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When a Solo Peter Criss Asked the World to See His Humanity

Drummer made plea in 'New York Times' op-ed published on Oct. 25, 1980. Continue reading…
Source: HRRL Classic Rock News via ultimate Classic Rock
When a Solo Peter Criss Asked the World to See His Humanity
HRRL Classic Rock News via ultimate Classic Rock

MIKE PORTNOY: Playing With RUSH's GEDDY LEE And ALEX LIFESON 'Would Be A Dream Come True'

During an interview with TWISTED SISTER bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza‘s Internet show “22 Now”, former DREAM THEATER and current THE WINERY DOGS drummer Mike Portnoy once again spoke about a hypothetical scenario in which he would be chosen to tour with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as the replacement for late RUSH drummer Neil Peart. Asked if he would be interested in taking that gig, Portnoy said: “Of course. That would be a dream to play with those guys. But I don’t wanna see the Blabbermouth headline right now, me thinking that I deserve the gig. I’m not saying that. You’re asking me a question. Hypothetically, of course, it would be a dream come true. Neil was my hero, and always will be, and Geddy and Alex are as well.

“I don’t think in a million years they’ll play without him; I really don’t,” he continued. “But in a hypothetical dream scenario, I mean, come on — of course. But I don’t think in a zillion years it will happen. But it’s a nice dream to hypothetically wonder about. But I honestly don’t think it would ever happen. But who knows? You never know.

“As much as hypothetically it would be fun, it would be amazing, it would also be an impossible role to fill,” Portnoy added. “It’s a no-win situation. Really, it would be impossible, ’cause his fans are as obsessive as they get — and count me amongst them. So, yeah, that would be a tough one.”

Mike also talked about RUSH‘s final tour which concluded at the Forum in Los Angeles on August 1, 2015. Peart indicated at the time that he wanted to retire while he was still able to play well, along with a desire to spend more time at home with his young daughter.

“They went out on such a high,” Portnoy said. “Their last tour was a farewell tour. I don’t think anybody expected Neil to pass, but they wanted to stop touring, so they really went out with such an amazing tour. That tour was just so well done, so perfectly executed, and they went out with all three of them still at the top of their game. So I give them all the credit in the world for that. It’s just sad that Neil didn’t get many years to enjoy the retirement before he got sick. That saddens me.”

A year and a half ago, Portnoy spoke to World Prog-Nation about how Peart influenced him on a musical and personal level. He said: “I spent 20, 30 years idolizing him and being his biggest fan. And all those years, it was mainly the drum kit — the drum kit was such a fascination for me. He always built such amazing kits and put so much thought into it. I’d always get the tour programs where he’d write about the kit and what the new things were on it, and I would just look at those photos. Most other kids were looking at Playboy centerfolds; I was looking at Neil Peart drum kits. And then, obviously, his playing — it goes without saying. I learned how to really develop parts and orchestrate drum parts to build and change and develop within the song. So that was the biggest stuff for me as a fan. And then later on, once I got to know him, I was so inspired by what a gracious person he was.”

Mike added: “He had this reputation that he was sort of quiet and isolated and private, and he was, and it was very important for him to guard that. But once you were somehow allowed into that inner cicle, he was always so sweet and kind and generous. He’d always send me holiday e-mails and he would always send me his new books and stuff like that. It was a relationship that I’ll always cherish and I was honored to have.”

RUSH announced Peart‘s passing on January 10, 2020, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
MIKE PORTNOY: Playing With RUSH's GEDDY LEE And ALEX LIFESON 'Would Be A Dream Come True'
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net

Watch ANN WILSON Sing U.S. National Anthem At Seattle Kraken's Home-Opening Pregame Ceremony

On Saturday, October 23, Seattle native Ann Wilson of the rock band HEART belted out a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the first home game ever at the new Climate Pledge Arena for the Seattle Kraken franchise. Video of her performance is available below.

Wilson previously sang the U.S. national anthem at festivities at the Draft Theater in Cleveland in April as part of the NFL Draft Concert Series presented by Bose.

Two months ago, Wilson and her solo band THE AMAZING DAWGS released a live EP called “Howlen Live”. Joining Ann in the group are Tom Bukovac on lead guitar, Tony Lucido on bass, Paul Moak on guitar and keyboards, and Sean Lane on drums.

In April, Ann released another new single, “Black Wing”. It is one of several songs the HEART frontwoman recorded last fall in Seattle with the help of local musicians, including current HEART bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker. In addition to “Black Wing”, Wilson recorded “Tender Heart” as well as covers of Steve Earle‘s “The Revolution Starts Now” and ALICE IN CHAINS‘ “Rooster”, all three of which have already been released as singles, plus another original, “The Hammer”, which came out in February.

Earlier in the year, Ann said in an interview that there are no plans for HEART to work on new music in the immediate future.

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

Ann‘s 2018 solo album, “Immortal”, contained cover versions of classic songs by artists who have passed away.

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
Watch ANN WILSON Sing U.S. National Anthem At Seattle Kraken's Home-Opening Pregame Ceremony
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net

TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Recalls Losing His Voice At JUDAS PRIEST Show: 'That Was Really Bad'

Former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim “Ripper” Owens spoke to the “Rock Down South” podcast about the worst show he has ever played in his career. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The ICED EARTH show that I did at the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. It was the last show of the tour — probably ‘The Glorious Burden’ tour, maybe, I think. And I lost my voice. When I got there, I had no voice at all. It was just horrible. I’ll never forget it. And then I had a JUDAS PRIEST show like that too. We did an American run when I made the band for the ‘Jugulator’ tour. And then we went to Europe. And the second show, I think it was, I’d lost my voice. And at that time, I’d never really lost my voice on something like that. And I was so embarrassed and upset. I thought, ‘These guys are gonna yell at me.’ We were on stage and I remember [telling] Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist], ‘I don’t think I can do ‘Victim Of Changes’.’ I’d never taken a song out of our setlist in my life. I could sing ‘Breaking The Law’ or ‘Grinder’ — there’s plenty of songs I can do without… The problem is ‘Victim Of Changes’ has that high note at the end, and if nothing comes out of my mouth, it’s gonna be pretty embarrassing. But that was really bad. So those two shows still stick out… Not that I’ve not had crappy shows since then — shows that I’ve probably lost my voice — but that show, I really think about that all the time.”

In a 2015 interview with CantonRep.com, Owens said that he discovered he could sing in such a high register when he was still in high school. “I just started singing along to those PRIEST records,” he said. “It kind of came natural for me to sing that way. The good thing now is I can sing all kinds of styles. Sometimes I look at it now and wish I didn’t sing those high notes. [Laughs] But if I had done that or done a different style, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

Asked if it was hard to keep his voice in shape singing the way he does, Owens said: “It’s easier when I’m touring, strangely enough. When you’re on tour, you live that. I sleep a lot. I drink a lot of water. I really live to sing. That’s my job, so I better do it good. When I’m home, it’s a lot harder to sing for the occassional show. It’s harder to maintain.”

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997’s “Jugulator” and 2001’s “Demolition” — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Owens is currently in a new band called KK’S PRIEST with ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK’S PRIEST‘s debut album, “Sermons Of The Sinner”, was released on October 1 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Recalls Losing His Voice At JUDAS PRIEST Show: 'That Was Really Bad'
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net

How Does DAVE GROHL Know A Song Is 'Done' And Ready For Release? He Responds

In a new interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl was asked how he knows when a song he is working on is “done” and ready for release. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “When you get sick of it. Well, in a way. I don’t like spending too much time on anything in the studio. It’s, like, usually the first few takes, that’s got the thing that you want — even if it’s imperfect. It’s, like, you get in there and the energy of it, and it’s fresh and it’s new and you hit ‘record’ and you go blast through something. I like working on things until it’s powerful and it’s worth other people hearing. But, dude, I’ll get to the point sometimes with songs where I’m, like, ‘All right. I’m out of love. That’s it. I’m out of love with this song. We’re done. That’s it.'”

Grohl‘s memoir “The Storyteller: Tales Of Life And Music”, was released on October 5 via Dey Street Books and Simon & Schuster. In the book, Grohl shares what it was like growing up as a kid with big dreams in Springfield, Virginia, and how he lived out those dreams making music on the world stage. The book features anecdotes about David Bowie, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop and Paul McCartney, as well as stories about the time he played drums for Tom Petty, went swing dancing with AC/DC, and performed at the White House.

Regarding how he chose what to include in “The Storyteller”, Grohl said in a recent trailer for the book: “I could write an entire book about the band SCREAM. I could write an entire book about my time in NIRVANA. The idea was to choose the stories that best described what it’s like to be behind the curtain and on the inside of the music, from the drum stool looking out. To play music, have this beautiful family, travel the world, meet people from all walks of life, I never take any of this for granted, believe me.”

In a recent interview with Austin American-Statesman, Grohl said that “The Storyteller” might just be the first of many volumes. “It was so much fun, and I can’t wait to do more,” he said. “When I hit send on that last story in the book, I was sad. I thought, oh no, it’s over? I guess that is the tip of the iceberg. I want to keep going.”

Source: HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net
How Does DAVE GROHL Know A Song Is 'Done' And Ready For Release? He Responds
HRRL News Feed via Blabbermouth.net