Rock Report February 1, 2012
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HELLYEAH has completed work on its third album for a late spring release. The CD was recorded at Vinnie Paul Abbott's home in Arlington, Texas. In a brand new interview with Loudwire, Vinnie stated about the upcoming CD, "On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock 'n' roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It's heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I'm excited about it."
On the topic of how he thinks PANTERA fans truly feel about HELLYEAH, Vinnie said, "Some PANTERA fans are on the fence and I understand that. PANTERA is a marquee band, with the most diehard fans. We sold over 20 million records without MTV or radio. For some people, that's the only band they'll do. But then again, a whole lot of them understand this and have followed HELLYEAH and have been in line with us. HELLYEAH have great fans. We're a beer-drinking, hell-raising band that kicks ass live. I love both the records. It's a good release, to play songs that are not full throttle 24-7. But this new one is a great combo of what we previously did, with more metal." More
A secret stash of 700 unheard Thin Lizzy songs has been unearthed. And record company execs are planning to release the songs as a box set. The tracks were recorded before frontman Phil Lynott's death. Before he died, he handed over a stash of more than 150 tapes to a pal. The music contained unreleased tracks and alternate studio takes.
Guitarist Scott Gorham said: "I've got bags of CDs here. The bulk of what I've heard so far is by the fab four. Phil, myself, (drummer) Brian Downey, and (guitarist) Brian Robertson. Listening to them, I was reminded how much Phil loved dragging that lyric book around with him, and I think this box set will show people just how prolific he was. Our tactic was always to nail as much as we could on any one session, but there's lots of fabulous stuff here that I had forgotten about. Rest assured that we're only going to put out the coolest stuff. Phil doesn't need my protection, I know, but I always want his music to be presented in the best light. You think, how could this stuff be wasting away in a vault? What were we thinking?" More details will be announced soon. More
Guitarist Rudolf Schenker of German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS tells Billboard.com that fans can expect to see a slew of "special" releases from the band after it completes its massive farewell tour in early 2013. "We have a library in our warehouse where we have a lot of old songs, especially from the days where you had only the possibility of putting eight or nine songs on vinyl," the guitarist says. "We always recorded 13 or 14 songs, so (the rest) are hanging out somewhere in our warehouse. We also have 800, 900 hours of film material from different festivals, from places like (Moscow's) Red Square, the Amazon, the pyramids, going through Russia in 2002..."
He adds, "Of course we want to give this material to the fans. It would be terrible for this material to be hanging in our warehouse and not get out. So when we are finished (touring), we'll take our time and give people some special stuff." More and more
The Foo Fighters will be hosting a fundraising concert for President Obama's re-election campaign. The afternoon concert—for which organizers hope to sell approximately 1,000 tickets-will be held at the home of soap opera writer/producer Bradley Bell in Holmby Hills, California on February 15, with ticket prices ranging between $235 to $1,500. A post-concert dinner will be held by Bell and his wife Colleen, with Will Ferrell co-hosting the $35,800-per-plate event. Said Grohl of his band's decision to hold the event: "I would hate to hand the administration over to another party that is just focused on corporations, greed and money. You know, I'm a fun, peace-loving guy, but sometimes the right wing gets a little too selfish." He added of Obama, whom he has vocally supported for years: "He's got the toughest job on earth." More
Meanwhile according to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell will perform at a February 16 benefit show in San Francisco to help raise funds for President Obama's re-election campaign. The performance will include a reception at a yet-to-be-disclosed location. Tickets will run $100 for general seating, $1,000 for preferred seating, and $7,500 for a package that includes preferred seating and an individual photo with the President. More people can be added to the photo for $2,500 per head. More
AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson took part in the 50th running of the Rolex 24, which was run over January 28-29 at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. The BMW Riley car driven by Johnson, Byron Defoor, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Jim Pace and Carlos de Quesada finished 32nd, after completing 672 laps. More
MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil says the Crüe will churn out the familiar titles, “the hits that people expect,” but also songs the band hasn’t played in decades he tells Lasvegassun.com. “We’re actually rehearsing now, doing all these different versions of old songs. We’ll have an acoustic set inside the show that we rarely ever play. There will be a lot of stuff that, even if you’ve been to see Mötley Crüe a bunch of times, will be new for you.” More
AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry performed "Man of Peace" live on last night's edition of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno". You can now watch the entire episode below. (Note: Perry's performance can be seen starting around the 38-minute mark.)
KISS frontman Paul Stanley sat with Wall Street Journal's Lee Hawkins for an exclusive interview about his life and career. In the two-minute clip below, Stanley shares the origin of the famous KISS makeup.
SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor spoke to Artisan News about his collaboration with Dave Grohl on the FOO FIGHTERS frontman and ex-NIRVANA drummer's upcoming documentary about the studio where NIRVANA recorded its landmark album "Nevermind".
(Beware some NSFW language in the following)
