Category Archives: music

BREAKING NEWS: Tony Iommi diagnosed with lymphoma cancer…

Black Sabbath, just announced the sad and heartbreaking news this morning, that Tony Iommi, the legendary guitarist that created heavy metal, has been diagnosed with lymphoma cancer.

Even if Tony is now sick, Black Sabbath vows to finish their new studio album with original members as planned.

Could this affect their upcoming world tour that they had originally planned, though? They might have to cancel some gigs or worse, cancel the entire tour if Tony, continues to get worse. The band didn’t say anything about their tour, if they will continue it or not, but I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.

This is very sad. Lymphoma is a hard cancer to fight, it’s pretty much a death sentence, so hopefully, Tony does fight it successfully. I wish him well and fight the good fight.

Tony just made his dream come true by reuniting the original members of Sabbath. He’s been trying to make it happen for years. He’s the master of guitar.

Read their announcement, here.

Kev

David Bowie should make a comeback to the music business…

Some of you may know that David Bowie is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. He is such an inspiration to me that he really influenced my own music as well. I’ve been listening to Bowie’s music for years, I just love his music too much.

It seems that Bowie quietly retired from the music business ’cause he hasn’t released a new album since 2003’s, “Reality”. He never announced a retirement, he just kind of vanished, all of a sudden. The latest thing he did in the music business was that he provided back up vocals for Scarlet Johansson’s debut solo album. That was pretty much it.

David is still alive and well, as he has been making public appearances out there. I’m not the only one that want David Bowie to make a comeback to the music business. A lot of his fans wants him to come back as well.

I wish he would do a new album. I’m sure he’s still making music and writing songs all the time, ’cause he’s a musician, that’s what he does. He just won’t release an album for whatever reason. Even if he doesn’t make a new album, he should at least do a small tour and perform a bunch of his hits live, just do something at least.Come on David, come back for the fans! We know you’re out there somewhere!

Every record that David does, he changes genres. He’ll go to rock, acoustic, electronica, pop, etc. So you’ll never know what genre of music he’ll decide to do next if he does come out with a new album. I’m sure he’ll come back. Hopefully, he’ll release a new album before he gets older and dies. I just want more music from, David Bowie.

Maybe he’s staying away from music for a long while, and not actually retired. Just enjoying life with family. I’m pretty sure he’s a hella rich guy after all the money he made from his legendary career from the past, so I understand that he doesn’t need to do much anymore. He had a legendary career. He has a wonderful singing voice and wrote great songs. I even loved all of his newer music.

Whatever David is doing right now and where ever he is, Happy 65th, David. I’m sure he’s spending his birthday special with his family.

Kev

Book Review: “Iron Man” by Tony Iommi

Well, I just finished reading, “Iron Man”, by Tony Iommi through the Ibooks app on the Ipad today. We all know that Tony Iommi, a guitarist who was made famous for creating and inventing a genre of music that most of us love, that genre is metal. He inspired the genre just by simply playing with Jethro Tull briefly for the Rolling Stones’s, “Rock and Roll Circus”, show. The metal genre got it’s sound out of Jethro Tull.

I’ve read a lot of rock memoirs over the years. Most of them focused on drugs & alcohol, the partying lifestyle of a rock star. This book had a little bit about drugs, alcohol and sex addiction, but this book mostly focused on the music career of guitar great, Tony Iommi. The book was pretty detailed on Tony’s career, everything from starting off playing in local cover bands to starting Earth, the blues band, the Black Sabbath, solo career, Heaven & Hell, etc. The book was even pretty detailed throughout the entire Black Sabbath career. It went through every album and every member lineup.

While Black Sabbath went through so many members over the years, the original lineup with Tony, Ozzy, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler will always stand out the most, of course. The band will always be well known by the original lineup. The band didn’t become legends over night. They were a struggling band in the old days. They scared the shit out of people with their music in the old days and had trouble getting accepted as a band. They were accused of being satanists because of their dark lyrics and music.

Tony never liked being accused of being satanists with Black Sabbath. That is why Tony and Ozzy always wore the cross necklace, you see on them, all the time. They wore the cross necklace, not because they were religious, it was to help prove that they aren’t devil worshippers. Tony said Black Sabbath’s songs were never intended to be Satanic even though people thought it was. They just liked horror movies and scary things.

Black Sabbath broke up in the past, because nobody got along well and didn’t want to do it anymore. So Tony moved on to different projects. We all know that the original Black Sabbath members, reunited on and off over the years. Sometimes they get along well and sometimes they don’t.

Since Black Sabbath announced an official reunion with original members earlier this year, you just wonder how long that’s going to last ’cause Tony said if the band ever got back together again, things could blow up again and the reunion might not happen at all this year. Depends on how well they get along and how well they stay committed to each other. Black Sabbath announced a reunion this year and recording a new album, hopefully the tour does actually happen. I’m sure they get along well fine now.

Back to the book, it was a very inspiring read. I read a lot of rock memoirs, and this is the best one I’ve ever read. Tony told a lot of funny and entertaining stories. When Black Sabbath announced their reunion this year, it got a lot of mixed opinions from people. Some were in favor of their upcoming comeback and some weren’t. For those haters & nay sayers of Black Sabbath out there, you need to respect them. You all love metal because of them. They created the genre. Without them, then all the metal bands you all like wouldn’t even be around today. Do you think Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer would be around today if Black Sabbath never did? Hell no. Metal was all because of them.

This book is a must read for any Black Sabbath fan or metalhead. This is definitely one of the best books of the year.

Kev

This Day In Music: 1/8/12

Musician Birthdays: Elvis Presley (famous as the King of Rock n’ roll, known for hits such as “Jailhouse Rock”, “Hound Dog”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, etc”,  born in 1935) Robby Krieger (guitarist for the Doors, born in 1946) David Bowie (UK singer/songwriter & film actor, famous for hits such as “Space Oddity”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Lets Dance”, “Golden Years”, etc., born in 1947)

– In 1957: Bill Haley & His Comets started the first ever ‘rock & roll tour’ of Australia, playing two sold out nights in Sydney.

– In 1958: The Everly Brothers kicked off a 17 date North American tour at the Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also on the bill, Buddy Holly, The Rays, Royal Teens, Shepherd Sisters, Paul Anka, Margie Rayburn and
Danny & The Juniors.

– In 1966: The Beatles started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Rubber Soul’ the group’s seventh US chart topper, which went on to spend 56 weeks on the chart. The group also started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘We Can Work It Out’ the group’s 11th US No.1 single.

– In 1969: Mike Jagger and Keith Richards were both barred from an exclusive hotel for wearing “op art” pants and nothing else. They were both asked to leave the Hotel Crillen in Lima, Peru after refusing to change clothes.

– In 1979: Canadian rock band Rush were named the country’s official Ambassadors Of Music by the Canadian government.

– In 1991: Steve Clark guitarist with Def Leppard, was found dead at his Chelsea flat by his girlfriend, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption combined with prescription drugs. The autopsy revealed he had died from an overdose of codeine and had Valium, morphine and a blood alcohol level of .30, three times the British legal driving limit. In 2007 Clark was ranked No.11 on Classic Rock Magazine’s “100 Wildest Guitar Heroes”.

– In 2000: Christina Aguilera started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘What A Girl Wants.’ She ended Santana’s 12- week run at No.1 with ‘Smooth.’

– In 2000: It was reported that police foiled a £1 million ($1.7million) kidnap plot to snatch Victoria Beckham and her baby son. The plot was uncovered after a tip off to the police. The gang had planned to kidnap the pair when husband David was away playing football.

– In 2001: A woman who believed that Axl Rose communicated with her via telepathy was arrested for stalking the Guns N’ Roses singer for a second time. Police detained Karen Jane McNeil after she was spotted loitering outside his house.

– In 2010: Jimmy Page launched a new set of stamps in the UK which featured classic album covers from the last 40 years including Led Zeppelin IV, Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay, Power, Corruption And Lies, New Order, Let It Bleed, The Rolling Stones, London Calling, The Clash, Screamadelica, Primal Scream, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, David Bowie and Parklife by Blur.

This Day In Music: 1/7/12

Musician Birthdays: Kenny Loggins (singer/songwriter, born in 1948), John Rich (bassist, singer for Lonestar, country band, born in 1974)

– In 1955: ‘Rock Around The Clock’ by Bill Haley and his Comets, entered the UK chart for the first time.

– In 1964: The Beatles recorded a seven-song appearance for the BBC Radio program Saturday Club. They played ‘All My Loving’, ‘Money’, ‘The Hippy Hippy Shake’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Johnny B. Goode’, and ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’. The show was broadcast on February 15, while the Beatles were in the US.

– In 1970: Led Zeppelin kicked off an 8-date UK tour at Birmingham Town Hall.

– In 1971: Black Sabbath released ‘Paranoid’ their second studio album in the US. The album features the band’s best-known signature songs, including the title track, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘War Pigs’. The album was originally titled War Pigs, but allegedly the record company changed it to Paranoid, fearing backlash from supporters of the ongoing Vietnam War.

– In 1977: Andy Gibb was at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘I Just Want To Be Your Everything’ a song written by his Bee Gee brother Barry.

– In 1993: R.E.M. played a Greenpeace Benefit show at the 40 watt Club, Athens, Georgia, for 500 people. The show was recorded on a solar powered mobile recording studio.

– In 1994: Oasis started recording their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’, at Monrow studios in South Wales. When released in August 1994, it became the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK, (being surpassed in 2006 by Arctic Monkeys debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not). The album went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide.

 

Report: Van Halen finally announces new album, and reveals full US tour…

Van Halen, finally confirmed their long awaited new album today. Their new album is titled, “A Different Kind of Truth”, which will be released Feb. 7th. Their new single, “Tattoo”, will be released this coming, Tuesday. Van Halen also revealed their US tour listings.

They aren’t playing Albany sadly, but maybe they’ll add Albany to the tour ’cause the website said the band still has more US dates coming, so who knows?

See the info, here.

Kev

This Day In Music: 1/6/12

Note: The “This Day In Music” website was down most of the day yesterday, so I couldn’t get info off of it. Here is yesterday’s “This Day In Music”…

Musician Birthdays: Syd Barrett (famous as the original singer of Pink Floyd, born in 1946), Malcolm Young (rhythm guitarist for AC/DC, born in 1953)

– In 1956: Elvis Presley performed in the gym at Randolph High School, Mississippi; this was the last time he ever appeared in a small auditorium.

– In 1958: Gibson guitars launched it’ ‘Flying V’ electric guitar. Guitarists who played a Flying V include, Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan and Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top.

– In 1967: The Who played their first gig of this year when they appeared at Morecambe, Central Pier in England.

– In 1968: The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ started an eight week run at No.1 on the US album chart, the group’s 11th US chart topper.

– In 1970: Crosby Stills Nash & Young made their UK live debut at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

– In 1973: Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’, (with Mick Jagger on backing vocals), started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart.

– In 1975: Pink Floyd started session’s start at Abbey Road Studios London for their next album ‘Wish You Were Here’.

– In 1975: The mayor of Boston cancelled a Led Zeppelin concert after over 2,000 fans rioted trying to buy tickets. The fans caused an estimated $50,000 to $75,000 damage at Boston Garden. The gig during the bands North American tour was rescheduled for Feb 4th.

– In 1977: EMI Records dropped The Sex Pistols, giving the band £40,000 ($68,000) to release them from their contract.

– In 1979: The Bee Gees started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Too Much Heaven’ the group’s 7th US No.1.

– In 1979: The Village People scored their only UK No.1 single with ‘Y.M.C.A.’ At its peak the single was selling over 150,000 copies a day. In the gay culture from which the group sprang, the song was understood as celebrating the YMCA’s reputation as a popular cruising and hookup spot.

– In 2001: Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour won the right to his dot com name. Dave took legal action in his battle to reclaim davidgilmour.com from Andrew Herman who had registered the URL and was selling Pink Floyd merchandise through the site.

Get well soon goes out to Nick Cannon…

As you all probably know by now, Nick Cannon, host of “America’s Got Talent” and the husband of pop star, Mariah Carey, has been hospitalized with mild kidney failure. No matter how minor it is, it’s still serious. Nick is a pretty funny guy and interesting. I wish him well and speedy recovery. Kind of sad that he might not do, “America’s Got Talent” this year because of this. I was kind of hoping him and Howard Stern would be on at the same time.

Kev

This Day In Music: 1/5/12

Musician Birthdays: Marilyn Manson (real name: Brian Warner, metal singer famous for “Sweet Dreams” Eurythmics cover, also famous for hit “The Beautiful People”, born in 1969)

– In 1966: The Who appeared on a new UK television program ‘The Whole Scene Going.’

– In 1967: During The Beatles Sgt Pepper sessions at Abbey Road in London, Paul McCartney recorded his vocal track on ‘Penny Lane.’

– In 1968: Jimi Hendrix was jailed for one day in Stockholm, Sweden on drink charges after going berserk and destroying everything in his room at the Goteberg Hotel.

– In 1973: Bruce Springsteen released his debut album ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ.’ Recorded in a single week the album only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release. Both ‘Blinded By The Light’ and ‘Spirit In The Night’ were released as singles but neither made a dent in the charts. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band later released a version of ‘Blinded By The Light’ on their album ‘The Roaring Silence,’ which reached #1 on the US charts in 1977.

–  In 1978: The Sex Pistols started a US tour in Atlanta, Georgia before an estimated audience of 500 people.

– In 1979: Prince made his live debut at the Capri Theatre, Minneapolis.

– In 1980: Donna Summer scored her third US No.1 album with ‘On The Radio- Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 & II.’

– In 1980: KC and the Sunshine Band had their 5th US No.1 single and scored the first No.1 of the 80’s when ‘Please Don’t Go’ went to No.1 in the UK.

– In 1991: Iron Maiden went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter.’ It became the lowest selling No.1 since 1960, with just over 42,000 copies sold in its first week.

– In 1991: Madonna went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Justify My Love’, a song co-written with Lenny Kravitz and No.2 hit in the UK.

– In 1997: Sonny Bono was killed in a skiing accident at a resort near Lake Tahoe, aged 62. Bono who was one half on Sonny and Cher scored the 1965 UK & US No.1 single ‘I Got You Babe’ and had become a US Congressman.

– In 1997: No Doubt went to No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Tragic Kingdom.’

– In 2003: Green Day’s lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after being stopped in California speeding in a black BMW convertible. He failed a breath test and was taken to Berkeley county jail and was later released on $1,053 (£657) bail.

– In 2004: Kinks singer Ray Davies was shot in the leg while on holiday in New Orleans. The 59-year-old singer-songwriter was shot when running after two men who stole his girlfriend’s purse at gunpoint. Davies was admitted to the Medical Centre of Louisiana but his injuries were not considered serious. New Orleans police said one person had been arrested, and police were still searching for the second.

Report: President Blythe to take the White House? Yes, you heard that right, Randy Blythe, singer for Lamb of God is running for President…

Lamb of God, front man, Randy Blythe, made a huge announcement that he is running for President. It seems pretty serious, as he had funded a campaign himself to get it going. Do you think he really has what it takes? I would be surprised if he actually got a nomination and make it pretty far. The only support I can see people giving him in this election are, Lamb of God, fans. Other politicians may have a hard time taking him seriously because of his metal image and his metal past.

Read his blog, here.

Kev