Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson To Launch New Limited-Edition Beer
Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson will launch a new limited-edition beer at the end of this year. While this new beer has yet to be named, it will most likely be based on a title song of the band.
Iron Maiden, which took the licensing route and launched its own beer a couple of years ago, were initially approached to put their name on a red wine. “We said why would we want to do that? But it gave us the idea of doing beer instead. [I] selfishly wanted it to be the kind of beer I liked: a traditional English cask ale with lots of flavour but you can drink a few of them without falling on your arse,” Dickinson said.
Launched in May 2013, Maiden’s original Trooper beer has proved to be a global success story. The premium British beer is now being exported to 42 countries and has already been awarded a gold medal by the British Bottler’s Institute.
Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider Signs Deal For New Solo Album
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has signed a record deal to release a new solo album titled “Now”.
Snider said in an podcast interview with Mitch Lafon, “I’ve been approached by some top songwriters who said, ‘Dee, you’re iconic, and we think we can bring you to the masses with contemporary rock music.’ And I was, like, ‘Let’s do it.’ They came to me. These are people who write for Kanye, they write for Katy Perry, they write for Pink, they write for Taylor Swift… They’re top pop songwriters. And they said, ‘Listen…’ This guy’s name is Damon Ranger. And he says, ‘You’re iconic. You’re the voice of rebellion. And I think with the right songs, you could reach a whole new audience — a mainstream rock audience.’ And I said, ‘You’ve got songs?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ So we demoed one song, called ‘We Are The Ones’, which is a real Active Rock… it’s hard, but it’s not metal. And it came out great. So we went into the studio and recorded four more songs. And I just signed two [record] deals, and we’re going back into the studio to finish the album at the end of February. And I’m not sure when we’re gonna release it.”
He continued: “I’ve been challenged to transform myself at the ripe old age of 61, and I like being challenged. It was almost a dare. I don’t wanna say it’s out of my wheelhouse, ’cause it’s my voice. But this stuff is very different. It’s edgy. Think Foo Fighters, think Queen stadium anthem [type of sound], think that kind of mainstream rock. So it’s still crunchy, and it’s still got attitude, but it’s not ’80s rock. It’s contemporary-sounding stuff.”
Snider admitted that it will be a tall order convincing rock music fans to embrace his new sound. “Will they be able to say, ‘Oh, Dee Snider — new contemporary rock music. Can we accept Dee Snider?'” he said. “So far… Like I said, we demoed [several songs] and we got record deals, so we’ve got people who see it and hear it and believe it. So we’ll continue down this path and we will see.”
Check out the interview, here.
Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Official Cause of Death Revealed
Though it was initially stated that Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister was suffering from terminal brain and neck cancer at the time of his death, TMZ reports that the death certificate reveals that the official cause of death was prostate cancer along with cardiac arrhythmia and congestive heart failure. His official death certificate is here.
Kilmister learned of his terminal cancer diagnosis on December 26, two days before he passed away, and two days after his 70th birthday.
Clock tower in Norway to chime songs by Bowie and Motörhead every day until the end of May
The clock tower that stands on the grounds of City Hall in the capital city of Oslo, Norway, is honoring two rock heroes – David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister, each night at 6:00PM and 7:00PM respectively. The 49 bells in the tower’s carillon play “Changes” from David Bowie’s 1971 album Hunky Dory, and Motörhead’s “Electricity” from their last CD Bad Magic each night. Now that sounds like a cool city!
On TV
Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee Featured In New “Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar” Preview
The all-new original series “Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar,” premieres Sunday, January 24. The six-episode series features all-star guest appearances and unforgettable performances, as the Red Rocker drives across the country to jam with some of music’s biggest names.
Throughout the season, Hagar travels to the homes of some of rock’s biggest personalities and best-loved artists, interviewing them, jamming with them, and exploring their favorite haunts. Check out the preview from “Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar” featuring Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee.
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to Appear on “Front And Center” for Public TV
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler performed acoustically at the Melrose Ballroom in Long Island City, New York on September 10, 2015 for an exclusive “Front And Center,” a critically acclaimed one-hour concert series for public television. The episode will air on February 29.
The show features Tyler performing stripped-down renditions of Aerosmith classics like “Jaded”, “Janie’s Got A Gun” and “Sweet Emotion”, with the singer accompanied by Loving Mary — a band featuring his longtime collaborator Marti Frederiksen, along with Rebecca Lynn Howard, Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay — as well as Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
Guns N’ Roses Announce Two More Shows in Las Vegas
The reunited Guns N’ Roses — featuring singer Axl Rose alongside guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan — will be one of the first acts to play the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, set to open on April 6. They will play at the 20,000-seat venue on April 8-9. Neither of the other original band members – guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Steven Adler – have confirmed or commented on whether they will participate in the reunion. Guns N’ Roses’ headlining slots on April 16 and April 23 at Coachella in Indio, California were confirmed earlier this month.
Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler says that he has been working on the return of Guns N’ Roses for years. Speaking to Getty Images in LA, Tyler said about Guns N’ Roses’ comeback: “I’ve been working on it for years.” He explained that he “just told [Slash] that the world needs more rock and roll and [there is] enough of people arguing, especially when they’re as talented and as great. Everybody loves their songs. That’s what rock and roll is about.”
Tyler said he thinks the GNR reunion will be, “Huge. There are no words. Just don’t forget this: it don’t happen ’till it happens.”
Pressed on why he thinks Slash and Rose finally decided to reunite after more than twenty years, Tyler said: “‘Cause obviously there was a row, and they finally made up. What do you think?”
Alice Cooper Announces Dates for his “Spend The Night With Alice Cooper” Tour
Alice Cooper has announced a new tour dubbed “Spend The Night With Alice Cooper.” which kicks off April 29 in Biloxi, MS.
Tour and ticketing details are available at AliceCooper.com. Find the tour dates online on our HOH website.
Geoff Tate’s Operation:Mindcrime to Embark on Extensive US Tour in February
On February 3, Geoff Tate and his new band, Operation: Mindcrime, will be hitting the road for over thirty dates on what will mark the band’s first major U.S tour of the year (see full tour itinerary below). This comes hot on the heels of their extensive European tour in November and December that took them to such countries as Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The trek was the band’s first in support of its debut album, The Key.
For the forthcoming U.S. tour, Geoff Tate will be joined by guitarists Kelly Gray (Queensrÿche) and Scott Moughton, drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC) and Scott Mercado (Candlebox) and keyboardist Randy Gane (Myth).
Check out the tour dates on the HOH website.
Chickenfoot Recording New Song; Concert Scheduled For May
Guitarist Joe Satriani has revealed that Chickenfoot is “about ninety-nine percent finished” recording a brand new song and is planning to play a one-off concert in May.
The group, which also includes former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, has not made a CD in five years but recently returned to the studio to record a new track, “Before I Die,” to be released later in the year.
Speaking to the Northwest Music Scene about Chickenfoot’s future plans, Satriani said: “It looks like we’re going to do a show in the middle of May. I don’t think it’s public yet, but I don’t really care if you mention it. We’re getting together, just one show, the original band. I think it’s a Lake Tahoe show. We’re kind of working around the schedule of Chad, who’s got a rehearsal schedule at that point with the Chili Peppers. We actually recorded a song. We’re the slowest-working band in history; we take forever. But there is stuff happening, and we’re still laughing and communicating.”
Rockers Say The Damnedest Things
Randy Meisner, Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Don Felder
Eagles on tour in 1977.
Except for a few guitar chords, everything I’ve learned in my life that is
of any value I’ve learned from women.
~ Glenn Frey
People don’t run out of dreams — people just run out of time.
~ Glenn Frey (lyrics to River of Dreams)