Hi Folks,
OK, here we go, news updates are back!
Hope to get my review of the latest Gotthard album, 'Firebirth' up soon too!
Cheers, Al
Heaven and Earth album closer to completion
I had the good fortune today, to catch up with Stuart Smith, the main man behind the Heaven and Earth project releases, that have featured many, many guest artists, including phenomenal players and vocalists alike. The new forthcoming album, I have no doubt, will be no exception!
With two and a half albums behind them, OK, two albums and a great EP, that have featured the likes of Joe Lynn Turner, Howard Leese, Keith Emerson, Kelly Hansen, Richie Sambora, Bobby Kimball, Glenn Hughes, Carmine Appice, Paul Shortino, Kelly Keeling, Chuck Wright, Steve Priest, Ricky Phillips and so many more!
The two mainstays in the lineup, have always been Stuart Smith - Guitar maestro - drummer Richie Onori and keyboard wizard Arlen Schierbaum. Added to the lineup on the forthcoming Heaven and Earth album are great vocal talent Joe Retta, who has played alongside both Stuart and Richie in the current lineup of Steve Priest's Sweet, for the past four years. Also onboard for this album is a bassist, many will know from his time with Quiet Riot, Giuffria and House of Lords, to name just a few and that is, Chuck Wright!
Chuck has also recently been working with popular AOR player, Stan Bush in the Acoustic Saints project.
Stuart told me, the songs are all there, with all the main tracks laid down and now it's down to all the other guitar parts and other additional percussion, mixes, etc.
The album's artwork is by Glen Wexler who has worked on artwork for Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Slaughter, Rush, ZZ Top, how's that for starters and so many more too!
The following band shot is his first release work for Heaven and Earth, can't wait to see more!
As well as the aforementioned players, guests include both Howard Leese (Bad Company, Heart) and David Paich (Toto).
Expect the album to be released around the end of August according to Stuart, final release details to be confirmed, such as final album title and label.
Based on all releases so far, I can't wait for this, should be a cracker!
Keep up with all that is going on, through the bands Facebook page.
It's the most up to date ...
Thin Lizzy take a breather before heading out across Europe again!
Yes, fresh off touring across Europe, playing headline dates and dates alongside the likes of Guns 'n' Roses and ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy come off the road, having been recording new studio material in between dates, for the first time since Thunder and Lightning, released back in 1983.
Looking forward to new Lizzy music!
These next dates will start August 6th, in France, then other dates will take them up until April 18th, 2012.
The band will then come off the road until the second week of November, when they then head to Greece, before then hitting other European Cities and will play back in the UK at the end of November.
All the live dates can be found right here:
In each case, check venue website or local ticket
agent for further details.
Official band website:
THE OUTLAWS
DECLARES ‘IT’S ABOUT PRIDE’
ON THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 18 YEARS,
DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 25
DECLARES ‘IT’S ABOUT PRIDE’
ON THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 18 YEARS,
DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 25
The Outlaws - Photo by John Gellman
July 23, 2012 -- For THE OUTLAWS (@outlawsmusic), it’s not only about the music they’ve made for decades, it’s also about the pride they’ve always put into creating their legacy.
As purely evidenced on their much long-awaited sixth studio album, IT’S ABOUT PRIDE is due out September 25 on Rocket Science Ventures. “Tomorrow’s Another Night,” the album’s first single, is being serviced to radio on August 20. The band known for their triple-guitar Rock attack and three-part Country harmonies finally returns to the music scene with their first new studio album since 1994’s DIABLO CANYON (Blues Bureau International).
During the last 40 years, the Southern Rock legends--founding singer/songwriter/guitarist Henry Paul and drummer/songwriter Monte Yoho along with lead guitarist Billy Crain, co-lead guitarist Chris Anderson, keyboardist/vocalist Dave Robbins and bassist/vocalist Randy Threet—have celebrated triumphs, endured tragedies and survived legal nightmares to remain one of the most influential and best-loved bands of the genre. Now THE OUTLAWS are back with new music, a new focus and an uncompromising new mission: it’s about a band of brothers bound together by history, harmony and the road. It’s about a group that respects its own legacy while refusing to be defined by its past. Most of all, it’s about pride.
IT’S ABOUT PRIDE is an album four years in the making and perhaps 20 or more in the waiting. For original OUTLAWS singer/songwriter/guitarist Henry Paul, it’s a hard-fought revival whose success can be measured in old fans and new music. “Because THE OUTLAWS have been out of the public eye for so long, it’s almost like starting over,” he explains. “But because of the band’s history, we’re seeing this as a new chapter. We’ve written and recorded this album on our own terms, and we’re out to make a significant impression. What our fans loved then they still love now, because we are just as good or even better than we were. Most of all, they recognize the heart of what it is we still do.”
For co-founding drummer/songwriter Monte Yoho, the journey is both bittersweet and jubilant. “I still think about the friends we made when we first came into this industry, how we struggled to define this thing that became known as ‘Southern Rock,’” he says. “This new album embodies all the things we shared musically and personally, as well as the relationships we have with our fans to this day. It’s about where we’ve been, where we’re going, and why we still love to do this.”
In addition to the touring THE OUTLAWS will be doing over the next few months to promote IT’S ABOUT PRIDE, they’ll also be a part of the “Simple Man Cruise” on Norwegian Pearl along with Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers, and many others, which departs from Miami on October 27.
Fans can check out:
for further info.
Of a recent live show, Bill Robinson of Huffingtonpost.com proclaimed: “…(Henry Paul and Monte Yoho) are doing a valiant job at staying true to the original Outlaws melodies…Besides the lyrical genius of Paul's words and the imagery they convey, these songs' music mixes a beautiful, acoustic guitar opening with raucous, hard-driving type leads from there on in.”
Formed in Tampa in 1972, THE OUTLAWS became one of the first acts signed by Clive Davis (at the urging of Ronnie Van Zant) to his then-fledgling Arista Records. The band’s first three albums, THE OUTLAWS, LADY IN WAITING and HURRY SUNDOWN (featuring such Rock radio favorites as “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Green Grass & High Tides,” “Knoxville Girl” and “Freeborn Man”), would become worldwide Gold and Platinum landmarks of the Southern Rock era. Known as “The Florida Guitar Army” by their fans, THE OUTLAWS earned a formidable reputation as an incendiary live act touring with friends The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Charlie Daniels Band as well as Doobie Brothers, The Who, Eagles and The Rolling Stones. Henry Paul left after the group’s third album to form The Henry Paul Band for Atlantic Records, and later the multi-Platinum country trio Blackhawk. Over the next 20-plus years, THE OUTLAWS would experience rampant personnel changes, tonal missteps, ill-fated reunions and bitter trademark battles that left fans – not to mention Paul and Yoho – frustrated and saddened. And with the tragic deaths of co-founding members Frank O’Keefe and Billy Jones in 1995, and songwriter/vocalist/lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson in 2007, it was feared that THE OUTLAWS’ trail had come to an end.
“THE OUTLAWS were the one area of my career where I had regrets,” admits Paul. “More importantly, I think it was the one area in my career where I thought I still have something to prove. I felt compelled to stick my neck out and take a chance of putting this band back together. I knew we would be judged, but I hoped we would be judged on our abilities.”
Check out THE OUTLAWS at any of the following stops, with more tour dates to be added in the coming weeks:
DATE CITY VENUE
Fri 7/20 Edwardsville, IL Wildey Theatre
Mon 7/30 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort and Casino/Showroom
Tue 7/31 Wildwood, NJ Cape May Convention Center
Wed 8/1 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
Thu 8/2 Unionville, CT Infinity Music Hall & Bistro
Sat 8/4 Winter Park, CO Music Fest
Fri 8/17 Vernal, UT Country Explosion
Sat 9/1 Whitefish, MT Depot Park
Thu 9/13 New Hope, PA Havana New Hope
Fri 9/14 East Durham, NY Blackthorne Resort
Sat 9/15 Newton, NJ Newton Theatre
Fri 9/28 Pomona, CA Los Angeles County Fair
Sat 10/27 Miami FL Simple Man Cruise
Sat 11/17 Medina, MN Medina Entertainment Center
Of a recent live show, Bill Robinson of Huffingtonpost.com proclaimed: “…(Henry Paul and Monte Yoho) are doing a valiant job at staying true to the original Outlaws melodies…Besides the lyrical genius of Paul's words and the imagery they convey, these songs' music mixes a beautiful, acoustic guitar opening with raucous, hard-driving type leads from there on in.”
Formed in Tampa in 1972, THE OUTLAWS became one of the first acts signed by Clive Davis (at the urging of Ronnie Van Zant) to his then-fledgling Arista Records. The band’s first three albums, THE OUTLAWS, LADY IN WAITING and HURRY SUNDOWN (featuring such Rock radio favorites as “There Goes Another Love Song,” “Green Grass & High Tides,” “Knoxville Girl” and “Freeborn Man”), would become worldwide Gold and Platinum landmarks of the Southern Rock era. Known as “The Florida Guitar Army” by their fans, THE OUTLAWS earned a formidable reputation as an incendiary live act touring with friends The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Charlie Daniels Band as well as Doobie Brothers, The Who, Eagles and The Rolling Stones. Henry Paul left after the group’s third album to form The Henry Paul Band for Atlantic Records, and later the multi-Platinum country trio Blackhawk. Over the next 20-plus years, THE OUTLAWS would experience rampant personnel changes, tonal missteps, ill-fated reunions and bitter trademark battles that left fans – not to mention Paul and Yoho – frustrated and saddened. And with the tragic deaths of co-founding members Frank O’Keefe and Billy Jones in 1995, and songwriter/vocalist/lead guitarist Hughie Thomasson in 2007, it was feared that THE OUTLAWS’ trail had come to an end.
“THE OUTLAWS were the one area of my career where I had regrets,” admits Paul. “More importantly, I think it was the one area in my career where I thought I still have something to prove. I felt compelled to stick my neck out and take a chance of putting this band back together. I knew we would be judged, but I hoped we would be judged on our abilities.”
Check out THE OUTLAWS at any of the following stops, with more tour dates to be added in the coming weeks:
DATE CITY VENUE
Fri 7/20 Edwardsville, IL Wildey Theatre
Mon 7/30 Verona, NY Turning Stone Resort and Casino/Showroom
Tue 7/31 Wildwood, NJ Cape May Convention Center
Wed 8/1 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
Thu 8/2 Unionville, CT Infinity Music Hall & Bistro
Sat 8/4 Winter Park, CO Music Fest
Fri 8/17 Vernal, UT Country Explosion
Sat 9/1 Whitefish, MT Depot Park
Thu 9/13 New Hope, PA Havana New Hope
Fri 9/14 East Durham, NY Blackthorne Resort
Sat 9/15 Newton, NJ Newton Theatre
Fri 9/28 Pomona, CA Los Angeles County Fair
Sat 10/27 Miami FL Simple Man Cruise
Sat 11/17 Medina, MN Medina Entertainment Center
About Rocket Science:
Rocket Science is a premier label services engine founded in 2004. A solution for artist and management that provides comprehensive label management services and worldwide distribution under one banner. Coupled Sony-RED Distribution, Rocket Science offers a turnkey solution with a focus on execution.
Artist weblinks:
The Front – Live In New York City 1990 receives official release
July, 2012 - Early nineties "wild child" upstarts, THE FRONT, release
LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY 1990
LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY 1990
THE FRONT made the scene in January 1990 with their hit single, "Fire".
MTV soon had the accompanying video in stress rotation and THE FRONT headed
out on a world tour.
MTV soon had the accompanying video in stress rotation and THE FRONT headed
out on a world tour.
After signing with rock manager extraordinaire Doc McGhee of McGhee
Entertainment (Bon Jovi, Motley Crüe, Scorpions), the five piece band from
Kansas City were courted by the major labels finally inking a deal with
Columbia Records in 1989. THE FRONT released their eponymous first record on
October 31st, 1989; by January 1990, the single "Fire" and the corresponding
video were in heavy rotation across America and MTV.
Entertainment (Bon Jovi, Motley Crüe, Scorpions), the five piece band from
Kansas City were courted by the major labels finally inking a deal with
Columbia Records in 1989. THE FRONT released their eponymous first record on
October 31st, 1989; by January 1990, the single "Fire" and the corresponding
video were in heavy rotation across America and MTV.
THE FRONT toured with the likes of Bang Tango, Bonham and Enuff Z'nuff; and
by the early spring of 1990, Alice Cooper asked THE FRONT to support him on
his "Trash" tour, which took the band throughout the eastern half of the
U.S. and into arenas. After headlining a west coast tour, THE FRONT went to
Europe with Lenny Kravitz for two months playing virtually every major city
throughout the continent. THE FRONT ended 1990 back in Europe and playing to
over half a million people on the Monsters of Rock tour with headliners
Aerosmith and Whitesnake.
by the early spring of 1990, Alice Cooper asked THE FRONT to support him on
his "Trash" tour, which took the band throughout the eastern half of the
U.S. and into arenas. After headlining a west coast tour, THE FRONT went to
Europe with Lenny Kravitz for two months playing virtually every major city
throughout the continent. THE FRONT ended 1990 back in Europe and playing to
over half a million people on the Monsters of Rock tour with headliners
Aerosmith and Whitesnake.
While recently digging through some DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recordings he
had in storage, Michael Anthony Franano, lead vocalist and principle
songwriter for the group, found a stereo board mix of three shows from the
Alice Cooper tour. Michael felt that the recordings were actually in better
quality than he had hoped (DAT tapes were notorious for developing "drop
outs" after a few years), and being that THE FRONT had never released
anything live in the past, decided to master the recordings and make the CD
and downloads available to fans. Michael decided he would release the New
York City concert recording as is, no overdubs; as it was, when it was, dirt
and all. The recording reflects a band at the top of their game; hungry and
electric, pure rock and roll.
had in storage, Michael Anthony Franano, lead vocalist and principle
songwriter for the group, found a stereo board mix of three shows from the
Alice Cooper tour. Michael felt that the recordings were actually in better
quality than he had hoped (DAT tapes were notorious for developing "drop
outs" after a few years), and being that THE FRONT had never released
anything live in the past, decided to master the recordings and make the CD
and downloads available to fans. Michael decided he would release the New
York City concert recording as is, no overdubs; as it was, when it was, dirt
and all. The recording reflects a band at the top of their game; hungry and
electric, pure rock and roll.
TRACK LISTING:
Le Motion
Sister Moon
Pain
Sunshine of Your Love
Sister Moon
Sunshine Girl
Fire
Violent World
The Front Live in New York City 1990 is available on iTunes and internet
retailers and directly from THE FRONT'S website www.thefrontband.net.
retailers and directly from THE FRONT'S website www.thefrontband.net.
Michael Franano is currently working on brand new material as a solo artist
and has a new official website www.michaelfranano.com the music is a sonic
departure from the heavier sounds of THE FRONT, but the overall mood and
lyrics find Michael still asking life's questions but this time around,
maybe finding a few answers.
and has a new official website www.michaelfranano.com the music is a sonic
departure from the heavier sounds of THE FRONT, but the overall mood and
lyrics find Michael still asking life's questions but this time around,
maybe finding a few answers.
The new releases will be available on iTunes
and internet retailers and Michael's official site:
and internet retailers and Michael's official site:
Official Websites:
THE FRONT'S WEBSITE:
THE FRONT'S FACEBOOK:
MICHAEL FRANANO'S WEBSITE:
MICHAEL FRANANO'S FACEBOOK:
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