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Day in Rock Report for 04/16/2015


Bill Ward Demands Ozzy Apologize Before Black Sabbath Reunion

(hennemusic) Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward says he needs an apology from Ozzy Osbourne over remarks in recent years before he considers any conversations that might lead to a reunion of the groundbreaking UK metal band.

Ward declined to participate in the group's 2013 album, "13", and tour over a contractual dispute. Last fall, Ozzy said he hoped Ward would return to the lineup as the band began planning their final album and world tour. Now, in an extended official statement, Ward says Osbourne must amend and apologize comments he made during the "13" process that suggested the drummer wasn't capable of performing at the level needed for a Black Sabbath reunion.

"I have neither severed nor discontinued my relationship with Black Sabbath," explains Ward, "however, since 2012, the often inaccurate statements about me as a person and as a musician have caused me to be guarded and be especially detached emotionally and spiritually from Ozzy. His rhetoric above all has brought me the most discord. The continuing misguided information about me has established a necessity on my part to confront these issues."

"There is always speculation about a true, original Sabbath lineup for the next tour or record," continues the drummer. "With a sad heart, I have to say I will not participate in any musical undertakings until a righting of the wrongs spoken against me has been achieved. I must admit, I have little to no expectations of this happening, but in the order of first things first, I'm looking for an honest accountability of all of Ozzy's statements that I felt were untrue.

"I would want Ozzy to amend his opinions and exaggerations. I would want him to be forthcoming about his unrealistic viewpoints. And because I was chastised publicly, I would want him to amend publicly in his words, and not through an Ozzy representative, the nature of the wrongs. I would not want to continue on with him without this seemingly impassible dilemma being addressed."

Ward feels a healing with Osbourne must take place before he can even begin to address his concerns over contractual issues he said were unworkable as presented for the "13" album and tour. Read more here.

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Foo Fighters Plan Special Record Store Day Concert

(hennemusic) The Foo Fighters will play an intimate concert at an Ohio record store for Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18. Head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl is also the 2015 Record Story Day Ambassador.

The Record Connection in Niles, Ohio is hosting a Foos concert as both they and the group celebrate the annual event designed to promote over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

The Foos will perform for 150 fans at The Record Connection: entry is based on the first people to pre-order the group's "Songs From The Laundry Room" package - a 10-inch vinyl collection of early demos and an unreleased track. Read more here.

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Def Leppard Members Sharing Lead Vocals On New Album

(Classic Rock) Vivian Campbell reportedly revealed in a new interview that he and his Def Leppard bandmates will all have a lead vocal on their upcoming album. He's been recovering from stem-cell treatment to combat his Hodgkin's lymphoma and laid down tracks for the follow-up to 2008's Songs From The Sparkle Lounge with his Leppard bandmates over two sessions.

The guitarist tells The Province: "The first thing we did was go into the studio and set up live. I know a lot of bands do it, but we haven't done it since 1996."

He continues, "There's a lot of talk before we make an album. With this album there wasn't as much talking but there is an awful lot of experimentalism that goes on with a Leppard record. Once we find our direction, we're very quick. Everybody brings something to the table."

The publication says that everyone in the band has a lead vocal on the effort. "We've never done that before. It's diverse, but it all sounds like Def Leppard. It's the best album we've made in 23 years," said Campbell. Read more here.

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New Metallica Songs More Progressive Says Kirk Hammett

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett dropped some hints this week as to the direction the band's sound is taking on the new music they are writing for their forthcoming album.

He says some of the new material is comparable to their latest released track 'Lords Of Summer' but adds that a lot of the songs are "little bit more progressive" and similar to their last studio album "Death Magnetic" and "remotely similar" to "...And Justice For All," though he warns that it is not sonically like that classic album.

Hammett discussed the new material during an appearance on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal on Tuesday (April 14th). He told the show (via Blabbermouth, "I would say some of the stuff [we have written] is similar to 'Lords Of Summer'. 'Lords Of Summer' is pretty accessible, because I think it's one of the more accessible-sounding riffs and there's a really cool melody. A lot of the other material is a little bit more progressive - kind of along the lines of what 'Death Magnetic' turned out to be."

He elaborated, "I would say that there's some really, really hooky stuff coming through - really, really catchy stuff - and I'm really, really psyched on the direction of how things are sounding.

"If I could compare it to anything, maybe it might be remotely similar to the approach we took on [1988's] '�And Justice For All' [album], but it doesn't sound like '�And Justice For All' sonically - it doesn't have that sound that '�And Justice For All' had, which I thought was very unique at the time."

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Zakk Looks Back At Auditioning For Guns N' Roses

(TeamRock Radio) Zakk Wylde looks back in a new "Behind The Scenes" clip for VH1 Classic's That Metal Show on how his 1995 audition with Guns N' Roses led to the formation of his band Black Label Society.

The guitarist was lined up to join Axl Rose and co when they were considering a double-lead approach. They decided against it, and he went on to found BLS three years later, between stints with Ozzy Osbourne.

Wylde tells That Metal Show via Blabbermouth,"We just had some ideas laying around and stuff like that, but nothing amounted to where Axl [Rose] sang on stuff and had lyrics written and everything like that.

"We just had riffs lying around and stuff like that, but� It was great hanging out. 'Cause all the guys were there, you know what I mean?! It was Slash, Axl, Duff [McKagan, bass], Dizzy [Reed, keyboards], Matt [Sorum, drums]; it was all the guys. We were all jamming and stuff like that. It was a good time.

"It was at that point nothing was going on and I wasn't jamming with The Boss [Ozzy Osbourne]. Then I just had a batch of riffs and ideas laying around. I just said, 'I'll do it myself.' And that's when Black Label Society was born. And that's why I'm still living in a van down by the river. So I figured, maybe I wanna do this myself." Watch the behind the scenes clip here.

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Video Of Nirvana Playing For Two People Goes Online

(hennemusic) A Nirvana concert in their living room for an audience of two people can be seen in the latest preview clip from the forthcoming documentary, "Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck."

"If we played together in the house for a couple of hours and if two people stopped by we considered that a gig," explains Cobain. "That was good enough, if we had an audience of two people; locals who hated our guts and thought it was terrible music."

Cobain's daughter, Frances Bean, served as executive producer on the project alongside director Brett Morgen as the pair worked on the definitive biography of the late Nirvana frontman.

"Montage Of Heck" will see its broadcast premiere on HBO on May 4, and an accompanying soundtrack album will feature unreleased material from Cobain's personal achives.

The film will also be spun-off into a companion book of the same name. Watch the video here.

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Rex Brown Auctioning Personal Pantera Memorabilia

An online auction will be kicking off this weekend featuring "personal items" from "the private collection" of former Pantera bass player Rex Brown.

Brown explains why he decided to auction off the items, "I took a look at all of my old Pantera gear. I realized I had a ton of bass guitars, amps, cabinets, road cases and other great stuff just sitting in storage collecting dust.

"I felt they really should be in the hands of the fans who would love to own a piece of Pantera history. I have all my Pantera love and memories in my heart and soul.

"Of course, I am keeping the things that are important to me, but there are a lot of treasured items here and it's time for the next generation to care for them."

According to Backstage Auctions, who will be holding the auction from April 18th - 26th, the auction will include "stage worn shirts, picks, bass strings, posters, guitar straps, promo items, record awards, amps, cabinets, road cases and of course it wouldn't be complete without a breath taking selection of his bass guitars."

Find more details here.

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Roger Waters Giving 'Amused To Death' Hi-Def Makeover

(hennemusic) Roger Waters will reissue his 1991 album, "Amused To Death", on July 24. The updated version of Waters third solo record will include a new 5.1 surround remix of the album on high-definition Blu-ray audio and a new remastered stereo mix completed by longtime Waters/Pink Floyd collaborator and co-producer James Guthrie.

The cover and gatefold art has been updated for 2015 by Sean Evans, the creative director of Waters' 2010-2013 "The Wall Live" tour and movie. Inspired by Neil Postman's 1985 book "Amusing Ourselves To Death", Waters explored the concept of a society increasingly in thrall to its television screens.

"I'm remembering the record from [over] 20 years ago," says Waters, "that most of what I had to say then sadly still pertains today and is maybe even more relevant to our predicament as people in 2015 even than it was in 1992."

"Amused To Death" features guitar work by Jeff Beck and a lineup of guest vocalists that includes Don Henley ("It's a Miracle"), Rita Coolidge ("Amused to Death") and soul singer P.P. Arnold ("Perfect Sense" Parts I and II).

The 2015 reissue will be available on CD, CD/Blu-ray, Hi-res digital download, 2LP 200 gram vinyl and a limited edition, numbered 2LP picture disc vinyl. Check out the promo video with Roger Waters interview footage here.

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David Draiman Thinks Disturbed Spoof Video Is Hysterical

(TeamRock Radio) Disturbed frontman David Draiman loved the video that spoofed his band's music and thought it was "hysterical. The 'yuh-muh-nuh-muh-yuh' thing. Yeah, it's pretty damn funny."

Brandon Muller and Archie Wilson's comedy clip, launched last May, was entitled The Greatest Hit Of Disturbed and parodied the frontman's trademark vocal style, while suggesting that tracks including Down With The Sickness and Liberate were all effectively the same song.

Draiman tells Argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon via Blabbermouth "I remember the first time I saw it, I was literally laughing so hard, I was in tears. My favorite line from it� How does it go?... was� 'Never before has a band done so much with so little.' [Laughs] That was hysterical. [Laughs] So I enjoyed it. It was really funny."

He adds: "You know what, dude?! If you can't find humor and laugh at yourself, then there's something wrong with you. And for them to actually put all that effort into it and all that time that it took to actually make it, it's flattering. [Laughs]"

Watch the spoof video and the interview here.

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Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Join The Kloons

(hennemusic) Rolling Stones legends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards join comedy group The Kloons for a guest appearance in the latest episode of their web series "Sisters."

The Brooklyn-based multimedia content creation group feature the voices of the Stones in a story where members Mitch Lewis and Nik Kazoura lip sync Nik's mom and aunt's conversations.

The Rolling Stones are gearing up to launch a 15-date stadium tour of North America on May 24 at Petco Park in San Diego. The trek marks the first time the band have played North American stadiums since 2005-2007's A Bigger Bang Tour.

In sync with the live dates, the veteran band will reissue their classic 1971 album, "Sticky Fingers" on June 8 (June 9 in North America). The remastered project will be available on CD, 2CD, LP, 2LP, a Deluxe Edition Boxet, Super Deluxe Edition Boxset and via digital download.

Watch video from Sisters here.

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Chris Cornell Weighs In On Temple Of The Dog Legal Battle

(Classic Rock) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell has issued a statement regarding a legal dispute between A&M Records and a Seattle studio owner over ownership of the master tapes to the self-titled 1991 album by Temple Of The Dog.

"The Temple Of The Dog recordings were made by members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam to honor our friend, Andy Wood, who died much too soon," says Cornell. "Temple Of The Dog recorded the album in a studio co-owned by Raj Parashar. A&M Records paid for the recordings and the use of the studio.

"For Parashar to pretend he has a right to keep the recordings makes no more sense than the owner of a laundromat claiming he owns the clothes you washed in his washing machine."

Last week, A&M Records launched a lawsuit against London Bridge Studios co-founder Rajan Parashar to return the tapes following the 2014 death of his brother and fellow studio co-founder, producer Rick Parashar. Read more here.

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System Of A Down New Album Will Have To Be 'A Leap From' Past Music

(TeamRock Radio) Serj Tankian says that the members of System Of A Down agree that if they are to make a new album, the material will have to be a progression from their past.

Speculation has increased that the band could be gearing up to work on the follow-up to 2005's Mesmerize and Hypnotize records. Last month Shavo Odadjian reported that some songs had been written and there was "a very good chance" of a studio return in the near future.

Now frontman Tankian tells Spin, "There is an openness to working together again when we all have material that is mutually accepted. We don't have a set timeline or anything else to report. One think we do all agree upon is that it's gotta be a leap from what we've done before." Read more here.

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Limited Edition Riot Tribute Album Set For Release

(Classic Rock) A limited edition Riot tribute album featuring covers by a host of rock acts is being released this month which will benefit a family member of late founding guitarist Mark Reale.

Thunder And Steel Down Under will be released on April 24 via Skol Records and includes contributions from Axel Rudi Pell, Crystal Viper, Alpha Tiger and Night Demon.

Only 1000 copies of the CD will be available, with proceeds going to Tony Reale - the father of late Riot guitarist and founder Mark Reale who died in 2012 from complications related to Crohn's disease.

Skol says of the covers album: "Thunder And Steel Down Under is not a usual compilation with bunch of cover songs. It's a celebration of the Riot and Mark Reale legacies, and a homage paid by both American and European bands and musicians who were influenced by this premier act." Check out the track details here.

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Meshuggah Guitarist Says New Album Will Be 'Pretty Diverse'

(Prog) Meshuggah guitarist Marten Hagstrom says the band's 8th album, expected next year, is going to be "pretty diverse." The follow-up to 2012's Koloss is being written now - and it's powered by the members' different approaches to creating new material

Last month drummer Tomas Haake demonstrated how he took a rough rhythmic concept and developed it into a song. Now Hagstrom tells The Jasta Show (via Blabbermouth). : "We're early in the writing stage� We're writing right now, but we're really early still.

"And me personally, I'm really attracted by the idea of taking something that is really household in metal. 'Bleed' is a good example that Fredrik [Thordendal, guitar] wrote. You have like a triplet thing that is so f***ing generic metal that it can't possibly get any more generic. But you do something with it that makes it come into a new territory. Put a little bit of a different [spin]� Not astronomically just rewrite the whole f***ing thing, but just tweak it a little bit. And I'm really attracted to that.

"Right now I'm doing this song that, in essence� it's the most tragic metal song you would ever hear, but it doesn't come across that way 'cause I just tweaked it that extra mile. And I know Tomas [Haake, drums] and Dick [L�vgren, bass] have been working on a lot of stuff that is really out there. So I think it's gonna be a pretty diverse album." Read more and listen to the interview here.

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Bill Wyman Goes 'Back To Basics' For New Solo Album

(The Blues Bill Wyman will release his first UK solo album in 33 years when Back To Basics arrives on June 22. The former Rolling Stone's 12-track title comes after he discovered over 60 unused demos in his archive. Three of those appear on the album, while the others are brand-new.

Wyman says: "Initially I thought, 'I'm a bit old for this' - but then I thought, 'All the old blues musicians played till they dropped, so why don't I give it a go?'"

He was joined in the studio by longtime collaborator Terry Taylor, Mark Knopfler's colleague Guy Fletcher plus Graham Broad and Robbie McIntosh. Read more here.

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Lordi Documentary Covers Post-Eurovision Financial Woes

(Classic Rock) A trailer has been released for a documentary on the highs and lows of Finnish metal band Lordi. Monsterman will receive its international premiere on May 9 at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver, Canada.

It tells the tale of frontman Tomi Putaansuu's childhood dreams of being a monster and how - as alter ego Mr Lordi - he led his band to unexpectedly win the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.

Directed by Putaamsuu's childhood friend Antti Haase, the film explores the band's post-Eurovision financial woes when they found themselves hundreds of thousands of Euros in debt. Read more and watch the trailer here.

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Ronnie James Dio Memorial Weekend Confirms More Artists

(Classic Rock) A host of artists have confirmed they'll attend a memorial weekend to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Ronnie James Dio. Cash raised will go to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

The frontman died on May 16, 2010, from gastric cancer and a series of events, including a celebrity bowling tournament and auction, have been lined up next month to pay tribute to the rock icon.

Artists so far confirmed for the weekend include Stone Sour's Christian Martucci and Roy Mayorga, Tenacious D's Jack Black and Kyle Gass, former Megadeth and current Act Of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick, Eddie Money, Oni Logan, Sean McNabb, Bjorn Englen and John Payne.

Also in attendance will be former Dio members Craig Goldy, Simon Wright, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson and Scott Warren. Read more here.

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Rock Fueling Vinyl Sales Increase

(Classic Rock) Latest research has revealed that increases in vinyl sales show no sign of slowing down. Figures from ICM Unlimited indicate the number of vinyl purchases continues to grow across the UK - and show that rock remains one of the most popular genres.

The research found that 41% of those questioned were buying rock albums, while the biggest increase was in the 18-24 year old range, which showed a 14% jump since 2013.

Earlier this week the Official Chart Company reported that record sales reached a 20-year high last year with 1.29 million units sold. The latest figures come just days before Record Store Day on April 18. Read more here.

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Abbey Road Studios Open Doors Interactively Online

(Classic Rock) Abbey Road Studios has teamed up with Google to allow music fans to go on an interactive digital journey through the world's most famous recording facility.

The Inside Abbey Road website allows users to explore the three main studios and the main mastering suite at the London venue where the Beatles recorded much of their back catalogue and other artists including Pink Floyd, Oasis, Deep Purple and Kate Bush made records.

Giles Martin, a producer based at Abbey Road for artists like Paul McCartney, grew up at the studios where his father Sir George Martin produced the Beatles.

He says: "This collaboration with Google gives the outside world a great insight into the everyday workings of the studio and allows anyone to glimpse the magic that goes on inside the world's most famous recording studio." Read more here.

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Previously Unheard Jamie Muir-Era King Crimson Live Show Released

(Prog) A previously unheard Jamie Muir-era King Crimson live show is available to download via the band's record label. It's available in MP3 and high-quality FLAC formats at DGM Live.

Recorded at Watford Town Hall on November 14, 1972, the newly released nine-track set features two extended improvisations. The label's notes on the release say:

"Five gigs into a 28-date tour and Crimso are on fine form in Watford on this decent quality audience recording. LTIA provides plenty of thrills and spills with the extraordinary interplay between Fripp and Wetton."Read more here.

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In The Studio Kick Off Two Part Stevie Ray Vaughan Special

Syndicated radio show In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands are celebrating the induction of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble into the Rock Hall with a two- hour, two- week radio special. Part one has gone online. The show sent over these details:

Paying dues and playing the blues best sums up the early days of Stevie Ray Vaughan's career as he left his home in Dallas, Texas to follow his older brother Jimmie Vaughan down to Austin in the mid-'70s. InTheStudio takes a detailed look at the remarkable career of Stevie Ray Vaughan, cut short by a tragedy but not before practically single-handedly re-establishing the Blues commercially and critically with Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon.

In part one, you will hear firsthand accounts of Stevie's musical rise, the challenges he and the band faced getting a record deal, touring non-stop, and the substance abuse that nearly derailed them. InTheStudio host Redbeard will share his rare first interview with Stevie in 1984 in which listeners will hear a confident yet soft spoken man completely dedicated to his craft and his fellow Texas musicians.

In part two, musical greats Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa, invaluable songwriter the late Doyle Bramhall, and SRV biographer Joe Nick Patoski each share their personal stories about Stevie and the significance he and Double Trouble played on the entire blues idiom in a tragically shortened but legendary career.

Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton shares with InTheStudio host Redbeard the essence of Stevie:

"In playing with him (Stevie), there was a thing about him that was very simple. If it felt good, then it WAS good. It was a very trust-your-instincts band. Spontaneous. Didn't matter if there were some minor performance mistakes. If the spirit was there, and there was fire and the feeling was good, it was happening." - Chris Layton Double Trouble

Stream part one here.

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Love Amongst Ruin Release 'Lose Your Way' Video

(TeamRock Radio) Love Amongst Ruin have released a video for their new single, "Lose Your Way", which is also the title track for the band's second album that is set to be released on June 1.

Love Amongst Ruin are fronted by former Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt and released their self-titled debut album in 2010. Perry Bamonte, formerly of The Cure, is the band's bass player.

On the second album's title, Hewitt says: "It's how you can find things you love at certain times of your life and pursue, and years down the line you'd actually rather murder it and hate it.

"So it's how your perceptions change as you go through life. Do you actually know where you're f***ing going? It's trying to explain life's difficult path." Watch the video here.

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Dommengang Streaming 'Everybody's Boogie'

(Prog) Pyschedelic rock outfit Dommengang have released an online stream of the song "Everybody's Boogie," which is the title track from the group's debut album.

Brooklyn-based Sig Wilson, Brian Markham and Adam Bulgasem have a background steeped in blues and proto-punk. But the label adds: "Their music abandons traditional song structures and replaces recognizable tropes with progressive frameworks."

The "Everybody's Boogie" album was released on May 18 via Thrill Jockey Records, who describe the work as "gloriously inventive fuzzed-out experimentation." Check out the song stream here.

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And So I Watch You From Afar Streaming New Single

(Prog) And So I Watch You From Afar have released an online stream of their track Redesigned A Million Times, which comes from fourth album Heirs. ASIWYFA say the work explore "the inheritance of ideas in that we're all heirs to other peoples' passion, which in turn inspire ourselves."

Guitarist Rory Friers explains: "The album is called Heirs as a tribute to a lot of new people who came into all our lives during the writing and recording of the album - lots of nephews, and Johnny Adger had a daughter. It seems like the songs soaked up all those feelings."

He adds: "Because making the album was such an intense experience, none of us were listening to other music - or even experiencing much else outside. So it feels like a very pure representation of a very intense time." Stream the song here.

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