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The Winery Dogs Are On A “Hot Streak”
You know what they say: Familiarity breeds creativity. Just witness the aptly named Hot Streak, the supercharged follow-up to the self-titled rocking 2013 debut of the three-piece musical dynamo known as The Winery Dogs. Hot Streak shows the powerfully pedigreed trio’s initial burst of collective chemistry was no accident, from the sturm und headbang of “Captain Love” to the propulsive uplifting vibe of “The Bridge” to the introspective acoustic harmonic convergence of “Fire.” If these three Dogs thought they captured lightning in a supper dish the first time around, Hot Streak barks ups the aural ante into exciting new territory.
“We elevated the band to the next level,” says vocalist/guitarist Richie Kotzen. “There’s always that worry with a follow-up record when you have a first one that’s so well received, but I believed in it from Day 1. I knew in my heart if we made a record that wasn’t as good as the first one that we wouldn’t release it, but I know I did my best on every song. I also like the fact that there’s a commonality between the first and second records — and there’s also an evolution too, as we’ve dug a little deeper.
Some of The Winery Dogs’ intrinsic universality has to do with the way each band member understands how to serve the song first and play off each other, rather than showboat their own chops.
Portnoy feels the future of the band looks quite bright. “I may be in 46 different bands right now, but The Winery Dogs are my priority and my home base, and everything else revolves around that,” he confirms. “It’s the same with Billy and Richie. It’s something that all three of our hearts and souls are fully into.”
Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell on Cancer: ‘I’ll Probably Be Dealing With It for the Rest of My Life’
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell continues to battle Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer. After a remission in 2013, the cancer returned. In a new interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Campbell addresses his current health status.
“The bad news is it keeps coming back,” said Campbell. “The good news is the treatment I’m doing largely continues to work, which is a big, big part of the recovery for me, to be able to continue to do what it is that defines who I am. I’ve had a couple rounds of chemo — actually, three rounds of chemo. And last October I did a stem cell transplant. And I kind of naively thought that’d be it, and I was done with it. I guess given the benefit now of my experiences with this, I kinda realize that I’ll probably be dealing with it for the rest of my life. So we’re trying a new track now.”
He adds, “I’m trying a process called immunotherapy, which is the latest and greatest thinking in how to treat cancer. So, it’s part of a clinical trial, and it’s early days yet, so I really won’t know until the end of the year, I won’t really have an idea about the efficacy of this treatment. The good news is it allows me to continue to tour, because I just have to do these infusions every three weeks or so. It’s a bit of a pain because I have to travel back to Los Angeles. But as far as side effects, there’s absolutely nothing that’s of any concern — it’s just lowered my thyroid considerably. But if that’s the only side effect, I’ll certainly take it. It’s a lot easier to deal with than doing chemo.”
Judas Priest’s Openly Gay Singer Rob Halford Sounds Off On Kim Davis
Halford, who came out as a gay man during a 1998 interview with MTV, says that the Kim Davis case isn’t actually about gay marriage or religious freedom but is rather is about the county clerk’s refusal to uphold the law, as she was sworn to do.
Speaking to the C103 radio station, Halford said: “First of all, you know, it’s been very interesting to watch all of that going on, ’cause I’ve been here in America while all that came about. And firstly, I just love freedom and democracy and freedom of speech and everybody being able to say what they feel. Having said that, when you are employed in a situation that comes with basic, accepted ground rules and you try to kind of manipulate them to your perception so that it interferes with your job and interferes with other people’s lives, then I take [exception to that].”
He continued: “But, look, again, from my perspective 64 years later, living this long, it is just… It’s simple, man: just give each other the respect and equality that everybody deserves on this planet, no matter where you’re from. So all this business about gay, straight, bi, black, white, Jew, Catholic…it’s all these ridiculous labels. We’re all people. We all need to just try and find a way to love each other and accept each other and try and make the world a better place. Amen.”
Guns N’ Roses Guitarist Richard Fortus Injured in Motorcycle Accident, Will Miss Dead Daisies Tour
The Dead Daisies have announced that guitarist Richard Fortus will miss the band’s upcoming Australian tour due to “a bit of a motorcycle accident”.
Fortus, who pulls double duty as a guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, revealed the extent of his injuries in a separate post, explaining that the accident took place a couple of weeks ago and left him with a laundry list of physical ailments: “I broke my shoulder blade, collarbone, six ribs, a toe, I have a bruised lung, lacerated liver and a concussion.”
“Amazingly, my doctors have assured me that I will make a full recovery,” he wrote. “I have never missed a show in my entire career and unfortunately, I will have to miss the entire Australian and New Zealand leg of this tour. I am devastated that I will not be able to play for the Australian and New Zealand fans, who have been so supportive and loyal.”
Iron Maiden Announce 2016 US Tour Dates
British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden will open their highly anticipated “The Book Of Souls” world tour in the USA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 24. , Vocalist Bruce Dickinson will pilot their enormous Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet dubbed “Ed Force One”, carrying band, crew and stage production and equipment over 55,000 miles around the world visiting around 35 countries.
The full list of U.S. dates:
Feb. 24 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
Feb. 26 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
Feb. 28 – Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
Mar. 30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Apr. 05 – Detroit, MI @ Palace Of Auburn Hills
Apr. 06 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Apr. 11 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
Apr. 13 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
Apr. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
Steven Adler Knows Why He Hasn’t Heard About a Possible Guns N’ Roses Reunion
Steven Adler has been extremely vocal about his desire to reunite the Appetite lineup, claiming “the whole arena would cry with joy.” Adler is probably right about that, but believes Slash and Duff McKagan won’t reunite with him. “I love those guys, and I always will, but Duff, he doesn’t think I’m cool,” Adler said in a recent radio interview. “He doesn’t think I’m a cool guy. This is what people tell me. And he doesn’t think I’m cool and that I’m not that great of a drummer.”
Adler believes he hasn’t been approached yet about the potential Guns N’ Roses reunion because his ex-bandmates don’t believe he’s sobered up. He says an incident a few years ago – when his current band Adler shared a bill in Japan with Duff McKagan‘s Loaded – is to blame.
Back in 2013, Duff invited Steven Adler’s current band, Adler, to play some shows together in Japan, but Adler’s drinking caused some friction. “The second I got to the airport, I made a beeline for the bar, and I just started doing shots of Jäger,” Adler admitted. “And the whole trip I was sick and I was just a mess. And, you know, Duff’s sober and he’s very judgmental and forgetful of where he came from. And he was just so bummed and pissed at me.”
Adler, who was ousted from the group for rampant drug use in 1990, says he’s been sober now for more than 21 months. He notes that both McKagan and Slash had their own issues, before cleaning up.
Megadeth Launch Countdown Clock for 2016 Album; Plan To Release “Fatal Illusion” Single On October 16
Megadeth will release a new single “Fatal Illusion” via Universal Japan on October 16. They have updated their official website to include a countdown clock in anticipation of the band’s upcoming fifteenth studio album, expected in early 2016.
Historic KISS Cadillac Homecoming 40th Anniversary Celebration Planned
This October 9, Cadillac, Michigan will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the KISS Homecoming at Cadillac High School. The legendary rock band KISS visited the small town of Cadillac in 1975 to connect with their football team and perform a concert in the gym, a story that has become iconic in Rock and Roll history.
In 1974, the town’s football team, the Vikings, played KISS albums in the locker room before and after games, and won seven straight games and wound up conference co-champs. Word spread to KISS of the team’s success and the band members decided to visit Cadillac the next year for a raucous Homecoming weekend.
This year’s homecoming special festivities will include: KISS-themed additions to the homecoming parade, a re-creation of the concert in the gym (featuring the World’s Best KISS Tribute Band – Mr. Speed), the unveiling of a permanent KISS monument, and walking tours of KISStorical markers at significant spots around town.
An exclusive KISS Cadillac T-shirt will be available during the the KISS Cadillac Homecoming 40th Anniversary Celebration. All net proceeds from the concert go to the Cadillac Viking Athletics Boosters and Cadillac Viking Band Boosters.
VIP tickets are available only online at kisscadillac.com.
The Who To Relaunch ‘The Who Hits 50!’ North American Tour In 2016
The Who have announced the rescheduled dates for their The Who Hits 50! North American tour, which was postponed earlier this month to allow lead singer Roger Daltrey time to recover from his recent bout with viral meningitis. The Who Hits 50! 2016 dates kick off February 27 in Detroit and includes stops in Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, before wrapping up May 29 in Las Vegas.
Roger Daltrey has said, “I am now on the mend and feeling a lot better.”
“We will be starting our rescheduled shows in March and will be coming back stronger than ever!”, Pete Townshend adds.
Tickets for the originally scheduled shows will be honored at the new dates. Tickets and VIP packages for the shows are available at thewho.com.
Bon Jovi Forced to Cancel Taipei Concert Due to Typhoon
Bon Jovi‘s tour of the Far East has been dealt another setback, as a typhoon forced the band to cancel a show in Taipei. Taiwan faces a big clean-up after Typhoon Dujuan, which killed at least two people, injured more than 300, displaced thousands and left nearly half a million without power. The Taipei cancellation comes shortly after Bon Jovi’s first-ever tour of China was canceled, reportedly due to permits being pulled by the national Ministry of Culture over concerns regarding imagery from the band’s concerts and videos.
Metallica Guitarist Kirk Hammett’s Company To Release ‘Ghoul Screamer’ Guitar Pedal
In addition to his main gig as guitarist in Metallica, Kirk Hammett has branched out into the horror arena with his Fear FestEvil and KVH toy line, and he’s also invested in KHDK Electronics.
Co-founded by Hammett and industry veteran David Karon, the company’s latest venture is the Ghoul Screamer guitar pedal, which will be available beginning Halloween. Hammett says, “I’m excited as hell!”
Karon adds, ”Kirk had a very specific vision for the Ghoul, to perfect a circuit loved by generations and create massive tones that redefine overdrive.”
All KHDK’s pedals are hand-crafted and tested in the USA.