September News Bytes

• Deep Purple are to have two more albums reissued by EMI on October 25.
  The first is Come Taste The Band, the sole studio album from the MKIV line-up and originally put out in 1975. This has been expanded to feature not only the original album, but a remix from Kevin Shirley and previously unreleased tracks from that period.
  The other is the compilation Deepest Purple, which was first issued in 1980. This has been expanded to include both Hush and Soldier Of Fortune, plus a DVD with TV clips and a track-by-track guide with Jon Lord.
• Goblin are up and running again with some changes in their line-up: Maurizio Guarini keyboards; Claudio Simonetti keyboards; Massimo Morante guitar; Bruno Previtali bass; Titta Tani drums. A new Album will be released shortly - possibly in October. Goblin will start performing live in October 2010, starting in Krakow, Poland, on October 23rd In February 2011 Goblin are scheduled to tour Japan and Australia.
• Iwan Hasan (founder, guitarist, harp-guitarist, composer) has decided to leave the band Discus. The band is said to be uncertain of their future. Fadhil Indra (keys, co-founder) decided to freeze this Indonesian prog-rock/ fusion/ ethnic band. While the other members accept the sad news and continue with their other activities. More news as it comes.
• Andrew Latimer Of Camel and his site has announced that the bone marrow transplant has been a complete success, and that the dark days are well and truly behind them. Andrew still has challenges to face, but will find ways to overcome them. In the meantime, Camel plans to release a DVD titled "The Opening Farewell".
• Kevin Moore is releasing the soundtrack for the Turkish movie Little Apocalypse. The project is being supported by the fans and more information can be found here: http://kck.st/bKwLNZ

ALLEN / LANDE: 'The Showdown' Release Date, Artwork Revealed

Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X) will release the third ALLEN / LANDE collaborative album on November 5 via Frontiers Records. Entitled "The Showdown", the CD was mixed by Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, SILENT FORCE) and once again features material written by Swedish guitar sensation Magnus Karlsson (PRIMAL FEAR, STARBREAKER, LAST TRIBE).

According to a press release, "The Showdown" "shows again that the musical direction will be epic, grandiose and very melodic hard-rocking music. The cover art was designed specifically for the project once again by the amazing Rodney Matthews."

Since 1995, Russell Allen has been the singer of the American prog-metal band SYMPHONY X, which has released seven studio albums and one live CD. MASTERPLAN vocalist Jorn Lande has a vocal capability that is world-class, distinctive, rich and spanning a large range. As such, the man is in high demand since he has guested or sung for such bands as MILLENIUM, ARK, THE SNAKES and many others. He is also a well-known solo artist with several albums under his belt, beginning with his 1999 debut, "Starfire".

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/allenlandeshowdown.jpg

Source:RNRCOLA

OPETH Keyboardist's MOJOBONE To Play First Show In Seven Years

MOJOBONE, the project consisting of OPETH's Per Wiberg on lead vocals and guitars and Marcus Källström (SKY HIGH, STONECAKE) on drums, will perform tonight (Wednesday, September 15) at Stockholm, Sweden's Göta Källare in Medborgarplatsen. The band will be joined by OPETH's lead guitarist Fredrik Åkesson and Thomas Thorberg (PLANKTON) on bass guitar. MOJOBONE will be supporting heavy blues trio KAMCHATKA. Doors open around 9 p.m.

MOJOBONE's third album, "Cowboy Mode", was released in June via Wiberg's own label, Hippodome Music. According to a press release, the CD "takes you on a consciousness expanding experience to match no others. Each song uniquely delves into every level of the essence of life. The good. The bad. The ugly. Right from the start, 'Over the Hill' hooks the listener with its heavy, infectious rhythms. With its robust chorus and alluring pace, 'The Peacemakers' gratifies the ears with every step. The doom blues charge of the album’s title track adds a new twist to your senses. A journey to the powerful climax of '25 Years' will leave you breathless as you roll into 'Celebrate Armageddon', taking your listening pleasure on a rollercoaster ride of intensity. 'Cowboy Mode' features several musically inclined friends of Wiberg's who jumped at the chance to lend their own special touch of genius. For example, a roaring sax solo in the epic 'End of Music, End of
Story' and dynamic vocal lines throughout, further the appeal of diversity through groovin' symmetry."

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/mojobone

PHIL COLLINS - "GENESIS Are No Longer"

RECENT BILLBOARD INTERVIEW WITH PHIL COLLINS

It's a rainy day in New York, and London-born, Switzerland-based Phil Collins is making the most of his time stateside. The 59-year-old singer/songwriter/drummer has brought his two youngest sons with him for a summer vacation. They've visited the Alamo in San Antonio-collecting artifacts from the 1836 battle is Collins' abiding passion these days, a hobby he can clearly afford, having sold 11.2 million albums as a solo artist during the Nielsen SoundScan era alone, while Genesis has moved 9.3 million albums in the same period.

But he also has a new record to promote: "Going Back," a collection of vintage soul covers, will be released on Atlantic Sept. 28 in North America and Sept. 14 in the rest of the world. It was recorded with musicians including three alumni of legendary Motown session players the Funk Brothers-and one of the music teachers from his 9-year-old son Nicholas' school.

"I wanted to keep it a low-key, low-profile album," Collins says of the self-produced set. "I wanted it to be fun."

There were other, more practical reasons for keeping the recording simple. While he has a hearing ailment that has "leveled off," a nerve-induced problem with the grip on his left hand meant Collins had to tape his drum sticks to his hands during recording. He doesn't think he'll fully play the instrument ever again. Which makes the cover image of "Going Back" all the more poignant: a photograph of a well-scrubbed 12-year-old Philip Collins, poised over a drum kit.

In an interview with Billboard, Collins reveals his love of Motown and why Genesis is finally over.

How did the idea for this album come about?

I didn't really have any desire to make another record. I figured it would be the most difficult thing to do; to do another record and then still maintain the time that I want to spend with my kids. As soon as you start making a record, things start getting lined up: the promotion, possibly even a tour. So I was ready to do nothing. But Tony Smith, my manager, mentioned as an aside one day, "Why don't you think about doing a Motown covers album?" And I thought, "Actually, that is something I've always wanted to do." And it sounded like it could be fun. So I started to work on demos in my studio at home. That took about nine months.

What are some of the songs you recorded?

The first song I decided to do was [Holland-Dozier-Holland's] "In My Lonely Room." One of my favorite bands in the '60s growing up was [British R&B group] the Action, and they did that song in their set, and it was the B-side of their first single. When I worked with Lamont Dozier in the '80s on the music for "Buster" [the 1988 British film in which Collins took the lead role], he'd mentioned that "In My Lonely Room" was one of his favorite songs that they had written, because he'd written most of it himself. And it was a darker choice-not many people knew the song.

How did you go about creating an album of Motown and soul classics that didn't sound like it was made in 2010?

We tried to use the technology of today to get it to sound like the technology of yesterday. We did a lot of research into how they recorded things back then. In fact, when we were mastering the record in New York, at Universal Mastering East, that studio coincidentally is the storage venue for all the Motown masters. So as a treat they gave me two or three songs to listen to in isolation-I could hear the drums on "Dancing in the Street." That was incredible.

You've said that these 18 tracks are "pretty much the Action's set list." What was it about that band that spoke to you so much?

I wish I knew. [Initially] they only did covers, but they did this material in their own way, but still holding the original material with reverence. And they had a fantastic drummer, Roger Powell, from whom I take an awful lot of influence. And we'd always go down and see them at [legendary London venue] the Marquee because we knew we were going to hear the songs we liked and new songs we could then take back to play in our school band. They were thought to be one of the next big things-they were produced by George Martin at the same time as he was working with the Beatles, which was unusual for him. They were without a doubt my biggest influence.

In your first band, Flaming Youth, then in Genesis, you didn't have the opportunity to explore this side of your musical tastes.

No, never. That's one of the reasons I did this record. Those couple of pages were torn out of my book. You usually go through a phase, certainly in America, where you're a bar band or playing clubs, and you're trying to infiltrate the material you've written quite slowly in amongst the covers. I remember seeing Yes doing the same thing-when they started they were an incredible band. But I was just never in that situation, because Genesis never did anybody else's material.

As your solo career took off in the early '80s, you were also putting in time producing other artists, notably Eric Clapton.

I met Eric in the late '70s when I was working with John Martyn, and we became firm friends. We were kind of country neighbors [living outside London]. I used to gravitate to his house pretty much every day. We used to go to football together, we played music, played pool and billiards into the night, did lots of naughty things . . . It was great fun. I don't think he actually knew what I did though. And one day I was playing Hammersmith Odeon. And I invited Patti Boyd, who was then his wife, and Eric to the show. And he was kind of blown away when he found out that I was actually in his business.

How did your relationship become a professional one?

Eventually, because I was starting to become pretty well-known for the sound of my records as well as anything else, he rang me up one day and said, "Do you fancy producing my record?" He said, "[Producer] Tom Dowd's been talking about trying to get some Phil Collins sound on the record somehow. And I thought, "Well, I know you, so I might as well miss out the third man and go straight to the boss." That became "Behind the Sun."

You also drummed with Robert Plant on his first solo U.S. tour and famously played both the London and Philadelphia Live Aid shows in 1985. Were those kinds of gigs as exciting to you as being in the studio and recording?

Oh, yeah. Doing stuff with Robert and Eric was far more exciting for me than working with Genesis, frankly. I even played on something with [Pete] Townshend, for an artist that he was producing. And that was around the time that Moony [Who drummer Keith Moon] died. And I remember saying, "If you ever need a drummer, I'm there. I'll leave Genesis in a moment if you needed me for the Who." I would have died for that job.

You won an Academy Award in 1999 for "You'll Be in My Heart" from "Tarzan," as well as seven Grammy Awards and two Golden Globes. And this year, Genesis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and you received the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Which of your plaudits means the most?

The Oscar was well up there. It's not often that an English drummer gets an Oscar. So I'm very, very proud of that. But the Johnny Mercer Award is from your peers, and it's a songwriting thing, so it's not a bullshitty award. Some awards you get if you turn up and show your face.

What key changes have you noticed in the industry in the 40 years since you joined Genesis?

To see a lot of the smaller labels disappear or get gobbled up by the bigger labels, that's a shame. It was a bit of a shock at first to see the demise of the record stores. But to me, I'm still having to do the same things I had to do 10 or 20 years ago. Although the amount of records that it takes to chart-that's a big surprise. I grew up in the day when the Beatles sold 1 million singles in a week. And all you've got to do now is sell about 10,000 singles and you're in the charts.

What does the future hold for Genesis?

I think Genesis are no longer. I don't foresee me doing any more Genesis shows. Not because I don't like it or don't want to. But it doesn't fit in with my life and wanting to be with the boys, and taking onboard [my other interests like] the Alamo and writing a book about that. And the other stuff that I'd like to do-and that includes doing nothing as well. But also, I can't physically play the drums. I don't want to sound like a spoiled kid, like I've had my stuff and I don't want to do it anymore. But I have done it all my life, and now I'm enjoying another side of life.

You set up the release of "Going Back" with a short run of shows in Philadelphia and New York and at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival earlier in the summer, and you've said you might do more if the album does well. Beyond that, would you consider doing a greatest-hits tour?

Well, I would say, "Never say never." But I don't think I would do it in a traditional touring way. If I ever did anything else like that, it would be a couple of weeks on, three weeks off.

Will you do another album of original material?

I haven't got the material yet. That kind of thing starts to answer itself when you sit down in the studio and try to write. I've got two or three things that I really like that I've already written. They're very dark, very sad, some of them. But I'm still at the same point that I was: If something was to come up behind me and surprise me, I'd put it out. Whether I'd put it out in the traditional way is another question.

SOURCE: RNRCOLA

MIKE PORTNOY's Sister: 'Giving Up DREAM THEATER Must Be Like Giving Up A Child' For My Brother

Mike Portnoy's sister Samantha has posted a message on the drummer's web site offering her perspective on her brother's decision to leave DREAM THEATER, the band he formed and led for 25 years. Her message follows below in its entirety.

"Before I write this, understand that this is MY statement. Mike might kill me for speaking up, but I just can't sit by quietly. I guess I'm like Mike in that way.

"PLEASE stop reading between the lines with this whole situation. There is no hidden meaning in all of this (is there ever with Mike? The guy is an open book with his fans!!).

"Everything Mike said in his interview with Eddie Trunk, in his press release or otherwise is everything he has been saying to me for the past year, at least. He LOVES the other (DREAM THEATER) guys and their families. They have grown up together, married women that were (and are) best friends, have raised their kids as best friends. They are family.

"This was not an easy decision for him as a drummer, founding band member (and band leader) or person.

"Let's put 25 years into perspective. I am 40. I met John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] and John [Myung, DREAM THEATER bassist] when I was 15. How many friends do I still have that I have had to live AND work with for the past 25 years? Not a single one. I can't imagine looking at the same group of people for that many years and being able to come up with new, fun ideas (that will then be judged the world over). My friends and I get stuck on doing the same things on random weekend gatherings!

"Remember, this is strictly my perspective here...

"You'd think that being a rock star would be 100% fun 100% of the time. But I know that Mike works extremely hard and takes every bit of this experience to heart.

"You might think you know, but you have no idea (to borrow a line from 'Behind the Music'). It is a part of who he is as a person, it is definitely not just a job. He's been running at a pace (with DREAM THEATER) most people couldn't keep up for a few months, much less 25 years. He just wants a break. He wants to have the chance to play with other musicians and be reminded of how special this all is. He wants to have fun and not be in charge of every detail for a bit. (And for those of you thinking he should just let others take the reins in DREAM THEATER, all I'll say is that you have no idea what you are talking about.)

"The way I see it, it's not a matter of Mike not wanting to be in DREAM THEATER (Remember, he DOES want to be in DREAM THEATER... he NEVER wanted or planned to leave the band). Giving up DREAM THEATER must be like giving up a child for him. I know it's been horribly painful. But I am extremely proud of him for recognizing that he needs to be reinvigorated and for doing what he needs to do to make that happen.

"You know Mike. He does not do anything half-assed. He wants every drop of music that DREAM THEATER releases to be perfect and fulfilling for everyone. Right now, he is guaranteeing that he can't do that. Maybe (apparently) the other guys don't feel the same about this situation, I can't speak to that, but he knows that he needs a break to be able to bring the best of himself to the table. There is no ulterior motive. He genuinely just needs a break. He needs a break that allows him to find new inspiration and have some down time. When he has done his other side projects, if you think he was not also working on DREAM THEATER stuff, you'd be incredibly mistaken.

"I guess I got a bit long-winded there... sorry, but it's torture to sit back and watch my brother getting ripped apart or criticized for making this incredibly, INCREDIBLY hard choice. And for those of you who are supporting/understanding of his decision, I want you to know HOW MUCH it is appreciated."

Portnoy, who is currently out with AVENGED SEVENFOLD as their touring drummer, said of his decision to quit DREAM THEATER, "Please believe me that it is not a hasty decision . . . it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so . . . After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER."

Portnoy added, "I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them — it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break."

The drummer said that DREAM THEATER's "endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years" was the main factor in his decision. He said he wanted a "break," not a "split," but that the band decided to move forward without him.

Portnoy added in a separate post on Facebook that his current gig with AVENGED SEVENFOLD had nothing to do with his departure from DREAM THEATER, writing, "They are just as shocked as you guys."

AVENGED recruited Portnoy to play on its new album, "Nightmare", following the death last December of the band's drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan. Portnoy was Sullivan's favorite drummer.

DREAM THEATER said in its own statement, "All of us in DREAM THEATER wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed."

SOURCE: RNRCOLA

JORDAN RUDESS: 'DREAM THEATER Is Full Of Ideas And Energy About The Future'

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER has posted the following statement on his official blog regarding the departure of drummer Mike Portnoy, the band's co-founder and leader for 25 years:

"Closing this chapter is difficult because Mike and I are really close friends, have been great musical partners and he has been a vital part of DREAM THEATER. Still, opening up the next chapter is really exciting because DREAM THEATER is full of ideas and energy about the future.

"Mike is the ultimate rock drummer and I know he will be successful at whatever he does. Meanwhile, DREAM THEATER is moving forward quickly and looking forward to creating some great new music."

Rudess previously stated about Mike's decision to quit DREAM THEATER, "Everyone is asking me to comment on my thoughts about Mike Portnoy leaving DREAM THEATER and this huge change that has happened in all of our lives. I have always been able to express my feelings and do my best 'talking' through music, so I decided to voice my statement in this improvisation [see video below]. Hope you 'understand.'"

Portnoy, who is currently out with AVENGED SEVENFOLD as their touring drummer, said of his decision to quit DREAM THEATER, "Please believe me that it is not a hasty decision . . . it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so . . . After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!, TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in DREAM THEATER."

Portnoy added, "I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them — it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break."

The drummer said that DREAM THEATER's "endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years" was the main factor in his decision. He said he wanted a "break," not a "split," but that the band decided to move forward without him.

Portnoy added in a separate post on Facebook that his current gig with AVENGED SEVENFOLD had nothing to do with his departure from DREAM THEATER, writing, "They are just as shocked as you guys."

AVENGED recruited Portnoy to play on its new album, "Nightmare", following the death last December of the band's drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan. Portnoy was Sullivan's favorite drummer.

DREAM THEATER said in its own statement, "All of us in DREAM THEATER wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed."