The legendary rocker made some headlines with a rambling speech backstage before the press that slammed organizers for the way artists are treated, covering everything from the legalities in licensing music to the cost of tickets.
"The whole experience should be completely redesigned and become much more artist-friendly," says Miller in a new interview with Rolling Stone. "Starting from who you can invite, what you can do, how long you can play, what you can say. The whole thing is sort of an amateur production and doing this is harder than doing a 20-city tour."
"This whole industry sucks and this little get-together you guys have here is like a private boys' club and it's a bunch of jacka**es and jerks and gangsters and crooks who've stolen everything from an artist. Telling the artist to come out here and tap dance."
"I came out here for my fans," continued Miller. "I came out for the people who take it seriously. And if the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame wants to be taken seriously, they need to put their books out in the public. They need to become transparent. They need to stop lying. They need to stop all the b.s. and they need to clean it up and they need to expand it. They need to include a lot more people. And the most important thing is the board of this organization really needs to enlarge their gene pool. I think you understand." Read more
here.
Aerosmith Have Not Yet Agreed On Farewell Tour Says Joe Perry
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is assessing the band's options moving forward following comments from Steven Tyler that the group will "probably" do a farewell tour next year. "I'm doing 30 [solo] shows from May until August," Tyler recently told Rolling Stone. "And then in 2017 we go out with Aerosmith. We're probably doing a farewell tour. Look, there's two bands that still have the original members, us and the Stones. I'm grateful for that. Whether we do a farewell tour or go into the studio and do another record, I'm just excited about it." Now, Perry reveals the Boston band have discussed a farewell option in recent years and that he expects they'll revisit future plans when they regroup for a South American tour this fall. "A farewell tour is something we've talked about doing for years, let's say roughly in the last five years," he tells Rolling Stone. "It's just something the band's talked about at various times. At this point, the five of us have never sat down and said, 'It's time to do it.' So 'considering' is an appropriate word for that statement. A farewell tour is definitely not confirmed." "We're talking about some different options at this point," adds Perry. "Whether it's to do some shorter tours like the last couple we've done or go into the studio and knock a few songs out and see how that feels, I'm not sure yet. But right now we're really taking time off from the band and everybody's off doing their own thing." Read more
Paul McCartney Adds Dates To One On One Tour
Paul McCartney kicked off his One On One Tour of North America on Wednesday night in Fresno, CA and also revealed that he has added four additional concerts to the tour. The trek will now includes shows in Cincinnati at the US Bank Arena on July 10th, Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park on July 12th, Hershey on July 19th at Hersheypark Stadium and August 7th in East Rutherford at the MetLife Stadium. The tour got underway on Wednesday (April 13th) at the SaveMart Arena in Fresno and is currently scheduled to conclude on August 13th in St. Louis, MO at Busch Stadium.
The band say: "Much of the content featured in the deluxe editions of Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning was unearthed in Lars' Vault. Stacks of cassettes were brought in to HQ in order to be transferred - here's a clip of a rough garage demo of Fight Fire With Fire going through that process."
The album packs will include pictures from the band's personal archives, along with detailed articles written by people who witnessed the albums being made. Read more and check out the video
here.
Joe Lynn Tuner Reacts To Blackmore's Deep Purple Rock Hall Comments
(hennemusic) Former Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Tuner has issued a response to comments by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore following the band's induction into the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at an April 8 ceremony in New York. "Obviously, as you know from the post here," wrote Blackmore on Facebook. "I have my reason for not attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, although I appreciate the award. However, I do think that they should've given an award to Joe Lynn Turner for when he was in Deep Purple for his singing and writing on 'Slaves And Masters' - a great record, one of my favorites." Deep Purple were honored at the event alongside fellow inductees Cheap Trick, Steve Miller, Chicago and N.W.A. The Rock Hall chose to induct most of Deep Purple's first three lineups, including Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Rod Evans, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. "Congrats to Deep Purple for their long overdue induction," wrote Turner on Facebook. "And I am proud and blessed to be a part of the DP legacy. However, Blackmore's absence at the ceremony was truly noticed. His credo always was and is to know your own truth and walk your own path... follow no one. A true 'outlaw' til the end. "So I am humbled and touched by the recent Blackmore post concerning my work with the band. His respectful and supportive comments of my efforts on the 'Slaves And Masters' album were better than any 'award' I could receive, especially from an organization that has 'lost the point' many years ago." Read more
Dave Lombardo Extends Gig With Suicidal Tendencies
(Classic Rock) Former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo is to perform with Suicidal Tendencies on the European leg of their tour. The sticksman recently joined the band on their North American trek which wrapped up last month - and he'll tour with the band on their headline shows and festival appearances this spring. Suicidal Tendencies had the following to say: "We had an amazing time and it was such an honor and a blast having the legendary Dave Lombardo on drums. "We're going back to Europe for some festivals and headlining shows, including our first time ever in Romania. Yes, we are stoked that Dave will be on drums again." Read more
In This Moment Release 'The Fighter' Video
(TeamRock Radio) In This Moment have released a video for their track The Fighter. The song originally appeared on 2014 album Black Widow, with the promo directed by photographer Jeremy Saffer along with lead singer Maria Brink. Brink says: "I'm really excited for everyone to see The Fighter music video. I decided to do a stripped down, intimate video to go with the nature and the meaning of the song. I wanted to show everybody a more vulnerable side of myself and take out all the bells and whistles. "This song is about rising to our fullest power and overcoming tragedy. I hope everybody enjoys it and special thanks to Jeremy Saffer for collaborating with me on this." Watch the video
Iron Maiden Release Ed Force One Cockpit Video
(hennemusic) Iron Maiden are sharing footage of singer Bruce Dickinson's cockpit view as he pilots the group's Beoing 747 Ed Force One on its takeoff from Fortaleza, Brazil during the band's recent South American tour. Dickinson was flying the plane following the group's March 24 show at Ginasio Olimpico in Fortaleza as they headed to Sao Paulo for the final date of the South American trek in support of 2015's "The Book Of Souls." Just two weeks into the world tour, Ed Force One was involved in an accident at a Santiago, Chile airport that saw two port side engines damaged while the plane was being towed for refueling. The incident required the replacement of both engines at a cost of around four million dollars each. The Fortaleza video footage was shot just days after the fully repaired Ed Force One returned to active tour duty. Watch the video
Brad Whitford And Derek St. Holmes Announce Reunion Album
(hennemusic) Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford and longtime Ted Nugent vocalist Derek St. Holmes will release a new album, "Reunion", on June 3 via Mailboat Records. The project sees Whitford St. Holmes the pair reconnect three decades after they issued their self-titled album in 1981, which delivered tracks like "Sharpshooter" and "Whisky Woman." "It's hard to believe we first jammed over 30 years ago," says Whitford. The duo recently found themselves living in the same town on the outskirts of Nashville and, after hanging out together, they decided to revisit their collaboration with a set of new material. After writing a number of songs, the duo recruited bassist Chopper Anderson, keyboardist Buck Johnson and on drums, Tesla's Troy Luccketta to record the album. Self-produced by Whitford and St. Holmes, "Reunion" was recorded at The Castle Studios in Franklin, TN and will be previewed with the May 9 release of the lead single, "Shapes." Read more
Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler Wants To Write Autobiography
(TeamRock Radio) Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler says he wants to write an autobiography before he dies. When asked what's left on his non-musical bucket list, the bassist says he wants to leave a memoir for his grandchildren to read when they grow up. He tells Kill Your Stereo: "I'd like to write a memoir for my grandkids, because by the time they are grown, I'll be long gone, and I'd like them to learn about me from my own hand rather than hearsay." Last month Butler said the music industry has changed so much over the years that nowadays it's almost impossible for bands to carve out a lifelong career. Read more
Megadeth's Mustaine Agrees Without Him Thrash Wouldn't Exist
(New Rock Times) Megadeth's Dave Mustaine reckons thrash metal may not have existed without his early input and he believes that he steered Metallica onto the path for which they have become famous. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian famously described Dave Mustaine as 'arguably the Godfather of thrash metal in his 2014 autobiography. Writing in his book 'I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax', Ian said "The guy is arguably the godfather of thrash metal. He wrote a lot of the riffs on Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All' and even some of 'Ride The Lightning'. Without Dave Mustaine, maybe thrash metal never would have happened. At least in the beginning, he was the driving force, artistically." In an interview the Megadeth mainman admits he is aware of the key role he has played in the genre but he is reluctant to take the credit. "And if he would have been the guy that we chose over me, who knows what would have happened? And I think that if you really look at the mathematics of Metallica in the beginning, me being the only guitar player, if I wasn't there, there probably wouldn't have been a Metallica." He continues: "But let's not kid ourselves: James is a great guitar player; he really is. And I'm sure that at some point they would have realized that he needed to play guitar and sing, and they would found a guitar player as good as I am. I just know that about those guys; they're excellent musicians and they know what they want. "Now, if James would have been playing guitar at the time when I joined? I don't know� I don't know that that would have held the same kind of merit. You know what I mean? But since I was the only guy there, I think it's probably pretty accurate." Read more
Now Loudwire have asked Mustaine directly for his thoughts on being crowned the Godfather of thrash metal.
"I think there's a good chance it (thrash metal) might not have� The guitar player that we hired in Metallica before James Hetfield actually started playing guitar and was� he wasn't metal," recalls Mustaine.
Bun E Carlos Wants Truce With Former Cheap Trick Bandmates
(Classic Rock) Original Cheap Trick drummer Bun E Carlos has called on his colleagues to end their combative treatment of him, following their one-off reunion at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Carlos stepped back from live and studio commitments several years ago at the request of Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson, but insisted that he remained a part of the band business. The matter went to court in 2014 but was apparently settled last year, with Zander commenting: "We've had our differences, but we're all settled up now and hopefully we can forget about that era." Now Carlos says: "Being reunited for that final performance was an overwhelming honor that I'm grateful for. This should be a time of celebration, we're in the Hall Of Fame, Cheap Trick have a new record out, and I've got a new solo record coming in June. But it's hard to celebrate when the other three shareholders are in all the papers and on the radio calling me names and saying things that aren't true." He says: "Few bands get along after 40 years, but I truly hope that Rick, Tom, and Robin can drop the gloves, stop the ugly name calling, and find a way to live and let live." Read more
Orchestra Of Spheres Streaming New Track 'Anklung Song'
(TeamRock Radio) Orchestra Of Spheres have released a stream of their track Anklung Song with Prog. The song comes from the New Zealand outfit's upcoming album Brothers And Sisters Of The Black Lagoon, out on May 13. The band report the album was inspired by the 2015 general election in their homeland, saying it was a "somewhat depressing time." They continue: "The politicians had been rooting around in sh*t again. It was bad politics, dirty politics. Big, fat Dotcom tried to sabotage the show. It backfired. It was weird, corrupt, boring and sleazy in equal measures. Ultimately the status quo prevailed." They add: "We're not a political band. We want to make beautiful things and give love to people through sound. Our music bounces off the ground and goes up into the air - but we're living in dark times." Stream the song
Doobie Brothers In The Studio For 'Takin' It To The Streets' Anniversary
(ITS) The latest episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio with Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Doobie Brothers sixth album Takin' It To The Streets, a Top Ten seller including the title song and "It Keeps You Running". The show sent over these details: Life looked great to the Doobie Brothers in the Spring of 1975. Having just scored their first # 1 hit single with "Black Water", their preceding two albums each had gone Top 10, and with the addition of Steely Dan's Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on guitar, the Doobies were arguably the most popular hard rocking band in America. But right in the middle of that 1975 tour, founding member, lead singer, and songwriter Tom Johnston developed a bleeding stomach ulcer and had to leave the tour. There was no way that the band members could have known at that time just how much Johnston's misfortune was going to change the course of their lives and music history. InTheStudio host Redbeard speaks with former and current singer Tom Johnston, his then-unknown replacement singer/songwriter Michael McDonald, and co-founding current guitarist/songwriter Pat Simmons about the transitional period, including the recording of Takin' It To The Streets when the band's future was uncertain and the pressure to deliver was monumental. "Mainly I feel kind of lucky, certainly to have had the hit record with it, but to have met that group of people, to have the good times we had for a long time, and to have left it all with everybody still being good friends. And then sometimes when I hear "Takin' It to the Streets", I just wish that I'd sung the second verse in pitch! (laughs)" - Michael McDonald Stream the episode
Stray From The Path Offshoot Afterparty Stream New Song
(TeamRock Radio) Afterparty are streaming their song Leave. The track comes from Stray From The Path vocalist Andrew Di Jorio and former drummer Dan Bourke's debut EP I Hope You Don't Make It Home, which is also available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp. Meanwhile, Stray From The Path also recently released song Talking Tragedy dedicated to The Ghost Inside on their Bandcamp page. The money raised will help pay for medical bills facing the members of TGI who were badly hurt in the tour bus accident in El Paso, Texas, in November 2015. They said: "We wrote this song for The Ghost Inside. Some of our best friends we've met while being in this band. This song is about what it was like to go through this as another fellow touring band, and how amazing it was that everyone pulled together for the band and their crew." Read more and stream the song
Last In Line Reveal Starmaker Inspiration
(Classic Rock) Last In Line singer Andrew Freeman says their track Starmaker was written as a "middle finger" to manipulative people. He also hints that the song slams people who exploit others, break promises and still expect favours in return. Freeman says in a new commentary video: "Starmaker came from one of those riff-laden jam sessions we had making this record. For me it's about heart, loyalty and strength. "It's a very sarcastic response to somebody who likes to manipulate situations, who promises you the world and doesn't deliver, who expects you to jump through hoops and repay them for the things that they did. The chorus is a sarcastic response to those type of people. "It's a middle finger in the air to those who want to attach themselves to you when you're doing well in your life and mysteriously disappear when you're not doing well." Check out the full album commentary
Bad Company Streams 'Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy' From 'Live 1977 & 1979'
(Radio.com) Last month we reported that Bad Company would release two live concerts recorded in 1977 and 1979. The set, titled Live 1977 & 1979, marks the first live album to feature the band's original line up of Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke and Boz Burrell and captures the rockers at the height of their success. The band is giving fans a taste of the effort with the premiere of "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy," which was recorded at The Empire Pool in London back on March 9, 1979. In a recent interview with Billboard, frontman Paul Rodgers said in the late 70s Bad Company was "going through a huge surge of success" thanks to a string of rock radio hits including "Feel Like Making Love," "Shooting Star" and their namesake classic "Bad Company." Rodgers added, "We weren't really all that used to it, and we were adjusting to it as we went and finding out what life at the top was like in a way and trying to work with it, trying to stay with it and trying to maintain it. At the same time we were trying to do the thing that we'd set out to do, which was to be very creative and make new music. There was a lot going on." Live 1977 & 1979 is a two-disc set featuring more than two-and-a-half hours of previously unreleased live recordings from the original 24-track tapes in the group's vault. "When I listened I was quite surprised," Rodgers said. "There's a couple things on there, like 'Leaving You,' which I didn't even know we'd actually played live, ever. And it's got a great feel, better than the record. There's some things that have turned up that have actually surprised all of us, and I thought, 'Well, if it's interesting to me perhaps it's interesting to the fans.'" Read more and stream the song
Deftones Perform New Songs On Jimmy Kimmel Live
(Radio.com) Deftones performed their new single "Prayers/Triangles" and "Heart/Wires" Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live before an outdoor audience. Off camera the group also played "Rubicon," "Diamond Eyes," "Tempest," "Swerve City" and "Rocket Skates." Last week, the band released its new album, Gore, which features a guest appearance by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell on the song "Phantom Bride." From front to back the album juxtaposes dense, heavy rhythms with more atmospheric elements. The duality reflects in the album cover, which depicts an aerial shot of a flock of flamingos - which seemingly have nothing to do with the album title. Read more and watch the Kimmel performances
Joel Hoekstra and Michael Sweet Plan New Project
(TeamRock Radio) Joel Hoekstra has revealed he'll begin writing an album with Stryper frontman Michael Sweet. The Whitesnake guitarist says he's been in the studio recording for the Stryper singer's seventh solo album, and confirms he's also busy penning songs for their new project. Hoekstra tells White Line Fever: "I just got done laying down some solos for Michael Sweet's solo album and actually he and I are also going to record a project album together that I'm going to write with him." He adds, "I'm doing some writing for that now and also three other things in total so I'm writing for four things right now. A lot of my days are that." Read more
Hevy Fest 2016 Has Been Canceled
(TeamRock Radio) Hevy Fest organizers have confirmed that this year's event has been cancelled. They say they bowed to pressure amid rising costs, difficulty in finding a new location and the challenge of booking exclusive acts each year. It's also been announced that the event has now been put to rest "indefinitely." The organizers had this to say: "After six years of incredible bands, legendary hangs, and a lot of monkeys - we're sorry to announce that Hevy Fest is pulling the plug. "Many things have contributed: Port Lympne being unable to continue hosting the event, the increasingly difficult task of putting together a lineup with more and more exclusives enforced each year, and the pressure to offer good value with spiraling costs. "The odds are stacked against anyone taking on the challenge, and they have proven too great for us to overcome." Read more
Biffy Clyro Release 'Wolves Of Winter' Video
(Classic Rock) Biffy Clyro have released a music video for track Wolves Of Winter. The song comes from their forthcoming studio album "Ellipsis," which will be released on July 8. Biffy frontman Simon Neil previously said they wouldn't rush the follow-up to 2013's Opposites. He said: "On this one, when I say stripped back, it's not going to sound skeletal or anything but perhaps a bit more aggressive. "Coming off the back of a double album, it's important to be really concise so we might only have 10 songs." Watch the new 'Wolves Of Winter' music video
Scorpions, Imagine Dragons and Limp Bizkit On Angry Birds Album
(Gibson) The Scorpions, Imagine Dragons and Limp Bizkit are among the bands who have contributed songs to the soundtrack for The Angry Birds Movie. The soundtrack will reach stores May 6. Imagine Dragons have contributed the song "On Top of the World" off their album Night Visions to the release. The Scorpions lent their classic track "Rock You Like a Hurricane." Limp Bizkit offered up their cover of the Who's legendary song "Behind Blue Eyes." The rest of the soundtrack brings together pop, country and rap titles. The Angry Birds Movie will hit theaters on May 20. Check out the full track listing for the soundtrack
Magma Announce London Residency
(Prog) Magma have confirmed that they will be playing a three-night residency in London in September. They'll set up at the city's Cafe Oto on September 25, 26 and 27. Cafe owners say: "We're thrilled to welcome the seminal French band Magma to Oto for three very special nights. It would be futile at this point in time to sing the praises of Magma - it has become a legend. "In forming Magma, Christian Vander initiated one of the richest creative efforts of the last 30 years." Tickets for the shows are available direct from the cafe's website. Meanwhile, a documentary entitled To Life, Death And Beyond charting the band's history is in the works. Read more
This Year's Ghost Release 'December Sun' Video
(TeamRock Radio) This Year's Ghost have premiered the video for their track December Sun exclusively with TeamRock. The song originally appeared on their 2015 EP Yesterday Becomes Tomorrow Today. Vocalist and guitarist Paul McKenzie tells TeamRock: "December Sun was written during a time where I was making sense of losing some close friends of mine. There's a few direct lines attributed to particular people. "For example, 'It's the luck of the draw and I'm just glad your number was a safe bet' is delivered as if speaking to my friend Louise that passed - a recognition that life is always on a knife edge and we are sometimes blissfully unaware." The track features a cameo from Stitch D from The Defiled and McKenzie adds: "A lot of the record was a healing process for me. Stitch D came about as a guest simply because we have been good friends for quite a few years having met in a north London tattoo studio." Read more and watch the video
Opeth Announce Communion Pale Ale
(Prog) Opeth have announced that they will be launching their second beer later this month, following the success of their XXV Anniversary Imperial Stout last year. Communion Pale Ale made with British malt and US hops by the Northern Monk Brew Company in Leeds, who describe it as containing "pine, spice and punchy citrus." Guitarist Fredrik Akesson will attend the launch event at the brewery's taproom on April 22, delivering a DJ set while the beer is introduced. He says: "The best drink in the world has now surprisingly got even better. I look forward to seeing you at the party and I'm looking forward to spinning some tunes." Read more
Kvelertak Streaming New Song 'Berserkr'
(TeamRock Radio) Kvelertak have released a stream of their track Berserkr. The song comes from their upcoming album Nattesferd which is due for release on May 13 via Roadrunner Records. Frontman Erlend Hjelvik said: "We are finally getting ready to release our third album Nattesferd on the world and however cliche it may sound, I'm not afraid to say that this is our best one yet. "It's an exquisite smorgasbord of riffs infused with everything between the best of classic rock and heavy metal. I'm certain it will blow the minds of both old and new fans." Stream the song
Airbag Announce New Album 'Disconnected'
(Prog) Airbag have announced plans to release their fourth album. They'll release Disconnected on June 10 via Karisma Records and it's the Norwegian outfit's first material since 2013's The Greatest Show On Earth. The band have also issued one-minute teaser video to promote the record. Guitarist Bjorn Riis says: "The early demos for Disconnected were written during a couple of months in late 2014. The idea and inspiration for most of the lyrics - and the title track in particular - came from me realising that I had to make some changes in my life. "I was tired of the daily routine, working 9-5 in an office doing basically nothing and never having enough time for my family and music. I took a year off and started writing for the album." Read more and check out the teaser
Singled Out: Awaken The Shadow's The Hunter
New York City heavy rockers Awaken The Shadow just released their debut album 'Life Beyond The Curse' and to celebrate we asked Aaron Joos to tell us about the song "The Hunter". Here is the story: The music for the song was mostly written when I brought it to the band. Aside from smoothing out the verses with Ali (Bass, Producer ATS), and making them more dynamic, the final version of the instrumental part of the song didn't evolve very much from the initial idea. I wanted a more up tempo, riff driven verse, chunky pre-chorus, and a wide open melodic chorus. We used everything from EBow'd guitar to piano with heavy reverb to add soaring layers and movement. There's a little something for everyone in this song. Groovy verse, sing alongs, EDM/synth laced post chorus, punch your neighbor in the face outro, that all came together pretty organically. Lyrically/melodically I only had the pre-chorus and half of the verse before we began working on it together. With the rest of the guys, the lyrics and melody/harmonies took shape rather quickly. I can't say it any better than Taylor (Vocals ATS) already has in reference to the subject matter of the song... "'The Hunter' is from the point of view of someone who may or may not realize they are in an abusive relationship, be it mentally or physically. The idea that you're so in love with this person that you can't see yourself ever leaving, but at the same time knowing this person could be poison. All the while your significant other is always on the hunt looking for their own self-gratification, and doing whatever is necessary to keep their partner mentally caged..." Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album
Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report
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