Bronze Statue to be Erected at Rainbow Bar & Grill
A life-size bronze statue of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is set to be erected in front of the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood, CA.
Immediately following Lemmy Kilmister’s death, a YOUCARING Crowdfunding campaign was launched to help make Lemmy’s statue a reality. The Rainbow agreed to house the statue in honor of the bar’s favorite customer, with artist Travis Moore confirmed to create the six-foot piece. The goal was to raise $21,000 for the materials; artist Moore is not charging a fee. At press time, just over $21,000 has been raised, so it looks the statue is fully funded. If you would still like to contribute, click here.
Lemmy Action Figure to be Re-Released
Lemmy will once again have an iconic action figure available for purchase. Originally released in 2008 as the first piece in LocoApe’s ongoing Icon Figure series, the six-inch tall figure will be reissued in July. There are four different figures – each version will have a different Rickenbacker replica bass guitar (featuring real strings!), a microphone a stand and a base.
Hollywood Vampires To Pay Musical Tribute To Lemmy At Grammy Awards
According to Rolling Stone, Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup featuring Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, will pay tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister by performing a Motörhead classic at the Grammy Awards this Monday night.
“We started this band as a means to toast our ‘dead drunk friends’ at the Rainbow, all the ghosts in the bar, and now I guess Lemmy is involved in that, too,” Cooper tells Rolling Stone. “He was always funny,” he continues. “I’m a ‘healed’ alcoholic and I haven’t had anything to drink in 35 years. A lot of people that drink always feel a little bit like they owe an explanation to me. A couple weeks before his death, Lemmy came up to me and said, ‘Alice, I’ve quit drinking.’ And he’s got a glass in his hand. And I go, ‘Really?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, I don’t drink whiskey anymore. I drink vodka.’ And I went, ‘Lemmy, do you think your liver has any idea what color the alcohol is?’ He said, well it’s a step down from whiskey.’ And I went, ‘OK. Any step’s a good step.’”
Glenn Frey Grammy Tribute Will Feature Jackson Browne and Surviving Eagles Members
Jackson Browne and surviving members of the Eagles will be on hand to offer a musical tribute to Glenn Frey at the Grammy Awards this Monday night.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the tribute will include a performance of “Take It Easy,” an early Browne/Frey co-write that gave the Eagles their first hit single in 1972. “We wanted something simple and elegant, and in discussing it with the family, we wanted an uptempo moment,” manager Irving Azoff told the paper. “We knew they were going to do something to honor Glenn, as they well should, and our band decided they’d like to participate in it rather than watch someone else do it.”
Browne will be joined by co-founding Eagles Don Henley and Bernie Leadon as well as fellow band members Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh.
Steven Tyler’s Skittles Ad Portrait Auctioned For Charity
A portrait of Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler made out of Skittles (featured on an ad shown during Super Bowl 50) was auctioned on eBay for charity. The portrait raised $7,101 for Tyler’s charity Janie’s Fund and weighed in at about 50 pounds.
Legal Hassles
Steven Tyler’s Lawyer Reaches Settlement In American Idol Lawsuit
In more Tyler news, singer Steven Tyler’s attorney has reportedly reached an undisclosed settlement in her legal dispute over his American Idol contract, reports contactmusic.com.
The Aerosmith frontman’s former management company, Kovac Media Group, sued Tyler’s lawyer, Dina LaPolt, in 2012, claiming she botched negotiations to renew Tyler’s contract with American Idol. According to the lawsuit, the reality show’s producers grew frustrated with LaPolt and decided not to offer Tyler a raise, prompting him to exit the show.
Kovac Media Group was seeking $8 million for breach of fiduciary duty and intentional interference, but the parties have reportedly reached a private settlement and the lawsuit has been dismissed. More details can be found here.
Anthrax Sued Over Ugly Hanukkah Sweater
Anthrax have been hit with a $1 million copyright infringement lawsuit over the band’s Ugly Hanukkah Sweater. Detroit artist Aaron Cummins claims he created the original design for the seasonal product in 2012, filed copyright papers on it in 2013, and has been selling it through his company Wet House.
Anthrax launched a limited edition of their Ugly Hanukkah Sweater last November through online retailer Rockabilia.com, who are also being sued.
Super Bowl Fallout
Vince Neil Trashes Coldplay’s Super Bowl Performance
Vince Neil tuned in to watch Coldplay’s performance during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show — and he wasn’t shy about sharing his displeasure after it was over.
As Neil’s Twitter followers soon learned, the former Mötley Crüe frontman came away convinced that not only was Coldplay singer Chris Martin lip-syncing to tape during the band’s set, but that he wasn’t even doing a convincing job of it.
Payback’s a bitch, as many of his own followers were only too willing to offer their own unvarnished opinions regarding his limited prowess as a live performer. His tweet received responses where many pointed out Neil’s tendency to rely on the audience for vocals during shows, his use of backing vocals, as well as his unfortunate misspelling of “lip sync,” which he quickly and colorfully blamed on his phone’s spell check function.
Metallica Rock “The Night Before” Concert
Metallica got their spotlight on Super Bowl weekend Saturday night playing “The Night Before” concert in San Francisco’s AT&T Park. (Metallica have made full audio downloads available here.)
Addressing the elephant in the room, frontman James Hetfield told the Associated Press prior to the performance, “The fan base is really wide, but as far as playing halftime for the Super Bowl, I have a feeling that ship has passed. We’re not a variety show. We’re not pop. We’re not sparkly and all that kind of stuff that I think seems to be what is needed for that.”
The band drove home the point with an opening video that started with the words “Metallica: Too Heavy for Halftime.” Hetfield later stated during the show, “I think it works out for a reason. We get to play a whole show for a lot of people and we get to represent the Bay Area.”
On & Off The Road
KISS Postpone European Tour 2016
It’s confirmed – three KISS shows slated for May – in Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Dortmund – have been postponed indefinitely. Sources say this is the case for the entire planned European tour. The band has yet to issue a statement explaining the cancellations. Fans that have bought tickets can get a refund at point of purchase.
The USA tour is still on – see KISS live in concert at the following shows:
February 11 – Badlands Pawn Gold and Jewelry – Sioux Falls, SD
April 30 – Moonstone Music Festival – Orlando, FL
July 29 – Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, WY
July 30 – North Dakota State Fair – Minot, ND
Ace Frehley Announces New LP and Paul Stanley Reunion
Rolling Stone announces Ace Frehley is beginning the new year by looking back. The former Kiss guitarist’s new LP, Origins Vol. 1 – due out April 15 – finds him covering songs by Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy and other artists that have inspired him over the years. His heavy-hitting take on Cream’s “White Room” is premiering here.
The LP also features his first recording with Paul Stanley, an impassioned interpretation of Free’s “Fire and Water,” in nearly two decades. Other guests on the record include Slash, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Lita Ford and Rob Zombie guitarist John 5.
“I’m really thrilled with the whole thing,” Frehley tells Rolling Stone. “I’m excited about it, and probably somewhere down the road there’ll be a second volume.”
Black Sabbath Resumes “The End” Tour
Black Sabbath resumed its The End tour Saturday, February 6 in Tacoma, Washington after canceling three shows because singer Ozzy Osbourne was battling severe sinusitis.
Check out the fan-filmed concert video, here.
Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, had said the Friday before the show,
“He’s doing so much better. He had sinusitis, which went to bronchitis and he said that he felt like he had the Pacific Ocean in his ear,” she said. “And he couldn’t hear properly. It’s been a nightmare.”
She added that her husband’s illness weighed heavily on him over the past few days. “To have a responsibility of performing with his band Black Sabbath, the crew, the fans, even the opening act — he just sat at home like this [folds arms] waiting, waiting, waiting. And he feels that huge responsibility. He feels guilty for being sick.”
Sammy Hagar’s Rock & Roll Road Trip – Episode 4 With The Circle
Sammy Hagar’s Rock & Roll Road Trip continues on February 14 with Sammy’s own band, The Circle. Viewers will hear stories from Jason Bonham, Vic Johnson, and more as the group travels the country in style. The show airs Sunday at 9|8c on AXS TV.
David Lee Roth Releases New Episode Of The Roth Show Online
Van Halen vocalist, David Lee Roth, has launched his brand new website, DavidLeeRoth.net. A new episode of The Roth Show is now streaming at the site. Previous installments of The Roth Show can be viewed here.
MetalHeads Say The Damnedest Things
“We obviously think it’s really f***ing lame,” he said. “I love Guns N’ Roses, I think they’re really cool, I’d love to see Slash and Axl and Duff play together, that’s great. But I think it’s f***ing lame considering we’ve been hardcore. Our integrity’s still intact, we’ve never split up. We’ve gone through if someone had a little sniffle or something, we soldier on.”
“Someone dies, someone loses an arm, someone gets cancer, we soldier on. [With Guns N’ Roses] if someone has a little barney backstage, they can’t deal with each other. I know it’s difficult, but I do think it’s pretty lame when you compare anyone else to us.”
~ Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen telling the U.K.’s The Telegraph that he is not impressed by the recently reformed Guns N’ Roses, reuniting for millions of dollars.
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