Tyketto recently announced the release of their 5th studio album Reach, and revealed their first music video in 22 years, for the title track. Today, that album is officially out on Frontiers Music Srl, in celebration of Tyketto‘s 25th Anniversary. After five years of relentless touring that included playing on some of the most prestigious stages on the planet, Tyketto took their revitalized energy in to the studio in the spring of 2016. The sessions took place at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales.
Reach can be ordered and/or streamed at the following links:
Trivium has millions of album sales and many a world tour to their name (including dates at Ozzfest, Mayhem, and Download, opening slots for Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden, and extensive headline treks), and it all began with the release of their debut album Ember to Inferno in 2003. The album, which led to a major label signing with Roadrunner Records, has been out of print for years. On December 2nd, together with 5B Artist Management and Cooking Vinyl, Trivium will reissue Ember To Inferno, with a deluxe edition that includes 13 additional previously unreleased tracks.
About the album re-release, Trivium vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy says, “The purpose of this release is to show the very early beginnings of Trivium—perhaps an era unbeknownst to most listeners of the band. To look back at Ember as the starting point of Trivium becoming recognized worldwide is a staggering thought for me, considering I was 16/17 years old during the writing and recording of the record. As a kid, I always said the ‘goal’ was to be in a massive metal band. I don’t think I actually knew what it would mean to have fans in different parts of the world, and I still can’t believe people care so much that they actually want to hear the music that pre-dates our Roadrunner years. To this day, I am still completely blown away that people are singing words to songs I wrote when I was 16 years old. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Ember to Inferno will be released in four configurations, with the deluxe editions containing early demos from the band. All formats are available to order online here. The formats and their exact contents are:
Ember to Inferno — Standard CD.
Ember to Inferno — Standard Vinyl LP, which is the original album in a 2LP Gatefold on orange/black marble vinyl.
Ember to Inferno: Ab Initio — Deluxe CD, which is the original album with new artwork, plus 13 bonus tracks and expanded booklet in a digipak. The 13 bonus tracks are the band’s early demos — “Ruber” (aka the Red Demo), “Caeruleus” (aka the Blue Demo) and “Flavus” (aka the Yellow Demo).
Ember to Inferno: Ab Initio — Deluxe 5LP Box, which is five coloured LPs in a special box including the original album in a 2LP Gatefold on orange/black marble vinyl, the expanded booklet, a poster, a stencil, and 13 bonus tracks over three LPs. The 13 bonus tracks are the band’s early demos — “Ruber” (aka the Red Demo) on transparent red vinyl, “Caeruleus” (aka the Blue Demo) on transparent blue vinyl, and “Flavus” (aka the Yellow Demo) on transparent yellow vinyl.
EMBER TO INFERNO Standard Edition Track List:
1. Inception: The Bleeding Skies
2. Pillars Of Serpents
3. If I Could Collapse The Masses
4. Fugue (A Revelation)
5. Requiem
6. Ember To Inferno
7. Ashes
8. To Burn The Eye
9. Falling To Grey
10. My Hatred
11. When All Light Dies
12. A View Of Burning Empires
EMBER TO INFERNO: AB INITIO Deluxe Only Bonus Tracks:
Ruber (On Transparent Red Vinyl for Box Set)
1. Pain
2. Thrust
3. Lake Of Fire
Caeruleus (On Transparent Blue Vinyl for Box Set)
4. To Burn The Eye
5. Requiem
6. Fugue
7. My Hatred
8. The Storm
9. Sworn
10. Demon
Flavus (On Transparent Yellow Vinyl for Box Set)
11. Like Light To The Flies
12. Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies
13. The Deceived
Further information on Trivium, including upcoming tour dates as the band heads to Europe, coming off a U.S. headline tour supporting Silence In The Snow, can be found at their official website.
Enuff Z’Nuff has released the first single off their upcoming album Clowns Lounge, “Rockabye Dreamland”. You can hear the official audio of the track in the video below.
Clowns Lounge will be an album consisting of unreleased songs originally written in the 80’s by Chip Znuff and Donnie Vie, now compiled and re-recorded with Chip on lead vocals, and “Rockabye Dreamland” certainly has that unmistakable classic Enuff Z’Nuff sound.
Enuff Z’Nuff is currently on tour with Tracii Guns, and all the tour dates can be found at http://www.enuffznuff.com/. Clowns Lounge has a release date of December 2nd, 2016.
Death Metal band Obituary has shared a new song off their upcoming album Ten Thousand Ways To Die, “Visions in My Head”, via Guitar World. This new live version of the track from the band’s 2015 release Inked In Blood was recorded at Baltimore Soundstage during the Inked In Blood world tour. The track can be heard here on Guitar World, or streamed via the Relapse Records SoundCloud.
Ten Thousand Ways To Die is a special two-song single of new studio tracks, alongside an unreleased set of twelve live classics, set to be released on Relapse Records on October 21st – all leading up to the release of a new studio album in Spring 2017. The album can be pre-ordered in physical or digital form here. Other recent tracks released from Ten Thousand Ways To Die are “Intoxicated”and “Loathe”.
The release date of Ten Thousand Ways To Die, October 21st, is also the same date that Obituary will head out on a Fall European Tour, “The Battle of the Bays”, with Exodus, Prong, and King Parrot. Tour dates are as follows:
Oct 21 – Hannover, DE – Capitol
Oct 22 – Lille, FR – Aeronef
Oct 23 – Rennes, FR – L’Etage
Oct 24 – Paris, FR – Elysée Montmartre
Oct 25 – London, UK – Electric Ballroom
Oct 27 – Glasgow, UK – Garage
Oct 28 – Manchester, UK – Academy 2
Oct 29 – Birmingham, UK – 02 Academy 2
Oct 30 – Southampton, UK – Engine Rooms
Nov 01 – Antwerp, BE – Trix
Nov 02 – Tilburg, NL – O13
Nov 03 – Leuuwarden, NL – Neushoom
Nov 04 – Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall
Nov 05 – Aarhus, DK – Voxhall
Nov 06 – Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset
Nov 08 – Dortmund, DE – FZW
Nov 09 – Berlin, DE – Huxley’s
Nov 10 – Leipzig, DE – Taubchenthal
Nov 11 – Warsaw, PL – Progresja
Nov 12 – Katowice, PL – Mega Club
Nov 13 – Ostrava, CZ – Garaz
Nov 15 – Bucharest, RO – Arlene Romane
Nov 16 – Budapest, HU – Durer Kert
Nov 17 – Zagreb, HR – Tvornica Club
Nov 18 – Vienna, AT – Arena
Nov 19 – Bologna, IT – Zona Roveri
Nov 20 – Zurich, CH – Komplex
British Rock Legends UFO are teaming up with British Heavy Metallers Saxon for a special U.S. tour in Spring 2017.
UFO is coming off a sold-out 2016 tour as they head back to the U.S., with work on their 22nd studio album in progress and on the way. The band’s long-standing lineup consists of Phil Mogg (Vocals), Paul Raymond (Keyboards/Guitar), Andy Parker (Drums), Vinnie Moore (Guitar) and Rob De Luca (Bass).
On the upcoming tour, Phil Mogg states, “We are polishing the guitars, cleaning up the drums, I have a new front tooth, and our crew have bought themselves fresh mascara, some new tunes, and an airline ticket to the USA, to be joining our old pals Saxon on what will be a celebrational tour of all our favorite places. Look forward to seeing you there! Kisses, UFO.”
Saxon recently announced a live double album (set to be released in North America on October 28th), following the release of their UDR Music studio album Battering Ram earlier this year. Biff Byford (Vocals), Paul Quinn (Guitar), Nigel Glockler (Drums), Doug Scarrett (Guitar) and Tim “Nibbs” Carter (Bass) will head out on the road once again after several successful tours, including U.S. headline show and dates with Judas Priest, in support of the albums.
Biff Byford adds, “It’s great to be back on the road with UFO. The last time we toured together was in the 80’s so it should be fun and a unique package for the fans. See you in March. Keep the faith.”
Rock singer-songwriter/guitarist James Jared Nichols will also be a special guest on the tour, for all shows.
Spring 2017 tour dates are as follows:
March 9 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
March 10 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
March 11 – San Antonio, TX – Alamo City Music Hall
March 14 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
March 15 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
March 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Belasco
March 18 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove
March 19 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
March 21 – Denver, CO – Summit Concert Hall
March 24 – Sioux City, IA – Anthem at Hard Rock Casino
March 26 – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theater
March 28 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
March 29 – New York, NY – BB Kings
March 30 – New York, NY – BB Kings
April 1 – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
April 2 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
More information on each band can be found at their official websites:
Rock and Metal fans headed out on a hot day in SoCal for the first-ever SiriusXM Hair Nation Festival on September 17th, 2016. Classic Hard Rock of the 80’s (and early 90’s) was the main focus of this sunny and beautiful day, where the spirit of the Sunset Strip was alive and rockin’ at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. Hosted by Eddie Trunk, the Festival had a great turnout and made for an exhilarating event of grand proportions with its 22-band lineup.
Last year, a show known as “Cathouse Live” took place at the same location, and though this year’s Hair Nation Festival was the first of its kind, the event could almost be considered a second year of that Cathouse event, featuring a good amount of the same bands on the bill. Either way, with a stellar lineup split between a rotating Main Stage and a second stage known as the Festival Stage, the whole day was packed with non-stop sets from bands back-to-back. While this kind of overlapping setup leads to an amazing jam packed day and night of rock ‘n’ roll, it also leads to the struggle faced by many festival-goers – making decisions between which bands to see and which bands to skip in order to see the others. Personally, I did my best to catch every act, and very nearly succeeded, though there were a few I had no choice but to miss.
Ted Cendejas (Electric Hound)
Billy Cendejas (Electric Hound)
George Cendejas (Electric Hound)
The Festival kicked off with the winners of last month’s Battle for Hair Nation that took place at the Whisky a Go Go – The Aviators and Electric Hound – who were selected to open up the Main Stage and Festival Stage respectively. Festival Stage photo pass and camera in hand, I headed to the second stage pit to catch the band hailing from Hesperia, CA, Electric Hound. The trio of Ted, Billy, and George Cendejas showed a classic-tinged originality and strong talents that came through loud and clear throughout their set – I look forward to seeing what’s next for these up-and-coming rockers.
I stopped by the Main Stage after Electric Hound’s set for Tuff’s performance and happened to catch the fan favorite “American Hair Band”. The band sounded great, with a lineup of frontman (and Metal Sludge CEO) Stevie Rachelle, drummer Tod T Burr, and a special guest in the form of guitarist Howie Simon – more on that in my interview with Tuff bassist and founding member Todd “Chase” Chaisson.
Randy O. (Odin)
Aaron Samson (Odin)
Jeff Duncan (Odin)
Shawn Duncan (Odin and BulletBoys)
The second band to hit the Festival Stage was Odin. While the band doesn’t tour frequently, instead getting together for the occasional reunion show, Randy O., Jeff Duncan, and Aaron Samson, with Shawn Duncan as drummer for both Odin and BulletBoys, delivered a Heavy Metal show that demanded attention and kept hold of it from start to finish.
Britny Fox took to the Main Stage with a brief but energetic show including “In Motion”, “Louder”, and the well-known hits “Long Way to Love” and “Girlschool”. Tommy Paris’ strong voice soared and Chris Sanders smashed a guitar or two before proceeding to figuratively set one on fire with his shredding, while Billy Childs and Johnny Dee showed off their skills in a tight rhythm section. Later in the evening, I was able to catch Billy for an interview, and we discussed the latest with Britny Fox.
Unfortunately, I missed both Gabbie Rae and Junkyard, as both of these happened to take place at the same time as another interview. Gabbie Rae is a young rock singer who has played events like the M3 Rock Festival and recently opened for bands like Stryper, Kix, Vince Neil and Dokken. I did see her at M3 earlier this year, and she definitely has both talent and potential – I’m glad to see her quickly on the rise. As for Junkyard, though I wasn’t there for it, I heard later on that the band played a brand new song, “Wallet”, off an upcoming record, in addition to classic tracks like “Hollywood” and “Simple Man”.
Enuff Z’nuff was next, fronted by Chip Z’nuff, with his signature sunglasses and multicolored bass strings matching the spirited bass lines and quality vocals he brings to the stage, backed by Tony Fennell, Tory Stoffregen (guitars), and Erik Donner (drums) providing solid music and spot-on harmonies. The band took the place of Loudness, who was originally scheduled to be part of the lineup, but didn’t make it to the Festival after all. Just finishing up an interview around the time Enuff Z’nuff took the stage, I missed the first part of their set but was fortunately able to at least catch the band’s well-known (and well-loved) songs, “New Thing” and “Fly High Michelle”. Flying high on these like-new things – or songs, rather – the crowd was clearly thrilled to hear them too. Circus of Power was the focus of the Festival Stage at this time, who I only saw for a moment as they brought some East Coast Heavy Metal to an enthusiastic crowd in SoCal.
BulletBoys were up next on the Main Stage. When I talked with Frontman Marq Torien later that night, he said that it doesn’t matter if it’s for one person or a thousand, the BulletBoys go out there and perform – and that they did. A killer rock’n’roll show fully equipped with backup singers (The Pistolettes) and a brass section is what awaited those in the stands for this set, one that was packed with everything from the BulletBoys best-known “Smooth Up In Ya” and “For The Love of Money” to new tracks like “Rollover”, which were well-received – something else that Marq and I discussed during the interview. Drummer Shawn Duncan returned after his earlier performance with Odin, moving from one stage to the other to take his place with BulletBoys and joining Chad MacDonald on bass and Nick Rozz on guitar.
Joe Lesté (Bang Tango)
Lance Eric (Bang Tango)
Timmy Russell (Bang Tango)
Rowan Robertson (Bang Tango)
Another band that was also well-received was Bang Tango, banging out tracks like “Someone Like You”, “Dancin’ On Coals”, and the more recent “My Favorite 9”. Earlier in the day, I had the chance for an interview with the band, where we talked about the Bang Tango movie among other topics, including a new album that’s in the works. With the current lineup of original vocalist Joe Lesté alongside Lance Eric on bass, Rowan Robertson on guitar and Timmy Russell on drums, the band played a sturdy, heavy hard rocking set.
Next up, Vixen took the Main Stage by storm, fronted by Janet Gardner with amazing vocals, along with incredible guitar work from Gina Stiles, strong and proud bass lines of Share Ross, and powerful percussion by drummer Roxy Petrucci. “Cryin’” and “Edge of a Broken Heart” were some highlights of the show, but if there’s one thing that anyone who’s had the opportunity to see them live will learn, it’s that any song is always sure to be a great performance from this dynamic and energetic band.
Steve Summers (Pretty Boy Floyd)
Ben Graves (Pretty Boy Floyd)
JK Famous (Pretty Boy Floyd)
Kristy Majors (Pretty Boy Floyd)
At this point in the day, as much I would have liked to be in two places at once and see the full sets of both Pretty Boy Floyd on the Festival Stage and Faster Pussycat on the Main Stage, the best I could do was split my time between them, managing to make it to some of Faster Pussycat’s show a little later on. While I’ve experienced the power of Pussycat live before (and what a power it is – don’t hesitate to catch them live whenever you can), Pretty Boy Floyd was a first, and didn’t disappoint. With the hard and heavy yet oh-so-catchy “Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz” as an opener, the band amplified the day’s overall feeling of glam-style decadence. Proudly holding up a bottle of Coldcock Whiskey, frontman Steve Summers enlivened the audience with a shout of “I want Faster Pussycat to hear you guys over there!” – eventually Steve tossed aside the whiskey and abandoned the stage, jumping off and joining us in the pit to get up close and personal with the audience. All the while, founding guitarist Kristy Majors, bassist JK Famous, and drummer Ben Graves each brought their talents to the table while keeping the music and fun going on stage.
Meanwhile, Faster Pussycat delivered songs like “Slip of the Tongue” and “Bathroom Wall” with all the self-proclaimed “sleaze” they’re known for, even while showing a softer side in “House of Pain”. Original Frontman Taime Downe belted out song after song over the grooves laid down by bassist Danny Nordahl, fitting in with Chad Stewart’s unbeatable drum work while leaving room for the sturdy rhythms and solos of impressive and in-your-face guitarists Xristian Simon and Ace Von Johnson.
The arrival of L.A. Guns to close out the second stage was highly-anticipated and drew in what was probably the largest crowd the festival grounds saw all day and night. If you’ve seen the Phil Lewis-fronted L.A. Guns recently, this was not quite the lineup you’d anticipate – the lineup that includes Steve Riley and Kenny Kweens – as indicated by the way the band was billed: “L.A. Guns’ Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns”. The makings of an onstage reunion between Phil and Tracii has been in the works for a while, and this show was among the first to make it happen this year. As to be expected, they were met with many thrilled fans at the festival excited to see this reunion in action. The show also made for what was essentially a hybrid band lineup, combining Phil Lewis’ current L.A. Guns (Phil himself alongside guitarist Michael Grant) with members of Tracii Guns’ own band (bassist Johnny Martin, drummer Shane Fitzgibbon, keyboardist Walter Ino), who all added something unique and effective to the overall sound. The guitar work between Michael and Tracii was a great combo, as they traded riffs and solos, each displaying phenomenal talents in their own way, while Phil’s outstanding voice and stage presence remains brilliant as ever. Phil and Tracii each chose a particular song to bring to the stage – Tracii’s choice was the opener “Killing Machine”, while Phil decided on “Don’t Look at Me That Way”. “Never Enough”, “Rip and Tear”, and “Over the Edge” were among other favorites to make it onto the setlist.
Phil Lewis (L.A. Guns)
Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns)
Michael Grant (L.A. Guns)
Recalling the show later on, I was surprised to realize it only lasted for about eight or so songs – the amount of vigorous enthusiasm and rock ‘n’ roll action emitting from that stage, filling the festival grounds with a buzzing exuberance, felt as satisfying as a full two-hour concert that fed the “gypsy souls” of those who had the pleasure of seeing them.
The overlapping set struggle strikes again – if you were by the second stage during this time, you probably missed most of Lita Ford and Slaughter, but I did manage to hear some of Lita Ford (whose birthday was celebrated onstage by Eddie Trunk during the show) and the well-executed performances of songs like “Gotta Let Go” and “Close My Eyes Forever” show her “Larger Than Life” talents are not to be questioned. A quick run back to the Main Stage shortly after the L.A. Guns set gave me a brief glimpse of Yngwie Malmsteen before I headed to another interview. Needless to say, even just a glimpse of the legendary virtuoso never fails to impress, and that would be an understatement. With a setlist joining together classical covers and the Star Spangled Banner alongside Yngwie’s shredding metal originals, the fury was released and unleashed on Irvine that night.
Emerging from the trailers backstage after some interviews, I was just in time to hear one of my favorite Kix songs, “Cold Blood”, which was dealt beside plenty of other hits and deep tracks dished out by this electrifying and always fun band. It’s almost difficult to put into words the sheer energy level this band consistently radiates every time you see them – something best experienced rather than described. That energy kept going when the Bret Michaels Band arrived, including a recent addition, bassist Eric Brittingham, formerly of Cinderella. One Poison song after another got just about everyone up and moving, encouraged by all the movement on stage during the upbeat and energetic delivery of songs like “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Look What The Cat Dragged In”, and of course, the mega-hit “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” led into “Nothin’ But A Good Time” as their show came to an end. A little Lynyrd Skynrd was also part of the show, with a cover of “Sweet Home Alabama”.
The last act of the Main Stage and of the night was headliner Vince Neil, with a backing band consisting of the current lineup of Slaughter pulling double-duty in both bands – Dana Strum (bass), Jeff “Blando” Bland (guitar) and Zoltan Chaney (drums). Two different sets in just a few hours may seem like a lot for any band, but not a single member showed any signs of it, playing with a fresh energy while bringing the event to a close. Vince has kept the Mötley Crüe songs going live and going strong, even post-The End. A touch of Zeppelin made its way in with “Whole Lotta Love”, but the audience was treated to a mostly Mötley show, complete with Mötley Crüe hits like “Dr. Feelgood” to start things off, “Home Sweet Home” which had everyone singing along, and “Kickstart My Heart” to get the adrenaline rushing up to the very end with the high-energy closer “Wild Side”.
As one of the last shows ever to take place at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater before its permanent closure at the end of this concert season, the Hair Nation Festival undoubtedly hit a high note and set a standard that’s hard to beat. Eddie Trunk mentioned at the close of the Festival that there will be another one next year, the location of which is to be determined – absolutely something to look forward to, though Irvine Meadows will be missed. This celebration of Classic Hard Rock and Glam Metal made for a fantastic event all around, and I’m sure I’m not alone in saying my sights are already set on next year’s show.
Left to right: Shawn Duncan, Nick Rozz, Chad MacDonald, Marq Torien
The BulletBoys have been busy with the release of their album Elefanté last year sparking a new music video and plenty of tour dates, and one stop along the way was the SiriusXM Hair Nation Festival. I had the opportunity to talk with founding frontman Marq Torien after their set at the Festival, and catch up on the latest goings-on with the band.
How’s the festival been treating you so far? You had an awesome set earlier.
Oh, thank you, it’s been great. A lot of family here, you know, we grew up here so this feels like we’re playing in our backyard.
Were you able to catch any of the other great shows that have been going on today?
You know, I haven’t, which really makes me bummed out, but I’ve been doing a lot of interviews, which is great. I’m actually getting ready to see Kix, and those guys are really good friends of mine, you know, Steve and stuff…I’ve probably got to run up on stage and give him a big kiss for his birthday.
A kiss for Kix? (laughs)
(laughs) Yeah, hell yeah, I love those guys, man. You know, they’re still really doing it and performing, and that’s a big thing for us, it doesn’t matter if it’s one [person] or one thousand, you go out there and perform – not too many folks are doing that these days. But Kix is, which is cool.
And I think you guys are too, definitely.
Thank you, man, that’s the only way I know how to do it.
Elefanté is the most recent BulletBoys album, and you guys have been doing a lot to support it for the past year and including a lot of the songs in your live set, what kind of reception have you been getting from that?
That’s what our fans want to hear as of late, yeah! Plus some of the old ones, but they’re always asking me, “Man, we want to hear ‘Tsunami’”, “We want to hear ‘Kinfolk’”. You know, they want to hear deep cuts from the record, which really just warms our hearts, because we’re going like, “wow, people really got this record”, which is great, you know? So it’s really cool and we’re actually playing a lot of the new record Elefanté on this next tour, and we’re going to be coming to the East Coast in a couple of weeks.
You have some backup singers on stage, The Pistolettes, and one of them, Marq, if I’m not mistaken, is your sister, right? I get the impression you’ve got a pretty musical family.
Oh yeah, all of us come from a real musical family. Very blessed by my mother and father who are amazing musicians, and we all just kind of followed suit in our own ways, you know? But it was really cool to have my sister up there on stage today, and it’s the first time ever, so it was rad. Yeah, her name’s Nicole, and it was great having the other two gals up there too, Yoli and C.J., man, they’re just awesome. They really rehearsed hard and did a lot of work for the show, and had a lot of fun.
With great results.
Yeah, totally, thank you.
So do you have a favorite song to play live?
As of late, “Symphony” is my favorite song to play live. We didn’t play it tonight because we were a little short on time, so we had to keep it short, loud and proud, you know? But, “Symphony”, I think with all the guys too, that’s one of our favorites to play live. That, and you know, everybody goes “you ever get tired of it?” and I’m like, “Nah! I love playing ‘Smooth Up’”, it’s just one of those tunes that’s fun to play, we have a good time with it.
Of course! It’s a great song. So you mentioned the tour just now, you’re heading to the East Coast, and then you actually have a few shows in Guam, which is interesting, not that common of a destination for tour dates.
Absolutely, it’s our first time out there. I’m really looking forward to it because we’re going to be playing three shows out there, I believe they’re all sold out, we’re being brought over there to play for some of our troops that are out there. We’re big supporters of all our fighting men and women out there, we love them very, very much and…thank you for doing what you do for us and keeping us safe.
Very nice…Now, on a final note here, I’ve heard that you’ve signed with Frontiers Music now for two more records – exciting news, what can we expect to hear from you guys in the future?
We’ll be doing a new record and releasing it hopefully sometime in February of next year…
Right around the corner!
Yeah! Right around the corner, but we’re really working hard on it, we’re going into pre-production in November, so it should hopefully be ready by the end of the year. It’ll be out on Frontiers Srl, and we’re really excited. So, shout out to Frontiers for signing us and giving us the opportunity to put out some great music.
Definitely something to look forward to. Well, thank you for taking the time to sit here and talk with me, Marq, this has been really great.
Photo by Mark Weiss. Left to right: Johnny Dee, Chris Sanders, Billy Childs, Tommy Paris
Britny Fox founding member Billy Childs has been the bassist of the band since its formation in 1985. After the release of four total studio albums over a number of years, the band went on a hiatus of sorts – Recently, they returned and hit the road, playing shows and festivals worldwide with a new guitarist in tow. The evening of the Hair Nation Festival, I was able to catch Billy for an interview, where we discussed the latest with Britny Fox, including the potential for a new album and some of Billy’s activities outside the band.
First off, awesome set from you guys earlier, it was really great to see you out there delivering a great show. How are you feeling after that?
Oh, it was great, man, I wish — we kind of got cut short, I think we only played like four tunes, right? Five or four? I think it was only four tunes.
I wasn’t keeping track since I was enjoying it so much, I’ll be honest. (laughs)
(laughs) Well, thank you. It was short and sweet, I guess.
There you go. So, I want to go back a little to the origins of this lineup, the four of you guys. You know, three originals from other lineups with a new addition to the band, Chris. Can you just tell me more about how you got here to this lineup as it is?
Well, this is essentially…I mean, it was me and Johnny, Michael and Dean started out, you know, then of course, Dean left and that’s when Tommy came in, that’s the Bite Down Hard lineup. Also, we did an album called Springhead Motorshark, which was actually pretty good, man, it was different for us, but it’s not bad, it’s grown on me. So, it was that lineup, and we got back together to do this, basically, and Michael didn’t want to be involved anymore. I mean, people move on, people get older, they have different interests and shit, so…I’d known Chris for about ten years and thought he wasn’t exactly the prototypical guitar player that you would imagine for a band like us, I mean, we’re basically a blues-based Hard Rock band, you know? And I thought it would be neat, I thought it would work out well, and I think it has. I think he fits in good with us, he puts up with our shit, ‘cause we’re fuckin’ crazy, you know?
But fuckin’ crazy can be fun.
It can be fun, it can be rather trying at times too.
True. So, there was some recent talk about a new album coming from you guys, that you’ve been spending time in studio – any further word, where do you stand with that now?
We’re working on stuff, we had offers, but…You know, we have to really want to do it, we’re trying to decide how to do it, like…at this point, doing an album for us? Yeah, it could turn into that, but the amount of work that would have to go in to putting out an album, I mean, we’re used to doing big studio albums, basically, so for us to just throw something together, I don’t think any of us want to do that. So we want to put the time in and make it as good as anything we ever did, we just don’t want it to be half as good as something we did before, quality-wise, production-wise, anything like that. So we’re kind of leaning more toward releasing one song at a time at this point, you know? But really we’re just more concerned with playing and just existing as well, you know, we’re kind of just feeling out what’s happening.
Well, whenever the album gets completed –
It’s an “if”, not a “when”. But we’ll see.
Got it. So the other guys in the band are also doubling in other bands, Johnny with Doro, Chris in Knight Fury, Tommy has Count’s 77, what do you have going on outside Britny Fox?
I mean, we were together for a little over two years before anybody knew about anything, because I was playing with a band called Get The Led Out, which is one of the highest-grossing rock bands in the country at the moment. And I really didn’t think I was going to do this, anytime I had a little bit of time, something got booked, you know? I was playing places like Red Rocks, Wolf Trap…So then, I had suffered an injury, actually, I hurt my back pretty bad. I kept doing Get The Led Out for another eight months after that and it just got to be where I had to shut down for about a year. And I’m getting better, I’m definitely getting better now, but let me tell you, don’t fuck up your back, man, it’s rough.
As long as you’re getting better, though, that’s good.
That’s what I’m hoping.
So there’s something coming up for you guys, The Monsters of Rock Cruise, “Monsterwood” it’s called…is this the first time Britny Fox has done a cruise ship show?
Yeah it is, actually, and it’s the first time I’ve been on a cruise ship show…I don’t like boats, man, I…don’t know.
First time you’ve been on a cruise ship show, or first time on a cruise ship at all?
I’ve never been on a cruise ship, but I’ve been on the big ferries in Europe when we tour over there, and people have always told me “Oh, you won’t get sick on these, dude, these are big like ships” and I’m like “Okay, cool” – I’ve been sick from the moment I got on ‘til the minute I walked off. Now, little boats don’t bother me, I was on the Good Ship Lollipop when I was a kid, you ever heard of the Good Ship Lollipop? That was down in Jersey! I was on that, and I was sick from the moment I got on ‘til the minute I got off. So, I don’t know what it is, I can be in speedboats, I can be fishing in like a bass boat or something, but when you put me in a big boat, man, I get sick. So I don’t know, I’m hoping this one’s different. I mean, this ship looks really big.
Yeah, I haven’t been on one myself, but…I don’t know, hopefully you’ll be all right for it! (laughs)
(laughs) Yeah, I’m kind of scared, I’m gonna have a pocketful of Dramamine, I can tell you that.
So here right now, at the Hair Nation Festival, there’s plenty of bands playing, and I’m sure you guys know a lot of them, was there anyone you were most looking forward to seeing today at this show?
Oh, man, I’ve been seeing these guys a lot for years doing these, I started with Rocklahoma in ’07, and I mean, some of these guys…I’ve known Chip Z’Nuff forever, I’ve done numerous tours with him. There’s so many of these guys, it’s a lot easier for me to list the ones I don’t know than the ones I do know.
Got you. Well, I won’t keep you for too much longer, so to wrap things up here, aside from the album we discussed earlier, can you give an idea of what’s coming up for Britny Fox?
Well, I mean, it’s really hard to say at this point. We want to exist and we want to keep playing shows, and we’d like to record, it just gets down to an issue of whether it’s fiscally possible to do that, you know? It gets to that for everybody. It’s the kind of thing where we’ll hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, you never know. It’s a funny business, man.
Well, I know you said the album was an “if”, so if the album does come about, I’m looking forward to hearing it, and otherwise, looking forward to seeing you guys perform again the future.
Well, thank you, it’s like I always say, the reason that we haven’t released anything is just because our standards are just really high. We don’t want to give up an inch from what we used to sound like. Guaranteed, if you hear something coming out from us, I think you’re probably going to want to hear it, because we’re not going to have it any other way. If it’s not that good, you’ll never hear it.
Awesome. Well, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me, this was great talking with you.
Joe, Timmy, and Rowan of Bang TangoLance of Bang Tango
About an hour before their show, I had the chance to sit down and talk with Bang Tango backstage at the Hair Nation Festival. The current lineup of Bang Tango is Joe Lesté (vocals), Lance Eric (bass), Rowan Robertson (guitar), Timmy Russell (drums), and Drew Fortier (guitar). Drew wasn’t there for the Festival, but he (or at least the mention of him) ended up playing a big part in this interview nonetheless.
You’re about to take the stage in just a little while for your set here at the Hair Nation Festival, how’s everything going today?
Lance: We’re doing well. We were here last year, and it’s good to be back again.
Joe: It’s awesome, it’s great to be back here again and this place rocks, everybody’s rockin’. You know, I think everybody in this kind of music, it’s all about love and peace and having a good time and rockin’…Because we’re all at that age where we don’t really have a choice. (laughs) It ain’t like it used to be. But anyway, I’m going to pass it on to Rowan Robertson from Dio.
Rowan: It’s great, it’s really good to see all our friends, and we get to play in front of a killer audience, it’s just a load of fun. We’re happy to be here again for another year.
Timmy: You know what, the rest of the guys all said everything I was going to say, so it worked out, you know?
(laughs) All right. Whenever you guys play a Bang Tango show, is there any one song that you always look forward to bringing to the stage?
Lance: Yeah, for me it’d be “My Favorite 9”, I like that. That song was on an album that didn’t get released in America, but it did really well in Europe, Love After Death. But I really look forward to playing that song, I like the groove of it. Then actually, the song we open up with is really good. So yeah, that’s my favorite. Here’s Tim Russell!
Timmy: Not Tim Russert! You know, I think every song we play is something, that’s why it’s in the setlist. There’s a whole catalog of songs we could play, but we narrowed it down to the ones we like to play live. To me, everything that’s in the set is a favorite and that’s why it’s in the set and I think I’ll say that for everybody. What do you think there, Rowan?
Rowan: Yeah, I like playing them all. One that comes to mind is “Attack of Life”, I love playing that, that’s got a killer Zeppelin-y kind of riff.
And speaking of “Attack of Life”, something I definitely want to ask you about is the Bang Tango movie, “Attack of Life”. How did the idea to make a documentary of the band even come up in the first place?
Lance: A good friend of ours, Drew, actually he’s our rhythm guitarist, he’s not with us today, but…he was a fan of the band and he wanted to start filming us, he filmed it for about four years and he kind of just wanted to document everything. It was in Chicago, a lot of it was recording the Pistol Whipped In The Bible Belt album, and he just got a lot of candid stuff, put together this movie, and we watched it a couple times, got some editing done with it. I don’t even know if it’s really out, it’s kind of just on YouTube now, so…check it out, I mean, it’s fun, it is what it is.
Timmy: Yeah, pretty much what Lance said, it’s on YouTube, and whether or not it’s going to be released…I think it’s still a work in progress.
Got it, so there might be more additions to it, or…?
Timmy: I think there might be some added, new stuff, but you never know. Like I said, it’s a work in progress, I think.
Yeah, so Drew was the one behind it, and he also did the music videos for the last Bang Tango album, right?
Lance: Yeah, there was some footage from that actual movie, he kind of compiled it. We were in the studio in Chicago for about three weeks and he was there every single day. He would bring a couple cases of Stella and a bottle of Jaeger and get us drunk then sit there and film us. (laughs) He followed us around Chicago for about three weeks and got a lot of that crazy footage, but yeah, he did all those videos.
That must have been interesting to have someone who once shot your music videos to then become a member of the band.
Lance: He grew on us. We couldn’t get rid of him.
Rowan: He’s a fun guy.
Lance: He actually is a saxophonist, and we had to teach him how to play guitar because that’s the only position we had to fill…I’m really kidding. But yeah, he grew on us, and we kept him in the band. Unfortunately not with us today, but…he’ll be back.
Joe: All I’m thinking is, we’ve never let some guy we don’t even know talk for our band before.
Timmy: Right? (laughs)
Joe: (to Lance) You! (laughs) He’s just answering stuff, going on like, (mockingly) “You know, then he played saxophone…” (laughs) No, we love Drew, he’s cool, man. He’s a great kid. To be honest with you, it was straight up – he’s such a big fan, and he said he was in a Led Zeppelin cover band, and I went “What do you do?” and he goes “Oh, I’m the guitar player”. And so, we’re fortunate to have him, he’s just not here for these next couple of shows…he’s having a baby.
(jokingly) He personally is?
Joe (seriously): He personally is.
Timmy: It’s an experimental surgery.
Joe: It’s experimental. We said the only way our band could become big is if one of us got pregnant, and Drew stood right up and Lance jumped up first, so…
You’d get a hell of a lot of publicity out of that.
Joe: Well, I don’t know, but…three of us left the room and now Drew’s pregnant. (bursts out singing “You’re Having My Baby”)
(laughs) Oh man. So, Lance, I also want to ask you to talk a bit about your other band, Color of Chaos.
Lance: It’s just an original band back where I live, back home in Phoenix. We’re just having fun writing, guys I’ve known for about twenty years, we’re just having fun playing in Phoenix is all it is. Just regular rock ‘n’ roll.
And another band I want to bring up is Beautiful Creatures, anything going on with that lately?
Lance: This one’s for you, Timmy.
Timmy: Oh boy, I got to answer the Beautiful Creatures questions? You know, we haven’t done anything with Creatures in many years, so…there’s really not much to talk about. Joe, you want to elaborate on that at all? It was something we did and…how long’s it been, now?
Joe: Oh, it’s been years. We don’t have any plans for that at the moment, because we’re currently writing a new [Bang Tango] record that we’re really happy with, and Rowan and I and the rest of the guys said, “Let’s go with more of a Beautiful Creatures vibe on this one”. And it’s still me singing either way, but this one has more of an edge to it, and I think it sounds badass. We don’t have anything to play for anybody, but I just know that’s the direction I can give you, that vibe for now. (mock announcer voice as he hands microphone to Lance) And back to you, Bob.
Actually, Rowan, I wanted to ask you a question too – of course, you’re in Bang Tango now but you used to be in Dio –
Joe: What?!
— I was just wondering if you’d heard anything about the Ronnie James Dio hologram, and I’d like to get some of your thoughts on that.
Rowan: Oh, well, I saw it on YouTube and I think it went great. I’ve heard a lot of positive things about it, it looked like it was a big success to me. Yeah, I think it’s a great idea.
And coming back to today since we’re here at the Festival, are there any other bands, any of your friends that you guys were really looking forward to seeing today?
Rowan: I wanted to see Yngwie, ‘cause I’m a guitar nerd.
Lance: Nerd!
Rowan: But I don’t think we’ll be able to since we’re doing an interview around then. I wanted to see Loudness, I think they were playing – weren’t they playing?
They were playing but something happened – I don’t know what – and they’re not on the lineup now.
Rowan: Aww, yeah.
But Enuff Z’Nuff is taking their place.
Rowan: Oh! Okay.
Lance: Cool.
Timmy: That’s fantastic!
Joe: Hell yeah.
Rowan: But yeah, anyway, we know loads of these guys so it’s all like one big reunion.
There you go. Well, that’s about all I’ve got for you guys, so thank you all for taking the time to sit down with me for this interview.
[The interview came to a close here, with assorted “thank you’s” from the band.]
Cover of Tuff’s album featuring recent lineup and look – Todd pictured left.Early afternoon at the Hair Nation Festival, Tuff was one of the bands that kicked off all the action. Later that night, I got an interview with Tuff bassist and founding member Todd “Chase” Chaisson and we talked about everything from Tuff to Todd’s bass-playing family and his food truck – featuring a surprise guest appearance.
Festivals seem to be what’s going on with Tuff lately – you had 80’s in The Park last month, Farm Rock coming up, Monsters of Rock Cruise next month and of course you’re here at Hair Nation Festival today. Pretty busy schedule, you guys pumped to be out there playing these festivals?
This is kind of like our bread and butter. Tuff doesn’t tour all year long, say, for example, like a Faster Pussycat or whoever. We do 15, 20, 30 dates a year and they’re all flyaway dates, because I live in Cleveland, the band’s based out of Los Angeles, so…I fly in, we do this type of show, I go back to Cleveland, I come back, we do the Monsters of Rock Cruise, I fly and go back, we do Farm Rock…it’s that kind of thing. I love this, which is good for me, and good for us. We’re not an everyday band anymore as far as touring or being active that way. So I love this, this is my kind of jam, and we have a private space where we can do our thing, run away and do our life thing, come back and do this thing, so it’s all good.
Good, so you prefer this kind of thing rather than touring regularly?
You know, if I was 18, I’d love to be touring regularly, or if I was 25, or whatever age is appropriate to be out there just hammering it down, but I’ve done that. Tuff is about to be thirty years old, so I’ve done this a long time. And for me, it’s good to do the flyaway dates. Being in this environment doesn’t bother me, it’s not that it’s bothersome for the band, we love this, we feed on this, but you know, we’re not the biggest band in the world. Tonight was probably the biggest stage we ever played on. So to come out and do these shows is the perfect environment for us, we do this 20-30 times a year, and it works out just great.
Awesome. So you mentioned Tuff is about to be 30 years old, doing anything special for the 30th Anniversary at all?
Probably spaghetti and pizza.
You know what, that’s always great, though.
…which is great for me. But, I mean, I don’t know. Everybody wants to know if we’re going to do another record, or if we’re going to do new music, and…it’s always on the table to do something like that, but when people come to see Tuff, they want to hear what they know Tuff for. So they want to hear “American Hair Band”, “All New Generation”, “Good Guys Wear Black”, stuff like that, so we feed them what they want to be fed, and we do the job that needs to be done.
So I do want to ask you about your musical background, what got you into music originally, pre-Tuff and all, how’d you get into it?
I come from a trilogy of bass players, so…I’m the baby, my brother just older than me is Kenny, he was in Keel, and my oldest brother Greg is in Badlands. So, all of us bass players all the time. My oldest brother Greg, who, in my opinion, and probably in a lot of people’s opinions, is the greatest bass player in the world, to me, for heavy metal. You know, there’s Billy Sheehan, there’s Geezer Butler, and there’s Greg Chaisson. Greg, who just beat cancer. He had Stage 4 cancer recently, and he beat it.
That’s amazing that he beat it, wow.
He’s a tough guy…no pun intended.
Hey, “Tuff”, right. (laughs)
Right. But, it all came from him, so you know, he grew up listening to Sweet, or…not really sure what Greg’s playlist is. He did something on Facebook where he listed all of his favorite bass players, of which I don’t know any of them because mine are a second generation after that, like…Michael Anthony, Geezer Butler, Steve Harris, those are my guys. And probably many of Kenny’s guys too – Greg’s a different generation beyond that, before us. But if I see Greg playing bass, I’m just like “Are you fucking kidding me” – and this is Howie Simon!
[At this moment, the trailer door opens and guitarist Howie Simon pokes his head in and proceeds to give me a stare I can best describe as a glaring side-eye of suspicion…this was the exchange that followed:
Todd: Hi, Howie, come on in! You need a refresher.
Howie: No, no, no, I just…I saw people in here, I’m making sure nobody’s stealing…
Todd: Howie came in here earlier and there was a bunch of people in here stealing all of our gear.
Me: Oh my God, really?
Todd: (shakes his head “no”)
Howie: Yep, that’s why. I saw something, and…
[Howie’s suspicious glare intensifies as a long silence ensues and grows more awkward by the moment]
Todd: (laughs)
Me: (laughs) …All right. Listen, I’m okay, you can trust me.
Todd: I can’t wait to see the translation of this from audio to…however this is done.
Me: It’s going to be transcribed. I’ve got to figure out a description for that look.
Todd (while grabbing his phone): Right? Hold on, Howie, come here!
[Todd is now trying to get a picture to capture “that look” while Howie is leaving the trailer, protesting and refusing to let Todd take the picture. Todd eventually wins and gets a picture, but promises that it’s just for himself. Howie has now left, and Todd and I proceed with the interview as we were.]
Todd: 80’s Hair Metal…well, Howie’s actually not Hair Metal, Howie sat in with us this weekend, he’s from Alcatrazz, and he’s a guitar shredder legend type of guy, so he’s awesome. He’s sitting in with us this weekend, and he’s going to do some shows with us in December, so this is…my first experience dealing with Howie on the road.
Got you. Well, I think you’ve learned a little something now – don’t know what, but…
Well, he’s protective, so I like that.
That’s good, yeah. He’ll watch your gear for you.
So, how I came to be in music? It was a rainfall of brother to brother to brother, we’re all bass players, and I couldn’t be more fortunate.
Todd, in addition to playing in Tuff, you’ve also got a food truck, Smokin’ Rock n’ Roll, talk to me about that, how’d you get started with it?
Well, Smokin’ Rock n’ Roll is me and Billy Morris. Billy Morris was the guitar player in Warrant for ten years, he lives in Cleveland, he was Jani Laine’s best friend and he’s now my best friend. Jani, unfortunately, is gone and I’ve stepped in and taken Billy’s heart, Billy’s my boy. So I moved to Cleveland five years ago after living in LA for 25 years, I met my wife on tour in Cleveland, and then we moved back to Cleveland after living in LA for a number for years. So, we’re in the studio doing some Tuff stuff, and talking about food, and I’m…not bragging, but I’m a fantastic home cook. I can do some shit. And Billy’s a fantastic home barbeque guy, so we talked and I had a concept for a food truck, he had a concept for a food truck, and together we came up with Smokin’ Rock n’ Roll. Actually, that wouldn’t be fair – he came up with Smokin’ Rock n’ Roll and I said I can work with that. So Smokin’ Rock n’Roll’s all about Heavy Metal, or Hard Rock – 80’s Hard Rock – and food. We’ve got sandwiches called the Master of Piglets, Look What The Pig Dragged In, Judas Beef, The Boss, Fleetwood Mac-and-cheese, stuff like that.
That’s cool, I was looking at the website and saw those on the menu, and I thought, “Okay, now that is really clever”, I wanted to ask you, who came up with the names, was it you two guys together?
A little bit of us, but probably, I’ve got to give credit to my wife. She’s very creative so she comes up with a lot, like, we have a mascot, the truck is all outlined with a pig and fire and guitars and stuff, so she’s like, “We should call him Shredder”, since we shred pork, and I’m like, “That’s great!”. But our top dish, our signature dish is our Judas Beef, which is two beef brisket sliders with honey red cabbage, horseradish aioli and peppered pickle chips. And they’re awesome. So, the food truck thing, me and Billy, we love cooking, we love music, so how could we combine the two things we love together, and take that to the street ‘cause we’re street guys. You know, music is being on the street, and food is being on the street these days if you’re going to do the food truck. The food truck has been wildly successful for us.
There’s a food truck rock carnival in New Jersey this month, the second year of it, any plans to check that out at all?
I would love to do that, but we’re so busy in Cleveland that I don’t have to go anywhere. And Cleveland is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Capital of the world, which is weird because when we’re in Cleveland, there’s some trucks that have a slight rock ‘n’ roll theme to them, but nobody is really doing the rock ‘n’ roll thing, so Billy being the guitar player for Warrant for ten years, me being the founding member of Tuff, combining all of that into Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, and beef and pork, and all of that stuff, we really don’t have to go anywhere because we’re busy 80-120 hours out of the week.
That’s great, and busy equates successful in most cases, so that’s a good thing.
We’re very successful and we’re blessed. Billy’s not with us this weekend, normally Billy would be with us. It just so happens that Billy has to run the truck, and I’m here. So Billy will do the Cruise with us in two weeks, The Monsters of Rock Cruise, and Howie won’t be with us, but right now Howie was available. So, Billy’s running the truck, I’m doing the band thing, but it all rolls back into the joint partnership of Smokin’ Rock ‘n’ Roll, Tuff, Warrant, Heavy Metal, and food.
So back to this festival, today, did you have a chance to check out any of the other bands, and I’ve actually been asking everyone this but, anyone you were looking forward to seeing today?
You know, I really wanted to see Vain, but we’re on a rotating stage on the Main Stage, so they were on right after us, so I did not get to see Vain, which was disappointing. I’ve seen all these guys and, we were talking with the guys from SiriusXM earlier about what it means to be here and be involved in this, and it’s like a family reunion. I can walk up and down this trailer park, and I’ll see Chad from Faster Pussycat, I’ll see Chip from Enuff Z’Nuff, I saw Bret Michaels on the side of the stage, who wrote a song on our record. So, we see all these guys, I mean, I look forward to seeing all of them, but everybody’s here working, so…there’s not really a chance to break away and go see anything. If I’m going to be honest, the only band I took a minute to go see was Pretty Boy Floyd. Steve [Summers] and Stevie [Rachelle] are really good friends, and I love Pretty Boy Floyd, so that’s really the only band I got to see tonight. I wanted to see Vixen, I really wanted to see Yngwie, but we were doing the meet-and-greet, but I just want to see Yngwie tear that shit up.
Yngwie’s amazing, honestly.
I can imagine! I’ve never seen him! And he was on during our meet-and-greet, so I did not get to see Yngwie.
And I actually had another interview during Yngwie’s set, so I missed most of it. I’ve seen him once before though.
I’ve only seen him on YouTube, you know, doing orchestra shit and stuff like that, and I’m just like, “Ohhh, I can’t WAIT to see Yngwie” but then…meet-and-greet…
Oh, so close yet so far. Isn’t the meet-and-greet area right around there too?
Well, we were probably sitting right behind him, but I couldn’t hear him because, you know, there’s just a line of people coming down. But, you know, I love to see Vixen, and…any band on the roster here tonight, I would love to see. But the only band I cut out in literally two songs worth of time was Pretty Boy Floyd.
Well, at least you caught some of something you wanted to see.
Yeah, but Yngwie would have been at the top of my list. Him and Kix, which we’re probably missing right now.
Oh yeah, Kix is out there now.
But, I’m with Kix in Dallas in December, so I’ll catch up.
So just to close things off, give an idea of what to expect coming up from Tuff in the near future.
Again, we’re a part-time band at this point, so, Stevie has his life…me and Stevie are Tuff, so we do our 15-30 shows a year, and we’re doing Hair Nation live right now, Monsters of Rock Cruise in a week and a half from now, Rock ‘n’ Skull in October…and that’s what we do. We could write new songs, but they just want to hear “Hair Band”, “All New Generation”, “I Hate Kissing Goodbye”, and I’m happy to play those songs whenever I get a chance to do that.
Nice. All right, thanks for taking the time to talk with me.
Between a recent Central Park concert and private Webster Hall club show, Metallica has been spending some time in the New York area lately – on September 29th, the band stopped by the NBC studio with a new track entitled “Moth Into Flame” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “Moth Into Flame” is off Metallica’s upcoming double album, Hardwired…to Self-Destruct, which was announced last month and is set to be released on November 18th via Blackened Recordings. The band also took part in a web exclusive feature “Tales from Tour”, sharing stories from the road: the video is on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon YouTube Channel.
You can watch Metallica’s performance of “Moth Into Flame” in the video below:
Napalm Records labelmates, the Swedish Heavy Metal band Hammerfall and Dutch Symphonic Metal band Delain, will head out on the road in spring of 2017, co-headlining a North American tour.
Hammerfall will be supporting their highly anticipated tenth studio album and Napalm Records debut Built to Last, which will be released November 4th. On the upcoming tour, Guitarist Oscar Dronjak says, “We haven’t done a proper tour in North America since 2010, so I hope the fans realize how unique this is for both us and them. This is very exciting! Get ready for one hell of a heavy metal party each and every night!”
Delain has recently released their well-received album Moonbathers, and will incorporate songs from the record for the first time on this tour, while still including fan favorites in the set. This will also be the first time that fans will be treated to a proper Delain headline show, as explained by frontwoman Charlotte Wessells:
“We are proud to announce that we will embark on our first ever co-headline tour through the US in April/May 2017 with Hammerfall! After extensively touring the US on several support runs in the last years we’re excited to hit the road in support of our new album Moonbathers and offer our US fans the full Delain experience. Check out the dates below and let us know where you’ll be attending…See you on the road!”
Hammerfall and Delain Co-Headline Tour Dates:
4/19/17 – Toronto, ON – The Opera House
4/20/17 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial de Quebec
4/21/17 – Montreal, QC – Foufounes Electriques
4/22/17 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
4/24/17 – New York, NY – Stage 48
4/26/17 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
4/27/17 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom
4/28/17 – Chicago, IL – Concorde Music Hall
4/29/17 – Minneapolis, MN – The Cabooze
5/1/17 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
5/3/17 – Edmonton, AB – Starlite Room
5/4/17 – Calgary, AB – Dickens 1000
5/5/17 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
5/6/17 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
5/8/17 – San Francisco, CA – Social Hall
5/9/17 – Los Angeles, CA – Whiskey a Go Go
5/10/17 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
5/11/17 – Tempe, AZ – Club Red
5/13/17 – Dallas, TX – Trees
5/14/17 – San Antonio, TX – Alamo Music Hall
5/15/17 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
5/17/17 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum
5/18/17 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Enuff Z’nuff is set to release a studio album this year on Frontiers Music Srl, their first in 5 years. Clowns Lounge is a collection of rarities and early demos that have been reworked and re-recorded by the current lineup of the band and will be released on December 2nd. A guest appearance from the late Jani Lane of Warrant and James Young of Styx is also be a part of this collection.
Some background on this upcoming release:
“We had unfinished, unreleased material in the vault, and I went back into the studio in Chicago and started working on all the songs. Guitars, bass, vocals, it all needed to be tweaked, and with help from Chicago Recording Company and Chris Steinmetz of Stonecutter recording studios, we were able to create another rock solid record. It is basically an archival record featuring [the] original band and Enuff Z’nuff as it is today. The record showcases the best elements of Enuff Z’nuff in the early days; in your face glitter rock with pop overtones. This is a true must have rock record for the diehard Enuff Z’nuff fans worldwide.”
Chip Z’nuff on the songs: “Donnie and I wrote the songs in the later part of 1988-89. They were recorded in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, on 2″ inch analog tape, during the time of our debut. The tracks were never finished, as we were very prolific and focused on laying down as many ideas as possible. Through the resources provided to us: recording studio, production, etc., we had a plethora of songs during that era and for one reason or another this batch slipped through the cracks. To restore the record we returned to the studio to record guitar, bass vocals, etc. which took us about six weeks in my studio and at CRC (Chicago Recording Company) along with Stonecutter studio in downtown Chicago. The skeleton of the song was already in place and we wanted to make sure the record had the feel of where the band is today. We also added a bonus single track (Dog on a Bone) that we plan on releasing as the first single.”
Mention of the classic lineup of Enuff Z’nuff naturally brings to mind vocalist Donnie Vie, who also contributed substantially to Clowns Lounge record. “Donnie and I wrote the songs together, as we have on all the Enuff Z’nuff albums. In 2013 Donnie left the band, disillusioned by the business and facing related health issues, and although he will not tour with the band he still shares in our vision of putting out great music. As he is dealing with his medical condition, we have his blessings on the record and moving forward with me as lead singer. When Peter Gabriel left Genesis, Phil Collins took over lead vocal duties. That is exactly the template we used here as now I front the band and look forward to moving it into the future”, says Chip.
Clowns Lounge Track Listing:
1. Dog On A Bone
2. Runaway
3. Back In Time
4. She Makes It Harder
5. Rockabye Dreamland
6. The Devil Of Shakespeare (Feat. Jani Lane and James Young)
7. Radio
8. Good Luv
9. Round And Round
10. Nothing
11. Backstreet Kids
12. One More Hit
Enuff Z’nuff is touring through 2017 in support of the album, including dates alongside Tracii Guns then Ace Frehley. All tour dates and more info can be found at http://www.enuffznuff.com and you can follow the band on Facebook and Twitter.
Rising Greek Rockers Barb Wire Dolls have planted roots on the Sunset Strip of L.A., as their newly premiered music video for the song “Heart Attack” portrays their hard-hitting live shows at the legendary Whisky A Go Go. You can watch the video, directed by L.A.-based writer and photographer Steve Appleford, right here.
Among a select few bands handpicked by Lemmy to be a part of the Motörhead Music label roster, Barb Wire Dolls have been creating a buzz since their formation, selling out club dates across the world, including the Roxy Theatre immediately after their arrival in Hollywood. The band also performed at Germany’s Wacken Open Air earlier this year.
Barb Wire Dolls’ new album Desperate is out now on Motörhead Music/UDR, and features the “Heart Attack” track. Digital downloads are available on iTunes and Amazon and the album is also available on Vinyl LP or CD here.
Resurrection, the new album from Geoff Tate’s band Operation: Mindcrime, is now available via Frontiers Music Srl. It’s been one year since Operation: Mindcrime released their debut album The Key, and Resurrection follows suit as the next part of a musical trilogy.
Geoff Tate has referred to the album as “the second act of a three-act presentation”; read an interview with Geoff Tate right here on Metal Magnitude.
ResurrectionTrack Listing:
1. Resurrection
2. When All Falls Away
3. A Moment In Time
4. Through the Noize
5. Left For Dead
6. Miles Away
7. Healing My Wounds
8. The Fight
9. Taking On The World (Feature Tim “Ripper” Owens and Blaze Bayley)
10. Invincible
11. A Smear Campaign
12. Which Side You’re On
13. Into The Hands Of The World
14. Live From My Machine
Resurrection features a recording lineup that includes:
Geoff Tate – Vocals, Keyboards, Saxophone
Kelly Gray – Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Scott Moughton – Guitars, Keyboards
Randy Gane – Keyboards
Dave Ellefson – Bass
John Moyer – Bass
Simon Wright – Drums
Scott Mercado – Drums
Brian Tichy – Drums
Tim “Ripper” Owens – Vocals
Blaze Bayley – Vocals
Mark Daly – Vocals
Nick Greatrex – Guitars
Geoff Tate will also head out on the road this Fall alongside Tim “Ripper” Owens and Blaze Bayley for the Trinity tour. Show dates announced so far are as follows:
11/18/16 – The Montage Music Hall – Rochester, NY
11/19/16 – Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall – Wantagh, NY
11/20/16 – Sellersville Theater – Sellersville, PA
11/22/16 – The Westcott Theater – Syracuse, NY
11/23/16 – The Chance – Poughkeepsie, NY
11/25/16 – Tupelo Music Hall – Londonderry, NH
11/26/16 – Rams Head On Stage – Annapolis, MD
11/27/16 – BB Kings – New York, NY
