skip to main |
skip to sidebar
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Ap Music Writer – Thu Apr 29, 6:46 am ET
NEW YORK – Roger Waters has kept up a steady performing schedule, and this fall, he's launching a big spectacle with a 30th anniversary tour for Pink Floyd's "The Wall." But fans won't be hearing any new music from Waters — he hasn't put out an album in almost two decades.
That's not because of a lack of creativity, Waters insists.
"I have a ton of songs," he said in a recent interview.
"Some of them are recorded, and some of them are half-recorded, and I keep promising myself that I'm gonna find a collaborator and work on them and put them together in some kind of coherent form," he continued. "I suspect I will do that in some time in the near future. But it's strange how time keeps clicking away. And each page turns faster then the last, in my experience."
Whether the 66-year-old Waters puts out a new album remains to be seen, but he has plenty of other things to occupy his time. He spoke with The Associated Press about "The Wall," politics and more.
AP: There had been talk about bringing "The Wall" to Broadway. Is that still going to happen?
Waters: That's still very much in the cards. I have been working on and off for the last year or so with an English writer named Lee Hall, who has become greatly celebrated over here and in London, because he wrote "Billy Elliot," which is one of the most successful musicals out there at the moment. ... Lee's become a close friend of mine, and I'm touching wood but we think we've finally found a director that we want to work with, so that's another project that's in the pipeline. We're on the fourth or fifth version of the book, and trying to write some laughs into it. My one disappointment with the original rock 'n' roll show that we did, and to some extent with the movie as well, there weren't just not many laughs in it. ... Humor is a very important part of my life, so part of the reason for wanting to do a production on Broadway is to express the funny side of the characters.
AP: Green Day's "American Idiot" is in the vein of "The Wall." Do you plan to check out the Broadway play version?
Waters: It would be remiss of me not to check it out. I don't know the work very well. I am not a very good audience. ... My taste in music is very broad, but it's not very much popular music that I listen to. But when I got this invitation, I did check out some bits of Green Day, and you know, there's some very strong melodies in there.
AP: What were your inspirations for "The Wall"?
Waters: My early manhood was troubled by all kinds of feelings of inferiority, and inconsequence, I was that guy at parties who only ever dressed in black and stood in the corner and scowled at people. Very often those attempts by the young to be cool are just because they're absolutely scared. I certainly was. The writing of "The Wall" was part of a process that I used to free myself from some of those neuroses, and some of those fears. Fear is a very pernicious element in many of our lives ... (It) is in lots of ways similar to the fear that is engendered in nations and ideologies. ... We build up these defenses and the fear that we establish about other, anybody that's not us.
AP: What is your impression on the political divide in the United States?
Waters: The United states is very insular and parochial, and resists the idea of seeing yourselves they way others see you, the way you're seem in Europe, and the resistance is enormous, I think, to taking a straight forward look at this stuff. ... Obviously many, many American citizens are aware of these problems in society and how deeply important they are. ... I remember my mother, who traveled here before the second World War, used to say to me, 'Americans are so friendly, and so generous," but she also said, "And so naive." But I think there's a huge well of wanting to do good and wanting to help, but it is subverted by the power of commerce.
AP: It's always asked of you, so we will ask it again — any chance of another Pink Floyd reunion?
Waters: David (Gilmour) is completely disinterested in anything like that. After Live 8, I could have probably gone for doing some more stuff, but he's not interested, so it is what it is.
Eastworld Recordings has announce the signing of legendary space rockers HAWKWIND.
The original pioneers of space rock return with their eagerly awaited new album, "Blood Of The Earth", their first in five years. Produced by the band at state-of-the-art recording facility Earth Studios, "Blood Of The Earth" takes the listener on a journey through crushing visceral space rock, doom driven poetry, whimsical mantras and imagination opera. An example of humans and machines pulsing in harmony out into the void....
HAWKWIND is an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures.
Formed in early1969 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Brock, HAWKWIND has gone through many incarnations and styles of music. Critic Jim Green describes their trademark sound as characterized by "that gargantuan and impenetrable pre-metal/hardcore drone, those great riffs, that inexorable drive to destinations unknown". Dozens of musicians have worked with the group; notable fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock was an occasional collaborator."Blood Of The Earth" will be available on the formats below
CD:
01. Seahawks
02. Blood Of The Earth
03. Wraith
04. Green Machine
05. Inner Visions
06. Sweet Obsession
07. Comfey Chair
08. Prometheus
09. Youd Better Believe It
10. Sentinel
11. Starshine (Bonus Track)
Deluxe 2CD:
Deluxe - Disc 1 - (Studio)
01. Seahawks
02. Blood Of The Earth
03. Wraith
04. Green Machine
05. Inner Visions
06. Sweet Obsession
07. Comfy Chair
08. Prometheus
09. You’d Better Believe It
10. Sentinel
Disc 2 - (Live)
01. Galactic Angels (Bonus Track)
02. Wraith (Bonus Track)
03. Tide Of The Century (Bonus Track)
04. Magnu (Bonus Track)
05. Levitation (Bonus Track)
06. Long Gone (Bonus Track)
+ Interview
LP:
Side A
01. Seahawks (06:14)
02. Blood Of The Earth (02:59)
03. Wraith (06:07)
Side B
04. Green Machine (04:04)
05. Inner Visions (04:29)
06. Sweet Obsession (04:45)
Side C
07. Comfy Chair (04:54)
08. Prometheus (05:48)
09. You’d Better Believe It (07:11)
Side D
10. Sentinel (06:03)
11. Starshine (07:11)
12. Sunship (02:54) (Bonus Track)
Legendary Swedish organist and composer Bo Hansson has passed away at the age of 67. Hansson worked with Janne "Loffe" Karlsson in the duo Hansson & Karlsson in the late 1960s.
Hannson & Karlsson were signed by Polydor, playing progressive Hammond organ based music and releasing three albums between 1967 and 1969. They became immensely popular in their home country and Europe, and even reached the ear of Jimi Hendrix, who took time out from his tour to jam with the duo, along with George Clemons on drums and Georg Wadenius on guitar, at the Klub Filips in Stockholm in late 1967. Hendrix went on to record a Hansson song, "Tax Free". The music can be defined as instrumental jazz-rock and psychedelia and the band setting was limited to the drums and organ, without vocals.
Hansson is probably best known for his musical interpretation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", entitled 'Music Inspired by Lord Of The Rings. Released on Charisma Records after gaining a cult following in Britain due to import copies filtering over from Sweden, the album was his biggest success, reaching the Top 20 on the UK Album Charts in 1972.
Due to his pioneering work with both Hansson & Karlsson and his solo excursions into space rock, in recent years Hannson received the status of a living legend in his native Sweden.
Swedish progressive/experimental metallers THERION have completed work on their new album, "Sitra Ahra". The CD was mixed at the legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm by Lennart Östlund (LED ZEPPELIN, ABBA), who commented, "What you have made here is truly unique." 13 songs were recorded for the CD, although it is presently unclear if all of the tracks will end up on the final record.
"Sitra Ahra" will be mastered in New York tomorrow for a late 2010 release.
THERION mainman Christofer Johnsson previously stated about the upcoming CD, "Expect something spectacular, even by THERION's standards!"
Christofer Johnsson announced in May 2009 that vocalist Thomas Vikström (ex-CANDLEMASS) had become a permanent member of THERION.
THERION's new rhythm section is comprised of Johan Koleberg (ANIMAL, ZAN CLAN, LION'S SHARE) on drums and Nalle "Grizzly" Påhlsson (TREAT, ZAN CLAN, VINDICTIV) on bass guitar.
THERION's latest CD/DVD, "The Miskolc Experience", was released in June via Nuclear Blast Records.
- Jacob Holm-Lupo has announced that White Willow is amidst recording a new album. The current, complete line-up: Sylvia Skjellestad - vocals Lars Fredrik Frøislie - keyboards
Ellen Andrea Wang - bass guitar Mattias Olsson - drums, percussion, keyboards etc
and Jacob on guitars. There will be guests, and an appearance from Tim Bowness who sings a track they have co-written. - On May 17th, Cynic will release a new EP entitled Re-traced on the Seasons of Mist label.
- Kinetic Element has welcomed David Donlon of Springfield VA into the band as their new bass guitarist.
NEW YORK – Roger Waters has kept up a steady performing schedule, and this fall, he's launching a big spectacle with a 30th anniversary tour for Pink Floyd's "The Wall." But fans won't be hearing any new music from Waters — he hasn't put out an album in almost two decades.
