This Week’s SHAZAM Winner!!
Congrats to Gene Crane in Newburgh, NY who listens to 101.5 WPDH, 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
Black Sabbath Keyboardist Geoff Nicholls Dead at 68
Geoff Nicholls, who played keyboards with Black Sabbath from 1979-2004 died on January 28 of lung cancer.
Ex-Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne expressed their grief on social media.
Tony Iommi posted on Facebook, “I’m so saddened to hear the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls,” he wrote. “He’s been suffering for a while now with lung cancer and he lost his battle this morning. Geoff and I have always been very close and he has been a real true friend to me and supported me all the way for nearly 40 years. I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”
Bassist Geezer Butler also shared his thoughts, “Very sad to hear of old friend and Sabbath keyboard player Geoff Nicholls passing. RIP Geoff.” Ozzy Osbourne tweeted “Geoff Nicholls was a great friend of mine for a long time. He will be greatly missed. I’m very saddened at the news.”
Bassist/Vocalist John Wetton of Uriah Heep and Asia Dead at 67
Long-time Asia bandmate and friend Geoff Downes confirmed Wetton died January 31 after a ‘long and tenacious battle’ with cancer. Wetton died three weeks after he announced he was pulling out of Asia’s forthcoming US tour due to having to undergo a round of chemotherapy.
The singer, well known as the vocalist for Asia’s 1982 hit “Heat of the Moment”, also played in other famous bands, including Roxy Music and Uriah Heep. The 67-year-old most recently worked on solo projects and as a session musician.
Rush Members To Induct Yes Into Rock Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed that Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will induct Yes at the 2017 Ceremony.
Geddy Lee, in particular, was hugely influenced by late Yes bassist Chris Squire. Telling Guitar World of when he first heard Yes, Lee once explained, “I was totally amazed. I’d never heard a band like this, and I’d never heard a bass player placed so upfront in the mix. Chris Squire had such a driving, aggressive sound, and it made this [“Time and a Word”] such a pivotal, influential song for me. Squire’s melodies were brilliant, and they were definitely out there.”
David Lee Roth Sued For Alleged Dog Attack
Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is reportedly being sued by a landscaper over an alleged attack by his dog. TMZ reports landscaper Timothy Salinas says he was doing maintenance work in Roth’s Pasadena, CA yard when the rocker’s Australian Cattle dog suddenly attacked and took a chunk out of his lower left calf. Salinas says his boss told him he’d lose his job if he reported it.
Roth’s lawyer, Ed McPherson, tells TMZ the issue is nothing more than a celebrity shakedown, pointing out that Salinas waited 47 days before going to the hospital and that the singer was only made aware of the alleged incident after the landscaper filed an insurance claim. See the bite photos and read more on TMZ.
Gene Simmons to Appear at Five Comic Con Events
Simmons is being touted as “an iconic star attraction” for five Comic Con events, which are scheduled to take place in Cleveland (March 18-19), St. Louis (April 8-9), Philadelphia (June 2-3), Chicago (August 26-27) and Austin (November 17-18).
“I’m excited to bring rock ‘n’ roll back to Wizard World Comic Con in 2017,” said Simmons. “It will be great to meet fans and perform for them in every city.”
Simmons is set to play with a solo band for the conventions. In addition to live musical performances, he’s on tap for a variety of fan-friendly activities, including photo ops, autographs and Q&A sessions. Regular passes and VIP packages are available for each of the events. Go here for details and ticketing information.
Bret Michaels Performs at Armed Services Veterans Benefit Show
Poison singer Bret Michaels appeared on January 19 for the “Heroes Ball IV” in Washington D.C., a celebration benefiting veterans of the American armed services.
The event at the Warner Theater and offered free attendance to veterans, active duty personnel and Gold Star families, was billed as a “rock ‘n’ roll salute” to the military. On Facebook, Michaels told followers he was “honored” to perform at the Ball.
ON TOUR
Iron Maiden Announce 2017 North American Tour
Iron Maiden have announced a new, 25-date North American leg of their ongoing The Book of Souls tour. Ghost will be the opening act for this trek, which kicks off June 3 in Bristow, VA and will wrap up with the band’s first-ever show in Brooklyn, NY, on July 21 at the Barclays Center. This will be Iron Maiden’s second stateside visit in support of their 2015 double album The Book of Souls.
“We are really looking forward to returning to North America for a full tour,” said bassist Steve Harris. “We had always planned to go back there and to the UK as last year, due to the global nature of the tour and the period it took, we just didn’t have time to cover them properly and we do still like to get to fans in as many places as possible! So this year we’re able to reach many more cities in America, including a return to places Maiden haven’t played for many, many years like Lincoln, Nebraska, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and Oakland, California. We also welcome playing in Brooklyn for the first time.
We will, of course, be bringing the full production with us including all the Eddies and the Maya-themed stage sets. We’re still deciding on the final set-list and we’ll work that out once we get into rehearsals. Most of our North American fans haven’t seen the show yet, so as we want to give them the same Book of Souls live experience that we took around the world, it’s unlikely we’ll change much. And of course we know our fans appreciate us playing a lot of the older songs too, so we will continue to do that!”
Tour dates are on the HOH website.
Alice Cooper and Deep Purple Announce Co-Headlining Tour
Alice Cooper and Deep Purple will head out on the road together later this year with special guest the Edgar Winter Band. The co-headlining tour is currently scheduled to stop in 18 US cities and Toronto, Canada, starting in Las Vegas on August 12 and continuing through September 10.
The tour will find Deep Purple in the middle of what’s being billed as their Long Goodbye Tour. They are currently promoting their upcoming studio LP, Infinite, due to arrive in stores on April 7. Cooper, meanwhile, is working on a new album with the surviving members of his original band.
Tour Dates are on the HOH website.
Joe Perry Says Aerosmith Are Planning a Long Farewell
“The feeling is, right now is gonna be in semi-tour mode for the next few years,” Perry told Ultimate Classic Rock right before receiving the Les Paul Award at the NAMM TEC Awards in Anaheim, Calif. “We’ll be taking time off here and there, but we really want to play some of the places that we’ve maybe played once before, maybe never before. Kind of go around and hit all the spots you can.”
“We’re much closer to the end than the beginning,” he said. “I’m not going to say this is – after the U.S. tour that we’ll never play the States again. I’m not going to say that. I feel like, at this point, every show could be the last show. You just don’t know. … I always have this attitude, it’s gotta be as good as it can be that day. That said, we don’t have a day planned where we say ‘Okay, this is the last show.’ You can’t picture that. On the other hand, I know there will be a last show just like there’s a one last time for everything in life.”
“Listen, at my age to have the five guys – the original guys – there are not many bands that can say that,” he said. “Every time I look across at everybody, I go: ‘Man, I can’t believe it.’ I’ll milk it for everything it’s worth. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?”
Saxon Added As Headliner For Ramblin’ Man Fair
Saxon have been added as one of the headliners for the newly expanded July 2017 Ramblin’ Man Fair music festival to be held at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent. Saxon will lead the lineup on Friday night which will also include performances from Last In Line and the Graham Bonnet Band.
Frontman Biff Byford had this to say, “After a great time at the first Ramblin’ Man Fair, we are very happy to be asked back to headline the inaugural Friday night this year. With all the hits and more coming your way, get out your denim and leather – it’s going to be special.”
Other announced acts include ZZ Top, Extreme, Dokken, and more. Check out the lineup and find more details here.
Zakk Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath Announce First Ever US Tour
Zakk Sabbath, the Black Sabbath cover band/supergroup featuring Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens Of The Stone Age) will embark on their first ever US headline tour May 19 – June 10. The supporting act will be Beastmaker.
Ticket information is available at ZakkSabbath.live.
NEW RELEASES
Iron Maiden Release “Wasted Years” Live Video
Maiden released a new live video of their classic “Wasted Years” as they prepare for a new North American tour leg of their epic The Book of Souls Tour. The video was filmed during various shows on their 2015 tour.
Chickenfoot Add New Song and Live Tracks to Best-Of Collection
Chickenfoot will release a new song “Divine Termination” as part of Best + Live, a career-encompassing set that’s scheduled to arrive on March 10. It is the first new song in five years from Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and drummer Chad Smith, whose most recent album, Chickenfoot III, was released in 2011. Satriani describes the song as “bone-crunching, hell-raising rock, dripping with attitude and vibe. Just the way Chickenfoot likes it!”
“Listening to this collection of songs from the ‘Foot brings back memories of some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a band,” said Hagar. “The chemistry between Chad, Joe, Mike and me is very special. It’s almost like visual music – you can see us having fun when you listen to these songs.”
Metalheads Say The Damnedest Things
“Sex and rock ‘n roll have gone hand-in-hand since the beginning of time, so I’ve never tried to downplay it. I’ve always just tried to stay true to myself. I’m not trying to shorten my skirt for attention, but at the same time, as a girl, I’m allowed to express myself sexually in whatever way I see fit.”
“We [Lita Ford and Lzzy Hale] decided we should do a tour and make it into this celebration of strong women,” she said. “It was amazing touring with Lita. The Runaways were our foremothers of rock’n’roll, and they had to forge a path in the wilderness.
“I have to deal with meager sexism every now and then, or choose to ignore it, but those girls had it all the time.”
~ Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale on women in rock ‘n roll