Remember when Rock Stars were larger than life? Glammed out superheroes we stuck on our walls and tried to emulate? Over the top looks and lifestyles were the norm for them. Not to mention we had a lot of cool music to listen to. We need them back in our lives, and then some.
Turn on the news, read a paper and it’s doom and gloom with no end in sight. It’s getting old and tired to me. Remember how you felt when you saw you favorite Rock Star or picked up a new record, poster, or magazine? Remember how good it felt?
There are still real Rock Stars walking the earth. They are out there and we need to step up and support them and what they do. Go to a Rock Show and help it to be all that it can be. Buy the records, shirts, and hit them up for posters and such. Let’s enjoy ourselves and revel in Rock N’ Roll once again!
Steel Panther is the best heavy metal band ever! Michael Starr is the singer, Satchel plays guitar, Stix Zadinia plays drums, and Lexxi Foxx is pretty. Their new record All You Can Eat is the best ever, you can throw away all of your other records, you’re welcome.*
Let’s talk about musicians and money for a minute. A lot of people still have the misconception that Rock Stars live in mansions, have fancy cars, and generally live a life of luxury. I’m here to tell you that is DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE. In fact, that is far from the norm, only a very small percentage live in excess.
I have spoken extensively with musicians in bands who have toured the world and sold millions of records and yet live in a regular house, drive a regular vehicle, and live day by day. I know musicians who live in substandard conditions in order to provide us with the music we love. Yes, it is a choice that they themselves choose to make, but we also choose to partake of it.
Now, let’s talk about music sharing. I have a wonderful idea on it: If there is music you love, and think others in your circle would enjoy, buy more than one copy and share it with those people. Then encourage others to do the same. This would go a long way towards helping musicians afford to continue to make music. The cost of making, recording, and distributing music is not cheap. BUY your music please and help keep music alive, and put some money into the pockets of the artists. – I’m just sayin’
I’m gonna rant today. I have interviewed a lot of musicians over the years. Some of them I have connected with and remain friends with. By friends I mean we exchange phone calls, emails, text messages, etc. While with others I am sure I am forgotten as soon as the phone is hung up or the camera is turned off. Within all of this I have become privy to band business and drama. I have been asked for advice and been a sounding board for various band members. ALL OF WHICH REMAIN BEHIND THE SCENES AS IT SHOULD BE.
I have recently seen a trend in social media where fans try to involve themselves in band business. I am of the opinion that fans need to support the band and their music and leave the business to them. I, for one, am not on any bands payroll and thus I have no say in their business. It’s ok to have an opinion, and yes bands put themselves in the public eye, but negativity breeds negativity and the music world needs to come together and unite. I’m just sayin..
WHITECHAPEL Post Third “Making of Our Endless War” Video
New Album Available April 29th on
Metal Blade Records
Our Endless WarWHITECHAPEL‘s fifth full-length record and fourth for Metal Blade Records is a ruthlessly honed album that refuses to compromise on brutality; it is also by far WHITECHAPEL‘s most streamlined, atmospheric, and emotionally powerful release, pushing every aspect of their sound to the next level. The wait is almost over and in less then two weeks,Our Endless War will be released to the masses.
On release day Tuesday April 29th, hometown fans in Knoxville, TN will have a chance to meet WHITECHAPEL and pick up a copy of Our Endless Warat a special in-store autograph signing. The signing will take place at FYE at the West Town Mall located at 7600 Kingston, Pike Ste. 1464 in Knoxville, TN. The signing begins at 7:00 PM.
During the recording of Our Endless War the band shot a series of behind the scenes and in-studio videos documenting the process. Today the third episode in the series has been released. This video takes a closer looks at Phil’s performance and lyrics on the album. This album is his darkest and most personal material to date lyrically and in the video he explains the meaning behind some of the songs on the album. The clip can be viewed here:
The first episode in the series focuses on the pre-production and the band’s writing process for the new album. It can be viewed here:
The second video showcases each member sharing their part in tracking the riffs that made up the album and can be viewed here:
Earlier this week WHITECHAPEL premiered a lyric video for the song “Our Endless War” on Artist Direct. It can be viewed here:
WHITECHAPEL will hit the road this Friday April 16th as part of a string of shows leading up to the release of Our Endless War. The shows run through April 27th in Birmingham, AL with support coming from Carnifex, Within the Ruins, and Cruelhand. This run also includes an appearance at this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival.
Following those shows, WHITECHAPEL will take part in a co-headline tour DevilDriver. Support on the tour will come from Revocation, Carnifex, Rivers of Nihil and Fit For an Autopsy. The tour runs from May 17th in Denver, CO through June 23rd in Austin, TX. A complete list of dates can be found below.
The band have also confirmed an appearance at this year’s Heavy MTL Festival on August 9th as well as select headline dates around their appearance. These shows run from August 7th through August 12th.
WHITECHAPEL have created an online contest with their new single “Mono”. Vocalist Phil Bozeman has a video message for fans that are interested and would like to enter the contest, which can be viewedHERE. The object of the contest is that fans will film themselves doing a vocal cover of the new song “Mono” and then upload their videos to YouTube. The contest ends April 21st and the winner will be announced on April 22nd and will receive a grand prize package that consists of: 1 Deluxe CD Bundle of Our Endless War, a 30 minute vocal coaching lesson with Phil Bozeman via Skype and their video will be featured on Phil’s YouTube Channel.
Our Endless War Track Listing:
1. Rise
2. Our Endless War
3. The Saw is the Law
4. Mono
5. Let Me Burn
6. Worship the Digital Age
7. How Times Have Changed
8. Psychopathy
9. Blacked Out
10. Diggs Road
11. A Process So Familiar (Bonus Track)
12. Fall of the Hypocrites (Bonus Track)
WHITECHAPEL w/ Carnifex, Within The Ruins and Cruelhand
4/16: Columbus, OH @ The Basement
4/17: Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
4/18: Worcester, MA @ Palladium – New England Metal and Hardcore Fest*
4/19: Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
4/20: Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
4/22: Greensboro, NC @ Greene Street Club
4/23: Columbia, SC @ New Brooklyn Tavern
4/24: Jacksonville, FL @ Roc Bar
4/25: Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
4/27: Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
*Festival Date
WHITECHAPEL in Mexico
5/3: Zapopan, Jalosco, MX @ Calle 2 Pabellon B
5/4: Monterey NL, MZ @ Café Iguana
5/5: Mexico City, MX @ Plaza Condesa
WHITECHAPEL w/ Revocations and Rivers of Nihil:
5/14: St Louis, MO @ Fubar
5/15: Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar
WHITECHAPEL w/ DevilDriver, Revocation, Carnifex, Rivers of Nihil and Fit For An Autopsy
5/17: Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
5/18: Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
5/19: Tempe, AZ @ Marquis Theater
5/20: West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
5/21: San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
5/22: San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
5/23: Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spade
5/24: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
5/25: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factor
5/26: Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factor
5/27: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
5/29: Calgary, AB @ Marquee Beer & Market Stag
5/30: Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall
5/31: Regina, SK @ Riddell Centre
6/1: Fargo, ND @ The Venue
6/2: Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights
6/3: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
6/4: Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
6/5: Kokomo, IN @ CenterStage Bar and Grill
6/7: Knoxville, TN @ The International
6/8: Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
6/10: Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
6/11: Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar
6/12: New York, NY @ Stage 48
6/13: Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of the Living Arts
6/14: Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage
6/15: Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
6/16: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
6/17: Orlando, FL @ Firestone Live
6/18: Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
6/20: Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
6/21: Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
6/22: Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar ‘N Grill (Outside)
6/23: Austin, TX @ Mohwak
MOTÖRHEAD is BACK – First Performances Since August 2013 Kick Off to an Electrifying Start!
Rocked to a SOLD OUT Club Nokia on Friday & Coachella on Sunday
Photo by John Harrell
Undisputed rock n’ roll legends MOTÖRHEAD kicked off their first live performances since August 2013 with an electrifying bang this past weekend – performing to completely packed, sold out crowds on Friday at Club Nokia in Los Angeles and on Sunday at Coachella.
MOTÖRHEAD performed 15 songs on Friday, including top tracks ‘Ace of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’, with Slash joining in (see below for some fantastic photos from the set). The exciting set included tracks encompassing the band’s career; including a track from the band’s new album Aftershock.
As mentioned above, not only did MOTÖRHEAD bring down the house at Club Nokia, but then turned right around to rock the sold out crowd at Coachella on Sunday! “Legendary London heavy metal band MOTÖRHEAD, with special guest Slash, got the devil horns approval of fans on Sunday at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival,” states Wes Woods of the Los Angeles Daily News. In a Twitter post, Billboard adds, “MOTÖRHEAD, who have already pummeled the crowd with the heaviest riffs heard all weekend, welcome Guns N’ Roses guitar god Slash to the stage for a balls to the walls rendition of “Ace of Spades.” Any marbles Coachella had left are instantly lost.”
Apparently MOTÖRHEAD out-rocked other bands, even way across the festival grounds! According to Yahoo Music, “The roaring riffs of Slash and MOTÖRHEAD axeman Phil Campbell could be heard all the way across Coachella’s vast polo field, practically bleeding over into Arcade Fire‘s Main Stage revue.”
MOTÖRHEAD will continue to perform throughout April, including another Coachella performance on April 20th. Other stops include Chandler, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and San Francisco, CA.
MOTÖRHEAD Spring Performance Dates:
4/15 Chandler, AZ @ Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino
4/17 Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theater
4/18 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
4/20 Indio, CA @ Coachella
Photo by Alex Solca
Photo by Scott Uchida
Photo by John Harrell
Photo by John Harrell
MOTÖRHEAD is taking part in Record Store Day 2014 in a big way – offering a must-have collectible item! The band is releasing a limited and numbered special edition Aftershock picture disc vinyl, exclusively for Record Store Day on April 19th. The 180-gram picture discs are limited to 4,500 units worldwide and are individually numbered. Go to www.recordstoreday.com to find a participating Record Store Day store near you.
Catch MOTÖRHEAD performing with Megadeth and Anthrax on the first annual MOTÖRHEAD’s Motörboat cruise onboard the Carnival Ecstasy from September 22-26, 2014. In addition to these three rock giants, “The Loudest Boat In The World” will also feature performances from Zakk Wylde, Jim Breuer, Danko Jones, Fireball Ministry, Wilson,and some big surprises. More bands are set to be announced soon. Tickets for MOTÖRHEAD’s Motörboat, as well as full details and cabin pricing, are on sale now at www.MotorheadCruise.com.
MOTÖRHEAD’s Aftershock did not only act as another stellar addition to the band’s legendary catalog, but is widely regarded as one of the best musical releases of 2013. Aftershock marked MOTÖRHEAD’s biggest selling first week and highest US chart debut numbers to date.You can order Aftershock now in Limited Edition Digipack format via Amazon.com at this link. The album is also available in regular CD format and vinyl (gatefold – 180-Gram Single LP).
Change
Dead Will Rise
Needle In The Red
Under My Skin
Dellacóma Rio came to my attention as the dynamic front man of the stellar Australian group Sunset Riot. Unfortunately sunset Riot parted ways last year. Dellacóma Rio however, decided to forge ahead with his music career and reinvent himself musically. Dellacóma went to ground and worked on some new music to wow the world with. I am fortunate to have been in constant contact with Dellacóma during this transition and now have the chance to tell you about the new EP:The Dead Will Rise by the band DELLACOMA!!!
The four song EP shows a departure from the sound of Sunset Riot. Dellacóma’s sound is rougher and a bit raw, and I love it. I don’t have the EP track listing so I’ll talk about the tracks one by one. “Change” has that catchy groove that sucks you in from the get go, there is no time to ease into this track. Great harmonies augment Dellacóma’s voice and he is singing stronger than ever. The chorus will have you singing along with your fist in the air. “Dead Will Rise” slows the pace a bit showcasing the raw emotion in the voice of Dellacóma Rio. This is definitely a song worthy of raising your lighter (or lit up phone) as the song moves through its soulful guitars and melodies.
“Needle In The Red” is one of my favorite tracks off of the EP hands down. Dirty raw and nasty rawk n’ roll brings this track to life. Nice guitar hooks with plenty of wah, solid back beat, throbbing bass line combined with the power of Dellacóma Rio’s voice make this a winner “Come and get some, yeahhhh”. “Under My Skin” is the second of my favorite tracks. It begins with a drum intro worthy of some of the top arena bands of the past. This track is reminiscent of those bands we all know and love form those arena days. It’s very easy to imagine this song cranking as thousands of fans scream for more. Powerful and punchy this track will be a winner live!
Dellacóma Rio is back and he hasn’t missed a beat. His live lineup is Matt Cook on drums, Rick Reynolds on bass, and Art Struck on guitars. Dellacoma the band is hitting the road this spring in support of the new EP so keep a look out for a show near you!
Jack Flanagan, manager of GWAR has issued this official statement:
On behalf of Dave Brockie’s family, Slave Pit Inc. and GWAR, we would like to thank all the loyal fans worldwide for the outpouring of love and support shown to us over the past few days. Knowing that we have such amazing family, friends and fans is truly helping us all get through this tough time.
We are awaiting a toxicology report from the medical examiners office to confirm the cause of death. The medical examiners office has informed us that the results can take one to three months to be processed. Standard protocol exists that a toxicology procedure be performed.
We have made funeral arrangements and a private memorial has been scheduled for close friends and family.
As Dave and Oderus would have wanted, this year’s GWAR-B-Q scheduled for August 16th at Hadad’s Lake (7900 Osborne Turnpike Richmond, VA) will still take place as planned. We have scheduled the Dave Brockie public memorial to take place the day prior to the GWAR-B-Q, Friday August 15th, also at Hadad’s Lake.
More information shall be released as the details are confirmed.
You ever listen to some music and think to yourself “Wow, that sounds great!” I’m not talking about the band or the song, I’m talking about the SOUND of it. The drums are huge, the bass is punchy, the guitar tones come through, the vocals have presence, and the entire package is clean and brilliant.
So how did it get that way? Proper production that’s how. A lot of things are necessary to making a recording with great quality: the band and their songs , recording equipment and place to record, and a producer.
The pre-production process is a necessity for any recording project. This is an opportunity for the band and the producer to put their heads together and come up with a battle plan to record the band and their songs in the best way. Often times during this process the songs are reworked with the assistance of the producer in order to maximize the tracks for recording. I have spoken to producers who have told me that sometimes a band has reworked all of their songs intended for an album based upon the producers’s input.
Over the years some producers have become stars in their own right often sought out by artists for the particular “sound” that is associated with them . Does this change the band? I don’t think so, in fact, I think that a working relationship between a band and a producer over time can become a magical thing. Think of the relationship between Rick Rubin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, magic, sheer magic.
Sometimes the artist puts on the producer’s hat as well. This can work for some and be too daunting for others. I feel that this can be exhausting both physically and mentally and takes a superhuman effort to pull off.
Then there is the producer who is also a musician who does double duty, producing AND playing on project he is working on. While this sounds like it would be cool for the producer it makes me wonder if something is lost on either side because of the hard work it takes to play and produce. I know some who have pulled it off successfully, more power to them. Chris Collier and his double duty work on the Jeff Sandoval and Mike Araiza Project song “It’s All I Need” comes quickly to mind.
Here’s a piece of advice to up and coming bands: Do yourself a favor and make sure you pay attention to the production of your recordings, it will pay off in the end.
I wish to thank the following producers for the body of work they have given to the world of music: George Clinton, Roy Thomas Baker, Jerry Wexler, Jimmy Miller, Trevor Horn, Steve Lillywhite, Jeff Lynne, Jimmy Iovine, Sam Phillips, Berry Gordy, Mutt Lange, Teo Macero, Jim Steinman, Chris Thomas, Daniel Lanois, Todd Rundgren, T Bone Burnett, Arif Mardin, Brian Wilson, Brian Eno, Rick Rubin, Phil Spector, Nile Rodgers, Quincy Jones, Sir George Martin, Chris Collier, Sterling Winfield, Steve Thompson. While in no means complete, these producers quickly come to mind for me.
In conclusion, take out that favorite recording and listen to it, I mean REALLY listen to it. The mix of bass, drums, guitars, and overall presence combined with the talent of the band. Then look at the production credits, seek out the producer and thank them.
the Hellion Rocks 