Issue 1
May 2010
5 MILLION SONGS JUST SEARCH, CLICK AND PLAY
Mike Peters and The Alarm released a brand new studio album entitled 'Direct Action' in April 2010. ‘Direct Action’ features 14 new recordings for and was released with a unique CD & DVD package which contains brand new performance videos for 11 of the album's featured tracks and a further two bonus videos for songs that only appear on the DVD. The CD / DVD package will only be available exclusively via www.thealarm.com 'Direct Action' is also be available as a download at most online retailers and the download version also features a bonus track unavailable elsewhere. Timed to coincide with the 'Release The Pressure' UK Tour (April 2010), 'Direct Action' is the first major event in a year, packed with Alarm activity, that sees the band undertake its biggest UK tour for many years, followed by appearances at some of the best music festivals of the summer, commencing with a Sunday June 13th appearance at the legendary 'Isle Of White' Festival (on the same day as Paul McCartney). The Alarm will also be appearing at the Levellers' 'Beautiful Days' Festival on the weekend of August 21/22 (Exact day to be confirmed), and also at Ireland's 'Electric Picnic' on September 4th (with PIL and Roxy Music amongst others...). Sessions for ‘Direct Action’ began within the framework of the Alarm's internet-only 'Counter Attack Collective' project that also gave birth to the acclaimed 'Guerilla Tactics' album. Once the new album's opening salvo of 'Direct Action' and 'Release The Pressure' have sounded, it's obvious that this album carries on from exactly where Guerilla Tactics left off. Three songs in however, and we begin to hear echoes of earlier Alarm signature themes with Mike Peters' trademark acoustic coming to the fore on many of the tracks, including the surging 'Plastic Carrier Bags' and electro acoustic-blues rocker, 'CHANGE III.'' 'Direct Action' also features a unique cover of New York songwriter Willie Nile's classic 'One Guitar' that has a slow burn acoustic intro before exploding to life in classic Alarm fashion. 'Direct Action' is lyrically upbeat with strong positive themes throughout. Mike Peters and co. were still recording right up to the last second and although two years in the making, ‘Direct Action’ is as fresh as a record could ever be. The initial recordings for 'Direct Action' were embellished last summer with producer Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses) in Los Angeles, California . Gilby Clarke is responsible for the guitar-driven power mix of both Guerilla Tactics and half of ‘Direct Action’. This time around though, Mike Peters decided to mix it up a bit more and cut even more tracks back in Wales, resulting in the title track ‘Direct Action’ itself and the timely 'Release the Pressure', which features a special guest appearance from The Beat's Ranking Roger (Roger helped to write some of the lyrics and provide those distinctive backing vocals). The tracks 'Control' and 'One Guitar' were added during a final recording session in Wales as was 'Change III.' The sound of 'Direct Action' is the sound of The Alarm right up to the minute and explores themes of change and the ways in which it impacts on our daily lives. 'Direct Action's main tenet is in how to deal with that change and the diverse emotions that it brings out in all of us. Lyrically, it challenges the listener to not be afraid of change but to take positive action or as the title track declares in it's first verse, 'To find inspiration where there is none." Perhaps the lyric that sums up ‘Direct Action’ best can be found in the simple Mike Peters' acoustic performance of 'Badge Of Honour' [Part Two] where he sings "It's up to us to make a truce, up to us to broker peace, up to us to find the words that will make or break us." Fire in the h ole, war com Direct Action was released everywhere on April 12th 2010 in As Wall Str eet crashes to g down To find insp an all time lo Available to order direct from www.thealarm.com ira w You're going tion where there is non e to have to ta Free man of k this land, he e DIRECT ACTION He's got a K knows what' in s To find the g James Bible right by going down truth in a we his side b of You're going to have to ta lies I'd give my ke DIRECT las ACTION Take a bulle t drop of blood just to keep you ali t in the head ve for you Make a stan d DIRECT A in the court of humanity CTION now all alone
GET YOUR BUZZ ON “LIVE” CHICKENFOOT ROCKS OUT WITH ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BLU-RAY AND DVD LIVE CONCERT RELEASES OF THE YEAR - FILMED IN HIDEFINTION, MIXED IN DTS SURROUND SOUND Eagle Rock Entertainment is pleased to announce the release of Chickenfoot: Get Your Buzz On “Live” one of the most highly anticipated live rock’n’roll concert experiences of the year. Filmed with 16 hi-definition cameras over three sold out concerts, Chickenfoot: Get Your Buzz On “Live” offers fans an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience four rock’n’roll legends sharing the stage and blowing the roof off with their explosive musicianship and dynamic onstage chemistry. Chickenfoot, who won Best New Band of 2009 at the UK’s prestigious Classic Rock Magazine Awards, and originally formed in 2008, features vocalist Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen, Montrose), bassist Michael Anthony (ex-Van Halen), drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani. The band’s self-titled debut album, released in heat sensitive packaging, was released to critical acclaim in June 2009, and has since been certified gold in both America and Canada with sales in excess of 750,000 copies. During the same year, the band embarked on a small North American club tour, performed in Europe in the summer including the Montreux Festival and returned to North America to perform two sold out tours, one in the summer, followed by another in the fall. During the summer of 2009, the electrifying, hi-energy concert performances were filmed in hi-definition by awardwinning director Daniel E. Catullo III (Rush, Creed, Godsmack, Smashing Pumpkins) and mixed in DTS 5.1 Surround Sound by Mike Fraser. The DVD features one full concert shot at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, Arizona on September 23rd, 2009, plus live segments from shows at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia and The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Track Listing: 1. Avenida Revolution 2. Sexy Little Thing 3. Soap On A Rope 4. My Kinda Girl 5. Down The Drain 6. Bitten By The Wolf 7. Oh Yeah 8. Learnin’ To Fall 9. Get It Up 10. Turnin’ Left 11. Future In The Past 12. Bad Motor Scooter 13. My Generation Chickenfoot - Line-Up: Sammy Hagar - Vocals, Guitar Michael Anthony - Bass, Vocals Joe Satriani - Guitar, Vocals Chad Smith- Drums, Vocals Shake Verdict: You have to admire these guys for not resting on their laurels and just sitting back taking the praise for being amazing, they went into the studio and produced one of THE rock records of the year and with their pedigree was their live show going to be anything less than amazing? The simple answer is a resounding NO! This DVD captures four guys hanging out with a few thousand friends and playing some of the best, most original highly charged rock music you will hear anywhere, the musicianship is inspiring, the vocals sinply stunning, the audio has to be heard louder than hell and the visuals, well your ears won't believe your eyes, I hope the band make a second album and return to the UK to play a regional tour, or a festival appearence would be nice, but while we wait for that, Get Your (Chickenfoot) Buzz On... Right here... 5/5: Jj: 2010 www.chickenfoot.us www.myspace/chickenfoot Photo Credits: Lee Ann Mueller / Christie Goodwin
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ON TOUR WITH HIM: ON TOUR WITH HIM IN MARCH: 13 UEA, Norwich | 14 ACADEMY, Manchester | 15 PICTURE HOUSE, Edinburgh 16 ACADEMY, Newcastle | 18 ACADEMY, Bournemouth | 19 ACADEMY, Birmingham | 20 ROCK CITY, Nottingham
www.dommin.com www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
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WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE: A FILM ABOUT THE DOORS: Soundtrack: June 28th Movie: July 2nd Directed by Tom DiCillo and Narrated by Johnny Depp Feature Length Documentary Tells The Legendary Quartet’s Story. A Previously Unseen View Of The Band At Work And Play, Comprised Entirely Of Archival Footage Following a prestigious festival run, WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE: A FILM ABOUT THE DOORS will receive a UK cinematic release on July 2nd 2010. The crowd-pleasing documentary has been featured at the Sundance, Berlin, Deauville and San Sebastian Film Festivals and most recently played to sold-out shows at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. Produced by Wolf Films/Strange Pictures, in association with Rhino Entertainment, and released by Abramorama, the 90-minute film is the first feature documentary about The Doors. “They say if you remember the ‘60s you weren’t there,” said producer Dick Wolf. “I can state definitively that one of the things I do remember is buying THE DOORS first album the day it came out and then listening to it about ten or twelve times in a row. Both sides. Every song. I’ve been a fan ever since. This movie is the story of the band but it is WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE uncovers historic and previously unseen footage of the illustrious rock quartet and provides new insight into the revolutionary impact of its music and legacy. Directed by award-winning writer/director Tom DiCillo and narrated by Johnny Depp, the film is a riveting account of the band’s history. Said Depp, “Watching the hypnotic, hitherto unreleased footage of Jim, John, Ray and Robby, I felt like I experienced it all through their eyes. As a rock n’ roll documentary, or any kind of documentary for that matter, it simply doesn’t get any better than this. What an honor to have been involved. I am as proud of this as anything I have ever done.” The Film reveals an intimate perspective on the creative chemistry between drummer John Densmore guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison -- four brilliant artists who made The Doors one of America’s most iconic and influential rock bands. Using footage shot between the band’s 1965 formation and Morrison’s 1971 death, WHEN YOU’RE STRANGE follows the band from the corridors of UCLA’s film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, to the stages of sold-out arenas. Shortly before the film’s theatrical release, its soundtrack will be available and features 13-songs chronicling The Doors’ six landmark albums with studio versions of classic tracks mixed with legendary live cuts including performances from The Ed Sullivan Show and The Isle Of Wight Festival.
Track Listing (all poems read by Johnny Depp) 1. Poem: “Cinema” 2. Poem: “The Spirit Of Music” 3. “Moonlight Drive” – The Doors 4. Poem: “The Doors Of Perception” 5. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” (Live – Isle Of Wight 1970) – The Doors 6. Poem: “A Visitation Of Energy” 7. “Light My Fire” (Live – The Ed Sullivan Show 1967) – The Doors 8. “To Really Be A Superstar” – Jim Morrison (Interview) 9. “Five To One” – The Doors 10. Poem: “Wasting The Dawn” 11. “When The Music’s Over” (Live – Danish TV 1968) – The Doors 12. a) “The Four Of Us Are Musicians” – Jim Morrison (Interview) b) “I’d Like Them To Listen” – Ray Manzarek (Interview) c) “Rock & Roll And Jazz” – John Densmore (Interview) d) “Our Music Is Symbolic” – Robby Krieger (Interview) 13. “Hello, I Love You” – The Doors 14. “Dead Serious” – Jim Morrison (Interview) 15. “People Are Strange” – The Doors 16. Poem: “Inside The Dream” 17. “Soul Kitchen” – The Doors 18. Poem: “We Have Been Metamorphosized” 19. Poem: “Touch Scares” 20. “Touch Me” – The Doors 21. Poem: “Naked We Come” 22. Poem: “O Great Creator Of Being” 23. “The End” – The Doors 24. Poem: “The Girl Of The Ghetto” 25. “L.A. Woman” – The Doors 26. Poem: “Crossroads” 27. “Roadhouse Blues” (Live – New York 1970) – The Doors 28. Poem: “Ensenada” 29. “Riders On The Storm” – The Doors 30. Poem: “As I Look Back” 31. “The Crystal Ship” – The Doors 32. Poem: “Goodbye America”
Tickets for SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH are on sale now at www.sonispherefestivals.com
Having established itself as the “Best New Festival” at the UK Festival Awards, Sonisphere Festival moves forward with their phenomenal headliners. Last year’s Sonisphere saw 300,000 music fans attend six festivals across the continent. This year, SONISPHERE expands to eleven events. Taking in The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Finland, and the UK. Boasting a line-up covering a truly broad spectrum of the rock scene, headliners Metallica led a diverse collection of acts from country to country including Slipknot, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Linkin Park, The Prodigy and many more, to make the inaugural tour a huge success. 2010 headliners include Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Rammstein. With an extremely impressive line up already shaping up across all eleven shows, this groundbreaking travelling rock circus is set to be an even bigger success in 2010, as it solidifies its position as the world’s leading rock festival series. With a line up already boasting IRON MAIDEN, RAMMSTEIN, ALICE COOPER, THE CULT, MÖTLEY CRÜE and SLAYER amongst others, SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH has rolled out more fantastic acts, showcasing the diversity and range of music it has to offer SONISPHERE FESTIVAL KNEBWORTH is also delighted to announce a partnership with UK music streaming company we7 who will provide everyone in possession of a ticket with a free, two week Premium+ subscription, giving them access to millions of free tracks and albums on the service via the web or iPhone, on demand and without any adverts. The offer is available now just go and sign up: http://uk.sonispherefestivals.com/2010/05/free-music An extremely exciting addition to this year’s SONISPHERE, the STRONGBOW BOWTIME BAR stage will be showcasing the finest in up and coming talent, giving new bands the chance to play a major festival while providing an alternative from the big names on APOLLO, SATURN and BOHEMIA stages. DOWNLOAD 2010 Organisers have confirmed that the world’s greatest rock band AC/DC will be one of the headliners for this year’s festival, with Rage Against The Machine and Aerosmith, at Donington Park 11-13 June. There is no better band to celebrate 30 years at Donington than AC/DC, who with all guns blazing (not to mention bells!) will be appearing at Donington for the fourth time. AC/DC first appeared at the second Monsters of Rock concert in 1981, and then 1984 and 1991. 2010 will mark three decades of AC/DC at Donington Park – and their debut Download performance. Festival organisers have also announced that they are increasing the arena capacity this year to accommodate even more fans keen to experience Download at Donington Park and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Monsters of Rock. Last year’s event sold out at 85,000 per day – the increased arena size this year will make Download the biggest UK music festival after Glastonbury. Established in 1980 by promoter Paul Loasby and the late Maurice Jones who died last year, the event was originally created as a daylong Summer festival dedicated to rock and heavy metal bands. Over the years it was quickly established as the annual event for the UK hard rock fraternity. It was destined to become a British music tradition - 30 years on and Download Festival has become the premiere rock festival. Andy Copping, Download festival Promoter, commented, “Download 2010 will be one for the history books. It will see the return of the world’s greatest rock band to the most legendary and spiritual home of rock. We have been pushing for this moment for many years, but for this to become reality alongside the likes of Them Crooked Vultures, Motörhead and Megadeth is the best 30th Anniversary of the site we could have dreamed of, it’s also going to be a fantastic tribute to Maurice Jones who started this all off back in 1980.”
Downloadfestival.co.uk
THE ROLLING STONES’ ICONIC EXILE ON MAIN STREET TO BE RELEASED WITH NEVER-BEFOREHEARD TRACKS Universal Music Group is pleased to announce the re-release of The Rolling Stones’ album Exile on Main Street with an additional 10 never-before-heard tracks. Regarded as one of the greatest albums in rock ‘n’ roll history and one of the most defining of the Stones’ catalogue, Exile will be available May 17, 2010, in the U.K. and May 18, 2010, in the US. Album Launch to Coincide With New Documentary “Stones In Exile” Upon its release more than three decades ago, Exile on Main Street innovatively wove varying musical genres, instruments and even artists into a compelling rhythmic masterpiece. This new compilation features 10 tracks originally recorded during the Exile era and only recently discovered while working on the reissue project. The unearthed tracks which include such titles as “Plundered My Soul,” “Dancing in the Light,” “Following the River” and “Pass The Wine” have undergone a unique evolution, while staying true to the essence of the 1972 album. Alternate versions of “Soul Survivor” and “Loving Cup” also are a part of the Exile bonus materials. As a complement to the release of Exile on Main Street, a documentary, “Stones in Exile,” has just been completed for fans to view on US Network television and through BBC Worldwide internationally. The documentary features rare, never-before-seen archival film, photos and interviews as well as new conversations with the band and the artists they influence. Produced by Oscar -winning filmmaker John Battsek and directed by Stephen Kijak, who is known for award-winning work on Cinemania, and Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, “Stones in Exile” offers an uncommon glimpse into the lives of the band as they created one of the greatest albums of all time. The original 18-track double-album was recorded in various stages at multiple locations, including Olympic Studios in London, Keith Richard’s mansion Nellcote in France, and in Los Angeles where the literal “Main Street” influenced the album title. These atypical circumstances surrounding the recording process greatly affected the album’s outcome which was highly reflective and influenced by the sociopolitical turbulence that marked the late `60s and early `70s. The Stones nixed the influences of a flower-child era and directed their creative process with the edgier, excessive, “more is more” approach of the `70s. Exile reveals a sprawling mix of genres with undertones of blues, country, R&B and gospel mixed with lyrics that fervently demand for release and liberation. The album pulled together an electric array of talent including Dr. John, the late Billy Preston and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Guitarist Mick Taylor, who replaced Brian Jones in the band shortly before Jones died in 1969, is a magnificent blues player who brought an intensity and elegance to these epic tracks. At times, these musicians and others lived on the recording studio premises with the band creating an extremely open and creative collaboration for the album. “The album’s riveting portrait of artists pushed – by the times, by themselves – to the very limits of their creativity has provided inspiration to every musical generation that has come along since Exile was released in 1972,” said author Anthony DeCurtis. “Every song on Exile on Main Street is elevated by its relationship to the music that comes before and after it. The album’s irresistible power is unlikely to diminish any time soon.” Exile on Main Street will be available in two CD formats: the original 18 track release; a deluxe CD edition with the 10 special bonus tracks; and a super deluxe package that also includes vinyl, a 30- minute documentary DVD with footage from Cocksucker Blues, Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones and Stones in Exile, and a 50-page collector’s book with photos from the Exile era. The 10 unreleased tracks were produced by Jimmy Miller, The Glimmer Twins and Don Was.
The new album • IN STORES 8TH MARCH CD • Special Edition DIGIPAK CD WITH BONUS TRACKS • DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Includes the killer single ‘No Way But The Hard Way’ AVAILABLE now AT PLAY.COM for just £7.99 ON TOUR IN THE UK 29 MARCH Guildhall, Portsmouth 30 MARCH Colston Hall, Bristol 1 APRIL HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London 2 APRIL O2 Academy, Liverpool 3 APRIL Apollo, Manchester 5 APRIL HMV Picture House, Edinburgh 6 APRIL O2 Academy, Glasgow 7 APRIL O2 Academy, Leeds 8 APRIL O2 Academy, Newcastle 10 APRIL Civic, Wolverhampton 11 APRIL Rock City, Nottingham 13 APRIL Mandela Hall, Belfast 14 APRIL Academy, Dublin
WWW.AIRBOURNEROCK.COM
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i-Kandy
Joan Jett has just had her 'Greatest Hits' album issued and she drops off in the UK as Special Guest on Green Day's Stadium UK tour this summer. You would be a fool to miss this... Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, she's had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Crimson and Clover." She sits at the head of her own independent label, Blackheart Records. Jett has acted in movies, including 1987's Light Of Day, with Michael J. Fox and Gena Rowlands, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show. As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, and the Vacancies, as well as the Germs' LA punk masterpiece, GI. Jett was even one of only two women named to Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time. In the end, though, Joan Jett's life has been dedicated to one goal and one goal only - rocking the hell out of every listener she can reach. "I remember times when I was at shows and the person onstage locked eyes with me," she recently told Esquire magazine. "And in that moment, everything was right with the world. I think that's part of my job, to create these thousands of moments every night." Since co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett's determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. This year, however, her profile will skyrocket yet again, with the release of both a longawaited feature film telling the story of the Runaways and a new, two-disc Greatest Hits collection. The Runaways is based on lead singer Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel. Kristen Stewart, star of the Twilight series films, plays Jett, and her fellow A-Lister Dakota Fanning portrays Currie. The movie chronicles the band's early years; formed by teenage girls living near Hollywood, CA., the Runaways became the first all-girl band to break into the world of arena-filling hard rock acts. After the success of their first single, "Cherry Bomb," the Runaways toured with such acts as the Ramones, Cheap Trick, and Tom Petty. But in Japan, the band became huge stars - their arrival for a set of shows in 1977 was like Beatlemania all over again. During the Japanese tour, Currie began to struggle, and she left the band when they returned home - but Jett decided to keep fighting the rock & roll fight, with the Runaways and then on her own. Jett has been close to the project: She serves as an executive producer on the film, and she has described Kristen Stewart as being "like a little sister." For her part, the young actress has said of Jett that "her story's important - it's an incredibly triumphant feminist story, really." The two discs of the Greatest Hits set, meanwhile, present twenty blazing tracks from Jett's three-decade-plus career. From "Cherry Bomb" through her smashes in the '80s and '90s, all the way up to the recent favorite "A.C.D.C.," it's a comprehensive look at one of rock's most iconic figures. In addition, the compilation will feature eco-friendly packaging (100% recycled paper and biodegradable trays). Jett, who has been dedicated to protecting the environment for most of her life, couldn't be more thrilled to be offering a "green" effort. "I've always appreciated nature," she says, "trees, grass, birds, sun, and even insects. I obsessively recycle. I almost never turn on lights; I pretty much live in the dark. I don't use a lot of water. I'm a vegetarian, so I avoid contributing to the major environmental damage that the meat industry creates. I hope that soon we can make sure that everything we do is earth-friendly." Of course, the hits collection will be released through Jett's own Blackheart Records, a label she founded in 1980 which made her the first female artist to own and operate an independent record company. She and her longtime songwriting partner/producer Kenny Laguna created Blackheart after being rejected by 23 different labels when she was trying to release "I Love Rock n Roll," after she parted ways with the Runaways. (The song went on to spend eight weeks at Number One in 1982, and remains one of Billboard magazine's top thirty songs of all time.) Blackheart Records is currently home to such up-and-coming groups as San Antonio-based female threesome Girl In A Coma (Both Before I'm Gone) and Los Angeles' pop-punk trio the Dollyrots (Because I'm Awesome). The label continues to add new artists to its roster. "I keep my eyes open [for new acts to sign] all the time when I'm on the road," says Jett. "We made Blackheart Records what we wanted it to be. It's a place where musicians can feel comfortable, both in a work environment and on an artistic level."
Welcome To The 4th Dimension
THE BRAND NEW ALBUM • IN STORES 29th MARCH INCLUDES THE SINGLES ‘YOUNGBLOOD (LET IT OUT)’ & ‘MATTERS AT ALL’
CD • Digital • Digital Special Edition Pre-order now from Play.com/KIGH and get a free Criminal Damage sweatband
www.kidsinglasshouses.com www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
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OUT OF OUR MINDS THE STUNNING NEW ALBUM Includes ‘Out Of Our Minds’, ‘Meet Me On The Dark Side’ and ‘Father’s Grave’ with special guest Glenn Danzig
Available on CD, Limited Edition Digipak (incl. 2 bonus tracks) and Digital Download Produced by Melissa Auf der Maur, Jordon Zadorozny & Chris Goss
IN STORES NOW
www.xmadmx.com • www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
Ronnie James Dio: R.I.P.
Long Live Rock N Roll
Shake Salutes One Of Rock’s Finest Singers! Metal legend Ronnie James Dio has lost his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 67. Ronnie James Dio (born Ronaldo Giovanni Padovan; July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010) was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid. He was widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He was collaborating on a project with former Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, under the moniker Heaven & Hell, whose first and only studio album, The Devil You Know, was released on April 28, 2009. Today his wife Wendy broke the below news to fans via Ronnie’s website. 'Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever." Ronnie James Dio was born Padovan (or Paduan) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, an only child in an Italian family. They lived in Portsmouth until the family moved to Cortland, New York early in his life. He initially played the trumpet and even recorded several singles with various rockabilly bands when he was a boy. When he was in high school, he joined a band called The Vegas Kings, in which he played the bass guitar. He eventually became the lead singer of this band. Padavona took up the name "Dio" after mafia member Johnny Dio, and first used it professionally in 1961, when he added it to the band's second release on Seneca. Despite being known for his powerful singing voice, Dio claims never to have taken any vocal training. He attributes his singing ability to the correct breathing techniques he learned when playing the French horn as a child. Dio started a new band called the Electric Elves. They shortened their name to Elf in 1969. Dio performed vocals on the 1974 UK single "Love is All" taken from Roger Glover's concept album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast. Dio also provided vocals for the songs "Homeward" and "Sitting in a Dream" on the album which also featured Deep Purple alumni Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. Elf went on to become an opening act for Deep Purple. Dio's vocals caught the ear of Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, and when Blackmore left the band, he recruited Dio and other members of Elf to form Rainbow. Rainbow In 1974, Richie Blackmore became infuriated at the funk/soul (or as Blackmore called it, "shoeshine music") elements being introduced to Deep Purple. During recent US tours, Deep Purple's support band had been Elf, and Ritchie had been impressed by Elf's singer, Ronnie James Dio. Blackmore and Dio found they had such a creative rapport that a full album's worth of music was soon composed, and they recorded it with Elf as a ession band. Emboldened by the experience, Blackmore decided to leave Deep Purple and form his own band around Elf, effectively taking it over minus their guitarist and renaming it Rainbow. The name of the band was inspired by the Rainbow Bar and Grill in Hollywood that catered to rock stars, groupies and rock enthusiasts. Rainbow's debut album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, was released in 1975. Rainbow's music was different from Deep Purple's. Dio possessed a versatile vocal range capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads. Although Dio never played a musical instrument on any Rainbow album, he is credited with writing and arranging the music with Blackmore, in addition to writing all the lyrics himself. Blackmore fired everybody except Dio shortly after the album was recorded and Blackmore recruited Cozy Powell, Jeff Beck's drummer, bassist Jimmy Bain, and American keyboard player Tony Carey. This lineup went on to record the next album Rising. This line-up also commenced the first world tour for the band, with the first US dates in late 1975. By the time of the European dates in the summer of 1976, Rainbow's reputation as a blistering live act was already established. Their next album Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, Black ore played bass himself on all but four songs: "Long Live Rock N' Roll", "Gates of Babylon", "Kill the King", and "Sensitive To Light". After the release and extensive world tour in 1977–78, Blackmore decided that he wanted to take the band in a new commercial direction away from the "sword and sorcery" theme. Dio did not agree with this change and left Rainbow. He would go on to replace Ozzy Osbourne as the lead singer in Black Sabbath. (Coincidentally, Daisley, Powell and future Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli also played with Black Sabbath at various times.)
Black Sabbath Sharon Arden, (later Sharon Osbourne) daughter of Black Sabbath manager Don Arden, suggested former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio to replace Ozzy Osbourne in 1979. Dio officially joined in June, and the band began writing their next album. With a notably different vocal style from Osbourne's, Dio's addition to the band marked a change in Black Sabbath's sound. "They were totally different altogether", Iommi explains. "Not only voice-wise, but attitude-wise. Ozzy was a great showman, but when Dio came in, it was a different attitude, a different voice and a different musical approach, as far as vocals. Dio would sing across the riff, whereas Ozzy would follow the riff, like in "Iron Man". Ronnie came in and gave us another angle on writing." Dio's term in Black Sabbath has also brought the "metal horns" gesture to popularity in heavy metal subculture. Dio adopted it, originally a superstitious move to ward off the "evil eye", as a greeting to audience. Since then, the gesture became widely copied by fans and other musicians alike Produced by Martin Birch, Heaven and Hell, was released on 25 April 1980, to critical acclaim. The album eventually sold a million copies in the US, and the band embarked on an extensive world tour, making their first live appearance with Dio in Germany on April 17, 1980. Black Sabbath toured the US throughout 1980 with Blue Öyster Cult on the "Black and Blue" tour, with a show at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York filmed and released theatrically in 1981 as Black and Blue. On 26 July 1980, the band played to 75,000 fans at a sold-out Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles with Journey, Cheap Trick, and Molly Hatchet. The next day, the band appeared at the 1980 Day on the Green at Oakland Coliseum. The band completed the Heaven and Hell world tour in February 1981, and returned to the studio to begin work on their next album. Mob Rules was released in October 1981. The album's title track "The Mob Rules", which was recorded at John Lennon's old house in England, also featured in the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal, although the film version is an alternate take, and differs from the album version. The band recorded a live album Live Evil—during the Mob Rules world tour, across the United States in Dallas, San Antonio, and Seattle, in 1982. During the mixing process for the album, Iommi and Butler had a falling out with Dio. Live Evil is when it all fell apart. "When it comes time for the vocal, nobody tells me what to do. Nobody! Because they're not as good as me, so I do what I want to do," Dio later said. Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath in November 1982 to start his own band, and took drummer Vinny Appice with him. Live Evil was released in January 1983 Dio In 1982, disagreements originating over the mixing of Black Sabbath's Live Evil resulted in the departure of Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice from the band. Wanting to continue together as a band, the two formed Dio in October 1982 in the United States. The following May, the band released their debut album, Holy Diver. It featured two hit singles, "Rainbow in the Dark" and "Holy Diver", which gained popularity from MTV. Dio had this to say of the band's origins: "It was a good time to be in that band. It was perfect for us. Everything just fell into place. The ethic in rehearsal was amazing. The effort in the recording was just as good. Everybody wanted it to be great. We really believed in what we were doing and couldn't wait to get that product out and have people hear it." The band released their second studio album, The Last in Line, on July 2, 1984. It was followed by their third album, Sacred Heart, which was released on August 15, 1985. In 1985 Ronnie James Dio also wrote the song "Stars" for the Hear 'n Aid project, with Vivian Campbell contributing on guitar. Several songs were recorded live during the Sacred Heart tour for the 1986 Intermission EP with Campbell still on guitar, however the EP also contained the studio track "Time To Burn". which served to introduce fans to Craig Goldy as the new guitarist. On July 21, 1987 their fourth album Dream Evil was released. After Dream Evil, the new band released the album Lock up the Wolves in the spring of 1990. During the tour, Ronnie James Dio had a chance meeting with former Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler which led to that band's short-lived reunion, producing one album, Dehumanizer. After this Ronnie James Dio reassembled Dio once again, during this period they released 1994's Strange Highways, 1996's Angry Machines and the live album Inferno: Last in Live. Craig Goldy's return facilitated the release of Dio's eighth studio album in 2000, Magica. A concept album, Magica features a return to the band's older, more successful sound, while increased use of keyboards gives it a modern feel. Dio's ninth work, Killing the Dragon, which was written primarily by Ronnie James Dio and Bain was released in 2002 through Spitfire Records and was well received in the metal community, making the Billboard top 200. Dio released their tenth studio album, Master of the Moon on August 30, 2004 in Europe through SPV Records and on September 7, 2004 in the United States through Sanctuary Records. 2005 saw the release of the Dio live album Evil or Divine - Live In New York City, which featured the same show that was released on DVD in 2003. Dio has claimed he did not have much input on this release, as he had already left the label that released it.
The Devil You Know In October 2006 it was confirmed that Dio would be joining Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice to tour under the moniker Heaven & Hell, which was the title of the first Dio era Black Sabbath album. They chose the name Heaven & Hell as Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler are still in the Black Sabbath band with Ozzy Osbourne and felt it was best to use a different moniker for the Dio version of the band. Even before the beginning of the tour, the members had said that the Heaven & Hell 2007 tour was a one-off and had expressed their plans to go their separate ways. Dio would return to his band (Dio), having stated his desire to produce Magica II and Magica III, sequels to Dio's 2000 album Magica. However, in a March 2007 interview, Dio and Iommi expressed that while they were both tied to separate contractual commitments in 2008, neither would discount the possibility of future collaborations. On January 17, 2007, he was inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame at Guitar Center on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard. The idea for a new album originally came about as the band recorded new songs for the The Dio Years compilation. Iommi commented that Heaven & Hell agreed on an album whilst the band was in Japan on their 2007 tour. In August 2008, Heaven and Hell took part in the Metal Masters Tour alongside Judas Priest, MotÜrhead and Testament. The band embarked on a tour in 2009, making a stop at the Sweden Rock Festival among other places, like the Wâldrock festival at Holland, and Sonisphere Festival - Knebworth, UK. The title of the new album is The Devil You Know. Some of the song titles include "Bible Black", "Rock and Roll Angel", "Fear", "Breaking Into Heaven", The release date was April 28, 2009. Heaven & Hell started the "Bible Black Tour" to promote The Devil You Know, on May 5, 2009, and concluding on August 29, 2009 The former lead singer of Rainbow and Black Sabbath was diagnosed with the cancer on November 25, 2009.
ROWLAND S. HOWARD – POP CRIMES Rock & roll is a mean and dirty business and it burns out the bright young sparks who briefly flicker fiercely near its flame like tousled-haired youth full of the arrogance of imagination. Rowland S. Howard who tragically died on 30 December 2009 of liver failure lived a rock & roll life full of flick-knife danger and skinny hipster malevolence, an intellectual and restless spirit his recent death on the verge of a long awaited full on comeback is as tragic as some of his darkest lyrics. At least his influence can still be felt in maverick bands like the Horrors, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and several generations of underground musicians who recognize his genius. Fortunately before he died he had recorded ‘Pop Crimes’ - his best solo work yet, delivering a darkly mature work full of tense, beautiful music underlining his personal vision of the world. Long-time faithful friends Mick Harvey (who has played with Rowland for over 30 years), JP Shilo (Hungry Ghosts) and producer Lindsay Gravina make for a formidable backline. Out front the guitar playing couldn’t be any one else but Rowland S. Howard and his weary, almost journalistic vocal delivery dispassionately sits amidst the sweaty panic of the music, adding to the ill ease. The ghosts of Lee Hazlewood, Snatch, Sergio Leone, The Shangri-Las and nameless guys from a never known chain gang fill the album with their shadowy presence but its Rowland S. Howard’s dark and intellectual presence that is everywhere on an album that will be his signature release. Within the first few breaths Rowland references Stalin, Calvary and genocide, whilst razoring typically brilliant and idiosyncratic guitar lines that the current crop of post-punk revisionists could only fantasize about. ‘Shut Me Down’ is Rowland at his most romantic, though inevitably its shot through with loss and longing. If only Dusty Springfield were alive to revel in its drama! Talk Talk’s ‘Life’s What You Make It’ is re-imagined as if it had risen from the grind of a Detroit auto plant’s assembly line. ‘A Girl Called Johnny’ sees Jonnine D from HTRK sidle up to the microphone for a duet that will melt even the coldest of hearts. It’s a glorious missing link between the New York girl group sound and the street smarts of Suicide. Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Nothin’ is given a chilling tenement building transformation. ‘Wayward Man’ has the band wailing like alarm sirens before Rowland emerges at his most contemplative with the gorgeous, fragile build of ‘Ave Maria’. Final track ‘The Golden Age Of Bloodshed’ takes the album out on a swaggering, swashbuckling epic, with salvation slipping through the narrator’s fingers. Rowland S. Howard has history; records like this don’t come from nowhere. He had started playing in teenagebands like The Obsessions and The Young Charlatans in late 70s Melbourne. Whilst still a callow youth he wrote ‘Shivers’, an undisputed classic, (quietly ignoring the fact that Rowland perhaps doesn’t see it that way and approaches the song as if it was written by someone else.) The song was recorded by his band The Boys Next Door who mutated into the wilder and looser Birthday Party who relocated to Europe to wage a guerrilla campaign against the trivialities of the 80s, themselves and the world at large in a series of wild and feral records that oozed a high IQ filthy disgust. The Birthday Party were one of the most no-holds-barred bands of all time. Their expressive and wild music packed a fierce and filthy intellect as it thrilled the underground music scene of the early 80s.
Birthday Party front man Nick Cave has become an international star - a dark-hearted preacher who sings songs of tender love or demonic filth with a leering glee. The charismatic star still stalks the stage with a powerful presence but it is his Birthday Party performances that introduced the world to an astonishingly dangerous persona. The last two Birthday Party EPs contained some of Roland S. Howard's greatest guitar work- deep sonorous riffs and garbage can twanging that echoes the band's kinetic chaos with a delta blues instinct sieved through a punk rock intensity. Few rock bands have made records as dark and deadly as this. A generation’s post punk disgust at the vile world was spewed and skewed back in loud and loose music that fought with the audience. Howard’s guitar style and song writing was one of the key components of the Birthday Party, for two albums and a series of singles. Onstage Rowland was the skinny badass guitar freak with the ‘six strings that drew blood’, as Nick Cave once sang. His popeyed expression and disheveled hair made him a charismatic foil for Cave as well as an arresting figure himself. It was because of this intensity that they collapsed. There was no way the competing talents of Nick Cave and Rowland Howard could be contained in one unit. Howard then left the Birthday Party to become a member of Crime and the City Solution, a band led by Simon Bonney, and later formed These Immortal Souls with Genevieve McGuckin, his brother- Harry Howard, and Epic Soundtracks. He made a singularity brilliant record with Lydia Lunch - a powerful swaggering take on Lee Hazelwood‘s ‘Some Velvet Morning’. His sneering vocal alone on that record makes it one of the great releases of the period and the cover shot of him and Lydia Lunch drips pure sex. The pair of them further collaborated on other songs that dripped full of erotic violence and melancholy. Whilst his former associates have moved on to weekend colour supplement acceptability, Rowland moved back to Australia and seemed to drop out of view with only the occasional snippet of information giving clue to his activities. His ghostly demeanour (pale, gaunt, stick thin, sickly, dark humoured, fatalistic) has perhaps inadvertently added far too much credence to his shadowy presence The shadow of this myth has seemingly obscured the sheer volume of his creativity and the singularity of his musical vision. In reality always respected by his peers, a scan through Rowland’s catalogue of work sees him allied with the likes of Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore, Wim Wenders, Barry Adamson, The Gun Club, Nikki Sudden, the Beasts Of Bourbon, the Hungry Ghosts and HTRK. Rowland’s own ensemble These Immortal Souls gun their engines in the illlit background and the legacy of his work with The Birthday Party scores the skin of successive generations of musicians and fans. But it’s a history Rowland would gleefully have put a match to. Rowland S. Howard has carved a deep scar across the landscape of contemporary music. Elsewhere in the world such a rogue character would be rewarded with glowing features in glossy music magazines, invited to curate arts festivals, offered their own radio show or feted with tribute albums. In Australia such a triumph of the spirit, a lifetime spent wilfully unyielding to the middle ground, is not so highly prized and not so publicly commended. Until recently. Last year Rowland S Howard performed at All Tomorrow’s Parties, at the Mount Buller ski resort in alpine Australia. Daylight and the charms of the great outdoors perhaps seemed at odds with his legend. But the large crowd was with this enigmatic man, grasped his right to be there and warmly welcomed him. Rowland seemed well aware that it was an unlikely journey for him to make in order to connect with an audience who know and value his worth. And with ever sharp wit he greeted them with the wry observation that “Sometimes Muhammad must come to the mountain.” With the release of Pop Crimes that journey continues. Pop Crimes is released by Infectious Records on May 31st John Robb 2010...
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Liverpool Sound City 2010... 4 days… 35 venues… 400 artists… 1000 Delegates... 35,000 revellers: Liverpool Sound City returns for it's 3rd outing in May 2010 and it's shaping up to be the best one yet... Miss This and Miss Out! The Maccabees play 2 shows at the festival. This will certainly be one of the many highlights of Sound City 2010. With two sterling albums under their belt including last year’s “Wall of Arms” They recently collaborated with Roots Manuva and are at the forefront of the new British music movement as they headlined this years NME Awards tour. Also fresh on the line up are The Sunshine Underground whose album “Nobody’s Coming to Save You” was released to all round acclaim this month. Based in Leeds and known for their high octane funk and punk sound they’re well placed next to local lads Hot Club de Paris for delivering engaging live shows. Joining them in Liverpool will be Welsh rock royalty Attack! Attack! and local rock n roll legend Ian McNabb has also been confirmed to play a one off special Sound City show. From further afield, Canada’s Chilly Gonzales will be performing an exclusive piano and talk based show on the converted altar, at the palatially transformed ex-church, Alma De Cuba. Liverpool Sound City 2010 is beginning to shape up and replicate the resounding success of the 2009 festival, announcing a packed programme of live acts, special events and world renowned speakers and panellists who not only shape, but make the music industry. Festival Director Dave Pichilingi said “Liverpool Sound City is about being the coolest and most exciting city centre music festival in the world. With Sound City we bring together the greatest new music and art from all over the world. Together with this we welcome the key execs, mavericks, new entrepreneurs and industry players from the international arena of music, media and technology businesses...” Dave added; “The Maccabees fit perfectly with the Sound City ethos. Notable successes over the past few years include Hot Chip, The Temper Trap, Florence and the Machine and The Big Pink. Eat Your Own Ears Director Tom Baker states; “We are really excited to be working with Liverpool Sound City after the first Eat Your Own Ears event that saw Florence and the Machine play to a room of 400 people and Four Tet headline the 2nd room in 2008... So great to be back, and exciting to see the line ups for 2010 come together over the next few weeks." Showcasing the best in local and international talent, Liverpool Sound City have also confirmed local lads Wave Machines, who deliver art pop rhythms, soaring synths and infectious gigs. Hailed by NME as this year’s ‘ones to watch’. Semour Stein will head up an impressive list of industry guests... Seymour Stein is the cofounder and chairman of Sire Records, the label that put Punk and New Wave on the map. Famous for signing artists such as Madonna, The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads and Liverpool’s own Echo and the Bunnymen. “Seymour’s taste in music is always a couple years ahead of everybody else’s,” observed Gary Kurfirst, who managed Talking Heads - another of Stein’s signings, Stein saw an essential piece of rock and roll’s future. “I was riveted the whole time,” he recalled of his first glimpse of Talking Heads at New York’s CBGB’s. “It was amazing. And, of course, I signed them.” (Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame).
Liverpool Sound City 2010
Dates: Wed 19th – Sat 22nd May 2010 Offical Website: www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk www.facebook.com/liverpoolsoundcity www.twitter.com/soundcity
** 'Shake' Recommended Things To See, Hear & Do @ Sound City 2010 ** THE JIM JONES REVUE / EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER THE DELTA FIASCO / DELPHIC / EVERYTHING EVERYTHING / DELTA FIASCO / YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE! / ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT BRITISH SEA POWER / BICYCLE THIEVES / GOLDHAWKS / THE RATIO BURNS / WAVE MACHINES / DAISY DARES YOU / THE BLACKOUT / YOUNG GUNS / LIGHTS / RAGZ / THE A-TRAIN... OIL CITY CONFIDENTIAL SCREENING (Q&A WITH JULIEN TEMPLE)
WILKO JOHNSON / WILD BEASTS / THE UNIVERSAL / ATTACK! ATTACK! / PONY PONY RUN RUN / CURRY AND COCO / INME AMSTERDAM / STRAWHOUSES / IAN MCNABB / THE SECOND GRACE / THE MACCABEES / LOS CAMPESINOS! / MR FOGG / THE SUZUKIS / IAN MCCULLOCH / SOUND OF GUNS / HOT CLUB DE PARIS / THE POOL / THE KRAZYHOUSE CLUB NIGHTS...
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THE NEW ALBUM FEATURING THE BRUTAL “RISE OF THE FALLEN” WITH GREG PUCIATO OF DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN AVAILABLE ON CD • SPECIAL EDITION CD/DVD DIGIPAK • DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Special Edition includes 3 bonus tracks plus whole live concert – With Full Force Festival 2009 Pre-order at www.play.com/RR2010 now and get £2 off with thE discount code RR77915-2GBP
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