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Day in Rock Report for 08/30/2016


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Willy Wonka Star Gene Wilder Dead At 83

Iconic actor Gene Wilder, best known for his starring roles in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Young Frankenstein," died on Sunday (August 28th) from complications from Alzheimer's disease.

His nephew, actor Jordan Walker-Pearlman, confirmed to media outlets on Monday that actor passed away at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. Wilder starred in a string of Mel Brooks' hit movies beginning with "The Producers" followed by "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein".

Brooks tweeted "Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship."

Apart from the roles in the Mel Brooks films and his legendary Willy Wonka performance, Wilder also costarred with Richard Pryor in several films including the hits "Silver Streak" and ''Stir Crazy." Read his nephew's full statement here.

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John Lennon's Killer Denied Parole For Ninth Time

(Radio.com) The man that murdered John Lennon, Mark David Chapman has been denied parole for the ninth time and will remain in prison for at least two more years, reports The New York Daily News.

Chapman shot and killed the Beatles legend on December 8, 1980, and was sentenced to 20 years to life. No official reason for the parole denial was given.

Reportedly, the parole board received five letters in support of Chapman's release and two opposing parole since his last hearing in 2014. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, wrote expressing fear for her safety and the safety of Lennon's children if Chapman were freed.

Chapman is being held "under protective custody against his will" at the Wende Correctional Facility in New York's Erie County. Read more here.

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Ritchie Blackmore Offer Rejected By Glenn Hughes

(Classic Rock) Former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes says that Ritchie Blackmore invited him to be part of the recent Rainbow shows - but he refused his former colleague's offer.

Hughes, who shared Deep Purple microphone duties with newcomer David Coverdale in the 1970s, explains that he didn't want to be part of a 21st-century lineup featuring relatively unknown singer Ronnie Romero.

Asked about Blackmore's three Rainbow appearances, which took place in June, Hughes tells Hard Rock Haven: "He asked me to do it with him. And I said 'no' because he wanted to, funny enough, he wanted to use an unknown singer.

"I said, 'It's not me. It's not me to do that.' I've done that with David, and it was good. I don't want to do it again. I said very eloquently, 'No thank you. I really would like to see you, but I can't do this at the point where I am right now.'"

Hughes also confirmed that Black Country Communion will release their reunion album in May next year. Read more here.

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Ex-Threat Signal Star Norman Killeen Dead At 38

Norman Killeen, who was the drummer for the band Threat Signal from 2007 until 2010, died last Thursday, August 25th at the age of 38, according to a family member.

A cause of death was not revealed by Killeen's brother-in-law, but Terry Fedirko, said the following (via Lambgoat), "With great sorrow and regret, Norman Killeen, my brother in-law, has tragically died yesterday at an age that is too young. As an ex-drummer for the heavy metal band Threat Signal, he lived his life in what he believed and loved.

"He left behind his sister Sherry, his father Norm, and his life long girl friend Nancy and his son Hayden. We will all sorely miss him. Now he belongs to the ages.... R.I.P.

As of early Tuesday morning, the band had not yet posted a statement on their Facebook page about Killeen's passing.

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Misfits Recruit Dave Lombardo For Reunion Shows

(Classic Rock) Misfits have recruited former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo for their upcoming reunion shows. He'll join Jerry Only, Glenn Danzig and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at Denver's Riot Fest on September 2-4 and Chicago's Riot Fest on September 16-18 under the banner 'The Original Misfits.'

Lombardo tells Rolling Stone: "The Misfits created the horror punk attitude and had a massive influence on modern rock, punk and metal. It was an easy decision for me to join them for these monumental shows. I was honoured to be asked, and am very excited to be playing with the band."

Danzig adds: "I first met Dave back in 1988 when Danzig did four shows with Slayer in the US, before the first Danzig album was released. Dave is one of the best drummers around, and I can't wait for everyone to see him pounding Misfits songs live for these special shows." Read more here.

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Red Hot Chili Pepper's Full Reading Fest Performance Goes Online

(hennemusic) The Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined the Leeds and Reading festivals in the UK over the weekend, and video of their full set at Reading on August 27 is available.

The band's 18-song performance at the front end of a European tour mixed classic tunes with tracks from their latest album, "The Getaway." The BBC have also issued individual clips of "Goodbye Angels" and "By The Way" from the weekend concerts.

Produced by Danger Mouse, "The Getaway" marks the Los Angeles group's first album in five years. Following their weekend appearances, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will return to the UK for a late fall tour. Read more and watch the videos here.

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Pilson Hopes Dokken Reunion Will Make Positive Impression

(Classic Rock) Jeff Pilson says that the reunion of Dokken's classic lineup is a chance for redemption after years of negative press when they were together. Though the bassist agrees with drummer Mick Brown and vocalist Don Dokken that money is the main incentive for their run of comeback shows, he still wants to do a "great job" for the fans' sake.

He tells My Global Mind: "Because bands look like they are having a fun time up on stage, it seems like it's the easiest job in the world or not really a job at all.

"Most fans would say, 'Why can those guys just get it together and play. It looks like fun.' Obviously it's more than that - it's the time you spend together practicing and in negations making it all happen.

"I will say that the notion that we are doing it just for the money - of course we doing it for the money. We are getting well paid and that's great." Pilson adds: "Honestly, I don't really look at it like that - I look at it as getting paid is a nice thing and this is a chance to put a positive spin on a band that got a lot of negative press. Now it's just about going out there and kicking some butt and doing a great job, not to get all caught up in the controversy that we usually get." Read more here.

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Rikki Rockett Not Holding Out Hope For New Poison Tour

(Classic Rock) Poison drummer Rikki Rockett says he getting close to full fitness following his successful battle with tongue cancer. Poison frontman Bret Michaels said earlier this year that he'd wait for Rockett to recover before making any future live commitments. And while he's keen to get behind the kit again, Rockett says he's not promising anything just yet.

He tells CRR: "I want to play and I would love to tour. Hopefully that will happen. I've stopped telling anybody that Poison is going to tour because every time we say we will something comes along and screws it up.

"I would like to do that - I'm good enough to do it. I'm fine. I train jujitsu two hours a day. I am good to go. I have strength. Am I as strong as I was? Is my timing as good as it was? Not yet, but I am getting there and I will get there soon." Read more here.

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New Metallica Songs A 'Little Leaner And Shorter' Says Lars

(Classic Rock) Metallica get straight to the point on their upcoming album "Hardwired... To Self Destruct", according to Lars Ulrich. The drummer recently said he took inspiration from 1983 record Kill 'Em All on the follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic - adding that the new material is "a little more physical" and "more linear" than its "cerebral" predecessor.

Ulrich tells Star Tribune: "I'm pretty sure it sounds like Metallica. The songs are probably a little leaner and shorter than the last go-around, and slightly less progressive.

"They're more one-dimensional, meaning each song really just has one individual mood instead of having many moods within one song. And I can tell you, it feels pretty damn good to have this new music and to be getting it out there." Read more here.

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Of Mice & Men Stream New Song 'Contagious'

(Metal Hammer) Of Mice & Men have released a stream of the song "Contagious", which is the latest track from upcoming album Cold War. The band's fourth record arrives on September 9.

Frontman Austin Carlile recently said of the creative process: "It was scary. One of the first lines I wrote in my notebook was, 'Daunting task putting paper to pen, making myself vulnerable again'.

"But for people who haven't heard our band, this is the record I'd want them to hear. From the six songs on there that are us yelling our faces off or the other five or six with Aaron Pauley and me singing, we're letting out emotions that I've never put out on a record, ever." Stream the new song here.

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Hammerfall Release 'The Sacred Vow' Lyric Video

(TeamRock) Hammerfall have released a lyric video for their track "The Sacred Vow." The song will feature on the Swedish outfit's upcoming 10th album Built To Last, which is out on November 4 after they signed with Napalm Records earlier this year.

Hammerfall say: "It's an entire song from start to finish - despite it being more than 10 weeks to the release. This is our treat to you, the faithful Templars Of Steel, and we sincerely hope you enjoy it."

The band had been with Nuclear Blast for close to 20 years, but said they joined Napalm Records as they "needed a fresh challenge."

Guitarist Oscar Dronjak added: "This felt like a right and necessary step at this point in our careers, in order to keep moving forward and upward at a high speed.

"We view this label change as an opportunity to create something special, and firmly believe our best times are still ahead of us. That's why we're very, very excited to work with the people at Napalm Records for our upcoming 10th studio album." Watch the video here.

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Timothy B. Schmit Reveals New Song, Reacts To Glenn Frey Death

(The Blues) Timothy B. Schmit has made his new song "Red Dirt Road" available to stream. It comes from the Eagles bassist upcoming fifth solo album "Leap Of Faith."

Schmit says that Red Dirt Road is inspired by Hawaiian island Kaua'i. He tells Rolling Stone: "There's some rich, deep soil there. You have a good chance of growing a plumeria tree by just sticking a branch of a plumeria into the ground. It's unbelievable.

"That was the motivation. It's a song about trying to enjoy your life. You can go about your daily business and see it from sunup to sundown - and see it in the best light possible, too - and then just enjoy yourself."

Schmit also admits that he and his Eagles bandmates are "still processing" the death of Glenn Frey, who died earlier this year aged 67 after a battle with intestinal problems. They're set to perform at the Kennedy Center Honors show in Washington DC this December, after they were forced to cancel their 2015 appearance because of Frey's illness.

He continues: "He's dead. It's unbelievable. It didn't happen that long ago. Everybody is still processing it. But part of processing it is carrying on." Read more and stream the song here.

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Mastodon To Begin Recording New Album

(Metal Hammer) Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher has revealed that the band will start recording their seventh album in October or November. Writing for the follow-up to 2014's Once More 'Round The Sun has been underway for some time, with Troy Sanders saying the band have been "overwhelmed" with ideas, and Brent Hinds later adding that it could be a double-length release.

Kelliher tells the Mike James Rock Show: "With the eleven songs that we've recorded so far it's mostly been Brann Dailor and myself - he lives down the street from me, we grew up together and we wrote together.

"Once we get home we're going to pick up where we left off, but we're pretty well ahead of the curve. Like I said, there's about eleven, twelve solid ideas, all full songs with vocals and everything. Our plan right now is to start recording in October, November." Read more here.

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Why Wasn't The Dillinger Escape Plan Arrested After Early Antics?

(Metal Hammer) The Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato says he was "out of control" when the band played live during their early days. And pointing to their set at the 2002 Reading Festival, when he infamously defecated in a bag and threw it into the crowd, Puciato reports he was amazed they got away with it at the time.

He tells Kerrang: "We were so out of control onstage back then that it didn't even seem that crazy. That's the crazy thing. Every show we were playing back then, we were lighting our drums on fire, we were smashing our instruments, we were throwing gear into the crowd, we were knocking things over and breaking things that didn't belong to us.

"There was so much chaos happening at that time that sh*tting onstage and throwing it at people didn't even seem that great, like didn't seem out of the realm of possibility. So I was really shocked when it was such a huge deal which is silly because obviously it's insane."

He continues: "The crazy thing to me is that if someone did that now they'd probably get arrested as soon as they walked offstage. Now that I'm older I can't believe they didn't turn us off. Why wasn't I arrested the second I walked offstage?"

Puciato says he must have believed he couldn't have been arrested when he was in his early 20s, but adds: "They tried to kick me out of England, they tried to say that I could never come back due crazy public indecency. A couple days after it happened we received word there was a possibility that I may never be allowed back into England." Read more and watch the full interview here.

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Slipknot's Corey Taylor Excited By Band's Current Live Set

(Metal Hammer) Corey Taylor believes Slipknot are on the verge of reaching their peak as a band, even though they've been in existence for 17 years. They're currently touring in support of latest album .5: The Gray Chapter, and the frontman feels the performances prove they're at the top of their game.

Taylor tells Ticketmaster: "It's a great set this time round. It's a little longer, and I think it represents all the different eras that we've gone through. We've been able to use our history and make it something new - instead of looking in a rearview mirror, we're looking out the windshield at what's to come.

"I think that's why people are gravitating towards this. It doesn't feel like a greatest hits set. It feels like we're just hitting our stride. For a band that's been around for 17 years, that's a hell of a feeling." Read more here.

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The Beatles Final Concert 50th Anniversary This Week

(Radio.com) Monday marked 50th anniversary of the Beatles' final concert. The Fab Four's last show was held on August 29, 1966 at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

It had been a difficult US tour for the band. On the one hand, audience screams overwhelmed the band's performances, and on the other the group faced incredible backlash over John Lennon's recent comments about the group being "Bigger than Jesus."

The band performed live just one more time, in January of 1969 on the roof of the Apple building, but Candlestick marked the end of their career as touring artists.

The Beatles knew the end was near, and Paul McCartney asked publicist Tony Barrow to record the show. Check out his recording here.

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Testament Frontman Was Anxious About 'Brotherhood Of The Snake'

(Metal Hammer) Testament frontman Chuck Billy says he felt nervous when band were recording Brotherhood Of The Snake as he was feeling pressure to better 2012's Dark Roots Of Earth.

Guitarist and songwriter Eric Peterson admitted earlier this month that they had to record the album quickly to meet deadlines and fulfil touring commitments.

And Billy says the urgency to lay down the tracks left him worried about how it would all turn out. Billy tells Metal Wani: "You always want to top your last record - you always want the production to be better than your last record. We were a little nervous because we had been working so long on the record. We went into the studio, I would say, almost unprepared. It was the first time that we did it like that.

"There was so much time going by trying to get songs completed that just weren't complete, it just angered and frustrated everybody. When we went into the studio, drummer Gene Hoglan, guitarist Alex Skolnick and bassist Steve DiGiorgio hadn't even heard any of the songs.

"So that was kind of a scary feeling, like, 'Are we getting in before we really should be?' And, 'Is it going to be a waste of time and we record what we have and it doesn't work out and it flops?' All those thoughts go through your mind." Read more here.

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Glass Hammer Release 'Valkyrie' Album Trailer

(Prog) Glass Hammer have issued a trailer for their forthcoming 18th album, Valkyrie. The nine-track follow-up to last year's The Breaking Of The World is due out on September 27.

Vocalist Susie Bogdanowicz has also moved up to front the band, replacing Yes man Jon Davison, whose role has diminished since joining the prog giants in 2012.

Multi-instrumentalist Steve Babb told Prog: "Our fans have been begging for Susie to have a bigger role in our music for years. We're happy that she'll be fronting the band, with Fred and I in supporting roles."

He said of Valkyrie: "We rehearsed for months and approached the production as if we were preparing for a live concert. The goal was to capture the energy and edge we have on stage. We essentially recorded it live, as one performance." Watch the trailer and read more here.

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Fear Factory May Stage 'Obsolete' Full Album Show

(Metal Hammer) Fear Factory vocalist Burton C. Bell has hinted that the band could perform 1998 album "Obsolete" in full live at some point in the future. In 2015, Fear Factory based a tour around their 1995 record "Demanufacture" to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

And speaking exclusively to Metal Hammer, the singer says a similar undertaking could become reality as Obsolete nears its 20th birthday. Bell says: "It's too soon to start thinking about a new album as we're still touring Genexus. But following this Demanufacture tour we have discussed touring Obsolete in its entirety."

The singer is involved with several other side-projects away from his Fear Factory commitments. And he reports he has plenty more plans in the pipeline. Read more here.

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Anglagard To Headline Rites Of Spring Festival

(Prog) Anglagard are set to headline Gettysburg's Rites Of Spring festival in Pennsylvania next May. The Swedish outfit, who have been working on new material, will conclude the weekend-long music event on Sunday, May 7.

Rosfest say: "Anglagard was one of the driving forces behind the revival of progressive rock in the early 1990s, and it's a pleasure for us to welcome them back to the USA for Rosfest 2017.

"We're as eagerly looking forward to seeing them live as everyone else, and expect to see a packed house when we have the honor of watching them conclude the 2017 edition of Rosfest." Read more here.

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Zap Release 'Air Traffic Control' Video

(Prog) Zap have released their video for Air Traffic Control. The video was produced by Emmy-nominated composer and band leader Sean McKee, who also worked for Frank Zappa's wife Gail for several years to restore the late singer's film archive before she died last August.

He's rounded out by singer and guitarist Ike Willis, who appeared on a number of Zappa albums, and Enuff Z'nuff/ex-Steven Adler bassist Chip Z'Nuff.

McKee was originally commissioned to create a piece by XM radio co-founder Lee Abrams for the 20th anniversary of Zappa's death, but later decided to make it into a "proper song."

He says: "When I heard the news of Gail's passing last October, I was deeply saddened. She was very kind to me, and an incredibly smart woman who pioneered the concept of artists' retaining the rights to the master recordings.

"I decided to take the 60-second piece and finish it as a proper song, as a memorial to Gail and tribute to Frank, who was a big influence on my playing." Read more and watch the video here.

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Singled Out: lovelesslust's AntiYouth

Industrial art rockers lovelesslust just released their new album 'The Car Crash That Ended Her Life Came As No Surprise' and to celebrate we asked them to tell us about the song "AntiYouth." Here is the story:

The lyrics of this song came from a relationship that had gone completely sour. I think people seek each other out to try to feel young, interesting, sexy and lovable- at least when they first meet. This particular relationship had reached a point where all of the joy of spontaneity had gone, and all that were left were criticisms and demands. It occurred to me that this is what an unhappy marriage looks like- two bitter people, draining the youth out of each other.

It also occurred to me that there is a certain romantic notion that keeps people in situations like these- the idea of accepting each other through the hard times along with the good. The question is, of course, where do you draw the line between what is "accepting the hard times", and what is unhealthy, or even abusive?

Musically, I wanted the song to be somewhere between theatrical and hard rock- theatrical to represent the drama that such a couple would go through, and hard rock to represent the anger and depression that can come from abuse. The triplet feel keeps a sense of whimsy, while the pounding drums and guitar are extremely foreboding. I love writing songs with chords and melodies that don't stay in one key throughout, as I think it gives an interesting tension and allows for some very cool melodies, and I have to say this is one of my favorites- which is why I went as far as to have a guitar doubling the vocal melody in the second verse.

The idea of not knowing whether to stay in a disastrous marriage fits in perfectly with the theme of our band's name- "lovelesslust". If you read our name as two words, "loveless lust", it means the exact opposite as it would mean spelled out in three words "love less lust"- either sex without caring, or caring without sex. Devotion or youth? This is the drama we live.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, watch the video here and learn more about the album right here!

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