Paul Kantner and Signe Anderson of Jefferson Airplane Dead at 74
Paul Kantner, guitarist and founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, died on January 28 of multiple organ failure, the SF GATE reports. Kantner, 74, had suffered a heart attack earlier that week. Kantner had numerous health problems in recent years, including a previous heart attack in March 2015.
According to Rolling Stone: With Jefferson Airplane, Kantner helped pioneer the oft-imitated psychedelic sound: simple, fuzzy guitar lines steeped in dreamlike reverb. The group formed in 1965 and, within a few years, scored hits with “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” In their first run, five of the band’s seven albums went gold, including 1967’s Surrealistic Pillow and 1968’s Crown of Creation.
Kantner is survived by three children: Gareth, Alexander and China.
Signe Anderson, (second from right, above) one of the original vocalists for Jefferson Airplane, also passed away on that same day. Former band mate Jack Casady said Anderson had recently been entered into hospice care. Anderson died of multiple organ failure and septic shock. The vocalist sang on the band’s debut LP in 1965, “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off,” which featured her lead vocals on Chet Powers’ “Let’s Get Together” and “Chauffeur Blues.” She was also 74.
Late Rainbow/Dio/Last in Line Bassist Jimmy Bain Died of Lung Cancer
On January 24, former Rainbow, Dio and Last in Line bassist Jimmy Bain passed away at the age of 68 on Def Leppard’s Hysteria On The High Seas cruise. The Medical Examiner reported the official cause of death was lung cancer.
Vinny Appice posted on Facebook:
Vince Neil To Take Part In Celebrity Apprentice 2016
Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe has signed up to take part in the next season of The Celebrity Apprentice. On the show, Neil and other celebrities will compete for a cash prize that will go to their charity of choice. Neil is representing the Las Vegas-based Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center For Brain Health.
Vince arrived in Los Angeles this past week with 12 suitcases of outfits requested by producers for possible filming scenarios. “I’ll be raising money for great Las Vegas causes, so I hope the entire valley-wide community will be supporting whatever it is we have to tackle,” he told the Las Vegas Sun, “I’ve set myself a record target of $1 million and have begun reaching out to my rock star and country star friends to support me once the challenges get underway.”
The Mötley Crüe singer will be among 16 contestants, with UFC star Chael Sonnen, Jersey Shore’s Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila, Boy George, NFL Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, comedian Jon Lovitz and stylist Carson Kressley. The show began filming February 1, and will air for six weeks this fall.
The show will be hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is replacing regular host Donald Trump as he fights for the Republican presidential nomination. Arnold will be joined by new advisers – billionaire Warren Buffet, ex-Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer and supermodel Tyra Banks, who replaces Ivanka Trump.
Off The Road
Def Leppard Postpone All Remaining Current U.S. Tour Dates
Def Leppard has postponed the remaining dates on its current tour to give singer Joe Elliott time to rest his vocal cords. The band wrote on its web site that the concerts on its winter tour were being postponed “due to illness. All shows from Feb. 2 (San Antonio, Texas) through Feb. 17 (Allentown, Penn.) will be rescheduled, including the previously postponed dates in Greensboro, NC (Jan. 27), and Orlando, FL (Jan. 30).”
Drummer Rick Allen offered more detail on Twitter:
Cancelled tour dates include:
Feb. 02 – San Antonio, TX (AT&T Center)
Feb. 03 – Lafayette, LA (Lafayette Cajundome)
Feb. 05 – Corpus Christi, TX (American Bank Center Arena)
Feb. 06 – Hidalgo, TX (State Farm Arena)
Feb. 09 – Little Rock, AR (Verizon Arena)
Feb. 10 – Bossier City, LA (CenturyLink Center)
Feb. 13 – Uncasville, CT (Mohegan Sun Arena)
Feb. 14 – Atlantic City, NJ (Boardwalk Hall)
Feb. 16 – Brooklyn, NY (Barclays Center)
Feb. 17 – Allentown, PA (PPL Center)
Last week, Elliott was forced to miss a band performance on Def Leppard’s Hysteria On The High Seas cruise because he was suffering from “severe laryngitis”. His bandmates Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, along with Last In Line’s Andrew Freeman, Mr. Big’s Eric Martin and Kip Winger, stepped in to cover for him.
Black Sabbath Postpone Two Shows as Ozzy Osbourne Battles Extreme Sinusitis
Black Sabbath have postponed three shows in Canada as singer Ozzy Osbourne battles extreme sinusitis.
Black Sabbath posted on Facebook: “Due to extreme sinusitis with Ozzy Osbourne the shows in both Edmonton and Calgary have been postponed. Details regarding rescheduled dates will be announced as soon as they are available.”
The concerts were set for January 30 in Edmonton, February 1 in Calgary and February 4 in Vancouver. The band had already played the first four shows on “The End” tour, which kicked off January 20 in Omaha, Nebraska. As of today, the group’s next scheduled show is at the Tacoma Dome in Washington, this weekend.
On The Road and New Releases
Metallica Will Stream Their Pre-Super Bowl Concert for Free
Metallica will be webcasting their Pre-Super Bowl concert for free live from AT&T Park on Saturday.
“The concert has been sold out for months, but we don’t want anyone to be left out,” Metallica announced. “So spend Super Bowl eve with us, no matter where you are that night!”
The 1080p FullHD live stream will be available on mobile and desktop devices at webcast.livemetallica.com. Metallica are also promising updates on the stage and production at the ballpark, as well as rehearsal extras (which will be available on the same streaming site as well as the band’s social media).
Cage the Elephant will open the performance, which is being called The Night Before concert.
Lita Ford’s New Book and Album
Four years after releasing Living Like A Runaway, hard rock icon Lita Ford is releasing a new album. The singer/guitarist has been working on new material and fans can get their hands on Time Capsule on April 15.
Also, Ford’s new book, Lita Ford – Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir, is set to be released February 23. In this 272-page memoir, Ford opens up about the ’70s and ’80s music scene, and her extraordinary life and career.
Lita Ford (left) and Lzzy Hale (right).
Halestorm Will Tour U.S. With Lita Ford
Halestorm are heading back out on the road for a batch of U.S. tour dates. Rounding out the bill will be Lita Ford and Dorothy.
“This is a tour I’ve wanted to put together for a long time,” says Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale. “Not just a package with every band featuring a girl–that’s been done a million times. This tour is a different breed, showcasing loud, powerful female voices. Every frontwoman here holds her own both on and off the stage, and has fought more than her share of the good fight. This isn’t your sister’s woman music fest! I’m honored to have the legendary Lita Ford on this run and welcome newcomers Dorothy who make me so proud of the future of rock. All fans of true rock music—men, women, everyone—need to see this show.”
Halestorm just released a new music video for “Mayhem,” off Into the Wild Life. Check it out here.
Reunited Guns N’ Roses Add Mexico City Date
Guns N’ Roses, featuring singer Axl Rose alongside guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, have added a Mexico City show on April 19.
Guns N’ Roses will be one of the first acts to play the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, playing on both April 8 and April 9. They are reportedly negotiating with promoters to play as many as 25 stadiums in North America this summer. For the tour, GN’R is said to be asking as much as $3 million per show, with tickets topping out in the $250 to $275 range.
The Pulse Of Radio reports that the instrumental members of Guns N’ Roses — including Slash, McKagan and more recent drummer Frank Ferrer — are rehearsing for the upcoming reunion shows without Rose. The frontman has yet to join the group in the rehearsal studio and it’s not clear which other members will also be present, if any.
Upcoming Guns N’ Roses shows now scheduled are:
Apr. 08 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Apr. 09 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Apr. 16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
Apr. 19 – Mexico City, MX @ Foro Sol
Apr. 23 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
Check out all the tour dates, here.
Foreigner To Premier Unplugged Renditions Of Their Classics On Today Show
Foreigner will release their first-ever live acoustic album, “In Concert. Unplugged” on February 5. The band’s royalties will be donated to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the album is available exclusively via Amazon.
Foreigner recorded this unique acoustic album at a concert hosted by Edsel B. Ford II on August 24, 2015 at the Ford Motor Company Conference & Event Center in Detroit, Michigan immediately following the band’s record-breaking 10-show stand with Kid Rock at the DTE Energy Music Theatre.
Foreigner will appear on The Today Show next Thursday, February 11 to premiere songs from the new album and announce upcoming tour dates.
See the initial tour dates, here.
Megadeth’s Dystopia Debuts At #3 On Billboard 200 Chart
Megadeth notches the Billboard 200 chart’s highest debut this week, as the band’s new album, Dystopia, bows at #3. It’s the highest charting album for the act since 1992’s Countdown To Extinction debuted and peaked at #2. The new album also logs the group’s best sales week since 2007, when United Abominations launched at #8.
The WTF File
Steven Tyler Portrait Made Entirely of Skittles Candy In Super Bowl Ad
Steven Tyler is featured in a 2016 Super Bowl commercial for Skittles candy. The 30-second spot, which will air during the second quarter, was inspired by the apparent trend of Skittles fans making things (pictures, recipes, stop-motion films, etc.) out of the rainbow-colored candies. The ad shows Tyler checking out a portrait of himself made of Skittles — and he’s not too happy about it. Check out the video, here.
According to a publicist for Skittles, “As a show of appreciation, the brand created a custom, one-of-a-kind Skittles covered microphone for Steven, so he can rock on with the rainbow leading up to the Super Bowl and beyond.”
Sebastian Bach Says “People Who Say ‘White Power’ Are Pussies”
Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach has chimed in on the debate surrounding last week’s incident when ex-Pantera singer Philip Anselmo made a “white power” gesture onstage at a concert.
Anselmo performed the Pantera classic “Walk” at the January 22 “Dimebash” event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of his former bandmate, late Pantera guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say “white power” as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an “inside joke.” Anselmo has since released a video message, saying that he “deserves completely” the “heat” that he has been getting over his actions and claiming to be “a thousand percent apologetic to anyone that took offense to what [he] said.”
Several notable musicians have come out and criticized Anselmo for his actions.
Now Bach has offered his two cents, tweeting: “Rock is supposed 2B fun. Perverting music N2 hate? NOT fun. People who say White Power are PUSSIES. As r those who agree. Or remain silent.”
Anthrax’s Scott Ian Suggests Philip Anselmo Donate to Center That Confronts Racism
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has also weighed in on the recent Philip Anselmo controversy. Scott went to social media to offer his take, suggesting Anselmo donate to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an organization and network of museums which challenge visitors to confront bigotry and racism, as well as teaches lessons of the Holocaust.
Scott Ian posted the following message on his personal website:
Friends,
Hate speech. Racism. Inflammatory rhetoric.
All dangerous no matter what the context. I have ZERO TOLERANCE for any of this and to not speak out against them is as dangerous as the acts themselves.
Philip’s actions were vile and that should be the focus here, anything else is just noise.
Philip has apologized and I would like to offer him the opportunity to really show how much he loves everyone by making a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Peace, Scott
The Simon Wiesenthal Center donation page
There’s been no word from Anselmo yet on Scott Ian’s proposal.
MetalHeads Say The Damnedest Things
“I’ll say that we’re recording some stuff for a new record this year. Look, I’m going to always be the guy who was in Mötley Crüe, but my first solo record (1993’s “Exposed”), with ‘You’re Invited (But Your Friend Can’t Come)’, was over a million seller, so a lot of people enjoyed it and ‘Sister Of Pain’ and many of those songs,” Neil said. “I’m looking forward to recording more stuff, but I’m really a road singer. I love giving cool, fun performances with a big look.”
~ Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil hinting that his solo band is working on new material, with the possibility of road testing some of those songs on his current tour.