Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Brian Setzer Orchestra Announces First New Christmas Studio Album In 10 Years

Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner Brian Setzer and the Brian Setzer Orchestra are releasing Rockin' Rudolph, their first studio Christmas album in 10 years on Friday, October 16 via Surfdog Records.

The 18-piece band will support the album with a major concert tour, the “12th Annual Christmas Rocks! Tour,” delivering the rocking and colorful holiday extravaganza they’re known for.

“It’s been about 10 years since I made a Christmas record,” says Setzer. “It [Christmas music] just seems to get more popular every year. They’re classic songs and you wonder after a couple records how many of them are left. Once you dig in you find, wow! I’ve haven’t done ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ you know. I’ve never done ‘Here Comes Santa Claus!’ Ones that everyone knows and are still out there. These songs are great songs. It doesn’t matter if they’re holiday songs or when they were written, they’re just great songs. So the trick,” the guitarist says, “is to make them sound hip. Some of them are eternally hip, you know, so you don’t have to do too much.”

Produced by Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, etc…) and recorded in both Nashville, TN and Hollywood, CA, the 12-track Rockin' Rudolph includes highlights such as “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree,” “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide,” and “Rockabilly Rudolph,” among other notable Christmas classic tunes with Setzer’s trademark guitar work and vocal stylings matched with the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s big-band horn arrangements.


Rockin' Rudolph track listing:
1. “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree”
2. “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide”
3. “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
4. “Rockabilly Rudolph”
5. “Here Comes Santa Claus”
6. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
7. “Swingin' Joy”
8. “Carol of the Bells”
9. “Little Jack Frost”
10. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
11. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
12. “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide” (extended)

Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition, numbered deluxe package of the album via PledgeMusic.com.

Rockin' Rudolph Deluxe Box Set includes:
1. Rockin' Rudolph CD
2. Commemorative sheet music and guitar chart to "Nutcracker Suite” (just as Brian reads on stage!)
3. Custom Brian Setzer die-cut Christmas tree ornament (3" tall, alloy metal)
4. Brian Setzer’s Murray’s Pomade (Hair Product)
5. Commemorative BSO "Martini Logo” stainless steel guitar pick
6. BSO Christmas album cover drink coasters
7. Six Polaroid-style BSO concert photos
8. "Live in Nashville" 10x10 print
9. Reusable 8GB USB credit card w/ extras, including:
  • Hi-definition .wav files of full 12-track Rockin' Rudolph album 
  • Two new bonus instrumental tracks not included on the album:  "Deck The Halls” & “Little Drummer Boy"
  • Album cover rough sketches by Artist Derek Yaniger 
  • Behind-the-scenes video footage of BSO's Rockin' Rudolph recording session (House of Blues studio in Nashville, TN.) 
  • "Jingle Bells"  - live performance by BSO (previously released) 
  • "Nutcracker Suite" - live performance by BSO (previously released) 
  • Behind-the-scenes look at Brain Setzer writing entire big band arrangement from scratch (previously released) 

For more information on Brian Setzer, visit:
briansetzer.com
facebook.com/briansetzerofficial
youtube.com/user/BrianSetzerOfficial
surfdog.com/artists/brian-setzer

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Farm Aid Announces Lineup For 30th Anniversary Show in Chicago

Farm Aid will celebrate its 30th year at Farm Aid 30 in downtown Chicago at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on September 19, 2015.

Farm Aid 30 is an all-day music and food festival, featuring a unique lineup of artists and genres and family farm-identified, local and organic foods with its own Homegrown Concessions, where attendees can meet farmers, participate in food and farm activities, and learn about the ways family farmers are enriching our soil, protecting our water and growing the economy, in addition to bringing us good food for good health.

Featured performers include Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, along with Imagine Dragons, Jack Johnson, Kacey Musgraves, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mavis Staples. Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real, Holly Williams, Insects Vs Robots and Blackwood Quartet.

Farm Aid ticket presales begins on July 29 at noon CDT. For tickets, go to https://www.farmaid.org/concert/tickets.

Farm Aid 30 will be streamed live at farmaid.org. The webcast, Farm Aid 30 Live Presented by Amy’s Kitchen, will feature artist performances and stories from family farmers and eaters across the country.


Thursday, July 23, 2015

Greg Lake Concert From 1981 To Be Issued On CD & Vinyl

Purple Pyramid Records is releasing  London '81, a live album featuring King Crimson and ELP vocalist and bassist Greg Lake. Taken from a show at Hammersmith Odeon in London on November 5, 1981, guitar great Gary Moore joined Lake and his band for Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson tracks like “Lucky Man,” “Karn Evil 9,” “21st Century Schizoid Man” and “In The Court of The Crimson King,” as well as songs from his self-titled debut album from 1981. 

The Greg Lake Band made its live debut at the annual Reading Festival in England in August 1981. Much of the set was new to the audience – Greg's first solo album would not be released for another month. But the band received a wild reception regardless, and there were enough old favorites on display to ensure the fans remained happy…including the show opener “Fanfare for the Common Man,” truly one of the most effective showstoppers ever to have opened a concert.

The band's full tour kicked off in October. Purposefully, Lake demanded smaller venues, the theaters and universities that truly represented a refreshing change from the monster domes he'd visited the last time he hit the road in 1977 with ELP. The string of shows launched in Wales, at Aberystwyth University, then moved onto Cardiff University, Dunstable Queensway Hall, Norwich University, Liverpool Royal Court Theatre, Newcastle Mayfair, Glasgow University, Edinburgh Playhouse, Sheffield Lyceum, University of Kent Canterbury, Birmingham Odeon, Leicester Polytechnic, Bournemouth Winter Gardens, Exeter University, St Austell Cornwall Coliseum, Crawley Leisure Centre and, finally, London's Hammersmith Odeon.

There were no lasers, no levitating keyboards, no priceless Persian carpets. The myths and legends that surrounded ELP when they toured were all firmly locked away. The Greg Lake Band toured like a band, and on stage they simply took up their positions and played.

That last date on the tour is where this disc was recorded, in front of 2,000 fans. There's a snatch of “Karn Evil 9” that eases out of the opening “Fanfare”; “Love You Too Much,” the song Lake co-wrote with Bob Dylan in what remains another of the tantalizing collaborations of the age;

“Retribution Drive” and “The Lie” from Greg Lake. “21st Century Schizoid Man” and “The Court Of The Crimson King,” from Lake’s stint with King Crimson, wrapped up the evening in positively rhapsodic fashion, and, finally, “C'est La Vie,” from ELP's Works. (The version of this track included on the CD is taken from a show in New York City 1981)

Tracks:
Medley: Fanfare For The Common Man / Karn Evil 9
Nuclear Attack
The Lie
Retribution Drive
Lucky Man
Parisienne Walkways
You Really Got A Hold On Me
Love You Too Much
21st Century Schizoid Man
In The Court Of The Crimson King
Bonus Track: C'est La Vie (Live in NYC 1981)

To purchase:
Pre-order the CD: http://flyt.it/GregLakeCD
Pre-order the Vinyl: http://flyt.it/GregLakeLP
Pre-order the digital: http://flyt.it/GregLakedig

Greg Lake's official website: www.greglake.com

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Heart Of Storm: A Rock Concert & Russian Ballet Experience

Heart Of Storm, a rock concert & Russian ballet experience makes its premiere in Los Angeles on This Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

Heart Of Storm offers American rock and ballet fans the chance to view these shows in their entirety with complimentary tickets for these dates. Fans that bring five friends to the show will receive a special take-away gift the night of the show.

For complimentary tickets and show details, fans can email: tickets@redrockballet.com and check out www.redrockballet.com for more information.

Heart of Storm features an all-star band that includes keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), drummer Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr, Electric Light Orchestra), lead guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio, Revolution Saints), bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers), rhythm guitarist Brent Woods (Warrant, Sebastian Bach) and alto saxophonist  Brandon Fields (Tower Of Power, George Benson).

The  group teamed with Russian-Korean choreographer Stas Tsoy to create musically charged show with visuals to tell the tale of a young major named Storm as he travels to the depths of the labyrinth of Life, Death and Love.

This music is fused with Russian ballet talent -- spanning the Bolshoi Theatre, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker -- based on the tradition of classical ballet, while charting new territory into live, emotional theater.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Neil Young Pledges $100K To Vermont’s GMO Lawsuit

According to Time Magazine, Neil Young has pledged $100,000 to Vermont’s legal bid to label all food products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), urging other wealthy donors to back the state’s prolonged legal battle with food industry advocates.

“I’m just a rock ‘n’ roller who believes people should know what they’re eating,” Young said during a press conference in Essex Junction Sunday evening, local NBC affiliate WPTZ reports. Young appeared alongside Vermont governor Peter Shumlin, who said the rocker had called him “out of the blue” 10 days earlier to offer his support for the campaign.

A coalition of food industry representatives, led by the Grocery Manufacturers Alliance, have attempted to overturn the law as “a costly and misguided measure.”

Young previously called on Starbucks customers to boycott the coffee chain for its alleged support of the lawsuit, a claim the company promptly denied.

In the meantime, Young has channeled venom on his latest album, The Monsanto Years.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Robert Cray Announces '4 Nights Of 40 Years Live' DVD, Blu-ray & CD Set

Open ears and an open mind are the essence of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray, whose career spans from the roots of the blues to the pinnacles of rock, from the 80s to this moment. He grew up listening to the gospel of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Bobby Bland's soul, Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar and the Beatles pop sounds. Those influences and the signature sound Cray has imprinted on modern popular music are brought together in the Robert Cray Band's double CD and video package 4 Nights of 40 Years Live.

The set will be available in a variety of formats -  2 LPs with digital download card, 2 CDs + DVD, Blu-Ray + 2 CDs and digitally. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live will be released August 28 on the Netherlands-based Mascot Label Group.

The first CD is fresh, live recordings from four nights recently recorded at four venues in the LA area. With his current band --longtime bassist, collaborator and friend Richard Cousins, keyboardist Dover Weinberg (who was in Cray's first band) and drummer Les Falconer (O'Jays, Keb 'Mo) – Cray fronts a group that is solid, seasoned and vital. The playing is in the moment, and the sound is singular.

The 13 cuts are selected from the Cray Band's recording library of 20 releases.  Among them are rock radio favorites “Bad Influence” and “Right Next Door (Because of Me),” the soul searing “Love Gone to Waste,” and “These Things,” a bluesy ballad that features one of Cray's string-bending and mind-blowing guitar solos.  The live CD is the fourth Cray Band release produced by Steve Jordan, who plays drums on several cuts. Also guesting are vocalist Kim Wilson and harmonica player Lee Oskar, tenor saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, trumpeter Steve Madaio and saxophonist Tom Scott.

The bonus CD is a revealing glimpse of Cray's early career and the promise of a future that would reward fans for decades.  Selected from the band's set at the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and a 1987 appearance on the Dutch TV Show “Countdown,” the music captures the band's youthful presence and its ability to revive the blues without abandoning it. Included are favorites from the Cray's Band 80s set lists;  “Smoking Gun” and “Too Many Cooks.”

The 94 minute video in 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a Cray Band convergence. Coming together are a mesmerizing blend of clips from the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Dutch TV show and the four concerts featured on the first CD. Between clips Cray comments on the band's history and his personal philosophy of music.  There is also behind the scenes footage of the band collaborating with producer Jordan. And putting the Cray Band in perspective are interviews with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy each giving their personal response to the music and the man.

It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, extraordinary. The group has won five Grammy Awards, put 15 studio albums on the Billboard Charts, sold millions of records and toured the globe, playing clubs, concert halls, festivals and large arenas. Whether opening for John Lee Hooker or Eric Clapton, the band has captured audiences with music that is original, a sound that is distinctively rootsy and a performance style that keeps fans flocking back to see the Robert Cray Band headlining. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a testament to the band's past success and proof that the Robert Cray Band is as live as ever.

Robert Cray begins the North American leg of his global tour on July 30 in Paso Robles, CA, at the California Mid-State Fair. Confirmed appearances include:

7/30 - California Mid-State Fair - Paso Robles, CA  
7/31 - The Canyon - Agoura Hills, CA                        
8/01 - Harrah's Lake Tahoe - Stateline, NV                              
8/02 - Mammoth Lake Festival of Beers - Mammoth Lakes, CA              
8/04 - Music on the Half Shell - Roseburg, OR                          
8/08 - Guitar Under The Stars (Cheadle Lake Park) - Lebanon, OR        
8/09 - Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom - Snoqualmie, WA                      
8/11 - Egyptian Theatre - Boise, ID                                    
8/13 - Riverwalk Center - Breckenridge, CO                            
8/15 - Chautauqua Auditorium - Boulder, CO                              
8/16 - Deadwood Mountain Hotel & Casino - Deadwood, SD              
8/18 - Weesner Family Amphitheater @ MN Zoo - Apple Valley, MN          
9/18 - The Whiting - Flint, MI                                          
9/19 - McAninch Arts Center - Glenellyn, IL                            
9/22 - McCain Auditorium - Manhattan, KS                                
9/24 - Orpheum Theater - Wichita, KS
9/26 - Roots n Blues n BBQ Festival - Columbia, MO             

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators Announce Fall North American Tour

Currently in the midst of a world tour, Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators -- Slash (Guitar), Myles Kennedy (Vocals), Todd Kerns (Bass & Vocals), Brent Fitz (Drums) and Frank Sidoris (Guitar & Vocals)-- will launch the 'World On Fire' North American fall tour September 18 through October 24. Tickets are on sale now at all the usual outlets.

In June, Slash and The Conspirators released Live At The Roxy 9.25.14, the live concert on DVD, Blu-ray, three LPs and two CDs from Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Shortly after the release of their current World On Fire album, Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators took the stage at the legendary Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, CA. A staple of rock history that helped birth countless bands, including Guns 'N' Roses, the atmospheric venue gave fans a brilliant opportunity to see the band up close as they delivered a set packed with recent solo tracks, including several from the new album World On Fire, and classics from Slash's days with Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver: "Ghost," "Back From Cali," "World On Fire," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Anastasia," "Paradise City," "Slither," "Nightrain" and many more. 

Recently, Slash and his band partnered with IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare to raise awareness of the slaughter of elephants which is leading to their early extinction. To watch the video for "Beneath The Savage Sun" and get the song for free, donate to IFAW and Take Action. The U.S.-based charity IFAW works around the world on every aspect of the elephant crisis--on the front lines to stop the killing of elephants, in transit countries to stop the trafficking of ivory and in consumer countries to stop the demand for ivory products. 

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators 'World On Fire' North American Fall Tour:

9/18
Providence, RI
Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
9/19
Clark, NJ
Food Truck and Rock Carnival -festival
9/21
Hamilton, ON
Hamilton Place Theatre
9/23
Toronto, ON
Sound Academy
9/24
Montreal, QC
Metropolis
9/26
Northfield, OH
Hard Rock Live
9/27
Detroit, MI
The Fillmore
9/29
Grand Rapids, MI
The Intersection
9/30
Fort Wayne, IN
Piere's Entertainment Center
10/2
Marksville, LA
Paragon Casino - Mari Center
10/4
Louisville, KY
Louder than Life Festival
10/7
Minneapolis, MN
Mill City Nights
10/9
Calgary, AB
Grey Eagle Resort and Casino
10/10
Edmonton, AB
Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
10/12
Vancouver, BC
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10/13
Seattle, WA
Moore Theater
10/15
Salt Lake City, UT
The Depot
10/16
Denver, CO
Fillmore Auditorium
10/18
San Francisco, CA  
Warfield Theater
10/20
Chandler, AZ
Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino
10/21
Anaheim, CA  
House of Blues
10/23
Los Angeles, CA
Hollywood Palladium
10/24
Temecula, CA
Pechanga Resort & Casino

www.slashonline.com
https://twitter.com/#!/slash
https://www.facebook.com/Slash
http://www.youtube.com/slash

Thursday, July 16, 2015

David Gilmour Announces New Album, North American Shows

Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour has announced details surrounding his upcoming solo album. Entitled Rattle That Lock, which is scheduled to be released via Sony Music on September 18 worldwide. It's the guitarist's first studio release since 2006's On An Island.

The first single, the album's title track, "Rattle That Lock," will debut on radio in the UK and around the world on Friday, July 17. It will be available to buy from digital platforms on the same day.

The album will also be available for pre-order on Friday, July 17, in various formats. If you order the single from iTunes, when you pre-order the album, you can get the full version of the title track straight away via their 'Instant Grat' program.

Rattle That Lock contains 10 tracks composed by David Gilmour, including five with lyrics by author Polly Samson, two by Gilmour himself and three instrumentals. It was produced by Gilmour with long-time collaborator Phil Manzanera.

The cover imagery was created under the aegis of Creative Director Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis, with design by The Creative Corporation. The front sleeve landscape photograph was by Rupert Truman of StormStudios, with album booklet and sleeve photography by Kevin Westenberg, while Polly Samson has contributed the studio session shots found in the booklets in the various formats.

The CD comes as a hardcover bound book package with gold foil blocking on cloth spine, color CD label. The 22-page photo/lyric booklet includes artist and album session photographs. A deluxe CD + DVD or Blu-Ray package features 10 bonus audio-visual items, four audio tracks, the album in  5.1 surround sound, a 32-page hardback lyric/photo book including artist and album session photographs, a 48-page book 'Paradise Lost' (Book II), a two-sided poster, a postcard in an envelope and a David Gilmour plectrum.

To support Entitled Rattle That Lock, Gilmour will play four shows in North America, his first since 2006. Taking place in March and April 2016, the show's tickets go on sale on Friday, July 17 at the times listed below:

3/24/16 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles. Tickets on sale 12 noon (PST)
3/31/16: Air Canada Centre - Toronto. Tickets on sale 10: 00am (EST)
4/08/16: United Center - Chicago. Tickets on sale 12 noon (CST)
4/11/16: Madison Square Garden - New York. Tickets on sale 10:00am (EST)

Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone.

Every ticket purchased online will include a copy of the new Rattle That Lock album.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Rhino To Release The Doobie Brothers: The Warner Bros. Years 1971-1983 10-CD Box Set

The Doobie Brothers recorded some of the band's most iconic music during their dozen years with Warner Bros. Records, scoring major hits with timeless tunes like "Long Train Runnin'," "Black Water," and "Takin' It To The Streets." With 46 million albums sold during their outstanding career, The Doobie Brothers have nothing left to prove, but this summer the group is still "Rockin' Down the Highway" as they tour North America. 

Rhino salutes the group with a new 10-CD boxed set that features some of the band's greatest albums. The Doobie Brothers: The Warner Bros. Years 1971-1983 will be available on July 24.

The set includes more than 110 songs from 10 albums: The Doobie Brothers (1971), Toulouse Street (1972), The Captain And Me (1973), What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974), Stampede (1975), Takin' It To The Streets (1976), Livin' On The Fault Line (1977), Minute By Minute (1978), One Step Closer (1980), and Farewell Tour (1983).

The Doobie Brothers started out in 1969 as a northern California bar band. In 1970 the band signed with Warner Bros. and in 1971 released its self-titled debut album. It was the beginning of a 12-year streak in which The Doobies released ten new albums.

The group's commercial breakthrough came with its sophomore effort, Toulouse Street , which boasted popular tracks like "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright." The string of hits continued on The Captain And Me with "Long Train Runnin'" and the classic "China Grove." The Doobie Brothers notched their first #1 in the funky "Black Water" from their 1974 album What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

In 1975, the band began to expand Pat Simmons' and Tom Johnston's rock and country influences with R&B and even scored a hit with its cover the Motown track, "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)." In 1976, with the addition of Michael McDonald to the band, they introduced more R&B and keyboards to their rocking sound and the hits kept rolling with the title track from Takin' It To The Streets.

In 1979, The Doobie Brothers won four Grammy® Awards on the strength of its triple-platinum album, Minute By Minute. The final disc in this new collection is the 1983 live album Farewell Tour, which includes performances of songs that spanned the band's entire history to that point. This 10 CD Set represents an outstanding body of work from one of America's most popular bands.

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS ON TOUR

JULY
1    Foellinger Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
3    Henry Maier Festival Park - Blue Ash, OH
4    Summit Park - Grand Rapids, MI
5    Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park - Detroit, MI
10  Renaissance Center - Quebec City, QC
13  Plains Of Abraham - Walker, MN
17  Moondance Events - Riverside, IA
18  Riverside Casino & Golf Resort - Norfolk, NE
19  Divots Event Center - Hyannis, MA
31  Cape Code Melody Tent Fort Wayne, IN

AUGUST
1    Mohegan Sun - Boston, MA
19  Blue Hills Bank Pavilion - Canandaigua, NY
21  Marvin Sands PAC (CMAC) - Gilford, NH
22  Meadowbrook - Lewiston, NY
25  Artpark - Holmdel, NJ
26  Dutchess County Fairgrounds NY - Wantagh, NY
28  PNC Bank Arts Center - Atlantic City, NJ
29  Nikon At Jones Beach Theater - Jones Beach, NY
30  Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa / Event Ctr. - Wilkes Barre, PA

SEPTEMBER
1    Koka Booth Amphitheatre - Cary, NC
2    Pier Six Pavillion - Baltimore, MD
4    Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
5    Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
10  Oak Ridge Farm - Arrington, VA
11  Harrah's Cherokee - Cherokee, NC
12  Buford Community Center - Buford, GA
17  College St. Music Hall - New Haven, CT
18  The Capitol Theater - Port Chester, NY
19  Ocean City Bike Fest - Ocean City, MD
             
OCTOBER
1    The Mountain Winery - Saratoga, CA
4    Sonoma Music Festival - Sonoma, CA

NOVEMBER
15    Pfeiffer Hall - Naperville, IL

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Heaven & Earth Working On New Album, Playing Swedish Rock Festival On July 18

Heaven & Earth, the Los Angeles-based quintet who masterfully fuse elements of hard rock, blues and bits of classical on their acclaimed album Dig, which they toured Europe in support of throughout 2014, are back in the studio working on a new album (produced by Dave Jenkins and available via Quarto Valley Records) set to be released this fall (title and date TBA).

In between writing and recording the new album, the band -- Stuart Smith (band founder/guitarist), Joe Retta (vocals), Kenny Aronoff (drums), Lynn Sorensen of Paul Rogers/Bad Company (bass/vocals) and Ty Bailie (keyboards) -- will make an appearance at the Väsby Rock Festival in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday, July 17. Simon Wright (AC/DC, Dio) will be filling in on drums for Aronoff, the band's regular drummer, as he's currently on tour with John Fogerty.

"We've been hard at work writing for the new Heaven & Earth album, which has been a long process as we felt we had a lot to live up to after Dig," Smith said. "We spent 14 months crafting and recording the songs for that album -- and after all the positive reviews and press, myself and Bruce Quarto, our record company president, felt that we had to bring out something equally as good or better. We've been aiming for the 'better' end of the bar we previously set.

"I'm pleased to say that we've got quite a few new songs that we're really happy with and will be releasing a few teasers very soon." Smith added. "We'll also be debuting a few songs off the new upcoming Heaven & Earth album at the Vasby Festival this month so we're really looking forward to that. On a personal note I'd like add that I'm really looking forward to playing live for the first time my 'Stuart Smith Signature Model' guitar built by Aero3 Guitars. It's been sounding amazing on recordings and rehearsals but I'm looking forward to blasting it out at a big festival."


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Final Grateful Dead Show Breaks Record In Chicago

According to Time Magazine, the Grateful Dead played their final performance together—and it was a record breaker.

For their final show on Sunday night at Chicago’s Soldier Field as part of the “Fare Thee Well – Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead,' there were 71,000 tickets were sold for the show. The Associated Press reports, that's more than any other event held at the stadium.

The stadium, which also hosted shows on Friday and Saturday night, said that 70,764 and 70,844 tickets were sold, respectively.

The previous record holder at Soldier Field—U2—performed in 2009 concert that sold 67,936 tickets.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Glastonbury 2015: The Who Mock Kanye West: 'Who's The Biggest Rock Star In The World?'

The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend took a dig at Kanye West during their Sunday night headline set at Glastonbury 2015 after the rapper declared himself to be “the biggest rock star on the planet.”

The five-day festival, which ran June 24 - 28 near Pilton, Somerset in England, drew a crowd of 177,000.

During their set, the Who told the audience: “We’re going to make a big fucking rebellion; yeah, who’s the biggest rock star in the world?,” before Townshend gave an impressive guitar solo.

The Who also rivaled West in kicking up a fuss, repeatedly complaining about the sound and shouting to backstage “it’s fucking crap,” before Daltrey pulled over a plastic screen and knocked over microphones so they could hear the drums better.

In other Glastonbury highlights, singer Lionel Richie pulled in huge crowds with his upbeat show, which had the audience singing and dancing along to his hit songs.

Richie grinned in astonishment, telling the audience: “This is unbelievable. I'm intimidated because you know the words better than I do.”

He took to the stage just as the sun came out and told the audience: “It has been a long time coming but I finally made it to Glastonbury.”

Other Glastonbury performers included Patti Smith, Rivals Sons, Ryan Adams, Donovan, the Buzzcocks and Motorhead. The Foo Fighters were scheduled to play, but had to cancel when Dave Grohl broke his leg last month after falling off the stage during a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Jeff Lynne's ELO Announces 2024 North American Fall Tour

  Jeff Lynne’s ELO is set to embark on the band’s final tour dubbed “The Over and Out Tour.” The 27-date trek, produced by Live Nation, will...