgiven (exclusive bonus track for Europe / North America – not on vinyl edition).
The DVD will include the videoclips of “Undertow” and “All the Way Up” plus a documentary “Making of” the album including interviews and exclusive behind the scenes features of the four members.
