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November 20, 2009
Scorpions Announce Plans For 2010 World Tour
The latest classic rock group to announce tour plans for next year are Germany’s hard-rocking Scorpions. As the most successful rock band from Germany, the Scorpions are recognized around the world and can draw fans to arena-sized venues in from South America to Russia.
Even after working through a two-year world tour in support of their most recent album, Humanity: Hour 1, they have announced plans to hit the road again next year for a tour that is planned to last two years and bring the hard-working group to stadiums and other large venues.
With the tour scheduled to kick off in their home country next May, the group are currently working in the studio on a new album that is set for release next year. Also announced was word of a “sensational statement” that is expected from the group in January, which the group has not elaborated on.
Although no date has yet been announced for release of the new album, it makes sense to expect it to be available before the 2010 tour, which would give the Scorpions new material to showcase for their fans around the world. A new DVD, Amazonia - Live In The Jungle, which features footage from two of their shows in Brazil during the “Humanity World Tour” is available beginning today. The new DVD seeks to draw attention to the efforts of Greenpeace and their work to stop the destruction of Amazonian rain forests. Part of the proceeds from the DVD will be donated to Greenpeace.
After the start of the tour in Germany, plans are in place to bring the group to the United States, South America, Asia, Russia and other locations in Europe.
Fans will also be interested to learn that guitarist Rudolf Schenker has written a book called Rock Your Life. Although it is currently available only in a German-language version, there are other versions planned for release, including an English version. As the interview below shows, the book is less about rock and roll and more about self-improvement and fulfillment of one’s desire to be truly happy.
More information is available on the Scorpions official website.
October 15, 2009
Lifeson Soars, Bertinelli Dishes, Buble Tops KISS and Whitford Races
Rush axe man Lifeson soars on ‘man date’
Not looking much like the menacing owl portrayed on the cover of Fly By Night, Alex Lifeson recently joined Canadian comic Rick Mercer as they filmed a “man date” segment for Mercer’s CBC TV show The Rick Mercer Report.
The pair stopped by Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving to float around a bit, which, judging from the photograph, Mercer enjoyed thoroughly. More at The Niagara Falls Review.
Valerie Bertinelli pens new book
The woman who was the object of many a teenage fantasy during her days as a TV actress on One Day At A Time (guilty as charged!) is back with a new book.
This time, instead of Losing It, Bertinelli is Finding It, and sharing her inspirational story about how she “discovered how to live the best life possible at the age of 49.”
Coming as a shock to some of us who watched her every move on One Day At A Time, Bertinelli describes her struggles with her self-image and how she felt inferior to co-star MacKenzie Phillips. Perhaps by now she has come to the realization that it was her that most of us admiring young men had our eyes glued to during each episode. I know I sure did! Check out the full scoop at ABC News.
Buble and Oprah a KISS killer?
In a recent interview with Macleans magazine, KISS frontman and business mogul, Gene Simmons jokingly (at least I hope he was joking) referred to himself as “king of the world.” Unfortunately for KISS, Simmons was not able to proclaim his group as king of the charts at the same time.
Having never had an album make it all the way to #1 on the Billboard chart, the group seemed poised to finally reach the promised land with the release of their new album Sonic Boom.
Those hopes were dashed by none other than Michael Buble, the Canadian crooner who was recently featured on Oprah after the release of his new album Crazy Love. Oprah’s star power was cited as a contributing factor that helped send Buble to the top of the chart with Sonic Boom coming in second. Read more from Gawker.
Aerosmith guitarist takes to the track
If you happen to be an Aerosmith fan who also enjoys things like racing, you will definitely want to check out the footage of Brad Whitford as he zips around a racetrack in a Volkswagen speed machine.
Check it out at Aerosmith’s official website.
September 24, 2009
Perry And Kramer Discuss Aerosmith’s Future
The rumors and speculation about the future of Aerosmith seem to be dying down and more positive signs are emerging that the Bad Boys From Boston are not headed for a split. Guitarist Joe Perry caused a stir when he made some remarks about frontman Steven Tyler and revealed that he had not spoken with Tyler in weeks. There were even some crazy rumors that Tyler’s fall from the stage in Sturgis, ND had resulted in his death!
There was also some mystery surrounding the decision made by Tyler to hire his own management, separate from the group’s management, which also lead to speculation about a rift between Tyler and the rest of the group.
More recently, comments from Perry and Drummer Joey Kramer indicate that the group has plans to continue on as soon as circumstances permit. The break in Tyler’s shoulder is described by Perry as an unusual one which may require the insertion of a pin to heal completely.
When asked about the relationship between himself and Tyler, Perry said that he considers Tyler to be his “brother,” whom he has been playing music with for 40 years. “Of course we’ve all fallen off the stage at one time or another,” Perry said in apparent defense of Tyler. “Maybe twice in some cases.”
Perry clearly sees no end in sight for Aerosmith in the near future and says that the group, “Maybe we have three more records in us. Maybe we have five, (and) seven years of touring.”
Although working for that many more years would push many of the group’s members close to 70 years of age, that’s something that does not seem to be stopping Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts from rocking on at 68 years of age. Recent rumors of Watts’ retirement surfaced but were quickly denied.
Joey Kramer, the man behind the drums for Aerosmith is still doing book signings, but has also taken time to do interviews which seem to reinforce comments that Perry has made regarding the band’s future.
Kramer’s book may or may not be a “tell all” version of his life, but certainly contains some content that may not be flattering to certain other members of the band. Concerned with Steven Tyler’s reaction to some of the revelations in the book, Kramer states that Tyler is just fine with anything as long as it is the truth.
Kramer expects the band to continue working on their new album once they finish up their two-show visit to Hawaii next month. It has also been revealed recently that Aerosmith is booked along with Beyonce to perform at the Formula 1 auto races in Abu Dhabi that starts with practice and qualifying runs on the last two days of October with the race scheduled for November 1st.
As far as the group’s plans after the live dates are wrapped up this year, Perry says that as far as he’s concerned, the group will be working on the new album in late spring and planning a fall tour. Perry expects that band mates Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton would be in agreement with that scenario.
For more on Joe Perry’s comments visit the Boston Herald and for more on Joey Kramer visit Back Stage Axxess.
March 13, 2009
Poison’s Bret Michaels Next Up For Tell-All Book
Joining the ranks of other aging rockers who have decided to tell their stories of sex, drugs and rock and roll, Poison frontman, Bret Michaels is planning a June release for his autobiography entitled Roses and Thorns: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy to My Reality.
In the new book Michaels promises to deliver his share of the aforementioned sex, drugs and rock and roll. He also plans to delve into the downside of his life experiences, writing about his diabetes and his long-time battles with guitarist CeCe DeVille, which apparently culminated in a fist fight on at least one occasion, which Michaels describes as “one of the harder things to live with, much less write about.”
Besides the book, Michaels is one of those guys that does not seem to be content with one role in life, and has expanded on his endeavors with a television show called “Rock of Love,” which is currently in its third season and sounds a bit like a combination of ABC’s The Bachelor and CBS’s Big Brother.
Apparently the show involves a group of women who share a mansion and compete in a series of “challenges” for a chance to go on a date with Michaels. The first two seasons have not resulted in a match for Michaels, but he is hopeful that the third season will be the charm and hook him up with a suitable companion as the show departs from the mansion and takes to the road in a tour bus full of women who will vie for Michael’s affection.
Michaels will also be prepping for a summer tour along with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick that is being billed by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott as “the Rock Tour of the summer.”
March 4, 2009
Aerosmith And Bon Jovi Books Due This Year
Two legendary classic rock acts will be featured in up-coming book releases during 2009, providing fans with the opportunity to indulge their desire for behind-the-scenes details and maybe even a little dirt sprinkled among the pages of the two new releases.
The new Aerosmith book is set to hit bookstore shelves in May and appears ready to deliver a treasure trove of information about the Boston-based rockers. Weighing in at nearly 300 pages, there should easily be enough content to keep fans immersed in its pages for a good number of sessions. Aerosmith fans who recall the early days of the group may want to be sure that the prescription for their reading glasses is up-to-date.
Speaking of the early days, the book encompasses 35 years of group’s history, beginning in 1973 with one of their first extensive interviews. Like so many other rockers who discover fame and fortune, their early years were marked by substance abuse problems and rock star sexcapades that one might expect from a group of guys who earned themselves the nickname “The bad boys from Boston.”
Aerosmith: Essential Interviews will be released through Rockreader Books/Lulu on May 17th.
Moving a few hundred miles south, we shift the focus to New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi, who also agreed to tell their story in book form while marking their 25th anniversary.
Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful is set for release sometime in October and is said to feature never-before-seen photographs and exclusive text from the band. A documentary featuring the group is also being released at the same time – a result of the unprecedented access granted to filmmaker and photographer Phil Griffin.
Published by Harper-Collins, the book will contain unprecedented insights into the members’ lives on stage, on the road, and at home, as well as intimate reflections on the highs and lows of their 25 years together.
"We are honored to be collaborating with one of the most successful bands in Rock history," said Marta Schooler, Publisher of Collins Design. "Bon Jovi’s continuing success has been no less than remarkable and we are thrilled to be publishing the must-have book for all their fans."
Over the past year or so we have seen new books coming out featuring other classic artists including Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Def Leppard and the Rolling Stones, which certainly provides classic rock fans with a varied selection of reading material. Can there be much doubt that there will be more to come?
