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URL: http://www.classicrockmagazine.com
Updated: 4 hours 34 min ago

Joe Perry’s Wrong About Steven Tyler, Says A&R Guru

7 hours 6 min ago

The man who signed Aerosmith to Geffen in the 1980s has commented on Steven Tyler’s decision to join the American Idol TV panel – and he reckons Joe Perry’s got it all wrong.

Blabbermouth report that John Kalodner, who oversaw such albums as Permanent Vacation and Pump, believes the guitarist shouldn’t be criticising the frontman for making this career move.

“Joe is completely wrong. It’s jealousy. He’s ultra pissed off… I don’t know what will happen because Steven gets his energy from singing in front of 20,000 people. Sitting in a TV studio with scripted sound bites? I’m not sure he’d be able to even use his own great quips. I’ll be able to tell you in the first show or two if he’ll be his superstar self.”

Kalodner also dismisses Perry’s claim that the band might yet find another vocalist so they can carry on touring while Tyler does his TV stint.

“If [Steven] makes a giant success as a TV personality, he won’t want to go back on the road. And there is no Aerosmith without Steven Tyler. Period.”

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Classic Rock’s New Release Round-Up

7 hours 50 min ago

This week: Marmite from the Manics, prog-by-numbers from Spock’s Beard, the return of Heart, a tour-de-force from Tinyfish, Journey and Barry Goodreau reisssues – plus the awesome debut from Scottish scuzz-busters The Amorettes!

Words: Geoff Barton

West Lothian wonderwomen The Amorettes are the surprise package of this week’s reviews round-up. An attitude-fuelled three-piece, these Scottish lassies sound like Rock Goddess fed on a diet of single malt and deep-fried pasties. (In fact, the band give Ginsters a ‘thank you’ on the CD sleeve.) Debut album Haulin’ Ass (www.myspace.com/theamorettes) contains 10 brilliantly breathless tracks, Gillian Montgomery leading the way with her high-pitched singing style and clunky guitar licks. The songwriting is first-class and as concise as you like: three-minute stun-gun bursts full of humour and hellion fury. Vardis with vaginas? No, we didn’t say that.

Musical Marmite to both their fierce critics and intensely devoted fans, Manic Street Preachers have been mixing punk, metal, literary allusion and passionate political rhetoric for more than 20 years. Postcards From A Young Man (Sony Music), their milestone 10th album, finds the Welsh trio musing on familiar themes including death, consumerism, internet alienation, disenchantment with New Labour and the decline of British industry. So far, so Manics. But it is also the band’s most accessible and energised work for years, reclaiming some of the rousing populist clamour of their 1996 best-seller Everything Must Go.

X (Mascot) will delight long-term Spock’s Beard devotees and provide a catch-all cribsheet to those discovering prog rock for the first time. Like one of those shows when all of Shakespeare’s plays are condensed into an hour, so every tic and trope of an entire musical style is here. But Spock’s Beard’s skill comes in the way that they have managed to avoid pure pastiche. The songs sound like their own, even if the constituent parts are not.

So to the brand new release from Heart: Red Velvet Car (Eagle). All the elements you’ve come to expect from the Seattle band over their three-and-a-half decade career are represented here, from the pop-tinged Hey You to the moody title track via the claustrophobic Death Valley to delicate album closer Sand (a re-recording of a fan favourite from the Wilson sisters’ Lovemongers side project). Those expecting power balladry in the vein of Alone and These Dreams should look elsewhere, but for those who always knew the heart of Heart was rootsy instrumentation coupled with belt-you-about-the-head riffs topped with one of the finest voices in rock should drive this crimson automobile off the forecourt immediately.

Three years in the making, Tinyfish’s The Big Red Spark (Festival Music) is a concept-album tour de force. Based on a dream vocalist/guitarist Simon Godfrey once had, TBRS tells the tale of a mysterious machine created from the thoughts of mankind. It could be an euphemism for the Internet; it could be something else entirely. All we know for sure is that it’s ‘an engine of metal that moves like water’. Weird, or what?! All the familiar Tinyfish traits are here, but amped to the max. Jim Sanders’ guitar sounds gigantic; the recurring themes reverberate with chilling precision; the spoken-word parts sound like they’ve been lifted from the script of Blade Runner. Or Brazil. Or Metropolis… even though it was a silent movie. See? That’s the twisted effect Tinyfish have on you.

Journey’s second and third albums have just been reissued via the BGO label. Following the flop of their experimental, self-titled debut in 1975, Look Into The Future arrived a year later. Stripped to a quartet following the departure of guitarist/vocalist George Tickner, a more straightforward musical approach helped the album scrape into the US chart at No.100. Anyway, which somehow manages to be both slinky and brooding, hints at the slick machine Journey would become, while She Makes Me (Feel Alright) is a chunky showcase for guitarist Neal Schon. Next (1977) is a similarly mixed bag. The hyper-tearful ballad I Would Find You (with Schon on vocals) is the highlight, with the supercharged Hustler following close behind. But, again, this is the sound of a band finding its feet.What Journey lacked was a proper frontman. After Robert Fleischman’s brief tenure, they struck gold with Steve Perry on 1978’s Infinity. Suddenly, the stratosphere beckoned…

Barry Goudreau can claim to be Boston’s third most famous member, behind Tom Scholz and Brad Delp, and although he didn’t quite manage to prise control of the band’s early songwriting from Scholtz, it was his heavily stylised guitar sound that helped to found an era of dominance for radio rock. By 1980, Goudreau was keen to have his material heard, and his first and only solo record (self-titled, just reissued by Rock Candy) was lifted by the unmistakable presence of Delp and the man who would replace him in Boston, Fran Cosmo. This album’s shimmering AOR will slip neatly into the connoisseur’s racks between Boston and RTZ, the band Goudreau went on to form with Delp.

As one of eight Rick Wakeman albums (count ’em – eight!) released in 1995, you’re forgiven for missing Cirque Surreal (Edsel) first time around. But it’s stood the test of time better than most and is now much respected among fans. Featuring occasional vocals by Wakeman stalwart Chrissie Hammond (once half of Cheetah) the album is titled after a touring show mixing of Cuban/Russian/French acrobats and its contents were originally played live each night. A couple of numbers are a bit big-top twee, but the gentler Balance Of Power and Tubular Balls (we see what you did there, Rick) suggest a high-wire interval. Mostly, though – as on Gnash and Juliet – things barrel along, suggesting a stage busier than a kebab shop at midnight…

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Exclusive: Will Portnoy Join Avenged Sevenfold?

8 hours 3 min ago

Avenged Sevenfold have no idea of whether, as has been widely speculated, Mike Portnoy will consider joining them as a permanent member following the drummer’s unexpected exit from Dream Theater.

Words: Dave Ling

Portnoy stepped into the breach to play on Nightmare, the Huntingdon Beach [California]-based group’s just released fifth album, after the death of their own drummer James ‘The Rev’ Sullivan last December. He’s pledged to tour with them for as much of the record’s live promotion as his schedule will allow. Only now he has more time on his hands than anyone suspected.

As the rock world tried to absorb the shock news of Portnoy’s decision to quit Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ [real name Jonathan Lewis Seward] exclusively told Classic Rock: “It’s been a crazy day for us. Mike made his announcement last night [September 8], and we’re as astounded as everyone else. We only found out ourselves via a conference call. As huge fans of Dream Theater it’s hard to imagine them without Mike Portnoy, but it was a decision that he had to make for himself at this point in his life. It didn’t have anything to do with us.”

Indeed, Portnoy has already issued a Facebook plea stating: “I BEG of the fans to please NOT to hold [Avenged Sevenfold] responsible for MY decision. I had been contemplating this and desiring a ‘break’ [not split] from Dream Theater as long ago as last year.”

So the question remains: Having revealed that he was having “More fun and better personal relations” with AX7 and the rest of his side-projects than with regular band-mates, is there any possibility that Mike Portnoy could make the position permanent?

“It’s too early to address that type of question,” sighs Christ. “All we know for sure is that Mike will be with us until the end of this year. We’re scheduling some more tour dates and given that he’s left Dream Theater we might be able to hold onto him a little longer. But we’ll have to see how that goes.”

Indeed, given the loss of ‘The Rev’, the band’s own long-term future is equally uncertain. Before the tour began, vocalist M. Shadows stated: “We’re not sure what’s going to happen after this touring cycle. Our goal right now is to just get kids to hear the record, because we want them to remember ‘The Rev’.”

However, with Nightmare having smashed its way straight to the top of America’s Billboard chart, Christ admits the band are beginning to consider a more fan-friendly outcome.

“The album’s success is starting to make us think like that,” confides the bassist, choosing his words carefully, “but we won’t know for sure until the end of this touring cycle. Trying to write again without ‘The Rev’… I just don’t know how that would feel. We’re still taking things one day at a time; the last thing on our minds is replacements.”

In related news, additional dates have been added to the co-headlining UK tour from Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour, which begins in Glasgow on November 26. Two shows will now happen at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, on October 30/31..

Hellyeah!, featuring former Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, are set to be the trek’s opening act.

Here are all the dates.

Oct. 26: Glasgow SECC

Oct. 27:  Manchester Academy

Oct. 28:  Birmingham NIA

Oct. 30: London Hammersmith Apollo

Oct. 31: London Hammersmith Apollo

Nov. 2: Newcastle Academy

Nov. 3: Leeds Academy

Nov. 4: Manchester Academy

Nov. 6: Plymouth Pavilion

Nov. 7: Brighton Centre

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Kings Of Leon On Tour

9 hours 19 min ago

Kings Of Leon return to the UK at the end of the year for six shows.

Here are the details:

Dec. 13: Manchester MEN Arena

Dec. 14: Sheffield Motorpoint Arena

Dec. 16: Birmingham NIA

Dec. 17: Birmingham NIA

Dec. 19: Sheffield Motorpoint Arena

Dec. 21: London O2 Arena

Tickets are on sale right now. Get them by clicking here.

The band release new album Come Around Sundown on October 18, with the single Radioactive out on October 11.

Find out more at http://www.kingsofleon.com/

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Track Of The Day: Weezer

13 hours 54 min ago

Weezer are about to release their first album for the Epitaph label. And they provide the latest Track Of The Day. Check out all the Tracks Of The Day.

The Los Angeles alt.rockers started out in 1992, since which time they’ve released seven studio albums, all of which have made the US Top 20, with four hitting the Top Five.

The next album, Hurley, will be released on September 13.  Says mainman Rivers Cuomo of what we can expect from this record: “There’s just an insane amount of energy on songs like Where’s My Sex? or Memories. There are lots of loose, out-of-tune moments, but tons of emotional expression”.

The band – vocalist/guitarist Cuomo, guitarist/keyboard player Brian Bell, bassist/keyboard player Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson – recently returned to the Uk for the first time in five years, playing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.  Now, to prepare us for the upcoming album, they’re offering the aforementioned Memories as a free download. Just go here.

Incidentally, the album cover (seen below) features a photo of Lost actor Jorge Garcia, who plays the role of Hugo ‘Hurley’ Reyes in the TV series.

Find out more at www.weezer.com

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Queen + Paul Rodgers Photo Book

13 hours 56 min ago

There’s an official photo book on the brief career of Queen + Paul Rodgers on the way.

Titled Rockmos!, it’s to be published on October 1 and chronicles the band’s 22 shows in Europe and North America between 2005 and 2008. The 342-page book has a foreword written by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rodgers.

A donation of two euros will be made from each copy sold to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

Find out more at www.rockmos.de

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Ronnie Dio’s Memoirs On The Way

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 12:25

Following the news that Dio are to release a live album in November, now it seems more activity is being planned around the late Ronnie James Dio.

Talking to Rolling Stone, Wendy Dio said that there are plans for the singer’s memoirs to be published. “I’m just going to finish the end parts of it. It’s actually [intended as] a three-book deal – the memoirs of Ronnie, a book of illustrated lyrics and a photo book.”

And on November 23, the debut Dio album, 1983’s Holy Diver, will be reissued by Niji Entertainment Group on 180g vinyl. The same day, the label are to release Bitten By The Beast, the new album from David ‘Rock’ Feinstein, Ronnie Dio’s cousin. This will include a song called Metal Will Never Die, with Dio himself on vocals.

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David Lee Roth Spotted At Sheepdog Trials

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 11:16

It’s the headline of the week! A rare sighting of the Van Halen frontman happened this past weekend at the most unlikely of places: the 145th Scottish Gathering And Games in Pleasanton, California.

The Hennemusic blogsite has the story:

Doug Lyle, a loyal reader of the Van Halen News Desk, had a chance encounter with Roth, who had a dog entered in the sheepdog trials.

Lyle heard the voice – and that distinctive DLR laugh – and suspected the guy behind the dark goatee and sunglasses was Roth.

After considering his options, Lyle approached the ‘stranger’ and struck up a conversation.

“I asked him if he was still with Van Halen and if they were doing anything more,” said Lyle. “He gave me a knowing smile and said: ‘You’ll be hearing from us in the next seven to eight months.’ He seemed very sincere… almost like it was a promise.”

Read Lyle’s full barking-mad story here.

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Steve Miller Band To Reissue Classic Album

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 10:21

The Steve Miller Band are to have their classic 1976 album Fly Like An Eagle reissued by Demon Music on October 4.

This will have the original 12 tracks, plus three bonus demo recordings. Also in this deluxe package is a two-hour DVD, filmed in 2005 at the Shoreline Amphitheater, when the band were joined onstage by George Thorogood and Joe Satriani. The DVD will also have a special 5.1 Surround Sound Mix of the album.

The album is also one of seven to be made available digitally on September 27. The others are:

Book Of Dreams

Circle Of Love

Abracadabra

Steve Miller Band Live!

Italian X-Rays

Wide River

Steve Miller Band are playing two shows in the UK next month.

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Win Joe Satriani VIP Tour Packages

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 10:00

Joe Satriani is touring the UK from October 16, and Classic Rock is giving you the chance to win a pair of VIP packages to the tour and copies of his amazing new album Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards, which is released on October 4.

The VIP packages include:

● A pair of tickets to the show

● The chance to meet Joe backstage before the show

● An exclusive tour laminate

● A tour of Joe’s Guitar World

● A set of signature JS plectrums

● A limited-edition numbered concert poster

● Entry into a prize draw to watch the encore from the side of the stage

We have one pair of VIP Packages to give away per concert. The full list of dates is:

Oct. 16: Dublin Vicar Street

Oct. 17: Manchester Apollo

Oct. 18: Bristol Colston Hall

Oct. 19: London Hammersmith Apollo

Oct. 21: Newcastle City Hall

Oct. 22: Glasgow Clyde Auditorium

Oct. 23: Birmingham Symphony Hall

To enter the competition, go to:  http://www.futurecomps.co.uk/joesatch

For further information about the Club Joe VIP Packages, visit http://www.satriani.com/road. Tickets for the UK tour are available from 0844 888 9911/www.ticketline.co.uk

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Big Country Return

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 06:03

After a decade-long absence, Big Country are about to reunite.

The band, who had considerable success in the 1980s, will play four shows at the start of next year, with more being considered. The dates so far confirmed are:

Jan. 5: Newcastle O2 Academy

Jan. 6: London Islington O2 Academy

Jan. 7: Birmingham O2 Academy

Jan. 8: Liverpool O2 Academy

Tickets go on general sale from 9am on Saturday, September 11. They cost £20 everywhere, except in London where they are £22.50. But they are available now at www.bigcountry.co.uk

So, who’s in the band? Original members Bruce Watson (guitar/vocals), Tony Butler (bass/vocals) and Mark Brzezicki (drums/vocals), plus Mike Peters of The Alarm (vocals/guitar) and Jamie Watson (guitar). Founder member Stuart Adamson died in 2001.

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Metallica Release Special Aussie EP

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 06:01

Metallica are to release a special EP to coincide with their shows later this month in Australia and New Zealand.

Called Six Feet Down Under, it’ll be available in those countries and also online at http://www.metallica.com/

The full track listing is:

1)    Eye Of The Beholder – recorded on May 4, 1989 at the Festival Hall in Melbourne.

2)    …And Justice For All – recorded on May 4, 1989 at the Festival Hall in Melbourne.

3)    Through The Never – recorded on April 8, 1993 at the Entertainment Centre in Perth.

4)    The Unforgiven – rcorded on April 4, 1993 at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne.

5)    Low Man’s Lyric (acoustic) – recorded on April 11, 1998 at the Entertainment Centre in Perth.

6)    Devil’s Dance – recorded on April12, 1998 at the Entertainment Centre in Perth

7)    Frantic – recorded on January 21, 2004 at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

8)    Fight Fire With Fire – recorded on January 19, 2004 at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane.

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Yngwie Names New Album

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 05:58

Yngwie Malmsteen has a title and release date for his new album.

It’s to be called Relentless and will be out in Japan on November 10. There’s no further info on the record just yet.

Find out more at www.yngwiemalmsteen.com

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Vince Neil In More Trouble

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 05:57

Vince Neil is back in trouble with the law, having been accused of pushing a woman in a lift at a Las Vegas hotel.

An unnamed women has filed what’s termed a ‘misdemeanour battery complaint’ against the Motley Crue frontman, claiming he shoved her at the Hilton last Saturday night. (September 4).

She says she struck up polite conversation and asked Neil to reveal his identity, at which point he allegedly lunged at her.

The woman claims she was left with bruises on her arms, as Neil allegedly shoved her up against the elevator buttons.

Neil is already facing a charged of Driving Under The Influence, after being caught with blood alcohol levels three times over the limit in June.

UPDATE:  A spokesperson for the hotel has said that, having reviewed CCTV footage, the woman’s claims were completely without foundation.

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Mike Portnoy Leaves Dream Theater

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 05:55

Mike Portony has quit Dream Theeater, in a move that will shock fans of the progressive metal band.

The drummer has released the following statement:

“After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater… the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

“To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision…it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so…

“After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail!, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater

“Please don’t misinterpret me, I love the Dream Theater guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them… it’s just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.

“Dream Theater was always my baby…and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985… 24/7, 365… never taking time off from Dream Theater’s never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was ‘off’ between cycles)… working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.

“But I’ve come to the conclusion that the Dream Theater machine was starting to burn me out…and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my Dream Theater spirit hungry and inspired.

“We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a ‘hiatus’ to recharge our batteries and ’save me from ourselves’…

“Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather… I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be…

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way…so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.

“Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of Dream Theater and I talked about ‘always following your heart and being true to yourself’… Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater…and I would simply be ‘going through the motions,’ and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

“I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come… I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played…

“I’m sorry to all the disappointed Dream Theater fans around the world… I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work… I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)… but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.

You Dream Theater fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me…. (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)”

The  band, though, intend to carry on have said the following:

“To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness — regret — we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater.
“Mike’s stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.
“While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity — and in the same musical tradition — that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

“Fans and friends: File this episode under Black Clouds And Silver Linings.

“As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we’ll follow that with a full-on world tour.

“All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed.”

Find out more at http://www.dreamtheater.net/

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Track Of The Day: The Destroyers

Thu, 09/09/2010 - 05:37

It’s not often that we get the chance to offer a 15-piece gypsy punk mob to you. But that’s what The Destroyers are, and they provide the latest Track Of The Day. Check out all the Tracks Of The Day.

From Birmingham, the band are fronted by Irish singer-songwriter Paul Murphy, the band are inspired by Eastern Europe folk music, gothic um-pah (we’re not making this up!) and general bohemia. Their full line-up is:

Aaron Diaz – Trumpet
Dan O’Connell – Drums
Dan Wilkins – Electric Guitar
Dave Adams – Accordion/Piano
Frank Moon – Bass
Gaz Jones – Clarinet
Jamie Fekete – Acoustic Guitar
Leighton Hargreaves – Violin
Leo Altarelli – Trumpet/Lead Vocals
Louis Robinson – Violin
Mark Davis – Tuba
Max Gittinngs – Flutes
Mick Howson – Hurdy Gurdy
Paul Murphy – Lead Vocals
Rich Shrewsbury – Trombone

Over the past few years, they’ve played at Glastonbury, Bestival, The Barbican Centre in London and the South Bank Festival. On September 11, they return to London to play Wilton’s Music Hall, with Leo Altarelli and Abie’s Ragtime Miracle Tonic. Tickets cost £12.

To get you in the mood, here’s Where Has The Money Gone?, which was originally the B-side of the single Out Of Babel, but is now being given its own niche; incidentally Out Of Babel is also the title of the band’s current album. Says Murphy of the song: “Although this song is set against the backdrop of Wall Street, our video uses the iconic Canary Wharf to draw the parallel and reinforce the point that the fault lines from this financial scandal reach deep into our own economic life and the question remains: where has the money gone?”

You can download it for free right here.

Find out more at www.myspace.com/thedestroyersplaymusic

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Anni De Vil’s Diary (No. 2)

Wed, 09/08/2010 - 13:02

Here’s the hotly anticipated second instalment of our new blog from Anni De Vil, vocalist with fast-rising Swedish femme-metallers Hysterica. This week: find out all about Hysterica’s new member, the scarily monikered Marydeath, and how she caused an airport-security upset with her dress made out of chains! Go here to read Anni De Vil’s previous diary entry.

Hi again,

A week ago we had our first gig with our newest member, Marydeath on keyboards, in Umeå up north in Sweden. Since we hadn’t played for eight months and hadn’t played with keybords in two years we were all kind of nervous before the show – especially Marydeath, of course.

It all started on Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. You see, there is always a problem to check in swords on the aircraft. God knows why…

The security guards got suspicious when they discovered a large amount of metal and cables inside Marydeath’s hand lugagge. The guards opened her bag and pulled out her new stage outfit – a dress made out of chains and all of the cables and adapters for her keyboards.

They then made her go back and send every single item in her luggage through the security check one-by-one again, including her underwear. We all started laughing and I think we made the day for the security guys. But it all turned out well and we had a kick-ass time in Umeå.

This weekend we are having our first gig in Stockholm with Marydeath. We are very excited and have been looking forward to this for quite some time now. We are going to play on a club called Pub Anchor. It is a true metal place and we have all had a couple of crazy nights in there…

I’m really hoping to see a lot of girls made of heavy metal and heavy metal men this weekend on Pub Anchor! Make sure to be there!

Cheers

Anni De Vil

www.hysterica.se

www.myspace.com/hysterica

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Cult Heroes (No. 29): Wendy O. Williams

Wed, 09/08/2010 - 11:45

This week we take a look at one of the most controversial and outrageous women in rock history. Wendy O. Williams made her name with some incredible stunts and performances. She dared where others feared. But what was the truth of the person behind the personality? Read On. Check out all other Cult Heroes here.

Words: Malcolm Dome

Wendy Orlean Williams.  Has there ever been anyone quite like her in the history of rock. Unshockable, unshakeable, unswervingly dedicated to her art.  Yet, there was always so much to Wendy O, greater than most people realised. She was articulate, intelligent and more in control of her life than most folk you’ll ever meet – rock stars or not.

Nobody manipulated Wendy. Unlike The Runaways, she wasn’t some priapic teen lust fodder. Unlike Pat Benatar, she wasn’t a slave to the charts. Wendy had her own vision of life, and determinedly pursued those dreams.

After various jobs, including a stint with a gypsy dance troupe and also in the porn industry, she teamed up with longtime manager and mentor Rod Swenson in 1976.  Two years later, the pair formed one of the most controversial and sensational bands of the era: The Plasmatics.

Renowned for their outrageous live shows, in reality there was a cunning about this band, because they got their message across through the fine art of misdirection. You see, while everyone concentrated on Wendy blowing up Cadillacs onstage and smashing up TV sets, wearing virtually nothing but her charisma, the truth of the band lay beyond the superficial.

You see, everybody was so engrossed in ‘The Big Picture’, getting lost in the explosive nature of the band’s live show that they missed the important part, the way we were all being guided by Wendy and Rod. It was the counter-culture at its most informative. Because if you could get past what was going in front of your eyes, there was a lesson to be discovered. The pair showed that getting people to focus on the unimportant meant you could get away with so much. Has the point struck home? It proved just how clever governments were at using images and statements to lure us all away from the real agendas they were operating. Anti propaganda, if you want.

Sure, that all seems too esoteric for a band who were mostly about big bangs, in every sense. But that was the sharpness of Wendy and Rod – and the pair really were that formidable. Most, of course, never realised what was happening. In fact, I only saw the truth when first meeting Wendy, and coming to the conclusion that here was a woman totally removed from the mainstream of the music business, existing in a Twilight Zone of her own creation, yet completely in tune with the world at large.

It was 1984 when I initially encountered Wendy. She was just about to release the W.O.W. album, her debut solo record. I was in New York for Kerrang!, and went to meet her and Rod at the loft they shared downtown. Now, us Brits are used to lofts being dusty, spider-riddled affairs, where we keep old books and spooky costumes from long-forgotten parties. But in New York, lofts meant elegance and space.

To gain access to this converted warehouse, you had to ride up in one of those vast lifts which became the setting for so many fights in spy movies and TV series during the 60s and 70s – where would those have been without such old-fashioned contraptions, eh?

Fortunately, there were no such pugilistic problems going up in this one, and the sight that met myself and photographer Ray Palmer was of a very warm and friendly Wendy, looking resplendent and anxious that we were both given drinks (non-alcoholic – boo!) and something to eat. She didn’t fuss over us in a ‘Let’s make sure the media write something positive’ attitude, but in a genuinely caring fashion. Hard to equate this with the women who’d been arrested twice in 1981 – in Milwaukee and Cleveland – for lewd acts onstage, and also in the former case for hitting a police officer. But that was the dichotomy of Wendy O – she had so many exposed sides to her personality.

During the interview, it was clear that, while Kiss’ Gene Simmons had produced the new album, it was Wendy who was in charge. She also had little time for former label Capitol Records, who’d failed to promote the last Plasmatics album, 1982’s Coup d’Etat.

“It was too much like doing some work,” said Wendy. “It was easier for them to sell Billy Squier albums (he was a big noise at the time). That was simple, because every radio station wanted to play his music. But The Plasmatics? This meant trying to convince everyone in radio – and the big record labels are full of people who want to do no work and want to hang out with the big stars.”

Typical Wendy, really. And it was all said without rancour. This was her truth, and she was prepared to spell it out for everyone. If she upset the establishment, then…so what?

Ray and I spent a couple of fascinating hours with Wendy and Rod, during which time both of us grew to like them as people, not as commodities with some product to promote. Wendy was heavily into physical fitness – there was gym equipment all over the place – and was also a macrobiotic cook. It was one of the most surprising assignments I ever undertook at Kerrang! – because Wendy O. Williams was so…different.

Over the next several years, our paths crossed a lot. Sometimes in the professional line of duty. Others just for social occasions. In London, New York and Los Angeles. One night, when Wendy and Rod were in London, I went out for dinner with them and took along Krusher, Kerrang!’s insane designer, who’d always declared that Wendy was his ultimate woman. I think dear old Krusher was dumbfounded by the night, because Rod, Wendy and I spent a lot of time talking about…quantum mechanics! It was a cutting edge scientific area that interested Rod and me, and Wendy was also very well versed in it all. Now, how many singers do you know who can do that?

Krusher actually came away even more impressed with Wendy than he’d been at first. I think he realised that her musical career was only a small part of what Wendy wanted to do. She ended up acting in various low-budget movies (Reform School Girls, anyone?) and also became a lecturer in macrobiotic cooking.

In 1991, Wendy and Rod moved to Connecticut, where she worked as an animal rehabilitator and in a health food store. At the time she told me that she was “Fed up dealing with people”. The joie de vivre that had driven her for so long seemed sadly to be ebbing away.

A fierce proponent of animal welfare and also a natural food activist, she once famously accused Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies in America, of being no better than a heroin pusher, because her food contained so much white sugar. But the passion that had driven her for so long was no longer evident by the start of the 90s.

I lost contact with Wendy and Rod in 1991, only re-establishing dialogue with Rod a few years ago. By that time Wendy was dead. On April 6, 1998, she went into the woods close to her home and shot herself. It was the third attempt she’d made to commit suicide – this time it worked. Sadly. Wendy was 48 years old. She left behind the following note:

“I don’t believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time. I do believe strongly, however, that the right to do so is one of the most fundamental rights that anyone in a free society should have. For me, much of the world makes no sense, but my feelings about what I am doing ring loud and clear to an inner ear and a place where there is no self, only calm”.

I was deeply shocked by what Wendy had done. Not having contact with her for several years, I was naive enough to believe – and hope – she’d found peace and tranquillity in her new life. I was wrong.

Wendy O has left behind a massive legacy.  Musically, there are those Plasmatics albums and also a plethora of excellent solo releases. There are the films, of course, and also that single she did with Lemmy, a version of Tammy Wynette’s Stand By Your Man. But none of that truly matters. It’s the person I am trying to celebrate and portray here. Obviously, Wendy was so larger than life that I can give just a taste of what she was like. But perhaps the best thing I can say about her is that she made you think. Because she thought deeply.

Some will never get past the gaffa tape on the nipples. Or the mohawk haircut she regularly sported.  But Wendy O. Williams was more punk than the Sex Pistols, more metal than Metallica and more rock ’n’ roll than Keith Richards (well, maybe all three are exaggerations, but ones worth making). Because she used superficiality to encourage people to question assumptions.

No, Wendy wasn’t a politician or a philosopher – she was for real. That made her so much more important. And more of a threat.

As Wendy herself said in the lyrics to It’s My Life: ‘I’ve got a reputation, people know who I am. Rules are made to be broken, can’t kill what you don’t understand. I see you’re running scared, I never knew you cared. Go hide your head in the sand’.

Right enough of the waffle, on with the music:

Here are The Plasmatics doing Butcher Baby.

And The Plasmatics again doing The Damned.

Wendy’s famous video for It’s My Life – and, yes, that really is her climbing out of the car and onto the rope ladder!

Wendy and Lemmy cover Stand By Your Man.

Wendy going for an Oscar in Reform School Girls.

Finally, Wendy being interviewed by Dweezil Zappa.

Find out more at www.wendyowilliams.com

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Track Of The Day: Solution .45

Wed, 09/08/2010 - 05:14

Solution .45 are something of a Swedish metal supergroup. And they provide the latest Track Of The Day. Check out all the Tracks Of The Day.

The band were formed in 2007, teaming ex-Scar Symmetry vocalist Christian Alvestam with guitarists Jani Stefanovic (Miseration – he actually started Solution .45) and Tom Gardiner (Hateform), bassist Anders Edlung (Angel Blake) and drummer Rolf Pilve (Miseration).

Their debut album, For Aeons Past, was released in April this year. It featured lyrics written by Dark Tranquillity’s Mikael Stanne, as well as keyboards from Mikko Harkin. A month after the record was put out by AFM, Stefanovic announced he was quitting, his place being taken by Patrik Gardberg (Torchbearer).

To give you an idea of what the band sound like, they’ve made the song Gravitational Lensing available for free download right here.

Find out more at www.myspace.com/solution45

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Opeth Exclusive: See Special Live Video Clip

Tue, 09/07/2010 - 15:00

As Opeth prepare to release the amazing In Live Concert  at the Royal Albert Hall DVD spectacular, they’ve given Classic Rock a very special exclusive.

Right here, right now, you can see the Swedes performing Dirge For November during the gig at the Royal Albert Hall in April. Just click here.

In the meantime, Opeth mainman Mikael Akerfeldt has exclusively told Classic Rock that his long-mooted project with Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree is now well under way.

“I got together recently with Steven at his house, and we wrote a new tune straight away,” says Akerfeldt. “Of course, with the two of us involved it was 10 minutes long. And it came out so well that we started working on a second one as well.”

However, it now appears that Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy will not be involved, as was expected.

“To be honest, there’s just no room for drums on what we’ve done so far. I called Mike up, and he was cool about it. He’s got so much going on anyway, and I’m sure we will work together in the future.”

It’s still early days for the as yet unnamed project, but expect an album next year. And that’s also the plan for Opeth.

“Right now we’re on a break. But I’m writing new songs, and we hope to have an album out in 2011.”

Find out more at www.opeth.com

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