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March 30, 2008
Steely Dan’s Becker Plans New Album
Steely Dan’s jazz-influenced sound may place them a bit outside the mainstream of "classic rock," there’s not much doubt that the legendary duo is indeed "classic."
One half of the duo is set to release his first solo album in 14 years. 
Walter Becker’s new album is scheduled to be released in early June and he may even hit the road later in the year for a solo tour to promote the new disk.
The new album, Circus Money, is the follow-up to his 1994 album, 11 Tracks of Whack and features many musicians who are veteran performers of previous Steely Dan material.
This album could be a bit of a shift for Becker since he talks about the influence that Jamaican music had on the new tracks. Becker was fascinated by Jamaican music he was introduced to by a guitar tech he knows who is a big fan of that genre.
Before any real plans for a solo tour are made, Becker will be touring with his partner Donald Fagen this spring and summer under the Steely Dan banner.
Becker reveals that Steely Dan fans will have a few surprises in store for them during the tour, which includes reconfiguring their show, playing some songs they have not played and rearranging some old favorites.
With regard to any plans for a new Steely Dan album, Becker says there are currently no plans and he is not even sure that they have a label anymore, adding that he hopes they do not.
For more on this story, see Reuters.
Pink Floyd Drummer Hints At Reunion
Although there are no current plans for a Pink Floyd reunion, drummer Nick Mason certainly sounds like a willing participant and is hinting that it is only a matter of time.
Saying that relations among the band members are currently "good," Mason says that he thinks it will simply take the right event to convince them to rejoin for a show.
Sounding a bit like some of the comments we have heard coming from the Led Zeppelin camp lately, Mason says: "We’ve proved we can be successful as a band in our own right - there’s nothing else to prove."
Mason says that the right event would likely be something for charity.
Check out the Birmingham Mail for more.
March 28, 2008
Robert Plant Says Led Zeppelin May Play Again
According to the May issue of Uncut Magazine, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant has stated that the group may be considering more shows but not quite at the level of a world tour.
Talking about their wildly successful show at the O2 Arena in December, Plant says: "Hopefully, one day, we could do it again. Our profit is - it’s metaphysical."
Led Zeppelin fans the world over are still hoping to hear about plans for a world tour but Plant has certainly been cautious to avoid associating himself with those words.
Assuming his comment above was genuine, and I suppose there is no reason to assume it wasn’t, it appears there is no real temptation for Plant to embark on a tour for the sake of the financial rewards. It was reported recently that Plant turned down $200 Million he was offered to take part in a Led Zeppelin tour.
At this point it is well known that Plant is committed to his tour plans with Alison Krauss and we probably will not be hearing too much about any other Led Zeppelin shows until that tour ends in the fall.
Bon Jovi Drummer’s Talent Extends Beyond Music
Although Tico Torres may not be a name that comes to mind when thinking about the very best rock drummers, I think he can safely be considered a solid performer who holds his own very well with his band mates in Bon Jovi.
What many people may not know about Torres is that he has talents 
that he enjoys as more of a solo artist as well. And when I say artist, I do mean artist.
I was a little surprised to learn that Tico Torres enjoys painting and sculpting and from the looks of his work, I’d say he’s quite good at it.
Saying he has been working in those mediums since he was 5 years old, Torres shifted his interests a little when he was about 12 and decided to get into music. An activity that was more "cool" among his peers at the time.
Some of his work will be on display through April 7 at the Walnut Street Gallery in Fort Collins, Colorado. Bon Jovi is scheduled to perform at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Monday.
Def Leppard Hoping To Find The Right Mix For Tour Set List
When it comes to selecting songs to play on their tour which begins this week, British rockers Def Leppard know that fans what to hear the oldies and may not appreciate hearing too much material of their forthcoming new album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge.
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is quoted in Rolling Stone recently, saying that he would expect the audience to walk out if the group added too much new material to their set list. "You’d really like to go out there and play all your new shit off the new record, but you can’t do that, because they’d walk out," Collen says.
There are plans to add a few of the new songs to the set list for the tour, but it is obvious that they are being careful to avoid putting too much emphasis on the new stuff when compared to their bread and butter tracks from years gone by that the fans expect to hear.
Sounding a bit bored with the same old songs, Collen talks about how the band would sit on the couch watching TV while they played their instruments through tiny amplifiers. "It’s a real drag rehearsing these songs we’ve done a million times, and there’s no audience there, so it’s a bit like pulling teeth," he says.
In other Def Leppard news, there are rumors saying that the popular video game "Guitar Hero" will feature some Def Leppard music. "Guitar Hero 4" will reportedly feature at least three well-known Def Leppard tracks: Photograph, Animal and Rock of Ages.
Classic Rock Triple Header Touring This Summer
Three big names from the 1970’s and 1980’s are teaming up for a U.S. tour starting on July 9 in Denver, Colorado. Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick are joining forces for a tour that will finish up on October 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The summer tour will be the first major road trip for Journey since they have been joined by their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda.
As it stands today, the tour dates are as follows:
July 9 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 11 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
July 12 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harvey’s Lake Resort
July 15 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
July 16 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Amphitheatre
July 18 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Arena
July 19 - Tucson, AZ - Casino Anselmo
July 22 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Center
July 23 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
July 25 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Amphitheatre
July 26 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 27 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Amphitheatre
July 30 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
July 31 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Aug. 2 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 3 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Amphitheatre
Aug. 4 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Amphitheatre
Aug. 6 - Orange Beach, FL - The Amphitheatre @ The Wharf
Aug. 7 - Nashville, TN - Sommett Center
Aug. 9 - Birmingham, AL - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Aug. 12 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - Jones Beach, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach
Aug. 16 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Amphitheatre
Aug. 17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
Aug. 19 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
Aug. 21 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 23 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair
Aug. 24 - Saratoga, NY - Saratoga PAC
Aug. 26 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 27 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
Aug. 30 - Bethel Woods, NY - Center for the Arts
Aug. 31 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Pavilion
Sep. 4 - Watertown, NY - Watertown Baseball Diamond
Sep. 6 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Sep. 7 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Amphitheatre
Sep. 9 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sep. 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Amphitheatre
Sep. 12 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sep. 13 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Amphitheatre
Sep. 15 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
Sep. 16 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center/Casino
Sep. 19 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Sep. 21 - Portland, OR - Clark County Amphitheatre
Sep. 24 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Sep. 26 - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion at Sacramento
Sep. 27 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
Oct. 3 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
Oct. 4 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
March 27, 2008
Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora Arrested
Perhaps the rough patches in Richie Sambora’s life that were discussed recently are not quite over yet. The Bon Jovi guitarist was arrested Tuesday night in Laguna Beach, CA, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
As the Laguna Beach police tell the story, Sambora’s black Hummer was
seen weaving in traffic. When Sambora was stopped by police, he was subjected to the typical field sobriety tests to determine whether or not he might have had a little too much to drink.
According to police, Sambora was unable to pass the field sobriety tests and was taken into custody and was cooperative with police.
After being booked by police and providing a blood sample, Sambora was released at about 4:00 a.m.
When he was arrested, he was reported to have had three additional people in his vehicle with him. The other passengers were said to have been his girlfriend, his daughter and his daughter’s friend.
Sambora is scheduled to appear in court on May 7 after being charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.
Richie Sambora checked himself into rehab last summer in an effort to get his life back on track. Apparently, it will be up to a judge on May 7 to decide whether or not he’s been successful.
March 25, 2008
Slash Nixes Led Zeppelin Tour Rumor
Not long ago it was reported that Velvet Revolver bass player, Duff McKagan made a statement suggesting that the group would be joining Led Zeppelin on tour as the support act.
This, of course, whipped up the Led Zeppelin tour rumors once again and may have been the cause of false hopes for Led Zeppelin fans who have been waiting to hear news about a tour ever since the legendary rockers performed at London’s O2 show back in December.
Now we are hearing from Velvet Revolver guitarist, Slash, who is saying that McKagan’s statement were taken out of context.
Talking recently with the BBC, Slash said: "As far as Zeppelin doing a tour, that remains to be seen. I saw Robert last night and he’s got his solo thing going on and as far as Velvet Revolver is concerned, we’ve got another record to do and we’re not even thinking about that."
The last thing we heard that supposedly came from the Led Zeppelin camp was that Robert Plant did not want to tour and turned down as much as $100 Million that was being offered for a tour.
The only thing that seems certain at this point is that Robert Plant has a tour planned with Alison Krauss in support of their album, Raising Sand, and there cannot be any Led Zeppelin tour until Plant has finished up that commitment.
Meat Loaf Video Interview on Fox News
Meat Loaf took some time from his schedule recently to spend a few minutes talking to Greta Van Susteren from Fox News.
With the release of his new movie, Meat Loaf, In Search of Paradise, he’s apparently out making the rounds to promote it on the various news programs.
The man best know for Bat Out of Hell talks about how he ended up with the name Meat Loaf, his pre-show rituals and provides the answer to the question that seemed to be the most important one of the whole interview: “What would you do for love?”
For the answer and the motivation behind the question, check out the interview at the Fox News website.
In other Meat Loaf news, the singer’s home was recently featured in an issue of Architectural Digest. Judging from the pictures that are posted on this blog, I’d say he’s living pretty comfortably.
March 24, 2008
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott In New Audio Interview
Philadelphia rock radio station, WMMR, had a chat with Def Leppard 
frontman Joe Elliott on Friday, March 21 and has made the interview available for fans.
As you might expect, Def Leppard’s new album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, was a topic of conversation as well as some band history, the glam influence, the VH1 movie, Mick Ronson, touring, Ron Wood (Elliot did some work on his solo album) and loyalty.
The interview can be downloaded from the WMMR website.
