Rock News Update for Saturday 7th May, 2011

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION Release Free Download of Single “The Outsider”

Sophomore Album ‘2’ will be released in the UK on June 13th via Mascot Records and June 14th in the US via J&R Adventures

Los Angeles, CA – May 6, 2011: Today, the English-American rock supergroup Black Country Communion (BCC) launch the release of their first single “The Outsider,” available for free download at http://bit.ly/bccommunion 

BCC, featuring the talents of bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath), blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, UFO, Foreigner), and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), will release their sophomore album “2” on June 14, 2011 on the J&R Adventures label. Pre-order is available now at http://www.bccommunion.com/

“On 2, you can hear the band own their music, own their sound, and it is an astonishing musical group unlike any other and they are absolutely the kings of their genre,” says producer Kevin Shirley. “I wanted to explore more of the Bonham sound and more importantly each member of the band gets a unique opportunity to shine, but it has the distinct sound that is BCC.”

Track Listing:

1. The Outsider

2. Man In The Middle

3. The Battle For Hadrian’s Wall

4. Save Me

5. Smokestack Woman

6. Faithless

7. An Ordinary Son

8. I Can See Your Spirit

9. Little Secret

10. Crossfire

11. Cold

On June 9, 2011, the band will kick-off a US Summer Tour in support of their new album. It will take them across the country with stops in San Diego, CA; Anaheim, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; St. Louis, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Hampton Beach, NH; Sayreville, NJ; and Washington, D.C. The band will then head across the Atlantic for multiple dates in Europe and the UK, where recently The Birmingham Mail called their live performance “rip-roaring” and “breath-taking.”

US Summer Tour Dates:

June 2011
- 06/09/11 San Diego, California at San Diego Civic Theatre

· 06/10/11 Anaheim, California at City National Grove of Anaheim

· 06/11/11 Salt Lake City, Utah at The Depot

· 06/13/11 St. Louis, Missouri at The Pageant

· 06/15/11 Indianapolis, Indiana at Murat Theatre at Old National Centre

· 06/17/11 Hampton, New Hampshire at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

· 06/18/11 Sayreville, New Jersey at Starland Ballroom

· 06/19/11 Washington D.C. at 9:30 Club

Black Country Communion’s self-titled debut album was released in September 2010. It was #53 on Billboard’s Top 200, #18 on the Rock Albums Chart and #6 on the Indie Chart. In the UK, it was #1 on the Official UK Top 40 Rock Album Chart and #2 in the Top 40 Indie Album Chart. It hit #3 in Classic Rock Magazine’s “Critics Album of the Year” poll, while Planet Rock radio listeners crowned them Best New Band of 2010.

For more information, please visit: http://www.bccommunion.com/

ROCK & ROLL PHOTOGRAPHER MARK “WEISSGUY” WEISS

JOINS FORCES WITH THE SHARON OSBOURNE COLON CANCER PROGRAM AND THE WOMEN AND CANCER FUND

In conjunction with the www.LETUSINcampaign.org

BIDDING ENDS SUNDAY MAY 8th!

World renowned photographer Mark Weiss has been shooting Ozzy Osbourne for 30 years. What began in 1981 as an assignment for Circus Magazine -- to shoot a small b&w as part of a Rock 'n Roll Yearbook theme -- ended with the infamous photo of Ozzy on the cover, resplendent in a pink tutu and cowboy boots. So began the decade’s long camaraderie between the two, resulting in the provocative, dramatic and amusing iconic images of a legend. “Ozzy took me under his wing and away I went.” Mark Weiss.

Twelve photographs were originally unveiled at the Andaz, a/k/a “The Riot House” in Hollywood after Ozzy’s historic performance at the Sunset Strip Music Festival in September 2009. In celebration of the release of “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne,” these one of a kind archival giclée prints on canvas, with original signatures by Ozzy and Mark, and dated by Ozzy on April 25, 2011, one day after they were displayed at the documentary’s premiere, will be auctioned off to benefit “The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars Sinai” and “The Women and Cancer Fund.”

LET THE BIDDING BEGIN!
http://www.letusincampaign.org/

"God Bless Ozzy Osbourne" is a new documentary about Ozzy’s life and times debuting at the 10th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The Festival runs through May 1. The film is the first release from Jack Osbourne’s company, Jacko Productions. 

Mark was honored when Jack interviewed him for the documentary on his dad, and he is proud to be a part of the film. Watching all of the Osbourne kids grow up, whether photographing family Christmas cards, Kelly’s album cover, or the controversial shot of Ozzy dressed as a housewife in curlers ironing baby Aimee (the iron wasn’t plugged in), he has been there. It has been quite a ride with Ozzy and more than once throughout his successful career Mark has surely uttered the phrase “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne.”

"I’ve known Mark Weiss since he was a teenager. He was relentless in the pursuit of his art. Mark would knock on my hotel door all hours of the day and night wanting to take photos. He definitely had and still has the rock and roll spirit.”

-- Ozzy Osbourne

Winner from each auction gets a free 11 x 14 print signed by Mark Weiss from

http://www.weissguygallery.com/

Bernie Marsden to be secret Whitesnake guest at SRF?

When Whitesnake was confirmed for Sweden Rock Festival 2011 it came with the announcement that the show would feature, “certain very special guest performers”. Interesting ...

According to a post on the Deep Purple Fan Forum, former original Whitesnake member Bernie Marsden recently announced at a show in Glasgow that he is one of the special guests and that there was a possibility of him guesting at some of the UK Whitesnake shows as well.

Story Source:

http://www.thehighwaystar.com/news/2011/05/04/bernie-marsden-secret-whitesnake-guest-at-srf/

Related links:

http://www.swedenrock.com/ - Official Festival site

http://bdeeppurplefanforum.runboard.com/ - Deep Purple Fan Forum

http://www.thehighwaystar.com/ - Official Deep Purple fan site

http://www.deeppurple.com/ - Official Deep Purple website

http://www.whitesnake.com/ - Whitesnake

New Judas Priest band shot 2011

So the new line up of Judas Priest reveals their first official photo, with K.K. Downing's replacement,
Richard Faulkner, just ahead of the band's Epitaph tour.

Official band website: http://judaspriest.com/

Dokken live summer dates, but no new album news

No word at this time, on what Don Dokken is doing regarding any new album, which is a shame as I thought 2008's "Lightning Strikes Again," was excellent!

A new 'Greatest Hits' package was released in May of last year through independant label Cleopatra records and this year, an import 'Anthems' through Mausoleum / Zoom (European labels), will be released.

No track listing for either release, seems to be available, so really not sure if any unreleased material is included on either release?

Based on the band's website - Which is apparently undergoing revamping ... Hope it doesn't take as long as Survivor's! Two years and counting! - the band are still playing Summer tour dates, so check them out here:

May 2011 
May 14 - Sunset Station Casino, Las Vegas, NV


June 2011
Jun 18 - National Orange Show Speedway,
San Bernadino, CA

July 2011
Jul 16 - Rock USA, Oshkosh, WI
Jul 17 - Down by the Riverside / Mayo Park,
Rochester, MN
Jul 21 - Stearns Square Concert Series, Springfield, MA
Jul 22 - Wild Bills, Duluth, GA
Jul 23 - Amos Southend, Charlotte, NC

August 2011
Aug 06 - Solano County Fair, Vallejo, CA
Aug 17 - UP State Fair, Escanaba, MI

Hopefully that's not all!
Band site: http://www.dokken.net/