Dee Snider And Doug Aldrich Settle Their Feud
Doug Aldrich says his supposed beef with Dee Snider has been resolved over a series of dinners. Last year, Twisted Sister frontman Snider took a pot shot at “musicians who joined famous bands after their heyday claiming they are from those bands,” in reference to Aldrich’s time with Whitesnake.
Aldrich reacted on Twitter by saying he was only doing his best to keep the band moving forward and lightheartedly called Snider a “jackass.”
Now guitarist Aldrich – who recently joined The Dead Daisies – tells One On One With Mitch Lafon: “Me and Dee resolved everything.
“We’re hanging together all the time. He bought me a bunch of dinners and I said, ‘Listen, you’ve spent a lot of money on me and it’s all forgotten.’ He’s cool. I love his music and I have a little boy who loves Twisted Sister.”
Joe Perry Slams Steven Tyler’s Country Music Project
Joe Perry has taken a swipe at Aerosmith bandmate Steven Tyler’s current fascination with country music.
The guitarist, who previously detailed his rocky relationship with Tyler in his 2014 autobiography Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith, has mocked the singer’s decision to record a country album.
Perry tells USA Today: “Hey, if I didn’t know him when I heard the song I’d go, ‘It’s okay, next.’ I’m not going to say anything else about that.
“Steven is in Nashville doing whatever he’s doing. He’s got a rhinestone cowboy hat going ‘Yippee ki yay.’ I don’t know what else to say about that.”
Tyler admitted last year that his Aerosmith bandmates are “not happy” about his solo album, as it resulted in the Boston band scrapping most of their 2016 tour plans, according to guitarist Brad Whitford.
Last in Line Cancel Debut Album Tour After Jimmy Bain’s Death
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell said in an interview by MyGlobalMind.com that Last in Line won’t continue to tour without Jimmy Bain.
Campbell said, “We were scheduled to do a tour to promote the release of the CD but have cancelled it. We have two obligations which we will fulfill; the Frontiers Festival Italy this April as we are headlining two nights and Rocklahoma on Memorial Day weekend, with whom on bass I don’t know as of yet as we just not are there yet. Jimmy was just buried and we want to be very respectful to his memory. He believed in this CD and it’s a strong record that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with his other recordings. In the last year and a half while we were making the CD, it really gave him focus in dealing with his sobriety and overcoming that demon. He focused his energies on it, believed in it, and was very proud of it – as we all are. It’s weird to think about performing without Jimmy as he was so much a part of the process. It was reuniting the original Dio band and the chemistry is to never be replaced. I personally don’t subscribe to the feeling that you can replace a musician; we are unique like our finger prints. Where we play, where we don’t play, how we play, the spaces we leave, and our timing. The tonality we each have is very individual, every musician is very unique. It’s going to be different; it’s never going to be the same. We believe in the project, the record, and we will work it to some extent.”
Heavy Crown, the debut album from Last In Line, is scheduled for release on February 19.
Vince Neil Raises $200K for Charity on “Celebrity Apprentice”
Spoiler alert: The new season of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice has not hit the airwaves yet, but it appears as though former Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil is doing quite well in the early going. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Neil managed to raise $200,000 for the Keep Memory Alive charity as part of one of the competitions currently filming.
Neil hit the phones in order to drum up support from fans, family, friends, fellow musicians and some Las Vegas restauranteurs, generating the $200,000 total. The rocker stated that some of the funds will be earmarked for late chef Kerry Simon’s Fight MSA foundation at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in downtown Las Vegas.
The singer is reportedly still in the midst of the challenge, hoping to raise another $100,000 in a sales campaign surrounding a pop-up cupcake and doughnut shop at See’s Candies on S. La Cienega Blvd. in Los Angeles. Neil’s friend, comedian Carrot Top, reportedly convinced Dollar Loan Center founder Chuck Brennan to lend his jet so that he and Neil could fly between Las Vegas and Los Angeles to help sell Neil’s creations to fans on the streets.
We won’t know the final result of Vince’s efforts until the new season airs in September, but so far he hasn’t been fired and has safely reached the halfway point of filming.
The new season of Celebrity Apprentice finds Arnold Schwarzenegger taking over for Donald Trump. In addition to Neil, Boy George, Carnie Wilson and VH1 personality Carrie Keagan are among the music-related celebs partaking in the new season.
Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French Says KISS’ Success Never Mattered To Him
Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, in an interview with MyGlobalMind.com, talked recently about the band’s We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! documentary, the resilience of the band, and more.
When asked if KISS’ success in 1976-1978 impacted Twisted Sister in any way, French said,
“I have no idea, I never thought about it for a second. They had their life to lead and we had ours. They succeeded early on and had their own share of problems. They tell their story about how financially bad off they were and how close they came to ending it a number of times. They had their own identity crisis and had to change their image. It never mattered to me. In 1976 or 1977 Dee took me to see KISS at Nassau Coliseum and I remember thinking it was a great show. I had auditioned for Wicked Lester at some point very early on which became KISS. I knew they could make it and was really impressed by the show. I thought it was phenomenal, I thought that they really have their shit together. We would sometimes get comments from the record labels like, “Alice Cooper has already done it”, “KISS has already done it”, or “Been there, done that already.” The press hated KISS so anytime the record label could find an excuse to say No to us they would say something like, “You suck like KISS”.”
Twisted Sister have been announced as the headliner for the first annual Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal Awards, taking place Sunday, May 15 at the Casablanca Event Center At Eastside Cannery Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
Kelly Osbourne “Paying for Ozzy’s Crimes” After Bat Poops On Her Head
When a bat poops on your head, you might as well laugh about it — especially if your dad is infamous bat-chomper Ozzy Osbourne.
Ozzy’s daughter Kelly recently demonstrated her good grace in the face of guano when she informed Instagram followers that while she was out for a stroll, she’d been “attacked” by a “f—ing bat” whose aggression ended when it “s— on my head.” For proof, she posted the following photo to Instagram.
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Flies Endangered Turtle To Spain
Terri the Turtle (left) and Bruce Dickinson’s private plane (right).
According to Olive Press, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has shelled out a small fortune to fly an endangered turtle to Spain.
Dickinson’s personal plane flew Terri the turtle to the Canary Islands after she was washed up on a Jersey beach with a damaged shell and a nasty infection.
A crowdfunding campaign raised €8,000 (about $9,038) to rescue the reptile and fly her to Spain, where a sanctuary had offered to care for her.
She has now been flown to Gran Canaria from the New Era Veterinary Hospital, via Guernsey company Aeris Aviation, using Dickinson’s plane.
“A jet has become available at a far reduced price and with the donations at the hospital and online we have reached the price we need for the jet,” explained vet Peter Haworth, “It shows how much one little turtle can bond people together. We had interest immediately from Dubai, Australia and America.”
Dickinson is a true polymath. In addition to being one of heavy metal’s most storied and well-respected lead singers, Bruce is a qualified airline pilot, an aviation entrepreneur and motivational speaker and has been a world-class fencer, a published novelist, movie script writer and a radio broadcaster.
KISS – New Limited Edition Gene Simmons Mask Available For $999.99
Here’s your ultimate 2016 Halloween costume! With this new KISS Gene Simmons Limited Edition Demon Mask, you can transform into the rock icon like never before – for a mere $999.99.
Says the manufacturer, “Each Authentic Limited Edition Silicone Demon Mask has been hand-crafted by talented makeup artists and special effects sculptors working in the film industry, faithfully recreating Gene Simmons’ face, hair, and flesh with masterful detail and accuracy. Made from authentic silicone material that mimics both the texture and visual appeal of real skin, this KISS mask stretches to fit most sizes and is nigh indistinguishable from the real rock star’s iconic look. With only 200 masks ever made, this Gene Simmons mask will remain an incredibly rare and legendary piece to possess in any KISS collection.”
Check it out here.
On Tour
Def Leppard Will Resume Touring In May
Def Leppard will be back in action this spring, despite frontman Joe Elliott’s vocal problems that forced the postponement of 10 shows on the group’s most recent U.S. tour.
Guitarist Vivian Campbell told Billboard: “A doctor stuck a camera down his [Joe Elliott’s] throat the day we postponed the last show (February 2 in San Antonio) and told him that if he didn’t stop singing he’d have no career left. That’s the bad news. The good news is that same doctor is equally confident that he does not need surgery of any sort. He just needs rest for a couple months. He should be fine.” Elliott also missed one performance during Def Leppard’s Hysteria on the High Seas cruise during January.
Def Leppard plans to make up the postponed shows in May and then go on with a planned North American tour in June. The window opened partially because Campbell’s other band, Last In Line, scrapped its spring tour after bassist Jimmy Bain died last month on the aforementioned cruise.
Sixx: A.M. Talk Forthcoming Single ‘Rise,’ Seek Fan Input on U.S. Tour
Sixx:A.M. have announced the March 1 arrival of their new single, “Rise,” from a forthcoming first volume of a double album, coming in 2016. The band consists of bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Dj Ashba, and vocalist/producer James Michael.
The band has revealed that they will be on tour all spring in the US and will make their way through Europe in June.
Check out the personal video message from Sixx:A.M. frontman James Michael here, where he asks for your help to decide where Sixx:A.M. should play on their upcoming spring headlining tour! Head to sixxammusic.com to weigh in!
Black Sabbath Reschedule Recently Postponed Canadian Shows
Black Sabbath‘s “The End” tour got off to a rough start when Ozzy Osbourne was sidelined with bronchitis and sinusitis. It led the band to hold off on three Canadian stops, but with Osbourne back onstage, the group has moved to reschedule the affected shows.
The band will now be playing Edmonton’s Rexall Place on March 2, Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome on March 4 and Vancouver’s Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena March 7. Previously purchased tickets will be honored at the door on the new tour dates.
Black Sabbath resumed their tour in Tacoma earlier this week, playing a slightly abbreviated set as Osbourne returned to performing. The band’s farewell tour currently has shows booked through September, though there has been talk of the tour carrying over into 2017.
Supergroup Generation Axe featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen To Tour
A new tour featuring some of the greatest guitarists of all time is about to give the term “SuperGroup” a whole new meaning: Generation Axe, featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi.
Kicking off in Seattle on April 5, the Generation Axe – A Night Of Guitars tour is hitting the road for 26 performances in North America. Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, February 19.
“The Generation Axe show is a unique performance of five fiercely talented guitar players coming together to create a 6-string extravaganza that is sure to amaze and delight,” commented Steve Vai.
Vai, Wylde, Malmsteen, Bettencourt and Abasi will perform songs from their various catalogs and join forces on some well-known songs (as well as probably a few unexpected, unearthed gems). For more information, visit generationaxe.com.
Doro Announce Meet-And-Greets For U.S. Tour
Doro Pesch will return to the U.S. next week for a short run of live dates set to commence in Miami, Florida on February 22. From there, Doro and her bandmates will make their way through seven venues, ending in Queens, New York at Blackthorn 51 March 6. Additionally, Doro will make an in-store meet-and-greet appearance at Rock Fantasy Records prior to her performance at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York on March 5.
Says Doro of the upcoming dates: “I’m so excited to start the New Year with some tour dates in the states! I can’t wait to see all the loyal fans again and many new faces. We’ll play all our highlights as well as the best songs of the Warlock era. You can expect a full metal, high-energy, amazing show with lots of heart, soul and true metal power!”
In related news, Doro will be honored with the Metal Goddess Award at this year’s edition of the Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal Awards this coming May at the Eastside Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.
MetalHeads Say The Damnedest Things
“Mikkey’s such a terrific guy, and such a great drummer. In fact, I remember just before we were releasing the [Megadeth] ‘Peace Sells’ record back in 1986, we did a tour leading up to that with King Diamond in the summer of 1986, and Mikkey Dee was the drummer. That was when we in Megadeth first got to meet Mikkey.
Motörhead drumming and the Motörhead lifestyle is not for the faint of heart, and he survived both very well. Just such a monster player, and such a cool guy. He held a moment of silence for Lemmy. It was really a moving moment when you get a bunch of loud, raucous, metal heads into a room who are respectfully, honestly giving a moment of silence. It was really a moving moment for sure, and followed by, ‘Okay, now let’s go make some noise.’ Then he hopped behind the kit, and we blazed out a tune.”
~ David Ellefson talking about Metal Allegiance’s January 9 Lemmy Tribute at the Whisky A Go Go where Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee played with the band.
Metal Videos O’ The Week
Dee Snider Talks About Twisted Sister’s “We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!” Documentary
Scorpions Post Live Tokyo Tapes Documentary Part VI
Helloween Release “Heroes” Live Video From European Tour
Megadeth/Lamb of God Drummer Chris Adler Goes Tandem Skydiving