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March 11, 2010
Ron Wood Works Towards Sobriety – Considers Marriage
The drama that was Ron Wood’s life seems to have subsided. The Rolling Stones guitarist is said to be working hard to stay sober, and is “desperate to give up for good.” There’s some high-powered support for Wood, which is being credited as a great help to him.
Including on Wood’s support team are fellow Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, long-time friend and former Faces band mate Rod Stewart, as well as pop star Elton Jon. Jagger reportedly calls Wood regularly to check up on him, and offer encouragement.
Perhaps even more encouragement and support comes by way of Wood’s new girlfriend. Wood has been seeing 30-year-old Ana Arujo since around the beginning of the year, and it is said that the Brazilian beauty has had a very positive influence on his life. So positive in fact, that is is being reported by the Daily Express that Wood is considering marrying her.
Wood split not long ago from Ekaterina Ivanova, ending a tumultuous affair that certainly kept the two in the spotlight, and did not seem to do much good for Wood’s struggles with addiction. The affair ended after a particularly nasty fight between the two that resulted in the police being called to the scene.
In other Rolling Stones news, a recent story in Rolling Stone magazine quotes guitarist Keith Richards regarding the possibility of a new Stones album in the not-too-distant future.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we did some recording later this year,” Richards said. “I don’t know how the rest of them feel about roadwork at the moment. Maybe we’ll search for a different way for the Stones to go back on the road.”
In contrast to Ron Wood, Richards seems to have no problems with the relationship he has with alcohol. After rumors that he had given up drinking, Richards had this to say: “Listen, the rumors of my sobriety are greatly exaggerated. And we’ll leave it at that.”
Leaves little doubt why actor Johnny Depp chose Richards to model certain characteristics of his Pirates of The Caribbean character, “Captain Jack Sparrow” after Richards.
March 9, 2010
Foreigner, Jethro Tull, Kansas and Styx Prep For Summer Tours
As the Sun begins to banish the bitter winter chill and eat away at the snow here in the northeast, the newswire continues to deliver word of more classic rock groups who are set to offer their U.S. fans another opportunity to catch them live.
Three classic rock powerhouses – Foreigner, Kansas, and Styx have teamed up for something they are calling the “United We Rock” tour. All three groups are well-known for their fair share of hit singles that blared from countless car stereos during the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Today, classic rock radio stations continue to pump out those same hits, keeping those classic favorites alive, and bringing a new generation of fans into the classic rock fold. Although the crowds at these up-coming shows will likely feature a good number of graying heads (for those of us who still have hair!), there are sure to be many fans who were not yet born when these groups were at the top of their game, and packing stadium-sized venues full of screaming fans.
Although only a handful of dates have been announced so far, the summer tour dubbed “United We Rock” is set to open on June 3rd in Kansas City. This one should be one of the top classic rock tickets of the summer. The tour heads west after the debut show to finish out the month of June, and more dates will be announced soon, including stops in Boston and Chicago.
A press release from the tour quotes Styx guitarist James “JY” Young as saying “These three bands represent the more rocking side of the classic rock genre. With the countless great rock songs each band will be performing, this is going to be a guitars-a-blazin’ good time had by all.”
British rock veterans Jethro Tull are said to be planning a new album in addition to a summer U.S. tour. Starting on June 11th in Miami, the tour will then take the group north to Boston, Chicago and Toronto, among others.
Tull’s plans for a new album will end an 11-year drought for the group, one that is remembered for iconic hits such as “Aqualung,” “Locomotive Breath,” and “Living In The Past.”
Regarding the new album, enduring frontman Ian Anderson says, “I have sent material over to America where the band are working on it. That’s kind of how it works these days but they seem to like what I am doing.”
No release date for the new material has yet been announced, but it is probably a bit too early in the process. Perhaps there’s a chance they will showcase a taste of their new work while on tour.
So far it looks like the summer of 2010 is looking pretty good for classic rock fans. It is probably reasonable to assume that more tour news is on the way. The market is obviously still hungry for the genre, and other recent reunion plans are bound to translate into more live shows for classic rock fans across North America.
More on these tours is available at Live Daily.
March 4, 2010
A Journey Into The Mind of Meat Loaf
Well, that’s how the man is describing it himself – not in so many words, but when the Bat Out of Hell rocker talks about his new album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, he reveals that, “It’s the one that tells you the most about me. It tells you about how my mind works.”
For that opportunity, he credits producer Rob Cavallo, who reportedly allowed Meat Loaf to be the “the captain” during the process of creating the new album. Whether or not that was a wise choice will be revealed by the numbers that follow the April 23rd release.
The new album is not without controversy, even before hitting store shelves. A certain track that revolves around the story of a man that falls for a prostitute is comprised partly of lyrics that are not likely to be well-received by some. The passage in question is on a track entitled “California Isn’t Big Enough,” and it makes reference to the size of a certain part of the male anatomy. Not too tough to figure that one out.
The 62-year-old rocker sounds as if he had some reservations about going ahead with the controversial lyrics, but in the end, he decided that it really was something that was important to convey the message in that particular song.
He makes an interesting point as he compares the lyrics to the content one might be exposed to while watching an R-rated movie. Certainly a thought-provoking viewpoint, considering that, technically, the language used on “California Isn’t Big Enough” does not even include any profanity. It’s more a contextual thing, I suppose, but there are bound to be very strong opinions on both sides of the argument.
Joining Meat Loaf on the new album are some other well-known names – some surprising and some not so much. Jack Black duets on a track called “Like A Rose,” while British actor Hugh Laurie of House fame plays piano on “Can’t Have You.” Not long ago, Meat Loaf was a guest star on an episode of House, and the two struck up a friendship, which led to an invitation to play on the new album.
Meat Loaf, like a lot of other rockers in his age group, has no plans to slow down. “I’m like the Energizer rabbit right now. I don’t even need to be plugged in. I need to be unplugged,” he says.
There’s more to be read regarding Meat Loaf and his new album at MSN.
Think You’ve Heard The Last From Jimi Hendrix? Think Again!
It’s not often we hear the announcement of a new album from an artist who has passed on. That’s exactly what’s happening with the planned release of a new Jimi Hendrix album in just a few days on March 9th.
Veteran recording engineer Eddie Kramer mixed the 12 tracks that make up the new album, which bears the title Valleys Of Neptune. Those tracks were recorded by Hendrix over a period of four months during 1969, approximately a year before his untimely death at the age of 27.
Working on the new album was a surreal trip down memory lane for Kramer, whose memories of working with the guitar legend came flooding back as he heard not only the music that Hendrix laid down on tape, but also the conversations that took place in the studio at the time.
“That part of it’s really real. That’s the part that makes the hair on the back of your head stand up,” says Kramer.
He obviously holds Hendrix in high esteem, offering advice to young guitarists who are hoping to make their mark on the music scene. According to Kramer, if you want to play guitar, you should listen to Jimi Hendrix play first. Advice that probably not too many seasoned musicians would argue with.
What may be even more amazing than the release of this new album is what Hendrix’s sister had to say. Janie Hendrix, who serves as CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, reports that there are sufficient recordings in Jimi Hendrix archives to “ensure a new release every 12-18 months for the next 10 years.”
Although the guitar legend is missed by legions of fans, his prolific writing and recording may offer more surprises in the coming years. Perhaps Valleys Of Neptune is just the start of previously unreleased material that Hendrix fans can look forward to; and what a cool name for an album, by the way.
The Hendrix legacy is likely to be as enduring as rock music itself. His creativity and raw talent inspires and influences guitar players to this day, and will probably do so for many decades to come.
Valleys Of Neptune will be available from Amazon.com
For more on this new Hendrix release, visit Spinner.
March 2, 2010
CD Review: Craig Maher’s Propel
Craig who? It’s not a name as recognizable as Led Zeppelin or Aerosmith, and technically, he’s not even a classic rock act. However, I’m including a review of this CD here not because I was paid (I wasn’t) and not because I got the CD for free (I did). It’s because it actually sounds pretty good.
I get promotional CDs and DVDs in the mail from time to time, and unfortunately, most of them are either completely unrelated to classic rock, or just something I don’t care for. In fact, it’s rare for me to get any more than 30 seconds or so into each song on most CDs I receive before they wind up in “the pile.”
That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to pop Craig Maher’s new CD, Propel, into my player and have it play from beginning to end. Was I jumping up and down about it? Not quite, but it’s a lot better than most of the other stuff that shows up. Heck, it’s actually pretty good.
Interestingly, Maher describes his music as “Cosmic Contemporary” and cites influences as “the best of the 60’s and the early 70’s rock scene and its ties to Eastern music, Mysticism, and spirituality.” He also credits artists such as U2, David Bowie and Lenny Kravitz as influences.
Certainly, some of the lyrics seem true to Maher’s notion of “Cosmic Contemporary,” but at the same time, there is little doubt that you are listening to a rock album.
Maher covers quite a bit of territory even though the CD might be considered a bit on the short side with just 8 tracks. From the hard-driving rhythm of the title track to the more flowing and laid-back tempo of “Ten Thousand Dreams.”
The eastern influence mentioned earlier makes its presence known in “Where I belong,” although not in sufficient quantity to detract from the track’s rock edge. It’s a passage that reminds me of what Max Webster did with the intro on “Beyond The Moon” from Mutiny Up My Sleeve.
Yeah, I know – a lot of you are thinking, “Huh?” (See the Broaden Your Classic Rock Horizons for more on Max Webster)
It’s clear that Maher has assembled a seasoned group of musicians and engineers to back him on this album. The performances are tight, and I find the mix and engineering to my liking.
Your best bet is to simply go to Maher’s MySpace page and get a taste of his music for yourself. The sample tracks should give anyone enough to make a decision on whether or not Propel should be part of their collection.
