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Classic Rock Briefs For November 19, 2008

New Rush DVD Close To Release As Group Takes A Break

Although I have not seen it yet, the new live DVD coming on the 25th sounds like a good one. As someone who is less impressed with lightning fast cut-away shots from camera to camera and more impressed with having the opportunity to actually watch a great group of musicians like these guys play, I’m looking forward to getting a look at this one.

Snakes & Arrows Live, recorded at the Ahoy Rotterdam Arena in the Netherlands last October is said to have taken a  different approach than earlier DVDs from the group. “With this one we wanted to focus on the playing," according to Geddy Lee. "So a lot of the camera work features the interaction between Neil, Alex and myself, a lot of the details that you don’t normally cover in a DVD performance.”

Lee also said that Rush is “a little burnt out right now,” and is planning on taking a break for a while. He does sound confident that they will start writing again in the future although he’s not specific about when that will be. Full Story.

Snakes & Arrows Live is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

Chris Squire Talks About History of Yes and Feelings About Rock And Roll Hall of Fame

As the latest incarnation of the veteran progressive rock group continues their tour with stand-in frontman Benoit David, bassist Chris Squire takes some time to talk about his experience as the only member of the group who has remained continuously through their 40 year history.

When asked about not being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Squire responds, “Who knows, I don’t know what you do about that. They just seem to have some anti-prog rock thing going on within their voting committee, and it’s just incredible that we’ve never been put forward.”

Personally, I think Squire is onto something. The fact that groups like Yes and Rush have yet to receive invitations for inclusion into the Rock Hall is a bit ridiculous, and the people in charge of making those decisions need to re-think some of them.

The decision makers out there in Cleveland should recognize the important contributions and outstanding musicianship demonstrated by both Yes and Rush, to name just two. Both groups have a very significant and dedicated fan base and have probably sold more albums than many artists who have been honored by being included among the other inductees. Full Story.

Paul Stanley Radio Interview Available Online

KISS fans might want to head over and check out the recent audio interview with guitar man Paul Stanley. He talked with the folks at radio station WBPM Classic Hits 92.9 in the Hudson Valley area of New York and commented about the group’s plans for a new album and possible tour. Full Story.

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler And Joe Perry To Appear At American Music Awards

This Sunday marks the date for the 36th annual American Music Awards, which will be hosted this year by Jimmy Kimmel, and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry are scheduled to make a special appearance at the event.

Fans who want to catch Tyler and Perry should tune in or set their DVRs for 8:00 PM (ET) Sunday night on the ABC television network which will be broadcasting the event live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Full Story.

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Tags: Aerosmith, American Music Awards, Chris Squire, DVD, Paul Stanley Interview, Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, Rush, Yes

AeroZeppelin?

The rumors about a possible Led Zeppelin tour have taken a rather dramatic turn with a new report that Aerosmith frontman, Steven Tyler has been jamming with them, and being considered as a replacement for Robert Plant for a tour that has been anticipated since the success of the group’s performance at London’s O2 show last December. Plant has been holding out on any commitments to tour with the group, and seems content working with country singer Alison Krauss for the time being.

Tyler reportedly spent several days in a U.K. studio with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, and although it was said that they had a great time, it was also reported that Tyler kept, “…fluffing his lines. He got quite flustered about it,” a source was quoted as saying.

For the full story, check out The Daily Mail.

Speaking of Aerosmith, guitarist Brad Whitford was quoted recently regarding concerns about the group’s inevitable slide into old age.

Even though the official word about the group’s work on their new album is that they are waiting for Steven Tyler’s foot injury to heal, Whitford thinks other factors may be at play, including concerns about his own mortality.

Talking with Billboard, Whitford says, “You have more than average concerns about it (injury), I guess, but you can’t do anything about it.a Like a lot of other things in life, you don’t get to call the shots on these things, do you? We’re just … getting older.”

In light of the reported studio work that Steven Tyler has done with Led Zeppelin lately, one might get the impression that he is recovered sufficiently from his foot injury to resume work on a the new Aerosmith album. Perhaps Tyler is not as concerned about his age as Whitford, but if a tour with Led Zeppelin is a real possibility, he sure has a lot on his plate for an old guy.

Read more about Whitford’s comments at Billboard.

Tags: Aerosmith, Album, Led Zeppelin, Steven Tyler, tour

Classic Rock Briefs For October 21, 2008

Zappa Still Playing Zappa

Although Frank Zappa passed on about 15 years ago, his music lives on thanks to his son Dweezil and members of his group who continue to perform the elder Zappa’s often extraordinarily difficult (to perform) music for live audiences.

In a recent chat, Zappa talks about the difficulties of presenting his father’s music in a way that remains true to its legacy, as well as how he and his siblings managed to avoid many of the pitfalls of life that have plagued so many others with similar backgrounds. Full Story.

Possible Aerosmith Tour In The Works For Spring of 2009

Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford says that the Boston-based group is planning a tour in the spring, but is not optimistic that any new material will be ready before that time.

Expressing what might be a little bit of frustration, Whitford says they currently have the basic “guts of a new album,” but with each member off doing their own projects, he doubts there will be sufficient time to refine the new material enough to create a new album. Full Story.

Neil Peart and Terry Bozzio Appear At Buddy Rich Memorial Concert

Speaking of Frank Zappa, his one-time drummer Terry Bozzio, joined Neil Peart and other noted musicians at the recent Buddy Rich Memorial Concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

Being familiar with the work of both Bozzio and Peart, it is difficult for me to decide which ones amazes me more.

Below you may be able to see Peart’s solo. YouTube has been yanking down some of the videos from this event, so I am not sure if it will remain available.

Tags: Aerosmith, Brad Whitford, Buddy Rich, Dweezil, Frank, Memorial Concert, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio, tour, Zappa

Aerosmith’s Tyler Takes on Bloggers Behaving Badly

Steven Tyler has had just about enough, and he’s decided to take legal action against some bloggers who have been crossing the line by impersonating the iconic Aerosmith frontman online, and writing about his mother as well as additional “intimate details” of the rocker’s life.

Tyler recently filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against the bloggers, whose identity is not yet known, and who Tyler suspects of similar online activities last year. Some of the online impersonators are also reported to have pretended to be Tyler’s girlfriend, Erin Brady.

Most, if not all of the blogs were created on Google’s popular BlogSpot service, where just about anyone can set up a free blog, and blog about almost any topic, as long as it is within the boundaries set in place by Google and, of course, within the law.

Tyler was successful last year when he asked Google to remove the offending blogs, which apparently put an end to the problem for a while. With these latest incidents, which include comments about Tyler’s mother, who recently passed away, Tyler seems to have decided to go after these anonymous individuals through the legal system.

Tyler’s suit alleges that the bloggers are engaging in acts that result in public disclosure of private facts, making false statements and misappropriation of likeness. It also seeks an injunction ordering the defendants to stop impersonating him online or elsewhere.

For the time being, it appears that Google has stepped in again, and suspended the blogs in question. Web surfers trying to access them are greeted with a message that indicates that the blog(s) are suspended and under review due to possible terms of service violations.

These things can take a while to play out, and it can often be very difficult to track down an internet user’s identity, especially if they know what they are doing.

If all goes well for Tyler, his case will have its day in court and the alleged offenders will have to pay whatever penalty the court decides to impose on them.

Tags: Aerosmith, Bloggers, lawsuit, Steven Tyler

Guitar Hero Has Aerosmith Soaring To New Heights

News from the gaming industry is proving that veteran rockers like Aerosmith can make a very significant contribution to their bottom line by forging deals with game makers.

A lot of credit has been given to games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band for bolstering interest in classic rock, particularly among the current generation of young people — credit that is most likely well-deserved.

Given the enormous popularity and publicity that this genre of video games has received in recent years, perhaps it should come as no surprise that sales of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith has raked in more revenue for the group than any other individual album they have produced.

In a roundabout way, I suppose this benefits all classic rock fans, since one might presume that the kind of success attained by Aerosmith could inspire other classic acts to consider hopping on the video game band wagon. I think it might be safe to assume that titles with names such as "Guitar Hero: Led Zeppelin" or "Guitar Hero: Rolling Stones" would be met with impressive commercial success for game makers and recording artists alike.

In fact, Activision has announced plans to triple the number of its total released Guitar Hero games and content by 2010, so it looks like we may indeed see game versions like those fictional titles I just mentioned.

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Getting back to my reasoning regarding how all classic rock fans may benefit from this phenomenon, more new games means more young people being exposed to more classic rock acts, which provides those groups with additional monetary incentive to keep on creating new music, and touring in front of a new generation of fans. I’m sure some of us from earlier generations will also be there to help pack the venues, but probably be less likely to be seen standing in front of our televisions with a plastic guitar replica slung across our shoulder.

With word from the music industry about the illegal downloading of music, and how they say it is hurting recording artists, this relatively new genre of video games may help some artists recoup those reported losses. It sounds like  a win-win situation, with the possible exception of some parents who may be tiring of the endless renditions of "Dream On" emanating from the living room TV.

For more on this story, see Gamasutra.com.

Tags: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero, Revenue