Dee Snider Releases First New Song in Twenty Years – “To Hell and Back” Exclusively Via Official Website
Wow! Add this to your To Do list – check out the brand new Dee Snider single “To Hell And Back“ exclusively at www.deesnider.com as a free download. Dee co-wrote the song with Silvertide founder/guitarist Nick Perri. This track will be included in a new album that Dee is currently working on with Grammy®, Emmy® and Oscar® winning writer/producer Damon Ranger (“Roar,” “Life Of Pi”). The new project will also feature material from Dee’s past including his worldwide hits with Twisted Sister.
Dee says, “To Hell and Back” represents my first truly new, original musical offering since the 90’s. When my friend and co-writer, guitarist Nick Perri presented me with the riff and music bed for this song, I found true inspiration to write for the first time in decades. Lyrically, the song raises a bold middle finger to those who whine and complain about the difficulties of life, but have no real clue what difficult is. As I say in the song, “Don’t tell me your sad story. Don’t say your world is black. Just spare me your vainglory. I’ve been to hell and back!”
In March of this year, Dee Snider and his Twisted Sister bandmates mourned the loss of their drummer, AJ Pero, and announced that the 2016 touring season (the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation) will be the end of the road for the world-dominating force of nature that is Twisted Sister.
Later this summer, Dee and his band–Nick Perri (lead guitars), Dan McCafferty (rhythm/lead guitar), Nicolai Nifoussi (bass), Joe Franco (drums)—will launch a solo tour which will take him to Europe and South America for festival shows including Rock In Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Rock Of Ages Festival in Baliingen, Germany. He’ll also be performing a number of headlining shows in the U.S. starting with the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD on August 3.
Check out summer show tour dates here.
AC/DC Drummer Phil Rudd Sentenced to 8 Months Detention
Longtime AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has been sentenced to eight months of home detention after pleading guilty to threatening to kill a former employee, and to possession of meth and marijuana.
The 61-year-old faced up to seven years in prison on the threatening to kill charge at Tauranga District Court on New Zealand’s North Island. Rudd was arrested last November, after an angry incident related to the handling of an August 2014 launch of his first-ever solo album.
Rudd pleaded guilty in April, admitting that he’d asked an associate to have the victim “taken out” in exchange for cash, vehicles and a home. He also acknowledged directly threatening the victim. A subsequent search of Rudd’s apartment then reportedly turned up methamphetamine and cannabis, according to multiple published reports.
Rudd complicated matters with a pair of violent incidents which ultimately found the drummer in handcuffs yet again. He was reprimanded in court for breaching the terms of his bail, reportedly by making contact with a witness. Rudd’s lawyer also abruptly withdrew from the case.
Ultimately, as this sordid story has played out, AC/DC was forced to move on. Their well-received new album, Rock or Bust, was released within days of Rudd’s original guilty plea. AC/DC then brought back former drummer Chris Slade to fill in on subsequent tour dates.
Study Proves ’80s Metalheads Turned Out Just Fine
If you spent the ’80s skipping class, smoking behind the school dumpsters and listening to Iron Maiden, a new study suggests those were actually good life choices.
In “Three Decades Later: The Life Experiences and Mid-Life Functioning of 1980s Heavy Metal Groupies, Musicians, and Fans,” run recently in the International Society for Self and Identity’s journal, the study found that the ’80s metalheads in question “were significantly happier in their youth, and better adjusted currently” than fans of other genres.
The research team headed by Humboldt State University psychologist Tasha Howe found that although metal fans may have indulged in risky behavior, having the support and camaraderie of a tight-knit subculture gave them an often overlooked advantage over their peers.
“Results revealed that metal enthusiasts did often experience traumatic and risky “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” lives. However, the “metalhead” identity also served as a protective factor against negative outcomes.”
The full article is available here.
Iron Maiden Receive The O2 Silver Clef Award For Outstanding Music Contribution
Iron Maiden have been awarded the prestigious O2 Silver Clef by Nordoff Robbins in recognition of “outstanding contribution to UK music.”
Iron Maiden are one of the most globally successful and influential rock bands of all time, having sold over 90 million albums worldwide and having played over 2,000 concerts in 59 countries to date.
Previous winners include The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Genesis and Queen. Last year’s Silver Clef winner was Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Singer Bruce Dickinson, and guitarists Adrian Smith and Janick Gers were in attendance to accept the award.
In its 40-year history, the Awards have raised more than £8.5 million to fund Nordoff Robbins’ ground-breaking work with music therapy.
Check out the awesome video montage shown just before Maiden accepted the award.
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Reveals He Had Two Cancerous Tumors
Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson is now cancer free, but his battle was bigger than first reported – he also had a lump in his neck as well as his tongue. He told the BBC, “I’ve been very fortunate to have a really good bounce back, and everybody says, ‘Hey, it’s gone.’”
When asked how big the tumor was, Dickinson replied, “I had two actually. One was three and a half centimeters, the size of a golf ball, and the other was two and half centimeters and getting a bit bigger.” He added, “[The doctors] had a poke around and went, ‘You have head and neck cancer.”
Dickinson says he is doing well but it will take some time before his singing voice is at full strength. Iron Maiden will not be playing any live shows until 2016.
Tom Hamilton Says He’s Cancer-Free
Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has faced a couple of cancer scares, but thanks to the potentially lifesaving efforts of his doctors, he says he now has a clean bill of health.
“I was faced with losing my way of life … if not my life,” Hamilton told the Long Island Pulse when asked about his latest battle with throat cancer. Saying his doctor thought he was cancer-free after facing the disease in 2006, Hamilton didn’t take any chances when it reappeared in 2011.
Said Hamilton. “He [the surgeon] was able to do a procedure that got the cancer out of my throat without having to ruin the rest of it. I just saw him the other day and he said, ‘You beat this one. You can keep coming to see me if you want, but I don’t think you need to worry about this cancer coming back.’ I said, ‘I’ll come back to see you every six months from here until eternity, if it’s all right with you!’”
Heavy Metal Bands Getting “Gray, Bald And Fat?”
Kevin Lyman (above), the co-founder of the annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, recently told the Detroit Free Press that the Mayhem Festival tour is “at risk of going away at any given moment” due to the limited number of headline-worthy acts in metal. The genre has failed to produce new and younger headlining bands, and in Lyman’s view, metal will have no one to blame but itself if it fades from the music scene.
Part of the problem, according to Lyman, is the fact that metal’s audiences have dwindled as the established headlining acts got older. “What happened was metal chased girls away because what happened was metal aged,” he said. “Metal got gray, bald and fat. And metal was about danger. When you went to a metal show, it was dudes onstage; there was some danger in it.”
Today, he says, his main danger is the risk of not being able to cover costs incurred by acts who value their own bottom lines more than they care about the future of metal.
“The bands at the top all demand a certain level of fee to be on tour,” he said. “Unlike punk rock, metal never knows how to take a step back to move the whole scene forward. That’s how punk rock was. That’s how we nurtured punk rock. Bad Religion would take a little less than they could on their own to bring the whole scene forward, so we could make sure we had a good [touring] package around them. Metal doesn’t seem to have that concern, never has, never has since I was working in the clubs in the ’80s. It’s always about a ‘me, me, me’ thing.”
This summer’s Mayhem Festival has shrunk from four stages to two, and the overall lineup has been trimmed by about half a dozen bands.
Since releasing these comments, Lyman has received major blowback from fans and the press. He now says, “There has been a lot of talk on the Internet about an interview that was done by me a few weeks ago — and I said some things to a reporter that I now regret. In a nutshell, the problem is I was never talking about Mayhem — I was talking about [the] metal scene as a whole.
“Let me go on record saying that I support heavy metal and producing music events has been my whole career. I do appreciate some of the comments because it presents sentiments, thoughts and ideas from the heart of the metal community and I’m happy to be reminded of the passion that fans have for heavy metal music.
“For us, it is our duty to be receptive to your thoughts and opinions because it is our yearly mission to create the greatest festival for you to come out celebrate and herald heavy metal. “We do strive to work our hardest to keep this ‘Mayhem’ train rolling and it only works with the support of all of us and I’m apologizing for conveying my deepest concerns on the record. Please accept my apology and thanks for all of your support.”
Odds N’ Sods
An Oregon judge has denied bail for Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, who was arrested on June 29 for the second time in 15 days on charges of rape, sexual abuse and assault. At the hearing, details emerged that revealed an alleged pattern of physical and sexual violence, as well as drug use and suicidal threats. During his first arrest on June 14, he was taken to Salem Hospital because he had overdosed on methamphetamine.
Marion County Circuit Judge Channing Bennett cited that Castronovo was still a danger to the victim as the reason why he will remain in jail.
The prosecutor, Jennifer Gardiner, said that Castronovo threw the woman into a wall 14 times, pulled her hair and forced her to have sex with him. After being released on $20,000 bail on June 15, Castronovo called the victim 35 times and sent her 122 text messages, despite being under a court order to have no contact with her.
Two of his voice mails were played during the hearing. On one of them he said, “I’m sorry, [victim’s name]. You should call me. On Friday you will be forcibly removed from my house. My life is ruined. You didn’t have to call the cops. I’ve suffered and now you’re going to suffer. I love you.”
On the other, he threatened to kill himself and begged the police for “some [expletive] help. You think this is a joke? I’m sick and I need help!”
Nearly twenty years after switching to medieval folk music, former Deep Purple and Rainbow co-founder Ritchie Blackmore says he might play rock again – but not for long.
“Just for a few days, next June,” Blackmore allows, in a new talk with the French newspaper Le Parisien. “But for now, I’m not decided on the persons I want to work with. I’ve got a good idea about the ideal candidates, but it wouldn’t be fair to say anything now. I will know exactly in one month who I want to have in this band to play Deep Purple and Rainbow songs. We will probably play three or four shows in June; that’s all.”
Recently, former bandmates David Coverdale and Joe Lynn Turner have mentioned possible reunions. Blackmore, now 70, broke up Rainbow in 1997 to form Blackmore’s Night with his wife Candice Night.
Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler made headlines this year when he was named to drum on Megadeth‘s next album. Adler reveals that before taking the gig, he made sure it was okay with his Lamb of God bandmates. “The first thing I did after I had that conversation with Dave [Mustaine] was to get in touch with the other guys and just see, ‘How does everybody feel about this?’ I don’t want it to come across as a threat. I don’t want this to feel like I’m leaving or anything,” said Adler.
He adds, “If ever it came to a point where there was a question of this or that, it’s gonna be Lamb of God. Lamb of God is my baby. Being in Megadeth is kind of like I’m helping babysit somebody else’s kid. I love being there, but it’s not … that’s not where home is to me … Again, if ever a question came up, I’m staying with you guys.”
For the better part of the last few years, Disturbed frontman David Draiman has been one of the more prominent music personalities on Twitter, but he recently decided to step away from his account for good.
Draiman explained, “I’m done with social media. I’m done being anybody’s punching bag. I invested three, four years of solid interaction, of trying to make a difference, of trying to be a voice of reason, of trying to be something entertaining for people.”
He continues, “The internet, sadly, has become a preying ground for trolls and predators. When you’re in the position that I’m in, a wife and a child who’d just come into this world, you start wondering whether some of the threats and nonsense are worth it.”
We’re With The Band… On Tour
Dee Snider and his band–Nick Perri (lead guitars), Dan McCafferty (rhythm/lead guitar), Nicolai Nifoussi (bass), Joe Franco (drums)— launch a summer tour which includes festival shows including Rock In Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Rock Of Ages Festival in Baliingen, Germany, and the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD on August 3. See all the tour dates here.
Doro Pesch has announced a 19-date European winter tour, “Strong & Proud”, which kicks off with three UK shows in Norwich on November 20. Her backup band will be Archer. Tour dates are here.
Former Megadeth Guitarist Marty Friedman annnounced his first tour of North America since 2003 — a 21-date headlining run that kicks off September 9. Check tour dates here.
Van Halen launched their North American summer tour last Sunday in Seattle, WA. The band performed songs not played live in 35 years including “Light Up The Sky”, as well as tracks they have never performed live like “Drop Dead Legs”, and “Dirty Movies”. Check out Van Halen’s setlist, as well as some fan-filmed footage from the show here.
Viral Videos O’ The Week
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor slams rapper Kanye West in a YouTube video this week, throwing the verbal brickbat, “You are not — not — the greatest living rock star of all time”. Check out the video rant here.
The latest rock-music viral video making the rounds is of a homeless man in Sarasota, Fla., playing the opening passage of Styx‘s “Come Sail Away” on a public piano. Since the video was uploaded on June 30, it has registered close to 8 million hits! A fan set up a GoFundMe account for the man, identified as Donald Gould. So far over $36,000 has been raised to help him get off the streets.
Just two hours after 8-year-old drummer Avery Molek posted his cover of Dream Theater’s “The Dance of Eternity” online, Mike Portnoy had it posted on his Facebook page, saying “ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!! MIND BLOWN…..” Check out the kid’s amazing drum work video here.
On-duty Lexington, Ky. police sergeant Jason Rothermund delivered an impromptu cover of Poison’s famous power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” during an Independence Day festival at local park. Bret Michaels took to Twitter and called the officer’s performance “truly awesome” and thanked Sergeant Rothermund for his service. See the viral video here.
Slayer performed three new songs from their upcoming album, “Repentless”, at their Phoenix show this week. Check out the fan-filmed video here.
Duff McKagan explains why he’d invite Adolf Hitler to dinner in a video interview with Alice Cooper. Check it out here.