Talk About Rock Music

It has been a long time coming but The Rasmus have finally released their next album, Black Roses, which I will be going out to buy this weekend and probably listen to as I did Dead Letters for about 2 months before finally giving other music a chance.

It is a misconception to us British fans that Dead Letters was the band’s first album.  In fact, the popular Finish band formed in 1994 while they were still at school and actually have 4 prior albums and have had another one since which didn’t really hit as mainstream as Dead Letters.  I have been assured that they are back on top form and I can’t wait to hear what they have been up to.

Current Band Members

Vocals - Lauri Ylönen
Bass - Eero Heinonen
Guitar - Pauli Rantasalmi
Drums - Aki Hakala

Discography

Peep (1995-1996)
Playboys (1997)
Hell of a Tester (1998-1999)
Into (2000-2002)
Dead Letters (2003-2004)
Hide from the Sun (2005-2007)
Black Roses (2008-Present)

I am sure we can look forward to another tour from the multi-platinum lads soon enough, but in the meantime, here is my favourite video, Not Like the Other Girls.

Following up on the rumoured reunion and Led Zeppelin tour for next year, Robert Plant has released a statement to advise that he will NOT be reuniting with the band but wished them every success with their project.

We reported to you earlier today that Plant was rumoured to have given in to the band and had agreed to embark with them on the world tour planned for next year.  There was even a statement from an apparant close friend of the band being quoted in The Sun stating the band were overjoyed with his decision to reform and commit to the tour.

Plant has since released his staement which is posted in the Led Zeppelin forum and also on his official web site putting the rumours to rest in just a few sentences.

Plant, who is currently touring with Alison Krauss stated on his site:

“It’s both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward.  I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects.”

Edit - **  Tour dates announced!!!! See Tour Dates and Ticket Info

Nickelback are releasing a new album and are planning a world tour next year in 2009.  The new album, titled Dark Horse, will be released on November 18th with Roadrunner Records.  As of this morning however, you can download the new single for free for 24 hours, called “Gotta Be Somebody” from the Nickelback official website or via the Roadrunner Records website.  Oh, but this is only if you live in the USA or Canada (Us British fans and the rest of the world obviously aren’t quite as important!!)

The new album, recourded in their hometown, Vancouver, was produced by the band in partnership with the legendary producer, Matt Lange, who has also dabbled with a couple of bands you may have heard of, AC/DC and Def Leppard! It is going to contain the usual sleeze rock material and “truly filthy subject matter”.

Nickelback recently signed a 360 deal with another company, Live Nation which is to include 3 albums and 3 tours, merchandise and all the rest of the stuff that comes with it.  They still have abother 2 albums to record with Roadrunner Records before they can start producing any material for Live Nation and they are still happy with the relationship with Roadrunner but feel that Live Nation will be able to move the band forward and keep up with the times.

I will be on the edge of my seat till I can buy the new album and find out when the next tour is, so as soon as I know, I’ll let you know.

There have been some rumours going around than Led Zeppelin are going to be reforming to do a world tour next year.  They did a one off concert in December 2007 but front-man, Robert Plant, did not want to pursue any further projects with the band.

In recent talks about the tour, a close friend of the band told The Sun,

“Plant realised he couldn’t face the thought of not being involved. The band were over the moon when he told them.”

The British rock band formed in London in 1968 and have released 9 albums up to 1982 and have sold over 300 million albums in worldwide sales.  They have even been quoted as “the heaviest band of all time” and also “the biggest band of the 1970’s”.

We can be sure that the tour will be amazing and tickets will go extremely quick and who knows how much we will have to fork out for one but it will surely be worth the cost.

Keep checking back here for more info and we’ll let you know as soon as tickets become available.

Velvet Revolver are STILL looking for a new frontman to replace Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots fame and whom he has now returned to.  Scott seemed perfect for them but after a few differences and his ever increasing habits, it was time to part ways and after a spell in rehab, he announced in March 2008 that the Velvet Revolver tour was going to be his last.

They have auditioned at least 20 different vocalists but none of them have been quite right.  It can be a disaster when looking for a new vocalist if you pick one thats ‘good enough’ and it turns out that wasn’t enough to keep the band going.  I know they won’t rush into making a decision as they have left it this long already looking for the ‘perfect frontman’.

Rumours have been spreading about all the different artists who will be taking his place, inlcuding Lenny Kravitz, which have all quickly been quashed but we hope the band will find somebody soon.

Scott also has a solo album coming out soon so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that one,  Should be an interesting listen but I am eagerly awaiting to hear that VR have found a new frontman who is equally as great as Scott.

I can’t say the reviews on the last album, Libertad, were as good as we were hoping but it just didn’t quite live up to the last album, Contraband.  See below for my favourite video from that album, (only because if you look really, really closely, you can see me in the crowd!!)

So I was sitting at home playing a fantastic game on the Xbox called Fahrenheit.  I finished the game and with all my bonus points I looked through all the extras at the end of the game.  It was here that I discovered Theory of A Dead Man and ever since then I’ve been hooked and can’t stop playing their music, be it in the car on the way to work, in the shower, sitting at home, getting ready for a night out and the list goes on.

Because I’ve grown a whole new passion for music since hearing this band, I decided to have a look at where they are from and what success they have had so far.  It turns out they are a Canadian rock band from Delta, British Columbia and they were signed by none other than Chad Kroeger of Nickelback fame.  They incorporate a wide range of styles very similar to Nickelback and equally as amazing.

They released their first album, titled Theory of a Deadman back in September 2002 and relaeased 4 singles from it. They also release 2 videos called ‘Nothing Could Come Between Us’ and ‘Make Up Your Mind’.  It was the 2 videos that set their career off with mainstream recognition.

Tyler Connolly, frontman for Theory, was contacted by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott, frontman for Saliva, to help with the recording of Hero for the soundtrack to Spider-man, all which helped market the band further and propelled them to win a Juno Award, ‘Band of the Year’ in 2003.

2 years later in 2005, the 2nd album (and the one I stumbled upon) was released, titled Gasoline and featured on the Fahrenheit soundtrack.

In 2006 they performed No Way Out for WWE, (World Wrestling Entertainment’ on pay per view and various songs were released by the band on WWE The Music Volume 8 and WWE Wreckless Intent.

In April this year they released their 3rd album titled Scars and Souvenirs which I have yet to buy but can guarantee it will be fantastic.  They are currently touring in the USA with Black Stone Cherry - another great band who I am longing to see - but no UK dates planned yet but I will be the first to be shouting about it when they do!

Check out the official website for further information and spread the word on this awesome band!!

Travis Barker, the ex drummer from former American Rock Band Blink 182 and DJ AM, a US club DJ aka Adam Goldstein, have been critically injured in a plane crash that killed 4 other people in South Carolina.  The two are being treated for burns but doctors are expecting them to make a fully recovery.

The two musicians had performed together in Columbia under the name TRVSDJ-AM the night of the crash, Friday 19th September.

The plane, which crashed just before midnight, is supposed to have blown a tire which may have caused the fatal accident.

A spokesperson for the Federal Avaiation Administration (FAA) advised that the plane steered off the runway into a nearby road when it was trying to take off.  The air traffic controllers who were at the scene at the time of the crash said they thought they had seen sparks from the plane just before the crash.

The plane was carrying 6 people in total, of only which 2 survived.

Goodyear, who are the manufacturers of the tires that were on the plane, are working with the investigation team to get to the bottom of what happened.

In a recent statement they say,

“We have been contacted by the NTSB and will cooperate fully with its investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of this accident.”

The black box reveals to the investigators that the crew were talking about a blown tire on the aircraft just before it crashed into the embankment.

Our thoughts and sentiments are with the families of the injured and of those who have passed on.

Jonathan Davis has his new solo album coming out soon and is going to be featuring a cover of Got Money, which was originally recorded by Lil Wayne and T-Pain.  The amazing frontman of Korn has collaborated with Slipknot and is going to include guest vocals from the reknowned Jim Root and also star Korn’s tour drummer, Mr Ray Luzier.

You can actually hear the track before the album is relased and you can download it directly from the Jonathan Davies website.

Jonathan Davis was born on the 18th January in 1971 in  Bakersfield in California.  Not only has he been the frontman for the multi platinum band, Korn, he is also a talented drummer, guitarist and has been know to play the bagpipes!

Before joing Korn, he used to work as a morticians assistant and was discovered in a bar by James Shaffer and Brian Welch, who saw him playing with his band, Sexart.

Check out his official website where you can download the latest track, chat to other online fans and watch videos.

You may have been one of the unlucky holidaymakers this year when travel company XL went bump with no warning whatsoever to its customers. Hundreds, if not thousands of British tourists were left stranded at UK airports, kicked out of hotels, refused entry into hotels they thought had been paid for and waiting for flights at international airports with no hope of being able to get home.

As it happens, Bruce Dickinson, frontman for the legendary rock band Iron Maiden, came to the rescue and flew hundreds of British travellers back home to the UK from Egyptian resort, Sharm El Sheikh.

Dickinson, who pilots for Astraeus, commented in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

“I was just doing my job. I was called out like a lot of other pilots to help and I was obviously happy to do that.

“Some of the people on the flight were obviously frustrated by the situation they had found themselves in,” he continues. “But everyone was pretty good-natured about it all.”

I wonder how many of the passengers knew they were being rescued by a world reknowned rock star!!

Who would dare play Russian Roulette whilst in the midst of a drugs binge? Apparantley, Pete Wentz, bassist for Pop Punk band Fall Out Boy.

Wentz has been open honest about his alcohol and drugs binge to the New York Post and come clean about how close it got to nearly killing himself.
Wentz commented on a mad night that ended up with him playing Russian Roulette.

“I pulled a trigger on a gun aimed at myself.  My friend and I did one pull each. We’d been drinking and had taken Ambien. I feel stupid even talking about it.”

In his interview with the US newspaper, he goes on to talk about never owning a firearm.

“It’s one of the reasons I’ve never owned a gun I’m too impulsive,” he said. “I’d probably get mad and shoot someone over a part in a song or something.”

Fall Out Boy are set to release their new album in the UK on 3rd November and is titled ‘Folie A Deux’.