This Week’s SHAZAM Winner!!
Congrats to Marc Milfred in Green Bay, Wisconsin who listens to 105.7 WAPL and is this week’s Shazam contest winner, scoring a House of Hair t-shirt!
Be sure to Shazam the House of Hair Request of the Week when you hear it each week. Whip out your cell phone and open the Shazam app to get info on the song and register to win an official House of Hair t-shirt, too! One winner will be chosen randomly each week.
METAL NEWS
Former Wings Guitarist Henry McCullough Dead at 72
Henry McCullough, who played guitar on some of Paul McCartney‘s post-Beatles group Wings‘ earliest records, has died. The Irish guitarist, who also played with many of rock’s biggest names, was 72.
In addition to his work with Wings, McCullough was also a member of Spooky Tooth, Joe Cocker‘s Grease Band and the traditional Irish folk group Sweeney’s Men. He played guitar on Wings’ second album, 1973’s Red Rose Speedway, as well as a handful of singles from the era, including “Hi, Hi, Hi” and “Live and Let Die.” He also performed the celebrated solo on the No. 1 hit “My Love.”
In the 2000s, he continued to release solo albums and play shows throughout Europe. He had a heart attack in late 2012 that left him in critical condition. In March 2015, a benefit concert was held for McCullough that included performances by Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe and others.
McCartney commented on the death of McCullough on his official site: “I was very sad to hear that Henry McCullough, our great Wings guitarist, passed away today. He was a pleasure to work with, a super-talented musician with a lovely sense of humor. The solo he played on “My Love” was a classic that he made up on the spot in front of a live orchestra. Our deepest sympathies from my family to his.”
Pantera Reacts to the Killing of “The Voice” Singer Christina Grimmie
On Friday, Christina Grimmie, a former finalist on NBC’s The Voice, was shot and killed following her performance in Orlando, FL on Friday, June 10.
The manner in which she was murdered struck a chord with Pantera, whose guitarist, “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, was killed onstage, and the group has issued a statement in which they call out the concert industry for not doing more to prevent future tragedies.
“We are so sad and disappointed to hear that Christina Grimmie was gunned down the same way that Dimebag Darrell was,” the band wrote on their Facebook page. “After Dime’s murder, we all prayed that our industry (i.e. club owners and promoters) would do whatever they needed to do to protect artists from gun wielding fanatics. Sadly, that’s not the case and another rising star had to pay the consequences with her life. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!
RIP Christina & RIP Dime. Jeff Thompson, Erin Halk, and Nathan Bray.”
Jury Set in Led Zeppelin Plagiarism Trial, After Huge Fan Is Dismissed
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant appeared Tuesday in a Los Angeles federal court for what is officially known as “Michael Skidmore vs. Led Zeppelin et al” — but mainly referred to as the “Stairway To Heaven” case.
Page and Plant, the writers of the 1971 Led Zeppelin classic, are being sued by Michael Skidmore, the trustee of the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, on behalf of the late Spirit guitarist who wrote “Taurus” and performed under the name Randy California. The trust is hoping to not only win a monetary judgment, but also secure a writing credit for California on “Stairway To Heaven.”
The magazine went on to describe the scene, “Entering the court with a briefcase made to resemble a Fender tweed-covered amp, the [plaintiffs’ attorney Francis] Malofiy has the cover of “Houses Of The Holy” ostentatiously glowing from his laptop and cracks his knuckles all through the day’s primary concern: jury selection. He’s a stark contrast to the patrician countenance of Zeppelin lawyer Peter Anderson and the seemingly bespoke suiting of his legal team. Indeed, as Malofiy fidgets, Page and Plant exude an almost Zen calm, staring straight ahead without chatting or visibly reacting through the process; only towards the end before the lunch break does Page allow a wry smile to crack the facade.”
Seven of the first 14 possible jurors were dismissed, including one Led Zeppelin fan who was dismissed and described as “the special effects expert who proclaimed without prompting from the jury box, ‘I’m very much a fan — my love for these guys [gesturing to Page and Plant] is very strong.'” Stay tuned!
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson updates hearing loss situation
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has issued an update on his hearing loss following a recent meeting with the inventor of in-ear monitors, Asius Technologies founder Stephen Ambrose.
Last month, Ambrose made a public offer via video to assist Johnson with the hearing issues that have sidelined him from the band’s 2016 tour in March, when AC/DC postponed the remaining 10 shows after the rocker was advised by doctors to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss.
“It WORKS. It just totally works and you can’t argue with that,” said Johnson of the ADEL technology in a released statement. “I was really moved and amazed to be able to hear music again like I haven’t heard for several years now. I can’t wait for it to be miniaturized so I can use it in every situation from normal communication, going out to noisy restaurants, to performing live music on stage.”
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Announces Debut Solo Album
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will release his debut solo album, “We’re All Somebody From Somewhere,” on July 15.
Rolling Stone reports the album, co-produced by Tyler with T Bone Burnett, Dann Huff, Jaren Johnston and Marti Frederikson, will feature 15 new songs including his first two country singles, “Love Is Your Name” and “Red, White And You,” as well as an all new, “darker, countrified” version of the Aerosmith smash “Janie’s Got A Gun.”
“I believe y’all are gonna listen to this stuff and you’re gonna agree with me that it fell from a star,” Tyler said on a press conference via phone. “I had nothing to do with this, it’s just Nashville. There’s something so magical about this town and me writing with all these people.”
A longtime fan of country music, Tyler says he took pains to make his new music as authentic as possible, keeping the recordings stripped down and insisting on minimal vocal takes, while featuring steel guitar, mandolin and above all, melody.
“Country music still plays stuff with melody, I have a sorcerer’s grasp of melody, I like to think,” he explains. “I’m a freak for that so thank God they’re still playing it in country, and I think they’re gonna be all over songs like ‘Only Heaven’ and you guys are gonna be surprised.”
Anthrax’s Scott Ian Becomes Game Of Thrones White Walker
Our favorite video of the week has to be this one – check out Anthrax’s Scott Ian as he goes behind the scenes of the HBO hit series Game Of Thrones and is turned into a White Walker – complete with blue eyes and a full set of armor.
In the short filmed by Nerdist, Ian speaks with prosthetic makeup designer Barrie Gower, who leads the guitarist through the process of how they created the series’ iconic White Walkers, Wights and the Night King himself.
Original Guns N’ Roses Star Izzy Stradlin Releasing New Music
Stradlin tweeted last Saturday: “MIXING NEW SONG FOR JUNE RELEASE ! WORKING TITLE ‘WALKIN’.” Stradlin also shared a ten second clip of the song. Check it out here.
Stradlin is not part of the Guns N’ Roses’ reunion tour this summer, which feature original members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Axl Rose.
ON TOUR
Black Sabbath Add U.S. and South American Tour Dates
Black Sabbath have added further dates to their The End tour.
They headlined the Download festival on Saturday July 11 and last week announced their final live performances would be in the UK and Ireland – including two final sets in their hometown of Birmingham.
But before they head back home, they’ll play their last ever live US shows in Oklahoma, Houston and San Antonio, before traveling to South America for gigs in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
Announcing their UK and Ireland shows, a statement read: “It started nearly five decades ago with a crack of thunder, a distant bell ringing and then that monstrous riff that shook the earth. The heaviest rock sound ever heard.
“In that moment, heavy metal was born, created by a young band from Birmingham, England, barely out of their teens.
“Now it ends – the final eight shows ever by the greatest metal band of all time, Black Sabbath. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler return home to close the final chapter in the final volume of the incredible Black Sabbath story.”
The remaining shows on Black Sabbath’s The End tour are here.
Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Ace Frehley + More to Play Rock Carnival 2016
Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister will headline the second annual Rock Carnival, which will take place from September 30 through October 2 at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, N.J. The lineup will also feature performances by Ace Frehley, Blue Oyster Cult, Clutch, Monster Magnet and many others.
Twisted Sister’s slot, which will close the festivities on Saturday, October 1, is being called their last-ever show in the tri-state (NY/NJ/CT) area where the group originated. Twisted is currently celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band with the “40 and F— It” tour, after which they will officially stop touring.
Metalheads Say The Damnedest Things
“We were staying at John DuPont’s house in Los Angeles, the bloke who owned DuPont paint products. We found all this paint in the garage, and we were all pissed, so we thought it would be fun to paint Bill [Ward] gold from head to toe.
“He started having convulsions. The ambulance people gave us a right bollocking – ‘You idiots, you could have killed him!’
“They gave him adrenalin and we had to use paint stripper to get it off. He looked like a beetroot by the end.”
~ Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi on how he misses playing pranks on original drummer Bill Ward.