KANSAS Confirmed For SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL

U.S. classic rockers KANSAS have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 8-11, 2011 in Sölvesborg in southern Sweden.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

AGENT STEEL
BUCKCHERRY
CLUTCH
DAN REED BAND
DESTRUCTION
ELECTRIC WIZARD
FLÄSKET BRINNER
GHOST
GROUNDHOGS
HELLOWEEN
JASON & THE SCORCHERS
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
JUDAS PRIEST
KANSAS
MASON RUFFNER
MOLLY HATCHET
MOONSPELL
MR. BIG
MUSTASCH
OVERKILL
OZZY OSBOURNE
RAGE (acoustic)
RAUBTIER
RHAPSODY OF FIRE
ROB ZOMBIE
SAXON
STRYPER
STYX
THE CULT
THE DAMNED
THE HAUNTED
WALTER TROUT
WHITESNAKE

SAXON will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its classic album "Denim And Leather" by performing it in its entirety at the event, "spiced with a lot of other immortal SAXON classics and yes, they will bring the eagle!"

Source: RNRCola

News Bytes For September

• A U.K. reunion tour in February/March 2010 is now planned with Jobson, Wetton, Marco Minnemann on drums (from UKZ) and Greg Howe (Victor Wooten, Vitalij Kuprij, Michael Jackson) on guitar.
• Opeth front man Mikael Åkerfeldt is planning to record a singer/songwriter styled solo album according to the Finnish rock mag Sound. He says that discovering Nick Drake has really expanded his musical world view and made him understand the power of such acoustic simplicity. He says he could well make it an Opeth album but this time he wants to do everything by himself and record the songs at home. There is no set date of release. (PA)
• On September 1, 2009, Livgren suffered a stroke early in the day. His condition was reported as "serious, but stable. By September 4, family members called his condition positive and said his progress in recovering was encouraging. Livgren underwent surgery and received two stents in his carotid arteries. The area of his brain in which the stroke-causing clot formed deals with language and other high-end skills. Livgren's family says his face did not have the "sagging" often found in stroke victims, he recognized family members, and would squeeze their hands in recognition. The family established the Kansas band website as the only authorized source for information on Livgren's recovery.

Guitarist Kerry Livgren Has Stroke

Legendary musician and composer Kerry Livgren suffered a stroke Tuesday morning. Livgren was a founding member of Kansas, and has been a tireless creative force since the early 70s. Currently he is a busy solo artist and producer, and manages his own label, Numavox records.Kerry is currently hospitalized near his home in Topeka, KS, where surgery was performed to remove blood clot in his brain. Kerry's nephew and Proto-Kaw band mate Jake Livgren has stated the family continues to be encouraged by signs his uncle is giving following the stroke he suffered Tuesday morning.Curently Livgren is working on a cantata based on the life of Lazarus, and will soon make his screen debut in the film "The Impostor".

He will also appear on the upcoming Kansas anniversary concert DVD "Know Place Like Home" due to be released in October.