Day in Rock Report: Blink-182 and All Time Low Star Launch New Group- Early Iron Maiden Members Reunite For Pub Jam- Weezer Surprise Release New Album Including Black Sabbath Classic- more

Day in Rock Report for 01/25/2019

Blink-182 and All Time Low Star Launch New Group

Blink-182 vocalist / bassist Mark Hoppus and All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth have teamed up for a new project that they call Simple Creatures.

The new group plans to release their debut EP this March, according to a report but they are not making fans wait to hear what it is all about. The group took to social media to premiere their first song.

They wrote on the sm sites, "Hi. We are Simple Creatures. We just woke up from a very long sleep. We have so much to tell you, but for the moment, all we can say is that we are glad you are here. We made music for you ... It is Drug." Check out the lyric video here

More Simple Creatures News

Early Iron Maiden Members Reunite For Pub Jam

(hennemusic) A pair of early Iron Maiden members performed some of the band's classic tracks in a London pub on January 20, and video from the show is streaming online.

Singer Paul Mario Day joined former Maiden guitarist Terry Wapram and his group, Buffalo Fish, for the title song from the iconic metal band's self-titled 1980 debut, and the 1981 "Killers" track, "Wrathchild", at Cart & Horses, known as "The Birthplace of Iron Maiden."

Day was the original vocalist when bassist Steve Harris formed Iron Maiden on Christmas Day in 1975; the singer exited the lineup in its first year, while Wapram was on board in 1977 before his departure the following year.

The footage - posted by Marius Danielsen from Darkest Sins - also features the Norwegian rocker belting out "Prowler" from the debut set alongside Wapram.

Three other early Maiden members were in the house: 1977-79 drummer Doug Sampson performed with his group Airforce, while original 1975-76 guitarists Dave Sullivan and Terry Rance were on hand to enjoy the show.

Day, Sullivan and Rance reunited last month for a visit with Harris for the first time in more than four decades. Sampson was the only one of the five players to appear on an Iron Maiden release when he was in the lineup for the recording of the group's 1979 debut EP, "The Soundhouse Tapes." Watch the videos here.

More Iron Maiden News

Weezer Surprise Release New Album Including Black Sabbath Classic

Weezer made headlines last year after a social media campaign encouraged them to cover the Toto classic "Africa", now the band have taken the classic covers into overdrive with a surprise album release.

The band broke the news of the "The Teal Album", which is highlighted by a cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", with the following announcement, "Surprise! Guess who dropped a new album? No, it's not The Black Album - that's coming on March 1.

"Here's The Teal Album to hold you over until then. The ultimate cover collection with songs from Toto, Tears for Fears, Eurythmics, A-ha, the Turtles, Black Sabbath, Electric Light Orchestra, TLC, Michael Jackson and Ben E. King." Stream it here

More Weezer News

Jonny Craig 'Removed From The Band Slaves

The band Slaves announced that they were forced to part ways with frontman Jonny Craig and have recruited The Voice star Matt McAndrew to fill in for their current tour dates.

The group shared the following statement with fans, "To whom it may concern, It's with a heavy heart that we announce that Jonny Craig has been removed from the band Slaves. We all have struggles in our daily life, but for some, those struggles are personally and physically dangerous. It is no secret that Jonny has battled with addiction in his personal life, sometimes those battles won, and most recently lost. It's also unfair for a band to rely on someone who just can't rely on themselves. Addiction is a disease, and we hope Jonny gets the help that he needs. Unfortunately, Jonny chose his addiction over the band and left them high & dry while checking in for their international flight while he boarded a plane back home.

"As a band we've worked too hard to stop now. Fans that have been touched by our music, everyone that has enjoyed our songs, to anyone that has met us as a band, we will continue on with Slaves.

"Unfortunately, due to this, we are forced to cancel our Bristol, U.K. show tonight. Never fear, thankfully, our good friend Matt McAndrew (who you'd recognize from The Voice) will be filling in on all remaining England & European dates to help us in this trying time. We also have some exciting news on the future of Slaves (we think you will be excited) coming soon. To everyone, thank you for your continued support."

Craig released his own statement. Read it here.

More Slaves News

Metallica's Full Chris Cornell Tribute Show Set Streaming Online

(hennemusic) Metallica were among the acts that appeared at last week's all-star "I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell" concert at The Forum in Los Angeles, and footage of their full performance at the event is streaming online.

Introduced by actor, comedian and Tenacious D frontman Jack Black, Metallica bookended their four-song set with a pair of tracks from Soundgarden's 1988 debut, "Ultramega OK", opening with "All Your Lies" and closing with "Head Injury."

"I think we like the very, very first album," James Hetfield told the crowd. "The first couple...extra good. Nothing bad about the others, but... you know, just sayin'."

The middle portion of their performance saw Metallica rock two of their own classics: 1984's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and 1986's "Master Of Puppets."

The two bands had some history together, including Metallica specifically requesting that Soundgarden join them in the lineup for the 1996 Lollapalooza tour; the two-month, 28-show series proved to the the final trek before the Seattle group disbanded early the following the year, only to reunite 13 years later. Watch the set here.

More Chris Cornell News

Jimi Hendrix's Electric Church Hitting The Big Screen Worldwide

(hennemusic) The Jimi Hendrix documentary, "Electric Church", will screen in select cinemas worldwide starting January 31. Directed by John McDermott, the project captures the guitar icon in front of his largest U.S. audience at the Atlanta International Pop Festival on July 4, 1970 - just two months before his death in London at the age of 27.

The film - which premiered on Showtime in 2015 - sees Hendrix performing classics like "Hey Joe," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "Purple Haze," "Freedom" and "Room Full Of Mirrors", alongside interviews with Hendrix's Experience band mates Billy Cox and the late Mitch Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and many others.

"Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church" will launch its limited US theatrical run at the ArcLight Hollywood theater on January 31 with a special Q&A with McDermott, producer and engineer Eddie Kramer, and Jimi's sister and Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix.

"Seeing Jimi re-introduced around the world through this platform is something of a rebirth," says Janie. "The moments captured in the film are timeless. Jimi's music and his showmanship are born again for new generations in his Electric Church. It's very exciting."

In addition to opening night in Hollywood, Janie will also appear at a screening in Jimi's hometown of Seattle, WA on February 13, while bassist Billy Cox will be on hand for a Q&A session following the film in Nashville, TN on February 25.

"The excitement of seeing this vibrant, unusually talented guy do these things, that's what connects and inspires people," McDermott tells Billboard. "Nothing articulates Hendrix better than Hendrix. To see him on a film screen, larger than life, you get to really understand what he was about." Check out the trailer here.

More Jimi Hendrix News

Whitesnake Massively Expand 'Slide It In' For Reissues

(hennemusic) Whitesnake will release a series of 35th anniversary reissues of their 1984 classic, "Slide It In", on March 8th. The group's sixth album delivered their fourth UK Top 10 set and their commercial breakthrough in the US thanks to singles like "Slow an' Easy", "Love Ain't No Stranger", and the title track.

A 2019 remaster of the "Slide It In" will be available in all versions, including a 6CD/DVD Ultimate Special Edition, a 2CD Deluxe Edition featuring US and UK mixes plus bonus tracks, a single CD (US Mix), and a 2LP vinyl edition.

The 6CD/DVD Ultimate Special Edition presents the US and UK mixes of the album, as well as unreleased studio recordings - including previously-unavailable versions of all songs on the original album plus monitor mixes, and brand new 35th anniversary remixes. The package also features an entire 1984 Glasgow concert performance and live performance tracks from Jon Lord's final show with the band, a 60-page hardbound book including photos, essays, notes, and credits, and a DVD of promo videos, live footage, and an interview with David Coverdale.

The 2CD Deluxe Edition also includes the US and UK mixes plus bonus tracks, as outlined. "'Slide It In' was always meant to be a structured, more electric modern take on the classic blues-based hard rock that Whitesnake were famous for," says Coverdale, " but our new Hook City Hooligan, Mixer Extraordinaire Christopher Collier, has hand-tooled this classic record for the 21st century. Hearing all the performances so fresh and so clear after 35 years was amazing. Mel, Cozy and Jon's playing on the record is as vital now as it was all those years ago. All the featured players shine.

"Not only did Christopher get the best out of the recording, but, he gives the album a fresh coat of sonic paint bringing it right up to date. I'm personally thrilled with it." Read more here.

More Whitesnake News

L.A. Guns Stream First Single From New Album

L.A. Guns featuring original guitarist Tracii Guns and lead singer Phil Lewis have released a brand new track and revealed plans to launch a new studio album.

The new record will be entitled "The Devil You Know", which is set to hit stores on March 29th. The first single from the album is called "Stay Away" and can be streamed here.

Tracii had this to say, "After the success of 'The Missing Peace' a lot of people requested that the next record stay on track with the more metal side of the band's music, which is my personal favorite side of the band. I drew from my typical influences of NWOBHM [New Wave Of British Heavy Metal], while still not forgetting my earlier influences of the late '60s and early '70s . I wanted to lead with the track Stay Away because it's a familiar L.A. Guns sound, but even a bit more metal. Something to get everyone's palate wet." Read more here.

More L.A. Guns News

Toto Streaming New Song 'Devil's Tower'

Toto have released a brand new lyric video for their track "Devil's Tower." The song is taken from their veteran group's definitive box set "All In".

Steve Lukather shared the following background details for the new single, which has be released at major streaming services as well as released a digital single.

"We originally recorded this track with Mike and Jeff Porcaro back in 1981 during the sessions for TOTO IV. "We never recorded a lead vocal or had lyrics for this one, so Joseph finished it up for us recently."

Check it out the video here. Fans around the world can catch the band on their 40 Trips Around The Sun Tour. See the upcoming dates here.

More Toto News

Zappa In New York Expanded For Anniversary Reissue

Frank Zappa's classic live album "Zappa In New York" has been expanded for a special 40th anniversary reissue that will be hitting stores on March 29th.

We were sent the following details: The 1978 release was captured during in 1976 during four historic sold-out concerts at The Palladium in New York City the week between Christmas and New Year's.

Overseen by the Zappa Family Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the expanded versions will be available as a 5CD box set, 3LP on 180-gram audiophile grade vinyl and digitally. The 5-disc collection, which will be housed in a limited-edition metal tin shaped like a NYC street manhole cover and includes a replica ticket from one of the shows, consists of the main album in its original mix, newly remastered by Bob Ludwig in 2018 and available for the first time since its debut. The four additional discs are loaded with relevant Vault nuggets and more than three hours of unreleased live performances from the NYC Palladium concerts, representing every composition played during the concerts and the best alternate performances of every tune Zappa picked for the original album, all newly mixed in 2018. To achieve the highest-level sound quality, the audio team went back to the original two-inch 24-track multi-track master tapes and transferred every reel at 96kHz 24-bit wavs. here.

More Frank Zappa News

Singled Out: To Whom It May's Calculate

To Whom It May are gearing up to hit the road with Candlebox for their 25th anniversary next month and to celebrate we asked Jonathan Jourdan to tell us about the song "Calculate" from their new album "The Great Filter". Here is the story:

'Calculate' centers around trying to help someone who's lost their grip on life. They're starting to become weathered by the world, and now they're giving in and giving up. The song is a reminder to that person that no matter how low they get, I'll never give up on them.

To me, lyrically, the moment that stands out the most to me in this track is, "No I won't let you go, because I know you're letting go". It really hones in on the message of the song.

This was one of the songs on our record that felt like a perfect amalgamate of what sound we were trying to capture. It has delicate moments and sections where it feels like it's boiling over. I feel the 8-string guitar really helps this song's heavier moments really punch through. I remember being in the studio listening to the playback for the first time and feeling like it should be the first single on the record. It was sort of just an unsaid thing we all agreed on. Once we started playing 'Calculate' live, it really fortified my love for the tune. It just has a sort of sway to it that is really fun to groove on.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

More To Whom It May News

Share this article