- The public memorial for Levon Helm was held and attended by hundreds yesterday in the Woodstock barn where his Midnight Ramble sessions were held. After a private ceremony today he will be buried next to former band mate Rick Danko. His home state of Arkansas will fly flags at half staff today.
- Robert Zimmerman to receive the US Medal of Freedom. And apparently there is a movement for Mr. Dylan to receive the Nobel Peace Prize as well.
- You can nix that Smith's reunion....
MH
Friday, April 27, 2012
Friday Updates
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Reunions, Non-Reunions & Holograms
- There is a rumor out that in the wake of the Stone Roses reunion that the The Smiths will reunite as well, remember you heard it hear third. (Which means I have found two articles regarding-not much considering their stature) - The Smiths Reuniting?
- Slash and Adler insist there will never be another Guns N Roses type of reunion. This is not news coming from Slash, but Adler on the other hand, who has been the most vocal supporters of a reunion and practically worships Axl has now said the same.
- All of a sudden freakin' holograms are everywhere - current rumors include: Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Hendrix and a TLC "reunion" with Left Eye. I don't think I like this - especially considering the Elvis rumor includes Justin Bieber.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Levon Helm Dead
Levon Helm, member of The Band, The Levon Helm Band and coordinator of the Midnight Ramble has passed on. Levon had been fighting throat cancer for a number of years and nearly lost his voice, but continued playing until the end. This sucks.......
Thursday, April 19, 2012
30 Most Hated Bands Ever
I have had this article a while, sent to me buy a good friend-we have argued about a number of bands on this list:
30 Most Hated Bands
30. The Monkees-Hey-I grew up watching this stuff as a kid, however I understand where people are coming from.
29. Phil Collins-I really don't understand where all the Phil Collins hate comes from.
28. NKOTB-Not much to say here, and no argument.
27. John Mayer-There was (still is?) so much hope here early on....
26. Candlebox-Never thought they were that great in the first place, more watered down pop grunge.
25.Lana Del Rey-I saw the SNL performance, but really haven't kept up that much. (By the way I am planning on doing a separate article on some of SNL's recent musical choices, which have been rather erratic)
24. The Black Eyed Peas-I don't agree with the term sellout too much, but they certainly fit the bill. However I do have two of their albums.
23. Smash Mouth-I ripped them from the moment they came out.
22. Christopher Cross-He sux. Nuff said.
21. Duran Duran-Give me the very early stuff - Planet Earth, Is There Something I Should Know and you can throw in Girls on Film, everything else you can have.
20. &19. The Osmonds & Lawrence Welk- I never really considered them as anything important related to the genre(s) of music I listen to. I vaguely remember watching the Osmond show as a kid.
18. KC & The Sunshine Band-Hey, it was disco and you could throw a few other bands in there as well. And Rob Zombie covered I'm Your Boogie Man.
17. Barry Manilow-Ditto the above comment about The Osmonds and Lawrence Welk.
16. Winger-They are the Nickelback of hair metal.
15. Puff Daddy-I have heard some of his stuff but not enough to comment on....
14. Billy Ray Cyrus-If, according to the article, he is responsible for the current state of radio country music maybe he should be higher on the list.
13. Journey-I don't really think they belong on this list. They made some mistakes late in the Steve Perry era & I firmly believe The Sopranos using Don't Stop Believing gets some credit for their inclusion. If you look at their catalog before the MTV era it is not too shabby.
12. Michael Bolton-I am going to throw him in the Christopher Cross category. He sux.
11. Nickelback-You have heard me say it enough about this band. With them being number 11 and their career still ongoing they have plenty of time to move up the chart.
10. Yoko Ono-Blamed for the breakup of the Beatles, but the greatness of Lennon's solos material cannot be denied and he was definitely influenced by her.
9. Pat Boone-Right there with Manilow, the Osmonds and Lawrence Welk. I just didn't listen to them at all.
8. Matchbox Twenty-I am not sure how this even got played on radio-wait I know: corporate, mindless, supremely watered down poppy crap.
7. Emerson, Lake and Palmer-Never dug enough in their catalog to understand their inclusion, however they are certainly the most hated progressive rock band of the time.
6. Vanilla Ice-The white M.C. Hammer, and not much else to say about it.
5. I.C.P. - I know a few ICP fans, and they are hardcore about them. I don't understand the whole Faygo thing, I wouldn't want to go to a show and get covered in sticky syrup.
4. Creed-How in the wide, wide world of sports did they get ranked above Nickelback: Scott Stapp!
3. Kenny G-Kind of falls into the Welk/Boone/Manilow, more current but nothing I listen to. With that being said I am not sure how any one else listens to him either.
2. Limp Bizkit- A little surprised to see them here-seems to be more about hating Fred Durst that the band itself. They are certainly not loved in the music industry.
1. Milli Vanilli-Are they really the most hated? I guess you can always Blame It on the Rain, because Girl You Know it's True.
30 Most Hated Bands
30. The Monkees-Hey-I grew up watching this stuff as a kid, however I understand where people are coming from.
29. Phil Collins-I really don't understand where all the Phil Collins hate comes from.
28. NKOTB-Not much to say here, and no argument.
27. John Mayer-There was (still is?) so much hope here early on....
26. Candlebox-Never thought they were that great in the first place, more watered down pop grunge.
25.Lana Del Rey-I saw the SNL performance, but really haven't kept up that much. (By the way I am planning on doing a separate article on some of SNL's recent musical choices, which have been rather erratic)
24. The Black Eyed Peas-I don't agree with the term sellout too much, but they certainly fit the bill. However I do have two of their albums.
23. Smash Mouth-I ripped them from the moment they came out.
22. Christopher Cross-He sux. Nuff said.
21. Duran Duran-Give me the very early stuff - Planet Earth, Is There Something I Should Know and you can throw in Girls on Film, everything else you can have.
20. &19. The Osmonds & Lawrence Welk- I never really considered them as anything important related to the genre(s) of music I listen to. I vaguely remember watching the Osmond show as a kid.
18. KC & The Sunshine Band-Hey, it was disco and you could throw a few other bands in there as well. And Rob Zombie covered I'm Your Boogie Man.
17. Barry Manilow-Ditto the above comment about The Osmonds and Lawrence Welk.
16. Winger-They are the Nickelback of hair metal.
15. Puff Daddy-I have heard some of his stuff but not enough to comment on....
14. Billy Ray Cyrus-If, according to the article, he is responsible for the current state of radio country music maybe he should be higher on the list.
13. Journey-I don't really think they belong on this list. They made some mistakes late in the Steve Perry era & I firmly believe The Sopranos using Don't Stop Believing gets some credit for their inclusion. If you look at their catalog before the MTV era it is not too shabby.
12. Michael Bolton-I am going to throw him in the Christopher Cross category. He sux.
11. Nickelback-You have heard me say it enough about this band. With them being number 11 and their career still ongoing they have plenty of time to move up the chart.
10. Yoko Ono-Blamed for the breakup of the Beatles, but the greatness of Lennon's solos material cannot be denied and he was definitely influenced by her.
9. Pat Boone-Right there with Manilow, the Osmonds and Lawrence Welk. I just didn't listen to them at all.
8. Matchbox Twenty-I am not sure how this even got played on radio-wait I know: corporate, mindless, supremely watered down poppy crap.
7. Emerson, Lake and Palmer-Never dug enough in their catalog to understand their inclusion, however they are certainly the most hated progressive rock band of the time.
6. Vanilla Ice-The white M.C. Hammer, and not much else to say about it.
5. I.C.P. - I know a few ICP fans, and they are hardcore about them. I don't understand the whole Faygo thing, I wouldn't want to go to a show and get covered in sticky syrup.
4. Creed-How in the wide, wide world of sports did they get ranked above Nickelback: Scott Stapp!
3. Kenny G-Kind of falls into the Welk/Boone/Manilow, more current but nothing I listen to. With that being said I am not sure how any one else listens to him either.
2. Limp Bizkit- A little surprised to see them here-seems to be more about hating Fred Durst that the band itself. They are certainly not loved in the music industry.
1. Milli Vanilli-Are they really the most hated? I guess you can always Blame It on the Rain, because Girl You Know it's True.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Axl & The RRHOF
Take it as you will-FYI I believe Axl owns the rights to the name Guns N Roses.
To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N’ Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,
When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N’ Roses were to be inducted it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.
Since then we’ve listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N’ Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists’ comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.
Under the circumstances I feel we’ve been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N’ Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in “our” induction (that for the record are decisions I don’t agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things… no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected.
For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine.
That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses”.
This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” scenario all the way around.
In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I’ve publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing’s changed.
The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of “for the fans” or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and DJ Ashba.
Izzy came out with us a few times back in ’06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in ’06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in ’11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that’s enough.
There’s a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn’t room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.
Maybe if it were you it’d be different. Maybe you’d do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We’re there for each other when the going get’s rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.
So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another’s, or in this case several others’, expense.
But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the “no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn’t care about the fans” crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let’s move on. No one’s taking the ball and going home. Don’t get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we’ve endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball’s never been in our court.
In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I’d like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns’ induction. More importantly I’d like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we’ve had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N’ Roses music.
I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!
Sincerely,
Axl Rose
P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III
To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N’ Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,
When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N’ Roses were to be inducted it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.
Since then we’ve listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N’ Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists’ comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.
Under the circumstances I feel we’ve been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N’ Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in “our” induction (that for the record are decisions I don’t agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things… no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected.
For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine.
That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses”.
This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” scenario all the way around.
In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I’ve publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing’s changed.
The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of “for the fans” or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and DJ Ashba.
Izzy came out with us a few times back in ’06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in ’06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in ’11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that’s enough.
There’s a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn’t room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.
Maybe if it were you it’d be different. Maybe you’d do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We’re there for each other when the going get’s rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.
So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another’s, or in this case several others’, expense.
But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the “no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn’t care about the fans” crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let’s move on. No one’s taking the ball and going home. Don’t get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we’ve endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball’s never been in our court.
In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I’d like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns’ induction. More importantly I’d like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we’ve had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N’ Roses music.
I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!
Sincerely,
Axl Rose
P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Montrose
Unfortunately Ronnie Montrose's death has been ruled a suicide. I have included several links below but apparently between alcohol, clinical depression, and his fight with cancer Ronnie decided to end his life.
Google news-Ronnie Montrose
Google news-Ronnie Montrose
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bleak Updates
- Apparently Ronnie Montrose's death is under investigation. He had reported that his cancer was in remission prior to his death. Police are remaining mum about the case, further details yet to come.
- This is sad-fans beaten for their taste in music. I may not agree with what you listen to, or how you look but I won't hold it against you either. Additional link here.
- Guns N Roses (and you know which lineup(s) I mean) are not getting back for the RRHOF induction people, get over it. Eddie Trunk will be proud of the last link.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Update of the dueling bands
Update of the dueling bands, adding the two Asia lineups, which aren't fighting and actually co-exist with each other. Meanwhile the Great White ware is heating up.
- Asia & Asia featuring John Payne
- Jack Russel's Great White & Great White
- Kyuss & Kyuss Lives!
- L.A. Guns & L.A Guns
- Beach Boys
- Creedance Clearwater Revisited and John Fogerty
- War and The Lowrider Band
- Heaven and Hell and Black Sabbath
- Blood, Sweat and Tears and David Clayton Thomas (kind of)
- Steppenwolf & John Kay's Steppenwolf
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