Pete Townshend has posted a rare blog entry to announce a new Quadrophenia box set that's coming out in October. He used to blog all the time, but he got so angry about journalists taking quotes out of context he largely abandoned the practice. With that in mind, here's the complete text of his statement.
1st June, 2011
WHAT I'M DOING EVERYDAY
I am shut away in my home studio at the moment working to restore the demos of Quadrophenia. Bob Pridden is doing surround-sound mixes of selected tracks. Jon Astley is remastering the original vinyl mix, and evaluating his own 1996 remix (the one where you can properly hear Roger's astonishing vocals). I am sitting in a pile of notes, desk diaries, photos (I took a lot of my own between 1971-1973 when Quadrophenia emerged), original lyrics and writing liner notes.
I am really enjoying this work. Bob's mixes are mind-blowing. My demos are among the best I've ever done, and include some real quirky tracks that didn't make it onto the final album. I still find studio work strange – I have to have the speakers very low in volume, not what I'm used to. This package, due in October if all goes well, is another Live at Leeds and Hull – or even another Lifehouse Chronicles – in the making. You are going to love it. I hope so, because I am missing this summer sunshine to get it completed on time.
In my recent interview with my friend Simon Garfield for INTELLIGENT LIFE, I professed some difficulty in my interaction with fans as I grow older. What is so wonderful about working on Quadrophenia is that back in 1970, all the way through to the recording in 1973, the primary challenge for me was to tell the story of the Who's fans and at the same time address the wayward creative needs of the band as individuals and artists. The Who, and Jimmy as a kind of model for one or all of our fans, really had developed a powerful symbiosis that deserved a project like Quadrophenia both to honour the mechanism and address why it started to fail almost a soon as it had begun
So I am enjoying working with the music, but I'm enjoying writing about it too.
Choose Rolling Stone's Cover: The Sheepdogs vs. Lelia Broussard. Vote Now!
Pete's note fails to mention anything about the future of the Who. They haven't toured since a brief run of Australian dates in early 2009. They last performed together in January at a charity show in London. Writer Simon Garfield – who interviewed Townshend last month in Intelligent Life – told the Who guitarist that he went to the show thinking it might be their last time onstage. "Your intuition was dead on," Townshend said. "At the beginning of the year I had decided, '66 next birthday, I think I'll just stop.' Nothing to do with my hearing, because I think I can sort that out on stage. My feeling was that I simply didn't have the enthusiasm to do reinvention."
Townshend has contemplated retirement many times in the past, and he says that the same impulse that caused him to finally finish his memoir this year has caused him to re-think retirement. "I look around me and I think, 'Why aren't I suffering the way that other people are suffering?'" he said. "'Is it just that I don't have to worry about paying the school fees?' I think for me it's that if you can take an artistic position and do something useful, even if it's negative, then action is the best answer."
Pete Townshend Will Finally Deliver His Memoir
In that same interview, Townshend also suggested that being the main songwriter in the band was often a burden. "The thing about the Who for me, and this is sad in a way, is the amount of control that I've had to have," he said. "Keeping the creative process close to my chest, making sure the other guys in the band felt they were part of the process but they really weren't."
He also said that Roger Daltrey – who is playing Tommy on a solo tour this year – sometimes struggled on recent tours. "If I'm out on the road with Roger and he's as miserable as sin, there is a bit of me, and I know my manager Bill Curbishley shares this, which thinks 'Why are we doing this to him?'" Townshend said. "He seems to be so unhappy, he seems to be so unfulfilled. Yet when you talk to him he exalts the Who to high heaven, and exalts me. He always says it's going to be fabulous, and 'this time I'm just going to have fun,' and he always ends up distraught, sobbing in a corner somewhere, saying, 'That was the worst show I've ever done and I could do so much better and I can't work out how I'm going to do this again'."
If all that wasn't enough, he also responded to the allegations in Keith Richards' memoir that Mick Jagger has a "tiny todger." "To use an apt term, [that] is bollocks," Townshend said. "I've seen them, and they are not small. And it is not just the balls that are big."
It makes sense. AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson, the man who first growled "She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean" 31 years ago, loves-loves-loves cars. Enough, in fact, to take time out from his duties in one of the most testosterone-fueled bands in rock history to write a book using his car memories to help tell his life story. 'Rockers and Rollers: A Full-Throttle Memoir' is a hilarious read and I told Johnson that right off the bat in a chat for PopEater. But after talking about his favorite cars and man's phallic fascination with them, the gravel-voiced charmer opened up about the future of AC/DC as they approach the big 4-0, reveals the story of his signature newsboy hat, and talks up his connection to Arnold Schwarzenegger, his distaste for religion and why he would never follow fellow Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame-er Steven Tyler to TV talent show stardom.
"I don't watch 'American Idol,'" he admits. "I don't like watching people getting humiliated. It hurts me. Some people are more nervous than others. I'm just terrified these shows might knock the stuffing out of a guy who is nervous. It's toe curling watching those people being told they're not good enough and the tears are mawkish, but it's making somebody a bloody fortune and it's certainly not the artists."
The book is hilarious.
Well thanks, me darling. That's really nice. I just set out to have a bit of fun while the boys were recording the backing tracks of the album, I had nothing else to do, I thought I just want to give it a shot and somebody published it. Miracles will never end.
What's your favorite car of all time?
It's the Bentley, 4 1/2 litre from 1928. It's the car I dreamt of having all my life and every other man in the world has. It's such a bugger to drive and so tough. It makes you feel like a man. I paid about $650,000 for it. You feel like you're a pilot from World War II going up in the air in your Spitfire downing some Germans. [I have] 11 cars but four of them are race cars which can't be used on the street, me race cars, I just love them so much.
What's the hardest car to shag in?
I would definitely say the mini but when you're younger as I say in the book you can do anything, any acrobatics if you're desperate enough. (Laughs)
Are men obsessed with cars because it's an extension of their penis?
Absolutely me darling. It's always been the case. Look at the Jaguar 8. It's the perfect example, it's got the longest hood. As soon as you're a young man even if you can't afford a nice big car you start tarting up the car you've got. It's like a peacock when it fans its' feathers to attract the female, you flash your car and you say, 'Hey baby, want to go for a ride?' My line was, 'Come on don't be shy, your mother wasn't.'
Did it get a laugh or were girls upset?
I used to say it in in a fun way although not all of them had a sense of humor which was was a shame. I would definitely say guys love their cars. When you were born with nothing or in the projects like we were, I think the dream grows bigger and stronger when you know you'll never be able to get one, that's why there's big photos on the wall of cars to dream of. 99.9% of people don't get to the car they want and if you come from where I came from, you appreciate it so much more than the other guys born with a silver spoon in their mouths who get a sports care when they turn 18. It's just one of those things and you just really, really appreciate it. I drive them all and I clean them all. I like to polish me cars as well.
Tell me how you started wearing your trademark newsboy hat.
Well me darling the first band I was in was called Geordie in the early 70's. We had about 3 or 4 hits and people just assumed you were an instant millionaire and it wasn't the case at all. We didn't make much money at all and when it all finished I was worse off then when I went in so I had to get a job quick so I took the first thing I could find as a windshield fitter on the freeway. I thought that's a good idea because nobody will see me but just in case I pinched me brother's sports car driving hat and I pulled it tight over me eyes so nobody would recognize me and say, 'Weren't you the lad that was on television?'
Did anyone recognize you?
Yeah it didn't frigging work. Me cheeks blushed it was just awful. The humiliation of it all and then I had a little band at night which were very popular, playing the pubs and I kept on wearing it because I'd come straight from work and run on the stage and it became a kind of trademark and it became me lucky hat. And then when I joined AC/DC I was going to lose the cap and Malcolm [Young, rhythm guitarist] said,'No mate that's got some style, it's really different, keep it on.' 'Alright me son,' I said, 'Thank you very much.' I remember once about 1985 I thought, bollocks to this, my hair was shaggy then, I went up the front and people started booing and I thought, fuck what have I done? And I ran back and Malcolm said, 'It's your friggin' hat mate,' and I ran back and got me hat and went back on stage and they went, 'Hooray!'
It's AC/DC 40th anniversary in two years. Do you have plans to tour or record an album?
I'm going to see the boys and we'll probably have a little pow wow and a chat to see how we're feeling. We never ever say 'we're going in the studio January next year,' if you do that me darl you're straight under pressure and we've never worked like that. We've always been very easy going. We're like migrating birds, we smell the air and scratch our arses and say, 'Hmm think it's time.'
Do you think you'll tour?
Well if an album comes out although I don't think I could do two years again, that was brutal but I'd sure hate to say that's the end of it. I think you need a full stop at the end of everything, a sentence, your life, or your car. There has to be a full stop and I don't think we've had one yet.
How long do you think it took for Bon Scott fans to accept you?
I'm sure there were a lot of people who thought it wouldn't work, the boys were fantastic. I remember that first gig in Belgium, they just said, 'Brian just go out there,' they could see I was as nervous as anything. We walk out on stage and there was a sea of placards saying Bon Scott R.I.P. but right in the middle of it was a big sign saying, 'Good Luck Brian,' and that touched me, it still does when I think about it. Basically that was it, it just took off from there. I sang the songs and slowly but surely during that first tour, 'Back in Black' became more popular and the cheers became louder and louder for those songs. It's been an exciting ride ever since. I'm proud to be a part of AC/DC and they're still going and have fans all over the world.
You did a video ['Big Gun'] with someone who has been in the news lately -- Arnold.
I just remember it was hilarious. He was a big muscle with a head on it. When he went into the caravan to change and came out dressed as Angus I thought, f**k, somebody left an airhose up Angus's arse while he was sleeping. As he got into the music he started changing, that Hollywood persona that he was so defensive with and he smiled and he started to enjoy himself and he turned out to be a really good guy. Not the most talkative chap, he kept to himself most of the time, let's put it that way.
Steven Tyler helped induct you into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Did you watch him on Idol?
No, I don't watch 'American Idol.' I don't like watching people getting humiliated. It hurts me. Some people are more nervous than others. When I was 16 and did me first gig I was so terrified, where other guys who maybe weren't as good as but had bags of confidence. Of course as the years went by I got more confident. I'm just terrified these shows might knock the stuffing out of a guy who is nervous. It's toe curling watching those people being told they're not good enough and the tears are mawkish, but it's making somebody a bloody fortune and it's certainly not the artists.
People might be surprised to know you sang in the church choir.
I did me darling and do you know why I did that? Was it religion? No, it was two shillings and sixpence a week!
You have a great line in the book about God.
Well I don't believe in religion let's put it that way. I believe all religions are bad. I think they're a waste of time. Jesus was a clever man. He wasn't the son of God. We all know that he was a very clever, wonderful man and he said, 'Church is in here meaning you are your own church.' If you're a good man you become contended, if you're a good person your dying breath is one of contentment that lasts for eternity and if you're a bad man and you've lived a bad life, you've done some wicked and evil things just for the heck of it, well that will hit you on your last breath of life, that's hell. Now, listen, this is the universe according to Brian and I'm probably as wrong as anybody but I'm as right as anybody else. All religions make money and cause troubles and war and death and I'm tired of it. Stop now! Enjoy your life!
Do you think a cup of tea would make everything better?
If some of those fanatics had a cup of tea and a talk instead of killing each other and beheading and chopping hands off and a couple of chocolate biscuits, what do you think?
You seemed surprised that fans are even showing up to book signings.
It's just I've never done this before and I'm still quite taken aback by the whole thing and it's all about me and I'm not used to that, I'm used to being with the boys. I didn't think it would ever come this far and now it's a proper book and things and I don't know what to say about it all, it's let me quite speechless you know?
It was so great speaking with you. I cannot tell me how much I enjoyed the book.
Thank you darling, that's awful nice to say. Me nipples are hard.
According to NME.com, British Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) Louise Bagshawe has revealed that she has married Peter Mensch — a co-owner of Q Prime, a talent management company that handles the careers of such artists as METALLICA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SHANIA TWAIN and JOSH GROBAN. The ceremony took place in secret earlier this month, with Bagshawe telling the Daily Telegraph, "It was a small, private ceremony in Manhattan and I'm back at work next Tuesday."
It was reported last December that Mensch sold a home at 267 W. 11th St. in New York City for $7.25 million on November 12, 2010. The 4,749-square-foot house was built in 1910 in the Greenwich Village Historic District.
In a 2008 interview with the None But My Own blog, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich stated about how METALLICA landed its management deal with Q Prime, "It [was] the summer of '84 and had done a couple of things at that point. We'd done the VENOM tour in Europe [February 84] and recorded 'Ride The Lightning' [album] in Denmark we also did a bunch of dates with TWISTED SISTER in June and then we were back in the States, completely broke. I mean, no money at all. In fact I was still borrowing money from my mom for rent. So where James [Hetfield] and I were living at the time, of course, we didn't have a phone. So we're in July 1984 and I got a message from a guy named Xavier Russell, who was a good friend and one of the first writers at Kerrang! He got a message to me to call him, so I went over to the pay phone and when I had to make overseas phone calls I'd borrow Kirk Hammett's mom's phone card, so I call Xavier in England and he tells me Peter Mensch
wants me to call him . . . Back then we'd be going to record stores and I remember clearly one day we were looking at the DEF LEPPARD record and James and I had this conversation after seeing the back of the album where it said 'Management: Q Prime, Inc.' We saw that and we were like, 'Fuck!,' that just sounds so big time, you know, like polished offices, big conference tables with a bunch of managers sitting around planning every fucking step of DEF LEPPARD's career, just like, you know, how everyone thinks it is now with us! So I get the call and I hear Peter Mensch wants to talk with me and I was like, Fuckin' Peter Mensch.' Oh, my god, this was like getting to talk to the president or something. So I call him up and he was a little rude, [yet] kind of comical, a little obnoxious and certainly sarcastic [and he says], 'If me and partner see one more fucking METALLICA shirt when we're walking around' and 'who are you guys and what are you doing' and
essentially 'we want to meet you.' . . . About a week after the phone call we're playing in New York at Roseland [September 4, 1984] with RAVEN and ANTHRAX was on the bill, too. So yeah, at the time we're with Johnny Z. [as manager] and the day before the show we're staying with this guy named Metal Joe [of the Old Bridge Militia]. So Metal Joe let us borrow his car to drive and meet Peter Mensch's partner, Cliff Burnstein, in Hoboken, New Jersey. So we got directions and we're driving to Hoboken and we're going straight to his house so we figure we're headed to where all the mansions and giant houses are, right? Now Hoboken is a working class neighborhood that looks like every other working class neighborhood in New York/New Jersey, small houses maybe a little on the dirty side, and I don't mean any of this disrespectfully, but we're picturing mansions and golf courses! So we're in Hoboken and I'm thinking I wrote the directions down wrong or
something, we find the street and it's all matching up there's the house and we walk up and knock on the front door. The door opens and this Rasputin Jerry Garcia-looking guy answers the door wearing this smelly old t-shirt and puts out this kind of limp handshake and says, 'Hi, I'm Cliff Burnstein.' We all looked at each other like, 'What the fuck?' It was just so bizarre from what we were expecting, I mean, there's no one in an Armani suit, you know? So we get invited in and the inside of the house was just in shambles and chaos with stacks of shit everywhere with piles of dishes because no one's done them in a week type of thing. So we're sitting with this guy and he was clearly passionate and very smart and wanted to manage us and it blew our minds. In so many ways it was so METALLICA because this guy was so cool and just like us, a nerdy music fan, exactly like the four of us. But we were so wrong with the whole Q Prime Inc. vision of boardrooms
and shit. We played him a copy of 'Ride The Lightning' and then a few weeks later we met his partner [Mensch] in England and he was as unique and charismatic and sort of out there as Cliff Bernstein and off we went, this was the big leagues but we were surprised at the big leagues! They were perfect for METALLICA; they were just like us. . .. Obviously their whole thing is a lot bigger [now] as they've got the CHILI PEPPERS and SHANIA TWAIN, they've had a lot of people come and go, they managed Courtney [Love] for a while, the [SMASHING] PUMPKINS, too. They're not with DEF LEPPARD anymore. But our thing... I mean, I've never been in another band other than METALLICA and I've never, apart from Johnny Z., and god bless him, we've never had any other managers other than Cliff and Peter. So I could never picture being or working with anybody else; it would seem way too odd. Both of them are among my best friends. When we come to New York, we'll go to the
movies or go to dinner, hang out… It's very chill and super-cool."
During a recent interview on the "Matt Kissane Show", ADLER'S APPETITE members Steven Adler (also ex-GUNS N' ROSES) and Chip Z'Nuff (also of ENUFF Z'NUFF) were asked about the possibility of a reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup.
"I always say, as long as the five of us are alive, it could happen, but now I'm gonna turn that around and say, as long as God is alive, I think it will happen," Adler replied. He continued, "And the most important thing is GN'R owes it to the fans to do a reunion tour."
Added Chip: "Steven still has a great relationship with all the guys in [GUNS N' ROSES]. Everybody's working and so they've all got their chops up. Axl's [Rose] doing his thing, Duff's [McKagan] got LOADED, they're doing great on tour, his record's doing well, Slash is out on tour, Izzy's [Stradlin] hidden somewhere in Indiana recording another record. Everybody's healthy. Anything could happen. Right now our focus is ADLER'S APPETITE and getting these songs out there and reaching the people. The people aren't gonna go away. GUNS N' ROSES is one of the biggest bands ever. Their records sold over a 100 million units; no one sells records like that anymore. The fans are gonna be out there waiting. And they owe it to the fans to get back together again. I'm not in GUNS N' ROSES, I'm not gonna speak for them except to say they make great music and I'd like to see them out there again, too."
In a recent interview with The Jewish Chronicle, Adler stated about his former band, "Why do you think we were so successful? Because it was the five of us. We had something special. We had a bond. No matter how much bullshit there's been all these years, there's one thing that Axl [Rose] and his lawyers can never take away, and that's that we were five brothers who achieved the goals we had since before we were teenagers. And what do brothers do best? They fight with each other! I don't hate them now. My wounds are healed. It's a shame that Axl and Slash won't talk. Every day they don't talk is a day that magic isn't being created. Even if we just did one tour, one record, one song together, the gods want to hear it."
Regarding why he thinks a reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup should happen, he said, "There's all the love I receive around the world. I have heard 'Appetite For Destruction' is the soundtrack to my life' in so many languages. And there's the money we could make. The whole thing could make billions of dollars. All we have to do is get on stage with each other for 90 minutes. And I want to finish what I started. Thank God for putting these jackasses in my life."
The paperback edition of MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's autobiography, "Mustaine: A Life In Metal" (which was published in the U.S. under the title "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir"), will be released via HarperCollins Entertainment on June 9 in the U.K. and on August 1 in Australia.
"Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" landed at position No. 15 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. The book was released in the U.S. on August 3, 2010 via HarperCollins's It Books imprint (focusing on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet). The U.K. edition, "Mustaine: A Life In Metal", hit bookstores in the U.K. on September 30, 2010.
"Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir" was co-written by New York Times journalist Joe Layden who also authored "The Last Great Fight" about what is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James "Buster" Douglas' tenth-round knockout win over Mike Tyson in 1990.
In a recent interview with Exclaim!, Mustaine stated about the process of writing his autobiography, "It was really cathartic. When you're putting your life down into a book, you wonder what you're gonna leave behind you. I want to leave a legacy of achievement but one that says you can overcome anything. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had to work my ass off to get what I have and I love what I have. I'm very grateful for it and I don't take it lightly."
He added, "Telling the truth is hard for anybody. The only uncomfortable thing about this was putting the stuff in there that made me look bad, but I had to in order for it to be the truth. I could have written a book that was all about, 'Oh, I love me. I'm so beautiful and wonderful,' but that wouldn't be true. I don't think I'm that great and the beauty of the book is that I am fallible. "
Regarding the legal aspects of telling his life story in book form, Mustaine said, "There were a lot of other things legally we had to look at because there were a lot of people in my life that, if I tell the story, they're going to jail. It's not about getting pissed off. They're going to jail. Nowadays when you tell a story... say there was a dude I had an encounter with [but] we don't know each other anymore. I [relate] the story and all of a sudden someone goes sniffing into that person's life. It's an invasion of privacy so there's that and there's the fact that there are ambulance chasers everywhere. We had to word it in a way that the information got out but still told the same story. Legally, the same thing being said one way is totally malicious another way. That's something I had to learn.
"It's very bizarre — for lack of a better word — trying to figure out how to tell a story two different ways and keep it the same story. When you see somebody who's an attorney working somebody in the witness chair, they need to ask the right questions to get the right information out. That's basically what happened. We had to word it in a way that the information got out but still told the same story. Legally, the same thing being said one way is totally malicious another way. That's something I had to learn."
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/mustainelife.jpg
MEGADETH's David Ellefson and ANTHRAX's Frank Bello will take part in a joint Hartke bass clinic on July 7 at Digital Village (DV East London) in London, England.
As previously reported, Ellefson and Bello have also scheduled a joint Hartke bass clinic on Friday, June 24 at Gearfest 2011 at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Ellefson and Bello took part in the first of two joint Hartke bass clinics this on February 25 at Sam Ash in New York City.
A four-minute report from Hartke featuring footage from Ellefson's portion of the New York City clinic can be viewed below.
Following the first U.S. "Big Four" concert in Indio, California on April 23, a second U.S. show featuring METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX has been confirmed for September 14 at the new version of the legendary Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City.
The new issue of U.K.'s Rhythm magazine, which hits shelves on Monday, June 6 contains a nine-page feature on Mike Mangini, the newly recruited drummer for DREAM THEATER. Mangini talks about how he landed the DREAM THEATER gig; preserving former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy's legacy as well as creating his own; and that grueling audition process. The magazine also takes a look around Mangini's massive set-up, takes tips on playing odd time signatures and delves deep into Mangini's technique behind the kit. Plus the magazine takes a closer look at the six guys that missed out on the much-coveted DREAM THEATER gig.
DREAM THEATER has tapped Andy Wallace (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, WHITE ZOMBIE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SEPULTURA, SLAYER, NIRVANA) to mix its new album, tentatively due in September via Roadrunner Records. The band's keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, said, "We are all REALLY excited to have [Andy's] magic touch!"
When asked about the status of the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" album, DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie told U.K.'s Rock Radio on May 18, "Right now, I'm talking to you, and then, literally, within about a half an hour after we're done talking, I'm going into the studio and I start doing vocals for the new DREAM THEATER. So I'm about six songs into the album. I'm recording up in Canada, and as I'm recording my vocals, Jordan [Rudess] is currently recording his keyboards, piano and putting on all his amazing sounds from his various software that he has, and he's doing that down in New York. The drums, the guitar and the bass are all done, so it's just a matter of Jordan and I finishing our parts, and the mix is to commence… I think May 30 or the 31st we're supposed to start mixing the album. But it's all going incredible and it's all moving ahead. We're looking at an early September release —
somewhere around the 7th or the 10th, somewhere around there is the release indication at this point."
In a recent interview with Music Radar, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess were asked if Mike Mangini contributed to the songwriting on the band's forthcoming CD. "Mike didn't write with us," Rudess replied. "Basically, we got in the studio and did our thing. We wrote songs and sent them to him. He came in and just nailed his parts. He's incredible. I'm finishing my keyboard parts right now, and I'll go to the computer to see how things are lining up, and I'm just speechless. The guy doesn't mess up!" [laughs]
"We had the demos, had them fully written out, and he learned them and added his own stuff," Petrucci stated. "But every time he would do something, if I said, 'Hey, can you do that again?' he'd do it, and it would be perfect. The guy is… he's out of his mind! [laughs] People are not going to believe how great he is."
"But what's really special about him is, he's not just a technician," Rudess added. "Yes, he plays his parts perfectly, but he comes at everything as a total musician. Everything he does has real soul and a depth of feeling."
When asked how not having DREAM THEATER's former drummer, Mike Portnoy, in the recording and writing process changed the band dynamic, Petrucci replied, "It was a lot quieter. [laughs] Mike Mangini's playing style is different. He plays very hard, but he's got a very deep groove. He almost plays behind the beat just a little bit — even through he's right on the money. He's extremely locked in, but if he does do something technical, he's still right there."
According to DOWN's official web site, the acclaimed New Orleans band — which features in its ranks CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist), bassist Rex Brown (ex-PANTERA), guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR), and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, ex-PANTERA) — has been rehearsing for its upcoming European dates, which kick off next week. In addition, "it looks like they're gonna lay down some new tracks at the end of the month when they return from the other side of the pond," the posting adds.
A couple of photos of DOWN rehearsing some of its new material at Anselmo's studio, Nodferatu's Lair — with CROWBAR bassist Patrick Bruders taking care of the four-string duties instead of Brown — can be viewed below.
In a recent interview with The Delaware County Daily Times, Keenan stated about DOWN's next studio release, "We're kinda goin' backwards now. The first record came out a long time ago, so we're feeling that vibe and heading that way; real simple: stripped down and to the point."
He added, "I think we're going to try and do four EPs, and they're all going to be connected together with artwork. This will allow us to have a frontload, heavy as [expletive] EP, and maybe the second one could showcase some of the acoustic stuff we've been saving for awhile, and then continuing the four of them with a completely different style, and obviously the fourth one would be another doom-laden heavy one."
Brown was unable to join DOWN for the band's recent shows and was temporarily replaced by Bruders. Speaking to The Delaware County Daily Times, Pepper stated about Brown, "Rex is not gonna be with us [on the road for the upcoming shows]. He's got things he needs to deal with, and we gave him an ultimatum and he's trying to work things out. We've got Pat from CROWBAR playing bass, and he's ass-kickin' in the same way. He plays with his fingers — which is really cool; he's got the whole Geezer Butler thing going on."
When asked if Rex was still considered a part of DOWN, Pepper replied, "I don't know what to really say on that; he's not out of the band, but he's not playing with us live."
During a recent interview with the "Focus In The Mix With Denise Ames" TV show, Brown was asked if he still speaks to his former PANTERA and current DOWN bandmate Philip Anselmo. "We're having a little marital spat, so… I'll just leave it at that. I'm in the doghouse," he replied.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/downjune1.jpg
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/downjune2.jpg
If there's one thing that's guaranteed with Ozzy Osbourne it's that he will be accompanied by an incredible guitarist. In his 30-year solo career very few have been chosen for this role. Now, lighting up the fret board is Greek guitar genius, Gus G.
The guitarist agreed to down-axe and talk with me about joining up with one of his idols, the possibility of a new Ozzy album, and setting up his own band, Firewind.
Geeks of Doom: So how are you?
Gus G.: Yeah, I'm fine. I just woke up actually! But it's cool.
Geeks of Doom: Next month you head out across Europe with Ozzy and with Firewind for the summer. What are you up to right now?
Gus G.: Well I'm at home in Greece and I've been doing a bunch of stuff, catching up on stuff because I've been on tour for a year. So, you know, going home after almost a whole year with no break you got to take care of a lot of things. To be honest with you I've been practicing a lot of Ozzy songs…we are going to be rehearsing stuff from Blizzard [Of Ozz album] and Diary [Of A Madman album] he hasn't done before so hopefully that will be on the setlist.
Geeks of Doom: Yeah, this year it's the 30th anniversary of Diary of a Madman, and also the 25th anniversary of The Ultimate Sin. So have you got anything special planned for the live shows?
Gus G.: Not that I know of. I mean, we played "Shot In The Dark" and we used to play "Killer Of Giants," but that one came out of the setlist. I think there's talks of bringing that one back. I mean, so, we might be putting "Killer Of Giants" back on there.
Geeks of Doom: Cool. Now that the dust has settled roughly two years after you joined Ozzy's band, what has life been like for you?
Gus G.: It's still amazing, man. It's not something you really get used to, you know what I mean? [laughs] I mean that in a great way. I'm really loving all the changes that have happened to me and stuff, and that I'm having the chance to do this at such a level. It's a blessing and few people in the world have the chance that I got so I'm very grateful and I'm really enjoying it.
Geeks of Doom: Good. How did you come to join Ozzy?
Gus G.: The management emailed me. Someone from his management sent me an email and they asked me if I wanted to go down and audition. You know somehow I had gotten on their radar, I don't know how…so that's how it happened.
Geeks of Doom: I read that when you were with Arch Enemy that you gave them [Ozzy's people] a Firewind CD?
Gus G.: You know I did back in 2005 at the Ozzfest because they put out an ad on Blabbermouth that they were looking for a guitar player. So I just went in and gave them one of my CDs. But I don't think that really had anything to do with it because that was like 4 years before they actually contacted me so I doubt they realized, "Oh, remember that guy from 4 years ago?" I think it was just, I don't know, I think it was Blasko, the bass player. He knew about me, he had seen me around in magazines and the internet and all that stuff so…when they asked him about who he would suggest he came up with my name and then they checked me out and they liked what I did.
Geeks of Doom: Scream was not only yours but also Tommy Clufetos' [drummer] first Ozzy album. Did Blasko and Adam Wakeman [keyboards] help you two to settle into the band quicker?
Gus G.: Well we did rehearsal. Not for the album, for the album when I went in to do the album it was just me and Kevin Churko, the producer. So me and him worked on the album, the other guys were not really involved in that. But we all rehearsed together and for the tour. And of course Blasko and Adam told us how to do things and were there to help us out with anything, any questions that we had, that was kind of good, you know?
Geeks of Doom: What was the first rehearsal like?
Gus G.: It was great! You know, this band had chemistry right from the start. So as soon as we started playing the first song it felt really great. It felt like a great band from the start and the fact that everybody is really good people, it really makes things even better, and we really get along.
Geeks of Doom: Did you speak to any of Ozzy's previous guitarists before you joined?
Gus G.: No, not really.
Geeks of Doom: Which ones were you a fan of most when you were growing up?
Gus G.: I don't know, I liked all of them because I never even separated them. I like Zakk [Wylde] for what he did and I'm a big fan of the Jake E. Lee albums. The first album that I heard was – the first Ozzy solo album – was Diary Of A Madman so I thought Randy [Rhoads] was amazing, very special. So…I don't think I had a favorite to be honest with you, I really liked all the guys he had on there.
Geeks of Doom: Cool. When the Scream world tour finally ends, do you have plans to get back in the studio with Ozzy?
Gus G.: There's plans for that but I don't know anything about the time frames to be honest with you. Because when the Scream tour ends in August I go out with Firewind, we're doing a European tour and an American tour so I don't think we're going to be going back to the studio in 2011. So it might be sometime in 2012, but who knows? I don't really know what Ozzy has in mind.
Geeks of Doom: Ok. Like I said it's the anniversary of those Ozzy albums and also it's the 30th anniversary of the British rock magazine Kerrang! and Ozzy is getting their Legend Award. It must be exciting to be part of all that history with Ozzy?
Gus G.: Oh definitely, yes!
Geeks of Doom: Can you tell us what is going to be happening at the Kerrang! awards?
Gus G.: [laughs] I wish I knew man! I have no idea. We're just going to play a show at the Hammersmith [Apollo]. I'm very excited to play the Hammersmith, I've never had the chance to play there and it's a legendary venue so I'm looking forward to playing there. I'm very happy that Ozzy is getting the Legend Award because I know that very few people have gotten that award from Kerrang, I think only a couple of people in the past. And yeah, I'm very proud that I'm going to have the chance to be there next to him on such an important day. I don't know if there's going to be any special things happening but we'll see that day. We'll see what happens.
Geeks of Doom: The Hammersmith Apollo's a great venue, you're going to really enjoy it there. Have you noticed a different reaction at your Firewind shows and a different reaction to the albums since you joined Ozzy?
Gus G.: Well the album [Days Of Defiance] got great reviews worldwide. At the live shows I think some of Ozzy's fans have been showing up and…they've started getting more aware, [we are] getting more fans in. So yeah you could say that things have gotten better for the band. I think we'll mostly find that out when we go out on tour again in September because this is obviously a very good thing for the band, you know?
Geeks of Doom: Absolutely. You set up Firewind originally as a solo project, didn't you?
Gus G.: Well yeah back then it was more…me. Like an mp3 kind of band it, was me and a bunch of guys from around the world that our previous label, our first label, had hooked me up with. I didn't even have a singer, it was just me doing demos on my four track. The label I had signed with had hooked me up with a bunch of musicians and we did the first couple of albums just exchanging files, like mp3 files. I was sending my demos, they were putting up the vocals, sending it back and so on. So that's how we started more like a one man thing, you know? I didn't really get a proper band until we were asked to go on tour in Japan.
Geeks of Doom: Is Firewind still your main focus?
Gus G.: Yeah, I mean it's my band. I used to play with three or four other bands but I quit every other band. This is my thing, this is my own band.
Geeks of Doom: Were your Firewind bandmates happy for you when you joined Ozzy?
Gus G.: Yeah, very happy, man. Really happy.
Geeks of Doom: Your first Firewind album was in 2002. Since then you've been through quite a few line up changes – are you happy now with the guys you've got in place?
Gus G.: Yeah, yeah it's really good. Like I said it took me a few years to find the right guys for the band because it was more like a studio band. So I didn't really know the guys that were playing in the band when we were doing the first couple of albums. But by the fourth album that's when we got a stable line up. That was with the album Allegiance in 2006. The only line up change we had since then was the drummer but the rest of us, we've been the same. We've had the same singer, Apollo [Papathanasio], and that's kind of like the main core of the band; me, Apollo and Bob [Katsionis]. So yeah we've had a pretty good line up and we've been twice around the world with those guys and we've played over 250 gigs. So it's been good!
Geeks of Doom: Well I hope to see you when you come to England.
Gus G.: Yeah, man, see you there!
Geeks of Doom: That's great, thanks Gus!
Gus G.: All right, man. Take care.
According to Undercover, funeral services for ROSE TATTOO's manager Greg Clarke, who died earlier this week, will be held in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday, June 8 at Notes Nightclub at 75 Enmore Road, Newton at 11 a.m. A reception with "tall tales" will follow at midday.
Clarke died this week from a suspected heart attack. Autopsy results confirming cause of death will not be known for three weeks. He had just turned 50 in April.
Greg worked with Rose Tattoo from January 2006 until the time of his death. His Facebook profile described that job as "the bus driver, drinker getter, knob twiddler, rehearsal coordinator and butt of many jokes."
ROSE TATTOO guitarist Mick Cocks died in December 2009 from a short battle with liver cancer.
Another ROSE TATTOO guitarist, Pete Wells, passed away in March 2006 after a long battle with prostate cancer.
German melodic metallers EDGUY will release their new album, "Age Of The Joker", in Europe on August 29 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Peppermint Park studio (SCORPIONS, PHIL COLLINS) in Hannover, which was previously described by the group as "a recording temple with a tremendously great-sounding room."
According to the French edition of Rock Hard magazine, which attended a media listening session of the album on May 28 at Peppermint Park, "Age Of The Joker" will feature the following track listing:
01. Robin Hood
02. Nobody's Hero
03. Rock Of Cashel
04. Pandora's Box
05. Breathe
06. Two Out Of Seven
07. Fire On The Downline
08. Behind The Gates To Midnight World
Regarding the band's forthcoming album, EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet recently said, "The new songs sound great, we have thirteen of them, and we'll pick maybe ten and put them on the album. We have anthemic melodies, although it's not kitsch.
"When you record anthemic music, you tend to be dangerously close to kitsch, it's a fine line and I think we balance on that fine line pretty well.
"To cut a long story a little insignificantly shorter: I just think it is great, and that's what counts. Real music, you know?"
"We were always striving for a powerful but natural sound. I guess we had a good sound recently, but I think there is always room to improve.
"The more I listen to what's going on in the heavy metal world these days, the more I long for drums that sound like drums. I want them to sound powerful without sounding like Atari."
EDGUY will embark on a European headlining tour in September with support from KOTTAK (the band fronted by SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak).
"Tinnitus Sanctus" sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 88 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Tinnitus Sanctus" registered the following first-week chart positions in Europe:
Germany: #19
Austria: #50
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/edguyjoker.jpg
This iconic metal frontman is a father, the son of a trumpet-playing jazzman, and the grandson of a famous Sicilian composer. And he's currently taking listeners on a very non-metal journey — with two Seacoast area musicians — in his "Avalon" project.
Born Salvatore Paul Erna, Godsmack's Sully Erna would hang out in his father's basement and listen to him rehearse on the trumpet for hours on end, often falling asleep to the sounds of his father's notes. Music has always been a driving force for Erna, who began his path as a musician at the age of 3 when he took up the drums.
WHAT Sully Erna's Avalon Tour
WHEN Saturday, June 18
WHERE Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, 169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach
COST $24/$30/$40
CONTACT 929-4100, www.casinoballroom.com
"Then I turned 14 years old, started to smoke pot, and took to listening to the sweet sounds of Sabbath, Zeppelin, Rush, and Motorhead," Erna said in an interview. "I taught myself how to play along with all of those songs and I got pretty good at 'em, to the point where my instructor at the time advised me to just listen and learn the language through aural recognition rather than follow the notes on music sheets.
"It was also around this same time that I got a hold of a live Aerosmith bootleg record. There was a picture of Joe Perry standing at the foot of the stage holding his BC Rich guitar out towards the crowd — there were thousands upon thousands of people raising their hands in approval. I said to myself, 'I want to be that,' and from there I started to grow my hair out (laughs)."
In 1998 Godsmack released a debut self-titled album, and the band began its quest to climb the charts. That album has since gone five times platinum. Godsmack has released a string of acclaimed albums since, earning a record 18 top 10 hard rock singles, and selling more than 15 million copies of their recordings to date.
"Godsmack has given me a living...; has made me popular," said Erna. "It'll always be a large part of who I am. However, people may be surprised to learn that I listen to rock music the least. I'm a fan of jazz and blues music — a big fan of Ray Charles. My daughter is 9 years old and I gotta be honest, through her I've become a big fan of pop acts like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. I also think Eminem is a genius. From Pantera to Katy Perry, if there's a fat hook, I'm a sucker for it. A good song is a good song, and if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's how to identify a good hook, and when I hear one, it sticks with me. I don't categorize or judge."
Back in September, Erna released his debut "solo" project, "Avalon," to a slew of encouraging reviews and a sea of surprised ears. "Avalon" is a vast departure from the thundering sounds fans grew so accustomed to hearing through Sully's work with Godsmack. The project, which took more than two years to wrap, features Seacoast music scene stalwarts Tim Theriault (guitars, vocals), and Chris Decato (keyboards, midi, vocals), along with Laconia native Lisa Guyer (vocals), Niall Gregory (drums, percussion), Chris Lester (acoustic guitars, bass), and Irina Chirkova (cello).
"Avalon" is very tribal in nature. It's very much based around anecdotal percussive rhythms fleshed out by ethereal harmonic textures and otherworldly vocals, sometimes eerie in feel, but all-the-while beckoning a full body response.
Breathe Deep
Wind Down
Reach back
Hear the sound
You will see
From within you'll begin to feel the rise
That which is like, unto itself is drawn.
(From the album cut, "The Rise.")
"Everything that I know in my life up until now has been bled into this body of work," said Erna in the liner notes of "Avalon."
It's been eight months since the release of the record, and the project has (finally) just recently hit the road with one goal in mind — to open the minds of audience members to the notion that music has the ability to take you on a journey — one that encompasses mind, body, and spirit.
"The music that we recorded for 'Avalon' came together very organically," said Erna. "It surprised all of us on some spiritual level. The record is very primitive — playing with our hands and crafting a definite hypnotic tribal vibe. It's a very pictoral body of work. This is the type of music that allows you to kick back, close your eyes and be in for a very intense musical journey — something in the vein of (Pink) Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon.' It really sucks you in."
"I think 'Avalon' is an album that at its core is striving to pull people away from the modern-day habit of downloading a single song here, a single song there," said Tim Theriault. "We're looking to bring the listener on a ride. We're hoping to bring people back to the days when listening to a whole album, front to back, was the way music was supposed to be experienced."
For Seacoast guitar wizard Theriault, the opportunity to play with Erna is a chance to get in front of a larger audience.
"The experience so far has been great," said Theriault. "Everyone in the band is very driven. Sully is a great boss. He knows what he wants while accepting all input from all parties in the group. He knows just how to rein it all in. I only have two solos on 'Avalon' and for a guitarist, you might think, 'Oh, man...; I only get two?' But those two are really special and feel really good. This project is not about solo individuals, it's very much about the whole."
"The talent present in this group is just crazy," said Erna. "Guyer has a voice that continually haunts me and compliments my own voice extremely well. Chris Decato can rock anything from the flute to classical piano...; he may be the most talented guy in the band. And Theriault is just a ridiculous endless well of information. You can mention any song at all to him and he knows how to play it ...; but not just the melody, the dude knows every solo, note for note. Just ridiculous. It's a real pleasure being able to play with these guys. It just goes to show that there are great musicians in every community just waiting to be tapped."
"I don't see this as some sort of musical redemption," said Theriault. "You always see yourself on the big stage, and now we're fortunate to have a bunch of us up there rockin' it and kicking a—. There is so much great talent in the Seacoast music scene. From us to the guys in the Pretty Reckless, it's really great that we have the opportunity to get up there and show people, 'see, we can do this. We're as good as anyone else in the world.'"
For Erna, this chapter in his life is one he's very excited to show the world, and one he plans to keep rolling with in the immediate future. Amidst a swirling schedule that finds him in the middle of touring behind the Avalon project, and getting back on the road with Godsmack, Erna plans to hold on to the power of the "Avalon" sessions and record more when things slow down. He also plans to take the tour out west in the fall, and overseas at some point as well.
"I take it all one day at a time," Erna said. "If I think about it, I overwhelm myself. I always make it a point to worry about tomorrow later. I'm so excited about this project though. It's a complete breath of fresh air. If you eat chocolate ice cream all the time it just makes sense that you're going to need to get vanilla in there every once in awhile. I want people to know that I'm not one-dimensional, I have more than one passion and other avenues I'm looking to pursue."
The "Avalon" tour makes its final stop on its current East Coast run on June 18 at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. It's sure to be a performance focusing on the music while incorporating video and a "serious" mood-setting light show.
"This is not a rock show," said Erna. "But it's every bit as powerful. We're working to pull you in, take you on a journey, and have you leave thinking, 'what the heck just happened?' We want you to leave the show with an open mind thinking differently about music and how it can affect you. I've seen people weeping in the front row, which tells me that it's working."
SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor was interviewed at the first-ever Carolina Rebellion festival, which was held on Saturday, May 7 at Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina.
When asked about his plans for the foreseeable future, Taylor said, "We're talking about doing another STONE SOUR album. I've already got about 16 songs written. We're gonna do something… This will the first time we get to do back-to-back albums. It's something I'm pretty excited about. I've got a really great concept and hopefully it flushes out that way. We still haven't gotten together and demoed everything yet. But if I have it my way, it's gonna be the biggest thing we've ever done."
STONE SOUR canceled the rest of its recent tour dates after drummer Roy Mayorga suffered a stroke following a gig in Des Moines, Iowa last month.
The canceled STONE SOUR concerts included stops in Rapid City, South Dakota, Fargo, North Dakota, Detroit, Libertyville, Illinois, and Columbus, Ohio.
Mayorga joined STONE SOUR in 2006 after the band's previous drummer, Joel Ekman, was forced to leave the group in order to spend time with his son, who was diagnosed with brain stem cancer.
STONE SOUR bassist Shawn Economaki was forced to leave the band's recent tour to deal with undisclosed "personal issues." STONE SOUR has used a replacement bassist for some recent shows.
The band's third album, "Audio Secrecy", has sold 175,000 copies in the U.S. since its September 2010 release.
STONE SOUR is not scheduled to perform again until September, when the band will appear at Brazil's Rock In Rio festival. Frontman Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root will play shows this summer with SLIPKNOT.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, rumors are swirling online that RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is planning something big to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary. So far, the group has announced just one date, headlining a festival called L.A. Rising on July 30 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Although the band reunited in 2007 following a seven-year break, they have not done a full tour or recorded new material, opting instead for scattered festival dates both in the U.S. and Europe.
RAGE's last full album release was the 2000 covers collection "Renegades". The band's last set of original material was 1999's "The Battle Of Los Angeles".
Meanwhile, guitarist Tom Morello has set August 30 as the release date for his third album as THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, titled "World Wide Rebel Songs".
Morello told The Pulse Of Radio he delayed the release of the record so that he could take part in protests in Madison, Wisconsin earlier this year against the anti-union policies of Governor Scott Walker. "That record was planned and ready to go when the Madison thing erupted, and I just said, you know, I've got to do something about this," he said. "I can't just sit on the sidelines. I want to lend whatever help I can as a musician and as an activist to help steel the spine of this growing labor movement."
The guitarist released an EP called "Union Town" digitally on May 17. All profits from sales of the EP benefit The America Votes Labor Unity Fund via SaveWorkers.org. The disc consists of eight pro-union songs inspired by the Madison rallies this past February.
Unlike previous acoustic NIGHTWATCHMAN albums, "World Wide Rebel Songs" features a full electric band. The debut single, "Save The Hammer For The Man", features Ben Harper on guitar and vocals.
Formed by guitarist and principal songwriter Jimmy Allen — an original member of the band PUDDLE OF MUDD — AGAINST ALL WILL boasts ripe, radio-friendly rock songs replete with fat hooks, huge choruses, and melodies that linger long after the music has stopped.
Powered by the vocals of frontman Jeff Current and a heavy-hitting rhythm section of former SOULFLY bassist Marcello "Cello" Dias and DEAD KENNEDYS drummer Steve Wilson, AGAINST ALL WILL's seven-track debut, "A Rhyme & Reason", is described in a press release as "a warm wash of sweet tone and salty vibrato, with lyrics that hit just as hard as the songs."
While most Los Angeles outfits are filled via open auditions or by hired guns, AGAINST ALL WILL was filled through referrals and recommendations — chemistry was critical, and the personalities needed to fit just as securely as the players.
AGAINST ALL WILL's independently released debut, "A Rhyme & Reason", was produced by Tim Harkins (KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and featured the song "The Drug I Need" which received lots of airplay on SiriusXM's Octane channel.
For more information, visit www.againstallwill.com.
EMMURE, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, IN THIS MOMENT and BORN OF OSIRIS are among the confirmed bands for The All Stars Tour, which will run from July 22 to August 23.
The complete lineup for the trek is as follows:
EMMURE
ALESANA
IWRESTLEDABEARONCE
BLESSTHEFALL
FOR TODAY
IN THIS MOMENT
BORN OF OSIRIS
THE GHOST INSIDE
AFTER THE BURIAL
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
CHELSEA GRIN
SLEEPING WITH SIRENS
ATTILA
FOR ALL THOSE SLEEPING
MEMPHIS MAY FIRE (select dates)
The dates are as follows:
Jul. 22 - Las Palmas Racepark - McAllen, TX
Jul. 23 - Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
Jul. 24 - The Palladium - Dallas, TX
Jul. 26 - Expo Five - Louisville, KY
Jul. 27 - Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
Jul. 28 - Congress Theatre - Chicago, IL
Jul. 29 - Royal Oak Theatre - Detroit, MI
Jul. 30 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Jul. 31 - Station 4 Outdoors - St. Paul, MN
Aug. 02 - Sound Academy - Toronto, ON
Aug. 03 - Olympia - Montreal, QC
Aug. 04 - Eagle Theatre at The Sov Center - Reading, PA
Aug. 05 - Mid Hudson Civic Center - Poughkeepsie, NY
Aug. 06 - Central Mass Expo Center - Fitchburg, MA
Aug. 07 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
Aug. 09 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
Aug. 10 - The National - Richmond, VA
Aug. 11 - The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC
Aug. 12 - House Of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC
Aug. 14 - Seville Quarter Party Plaza - Pensacola, FL
Aug. 17 - Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
Aug. 18 - Venue Of Scottsdale - Scottsdale, AZ
Aug. 19 - Soma - San Diego, CA
Aug. 20 - The Grove - Anaheim, CA
Aug. 21 - Rock The Block - Las Vegas, NV
Aug. 23 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
For more information, visit the tour's Facebook page.
Finnish gothic metallers CHARON, who formed in 1992 in Raahe, Finland, will disband after this summer's performances. The group will play the final gigs as a favor to its loyal fans and finally wrap up nearly a nearly two-decade-long of music career.
"This shouldn't be a really big surprise for anyone. We are forced to admit that we have no longer anything new to give to the genre in which CHARON has operated. Doing things forced or not straight from the heart has never been a band practice for us. And a 100% satisfactory outcome would no longer be possible," the band explains in a statement.
"After the last studio album we should have gotten a grip in time and not to delay the decisions we faced in the end of 2009. In the summer 2010, 'a new beginning' with a new guitarist worked brilliantly and we even wrote a full album of songs. But we did not have enough heart and passion to light up the final fire and to finish the record. Years of hanging loose from the noose had eaten up most of our energy and creativity.
"Playing in the band has been a solid part of our lives for nearly two decades. CHARON had been a measure for everything that we've done in our lives. There are lots of good memories and tours behind and above all, great fans. Everything has its moments but nothing lasts forever. Our moment ends now."
CHARON released five studio albums and a compilation album, "A-Sides, B-Sides & Suicides", where you will find the band's last-recorded song, "The Cure". CHARON's last studio album was "Songs For The Sinners", which came out in 2005.
All the bandmembers still have a passion for playing and they all will continue their careers in music. They will reveal more of their future plans when the time is right.
CHARON can be seen live on stage in Helsinki at Tuska open-air festival evening club at Virgin Oil Co on Friday, July 22 and two consecutive nights in Oulu at Nuclear Nightclub on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30.
0 comments:
Post a Comment