DREAM THEATER Frontman Says Upcoming Concert DVD Will Be 'Very Cool' And 'Unique'

 

DREAM THEATER's August 19 and August 20 concerts at Estadio Luna
Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina will be professionally filmed and
recorded for the band's next live DVD, to be released sometime next
year.

Speaking to Tri-State Rock, LaBrie said (hear audio below), "We're pretty stoked. We're actually gonna be using Mike Leonard, who was the production, filming company that we used for 'The Spirit Carries On' documentary. So they're coming back into it. And we're using Rich Chycki, who's worked on the last few RUSH albums as engineer and mixer, and he also worked on the ['R30'] 30th-anniversary DVD with RUSH. And so we have him involved; he'll be doing the audio recording. And we have some technological things that are gonna be going on this DVD that should make it quite interesting. But it is a two-night shoot.
It's in a place that we've played before called Luna Park in Buenos
Aires, and it's a beautiful, beautiful area, and it will be outside, so
hopefully the weather gods will work in our favor. But yeah, it's a
really great place. We thought it was the perfect venue for us to do
this DVD. And we're pretty stoked. I think it's gonna be very cool, very unique, and I think it should step it up, once again, from our last
official DVD, which was 'Score', [filmed] at Radio City Music
Hall. So, yeah, it'll be great. We're really excited about it, and it
should be something I'm sure that our fans are going to appreciate
immensely once it's all done and out there."

DREAM THEATER — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — launched a major North American headlining summer tour on
June 15 in Rochester, New York. The tour included stops at the Gibson
Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long
Island, New York. They were touring behind their 11th studio album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which had 14 Top 10 debuts around the world. It also produced the band's first-ever Grammy nomination for "On The Backs Of Angels" in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category.

TOMMY BOLIN Gets Box-Set Treatment

 

Rock guitar legend Tommy Bolin will be honored with a box set release of his lauded solo release "The Definitive Teaser" — a three-CD collection featuring a remastered version of his classic
album along with two CDs of outtakes and alternates. The project was
produced by Greg Hampton and Johnnie Bolin.

In the annals of rock history, Tommy Bolin occupied a brief, but shining stint as a brilliant guitarist who wowed
those in the know with his mastery of many genres — rock, fusion, funk,
reggae and heavy metal among others. Along with a much-lauded solo
career that pushed the boundaries of rock/jazz fusion, Bolin played with THE JAMES GANG and DEEP PURPLE, setting him up for major solo guitar stardom, which was cut short by his untimely death in 1976.

Along with the three-CD "Teaser" box set, 429 Records will release a five-CD set, "The Definitive Teaser Collector's Edition" which will also include the two-CD deluxe version of "Great Gypsy Soul" — a collection of Bolin songs recorded by a top-notch roster of players who signed on to pay tribute to Bolin. Produced by Greg Hampton and Warren Haynes, it's a remarkable project that brings together major players who actually perform alongside Tommy Bolin's playing and vocals from the recording outtakes to "Teaser". Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes (a key supporter of the project), Nels Cline, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Brad Whitford, Joe Bonamassa, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, Glenn Hughes and Myles Kennedy all contribute to this amazing project. "The Definitive Teaser" and "Collector's Edition" will be released by 429 Records on July 31.

Tommy Bolin was the quintessential guitar prodigy who focused his talents within
the burgeoning rock/metal scenes of the early '70s as well as mastered a highly lauded jazz fusion technique catching the attention of rock
tastemakers and guitar legend peers. It was just a matter of time
before Bolin was making a name for himself playing on projects as diverse as Billy Cobham's "Spectrum" project (considered one of the great jazz fusion recordings of all time), replacing Joe Walsh in THE JAMES GANG, playing session work on seminal fusion projects by MOXY and Alphonse Mouzon, to replacing Ritchie Blackmore in DEEP PURPLE. With the release of his second solo album "Private Eyes", what should have been a red letter moment for Bolin, opening up for Jeff Beck in Miami, sadly turned tragic as Bolin was found dead of an overdose shortly after the gig.

Says Warren Haynes: "Many of the guests added after the fact have a close personal connection to Tommy — all share in acknowledging his place in rock history. Watching (and
hearing) it all come to fruition some 35 years later was a journey of
its own — well worth the travel."

"The Definitive Teaser" track listing:

Disc 1

"Teaser" Remastered

01. The Grind
02. Homeward Strut
03. Dreamer
04. Savannah Woman
05. Teaser
06. People, People
07. Marching Powder
08. Wild Dogs
09. Lotus

Disc 2

Alternates and Outtakes

01. Teaser
02. Flying Fingers
03. Cookoo
04. Wild Dogs
05. Chameleon

Disc 3

01. Crazed Fandango
02. People, People
03. Smooth Fandango
04. Marching Powder
05. Homeward Strut
06. Oriental Sky (Lotus)

Deluxe version of "Great Gypsy Soul" track listing:

Disc 1

01. The Grind (w/ Peter Frampton)
02. Teaser (w/ Warren Haynes)
03. Dreamer (w/ Myles Kennedy and Nels Cline)
04. Savannah Woman (w/ John Scofield)
05. Smooth Fandango (w/ Derek Trucks)
06. People People (w/ Big Sugar and Gordie Johnson)
07. Wild Dogs (w/ Brad Whitford)
08. Homeward Strut (w/ Steve Lukather)
09. Sugar Shack (w/ Glenn Hughes and Sonny Landreth)
10. Crazed Fandango (w/ Steve Morse)
11. Lotus (w/ Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Huges and Nels Cline)

Disc 2 - Bonus CD

01. Flying Fingers (w/ Oz Noy and Nels Cline)
02. Marching Bag - Movement One (w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Greg Hampton, John Scofield, Sonny Landreth)
03. Marching Bag - Movement Two (w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Steve Lukather, Derek Trucks, Peter Frampton)
04. Marching Bag - Movement Three (w/ Gordie Johnson, Bolin, Nels Cline, Oz Noy, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Joe Bonamassa)
05. Marching Bag - Movement Four (w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa, Oz Noy, Brad Whitford, Peter Frampton)

For more information, visit www.429records.com.

Rising Fusion Guitar Hero - ALEX MACHACEK - Unveils New Album - FAT - Out September 18th on Abstract Logix....

Rising Fusion Guitar Hero Alex Machacek Unveils

Astonishing Chops and a Flood of Ideas on FAT

Scheduled for September 18^th release on Abstract Logix

(Los Angeles) - Alex Machacek, the amazing fusion guitarist, has done it again. Combining mindboggling fluidity, daredevil string-skipping technique and audacious intervallic leaps on the guitar (ones that will make even the most ardent Allan Holdsworth fan take notice), has taken his penchant for precision ensemble playing and created a collection of audible art that rivals the late, great Frank Zappa’s. Machacek takes the lead on FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio), to be released on September 18^th through Abstract Logix.

The extraordinary Austrian native, and current California resident, has upped the ante on all of his previous outings with FAT (Fabulous Austrian Trio). As heard on the rhythmically complex and slightly tongue-in-cheek “Why Not (aka Disco Polka),” and the equally intricate “Safe Word”, Machacek is ably accompanied on his sophomore outing by superb drummer Herbert Pirker and outstanding bassist Raphael Preuschl.  This trio appeared together on various tracks from Machacek’s impressive 2005 debut, {Sic}, from Abstract Logix.

           

Machacek recalls, “My last recording was 24 Tales, a ‘re-composition’ of an existing 51-minute long drum solo by Marco Minnemann, and the focus there was on composition. On FAT, I wanted to have more improvisations and more emphasis on interplay…just like a band, so to speak.” That kind of organic interplay can be heard between Machacek, Pirker and Preuschl on the ethereal ballad “What A Time To Be Me” and the spacious “Let’s Not Argue,” the latter which has Alex playing baritone guitar. As a kind of relief from the astounding intricacy and unisons demonstrated elsewhere throughout FAT, there is the gorgeous solo bass piece “Ton Portrait” (a nod to the late, great Jaco Pastorius’s anthemic “Portrait of Tracy”) and the atmospheric closer, “Let's Not Argue,” which incorporates a great deal of breath between the notes while still showcasing Machacek’s inimitable six-string facility. The guitarist reserves his most lyrical playing for “D-Lite” and on “The Life of Herbert P.” he creates a ‘re-composition’ around an existing drum solo by Pirker. The Fabulous Austrian Trio also generates some potent swinging momentum on the album’s jazziest number, “Studio Swing.”

Machacek will play an album release party on September 2^nd at Porgy & Bess in Vienna, Austria.  www.porgy.at

JOURNEY'S NEAL SCHON TO RELEASE NEW SOLO INSTRUMENTAL RECORD ON FRONTIERS RECORDS; "THE CALLING" DUE OUT OCTOBER 23RD IN NORTH AMERICA

JOURNEY'S NEAL SCHON TO RELEASE NEW SOLO INSTRUMENTAL RECORD ON FRONTIERS RECORDS

"THE CALLING" DUE OUT OCTOBER 23^RD IN NORTH AMERICA

(New York, NY) - Taking a detour from his main job as lead guitarist for Journey, the multi-talented Neal Schon has put the finishing touches on his latest solo album, THE CALLING, which will be released by Frontiers Records on October 23rd in North America. Produced by, and featuring Schon on all guitars and bass, THE CALLING reunites Schon with former Journey bandmate Steve Smith, who lends his virtuoso drum talents to all 12 tracks on the new album.  Please see below for the track listing.  Click here to access the album cover for THE CALLING.

Schon set up shop at Berkeley's famed Fantasy Studios during a break from Journey's busy touring schedule, and recorded the album, completely from scratch, in just four days.  After overdubbing multiple guitar and bass parts, Schon recruited two keyboard masters to flesh out the music.  Igor Len, an accomplished classical, jazz and film composer who had previously collaborated with Schon, is featured on acoustic piano throughout THE CALLING.  Grammy Award-winning special guest Jan Hammer (Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miami Vice soundtrack) recorded Moog synthesizer solos on two tracks - "Fifty Six (56)" and "Tumbleweeds". Recently, Schon teamed up with Dan Barnett (Journey: Live In Manila) to produce the video for the first single and title track from THE CALLING.

While celebrating the release of THE CALLING, Schon will be back on the road with JOURNEY as the band's 2012 tour kicked off July 21^st in Southern California and is scheduled to run through December, with most dates featuring special guests Pat Benatar featuring Neil Giraldo and Loverboy. Check out www.journeymusic.com for updated tour details.

Neal Schon THE CALLING track listing:

1.    The Calling

2.    Carnival Jazz

3.    Six String Waltz

4.    Irish Field

5.    Back Smash

6.    Fifty Six (56)

7.    True Emotion

8.    Tumbleweeds

9.    Primal Surge

10.  Blue Rainbow Sky

11.  Transonic Funk

12.  Song Of The Wind

Mike Keneally Announces Wing Beat Fantastic Tour

Mike Keneally Announces Wing Beat Fantastic Tour
Acclaimed recording artist and performer Mike Keneally is celebrating the release of his
magical new album, Wing Beat Fantastic, by scheduling a series of intimate duo performances
with musical compatriot Rick Musallam.
Wing Beat Fantastic is the highly anticipated result of a songwriting union between the famed
rock experimentalist and legendary XTC tunesmith Andy Partridge. The smart and melodious
album is garnering rave reviews worldwide.
Of their successful partnership, Partridge remarked, “I didn’t know how any of the tunes we’d
agreed to write together were going to come out, but I know one thing, SO musical is this man
that him just sitting with a guitar across his lap or perched at a keyboard pulled things from me
that I can honestly say ‘I don’t know where they came from.’”
“The chance to work with Andy was absolutely a mind-blower for me,” Keneally said. “His
songwriting gift is still as strong as ever, and I’m fiercely grateful to be able to help bring new
Andy Partridge music into the world.”
"This tour will be a good opportunity to take some songs from my past repertoire, and stack them
next to these new songs I've written with Andy," mused Keneally. "We'll be focusing on a lot of
my most melodic and accessible tunes -- hopefully with just enough of the fancy technique stuff
to keep that portion of the audience satisfied!"
Long acclaimed as one of the world’s most creative and intense guitar and keyboard players,
Keneally’s talents as a vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist are
nearly unequalled in rock music. He has released over 20 albums of his original music since
1992, and has built a body of work of remarkable inventiveness and originality.
Keneally played in Frank Zappa’s last touring band, performing as a vocalist, guitarist and
keyboardist. He’s appeared on many Zappa albums, is currently a touring member of Dethklok
(as a guitarist) and the Joe Satriani Band (as a keyboardist), and has also recorded or performed
with Steve Vai, Robert Fripp and many others.
All Music Guide calls Keneally "the leading progressive rock genius of the post-Zappa era."
Known for his innovative, unpredictable live shows, Keneally has played extensively in the
United States and Europe, in contexts ranging from solo and duo concerts to performances with
large-scale orchestras.
Keneally's excited to team up with Rick Musallam again for this excursion. "He's played guitar
alongside me in the Mike Keneally Band since the late '90s -- seriously one of the most soulful,
beautiful guitar players I've ever heard. With just the two of us playing these songs, I look
forward to getting to the essence of what I was thinking about when I wrote them. Guitar fans
will have a field day at the show, but we'll be playing some bass and keyboard as well, and I'll
have recorded backing tracks on just a couple of the songs for variety."

Several dates have been set, with more to come:
Thursday, September 6 in Atlanta at The Masquerade, 695 North Avenue NE
Friday, September 7 in Nashville at World Music Nashville, 7069 US 70 South
Saturday, September 8 in St. Louis at The Gramophone, 4243 Manchester Avenue
Monday, September 10 in Indianapolis at Birdy’s, 2131 East 71st Street
Tuesday, September 11 in Chicago at Reggie’s, 2109 South State Street
Wednesday, September 12 in Cleveland at Beachland Tavern 15711 Waterloo Rd.
Thursday, September 13 in Columbus at Rumba Café, 2507 Summit Street
Saturday, September 15 in Baltimore at Orion Sound Studios, 2903 Whittington Avenue #C
Sunday, September 16 in New York City at Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway
Tuesday, September 18 in Dunellen, NJ at Roxy & Duke’s Roadhouse, 745 Bound Brook Road,
presented by the New Jersey Proghouse http://www.njproghouse.com

More info: http://www.keneally.com/promo/wing_beat_fantastic.html

RUSH's 'Clockwork Angels: The Novel': Canadian, U.S. Book-Launch Events Announced

 

"Clockwork Angels: The Novel" (ECW Press, September 2012), the landmark literary collaboration between RUSH drummer and lyricist Neil Peart and bestselling sci-fi author Kevin J. Anderson, will be officially launched on Thursday, August 23 at the Richmond and
John Chapters (142 John Street) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 7:00 p.m. Anderson writes on his blog, "I'll be in Toronto as a guest at Fan Expo throughout the weekend, but this event — open to the general public — will be the first time the
novel is available for sale. I will give a talk, answer questions, and
autograph books… lots of them, I hope!"

For further details, see chapters.indigo.ca.

The U.S. book launch will be held on August 31 at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia.

ECW Press recently unveiled two exciting special editions of "Clockwork Angels: The Novel" (ECW Press, September 2012). These two numbered special editions of "Clockwork Angels: The Novel" are now available for pre-order.

The Silver Edition, slipcased and autographed by both Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart, will be a beautiful addition to any collection. This limited edition of 300 copies is available from both ecwpress.com/clockworksilver and rushbackstage.com for $74.95.

The
Gold Edition is a must have for die-hard fans. Slipcased and signed by
both authors, The Gold Edition is accompanied by a lithograph image from
the book, signed by artist Hugh Syme, and a unique autographed page of the original "Clockwork Angels" manuscript. Both pieces are presented in an attractive frame with an
engraved and numbered plate. With only 302 copies available, the Gold
Edition will retail for $299.95, and is available exclusively from rushbackstage.com.

Kevin J. Anderson recently wrote on Facebook, "Most of you are aware of my long-standing friendship with (RUSH drummer) Neil Peart . . . For more than twenty years, Neil and I have wanted to collaborate on something MAJOR, a way we could tie together our imaginations, and
at last that's happening. I'm writing the novelization of RUSH's forthcoming album, 'Clockwork Angels'."

Anderson added that he worked with Peart to "flesh out the epic story told over the course of the music," which
involves "lost cities, pirates, anarchists, exotic carnivals, and a
rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life."

Regarding the book cover, which can be seen below, as well as the rest of the package, Anderson said, "[It is] one of my most beautiful covers ever. The central image is from the forthcoming RUSH album, with the type and cover design by Neil Peart. ECW will publish the hardcover in September (available for preorder now), a full-color volume with paintings and complete lyrics (and the novel
itself, of course).

"From the sample pages I've seen already, this will be a gorgeous book.

"The novel is a colorful steampunk fantasy, and I think it has a great deal of heart. Neil and I are very pleased with how it turned out-the creative synergy was amazing.

"'Clockwork Angels: The Novel' follows the story mapped out in the songs of the album, but the book isn't only for RUSH fans (then again, who isn't a RUSH fan???)."

Memorial Service For JON LORD To Be Held In London

According to a post on the Darker Than Blue web site, Jon Lord's funeral service was held on July 31 at St. Mary's Church in Hambleden,
England, and was attended by family and close friends. A memorial
service is planned for later in the year in London.

Jon Lord died on July 16 at age 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Lord, who was known for his keyboard virtuosity and his reinvention of the Hammond B-3 organ sound, co-wrote such PURPLE classics as "Smoke On The Water" and "Child In Time", among others. Lord and drummer Ian Paice were the only original members to last through the band's initial run
from 1968 to 1976. He was on board for their 1984 reunion and stayed on
through to his 2002 retirement from the band, after which he's worked
primarily in the classical field.

Over the course of his career, Lord also worked with the ARTWOODS, FLOWER POT MEN, PAICE, ASHTON AND LORD, WHITESNAKE and good friend and neighbor, George Harrison.

RUSH Drummer Talks 'Clockwork Angels' Concept

 

"Clockwork Angels", the 20th studio album legendary Canadian rockers RUSH, was not only the renowned trio's first new collection of original
material in over five years, it was also the band's return to a concept
LP, loosely based around the story of a young man's quest to follow his
dreams and all of the good, the bad, the magnificent and the horrible
that he encounters along the way.

Commenting on how the "Clockwork Angels" concept came together, RUSH drummer Neil Peart told Macleans.ca, "This started as a simple [idea] — the steampunk image and aesthetic I
liked, I suggested to the guys as the basis for some kind of extended
work. It built up to [the album] piece by piece by organic expansion.
All the music was created by Geddy [Lee, bass and vocals] and Alex [Lifeson, guitar] jamming in the studio, and many of the lyrics were just
extemporized over email. There's so much life experience in this story — it's not just a far-blown fantasy. [The song] 'Wish Them Well' [offers] a very mature response to the world that it took me a long time to learn. In a lot of our early stuff, my lyrical inspiration was
anger, for sure. [laughs] There's still a lot I'm angry about, a lot of
human behavior that's appalling and despicable, but you choose what you
can fight against. I always thought if I could just put something in
words perfectly enough, people would get the idea and it would change
things. That's a harmless conceit. With people too, you constantly
think, 'If I'm nice to people and treat them well, they'll appreciate it and behave better.' They won't, but it's still not a bad way to live."

One of the highest-charting albums of RUSH's illustrious 38-year career, "Clockwork Angels" deals with concepts of fate, circumstance, and free will, which Neil — as the band's primary lyricist — has been writing about since he joined RUSH in the mid-'70s. Asked what his thoughts are on these issues now, Peart told Macleans.ca, "I remain the optimist: you just do your best and hope for the best.
But it's an evolving state of mind. I still totally believe in
individual rights and individual responsibility and in choosing to do
good. On the liberal side of things, they go to an extreme of how people need to be led, and they can't handle freedom. Pure libertarianism
believes that people will be generous and help each other. Well, they
won't. I wish it were so, and I live that way. I help panhandlers, but
other people are, 'Oh, look at that — why doesn't he get a job?' While I believe in all that freedom, I also believe that no one should suffer
needlessly. A realization I had lately: it is impossible to follow the
teachings of Jesus Christ and be a Republican. It's philosophically
absolutely opposed — if they could only think about what they were
saying for a minute. That's when you get caught up in the webs of what
people call themselves and how they behave. You just become adaptable
and try to lead a good life in ways that make sense, regardless. Because I know at the end of it, if I'm going to meet Jesus or Allah or Buddha, I'm going to be all right."