January 2017

Turbo 30 by Judas Priest -A Music Review

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA — photo credit David Kay

This is one re-release I have truly hoped for. This was the album that introduced me to Judas Priest ( yes I was late coming on board but I was only 14 at the time) and my older brother was a huge fan already .Lets get a little back story here, every kid brother wanted to emulate his older brother and that included music so when my brother brought home ” Turbo “back in 1986 I was hooked , the look, the sound the anthems , what teenager could not be affected . Well I am happy to say I have been a Judas Priest fan since and was finally able to see them a few times as an adult during The Angel of Retribution tour and the Chosen Ones tour.Besides my friend Tim ‘Ripper ” Owens briefly being in the band for a while so I have always felt a connection to the band .Now on to the review of this three disk release.

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The sound quality of the remastered Turbo studio release is without parallel as the bass , drums , guitars and keyboards weave a deep coil into your auditory senses with the first deep notes of record . The entire album is very well done with not any filler material. My favorites being Turbo Lover , Parental Guidance, Private Property and Rock You All Around The World. The remained two disks contain a full concert from Kemper Arena in Kansas City with all the classic Judas Priest back catalog .The only complaint I have is not having a live version of Parental Guidance but as powerful as Rob Halford is he is not a timelord and cannot use the Tardis to travel back in time to add a song to the set-list that was not there . You get 29 songs in this release and more then enough nostalgia to get to put your horns in the air . I have to get this release 5 out of 5 stars as its nearly flawless . The liner notes talk about the band members at the time ( with many changes since then ) and the story behind the original thought process as the time . The band consisted of Rob Halford on vocals , Glenn Tipton-guitars,KK Downing-Guitars ,Ian Hill -bass and Dave Holland on Drums .

The release comes out February 3, 2017 on Legacy Recordings and for further information please check out http://judaspriest.com

TOM EDWARDS, GUITARIST AND MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR ADAM ANT, PASSES AWAY

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(CHERRY HILL, NJ) Tom Edwards, 41, guitarist and MD for Adam Ant, passed away yesterday from suspected heart failure at Kennedy Hospital in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Tom was on tour with the band as part of the North American Kings of the Wild Frontier tour that began two nights ago in Washington DC. He was found unresponsive then rushed to the hospital where he passed away yesterday in the late afternoon.
An autopsy is pending. No further details are known at this time.
Tom was an esteemed guitarist throughout his career and had played with Roddy Frame, Fields of the Nephilim, Rebelles, Edwyn Collins, Andrea Corrs, Arno Castens and Spiderbites.
“On behalf of Adam and his band, we thank all of you for your best wishes and support during this most difficult time, Tom shared his musical gifts with the world and his spirit will live on forever.”

In order to pay respects to their honored bandmate, Adam and his band have postponed their upcoming concerts at The Keswick Theatre in Philadelphia (January 26) and Webster Hall in New York City (January 27), but will resume the tour at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (January 29).

Story Credit Adam Ant Facebook . Photocredit David Kay

Coheed and Cambria announces “NEVERENDER GAIBSIV” tour this Spring

Set to play landmark concept album Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV in its entirety !

The multi-dimensional, progressive-rock band, Coheed and Cambria announced today that they will be touring the US this spring, performing their landmark third album, “Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness”, in its entirety. The tour, entitled NEVERENDER GAIBSIV, will take the band across North America commencing on April 11, and ending May 20, and including stops at the Hollywood Palladium; Aragon Theater in Chicago; and the Blues Hill Bank Pavilion in Boston. Support on all non-festival dates will be from The Dear Hunter. Full list of dates are listed below.

Good Apollo, The epic 72-minute recording considered by most as the bands most progressive album, and including two of the band’s most known singles (Welcome Home and The Suffering) and selling over a million records worldwide. The band’s legion of fans grows every year, and the NEVERENDER concept now holds a special place within the culture of the Coheed community. NEVERENDER is the moniker given to these album performances by the band and it first started in 2008, when Coheed performed their first 4 albums over 4 nights – completing the feat in 4 different cities – New York, London, Chicago and Los Angeles. The band’s concept albums lend themselves particularly well to the live setting.

Simultaneously, singer Claudio Sanchez announced on CBR.com (Comic Book Resources) his plans to release a 12-issue comic book for “Good Apollo” as part of his The Amory Wars series which comes this spring from Boom! Studios. The story, which loosely follows the lyrics of the album, centers around protagonist Claudio Kilgannon and the shocking discovery that he is The Crowing, a entity prophesied about in the holy book, who must dole out God’s judgment to destroy the universe.

Tickets for NEVERENDER GAIBSIV go on sale to the public this Friday, January 27,

04/11 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox

04/13 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater

04/14 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater

04/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium

04/18 – San Diego, CA – Observatory North Park

04/19 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee

04/22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex

04/22 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium

04/25 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater

04/26 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues

04/27 – Houston, TX – House of Blues

04/29 – Jacksonville, FL – Welcome to Rockville*

04/30 – Saint Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live

05/02 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

05/03 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works

05/05 – New York, NY – Terminal 5

05/06 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring

05/07 – Concord, NC – Carolina Rebellion*

05/09 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion

05/10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore

05/11 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre

05/13 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

05/15 – Saint Louis, MO – The Pageant

05/16 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland

05/18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE – Indoor

05/19 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom

Gene Simmons Joins Wizard World For Five Shows, Launching Wizard World Touring Unit

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LOS ANGELES, January 19, 2017—Wizard World, Inc., (WIZD) the preeminent producer of Wizard World Comic Cons across North America, has formed a new Touring Unit in partnership with veteran music and technology executive Nick Turner. The new unit will bring vibrant live entertainment to Wizard World shows, building on the Wizard’s initiative to create an atmosphere of a weekend festival at every Wizard World show.

Wizard World is proud to announce that the first venture of Wizard World Touring a joint venture production with Gene Simmons by which the legendary KISS front-man, bassist and rock icon will perform “An Evening with Gene Simmons and his Band” and attend five Wizard World Comic Con events as an iconic star attraction in 2017. The club venue concerts are in conjunction with appearances at conventions in Cleveland (March 18-19), St. Louis (April 8-9), Philadelphia (June 2-3), Chicago (August 26-27) and Austin (November 17-18).

Evening concerts are planned on Friday in each of the respective cities, with Simmons on hand each Saturday to greet fans, pose for photo ops, sign autographs and conduct live interactive Q&A sessions at each Wizard world Comic Con.

“I’m excited to bring Rock & Roll back to Wizard World Comic Con in 2017,” said Simmons. “It will be great to meet fans and perform for them in every city.”

John D. Maatta, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wizard World stated: “We are thrilled to be working with Gene for our inaugural production by Wizard World Touring. Gene is a showman-businessman hyphenate, and there is no better entertainer whom the fans love more.” Maatta continued: “We are working very hard at Wizard World to build it into a ‘best of breed’ entertainment/live event company. Wizard World Touring is another aggressive step forward into a sector that is extremely promising for us—It is a brand new day at Wizard World. We are very pleased to have a seasoned executive of the caliber of Nick Turner to guide us into this space.”

The agreement is the beginning of a new touring unit spearheaded by Nick Turner, which will bring entertainment to Wizard World shows, building on the promotion’s initiative to create an atmosphere of a weekend festival at every stop.

In Cleveland, fans can rock out on Saturday night, March 18, with “An Evening with Gene Simmons and his Band” at Agora Theater (5000 Euclid Ave.) beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $29.95 in advance at http://agoracleveland.com and http://www.wizardworld.com and $35 at the door, with special meet-and-greet packages also available. Venues, times and pricing for other cities to be announced closer to those respective shows.

Simmons, who was a big hit in his first Wizard World Comic Con appearance in Richmond in 2016, is a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and one of the world’s most recognized personalities. He co-founded KISS 42 years ago. KISS is America’s #1 Gold Record Award Winning Group of all time, in all categories (RIAA). KISS has sold over 100 million CDs and DVDs worldwide, is celebrating its 43rd year, and continues to sell out stadiums and arenas around the world, breaking box-office records set by Elvis and the Beatles. KISS was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the 2014 induction ceremony, and the band is recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for its pioneering work.

Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor. The famed Wizard World Comic Con Portland Costume Contest will take place on Saturday night.

Sex Pistol’s Steve Jones Lonely Boy is a Great Read !

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I recently had the opportunity to read an advance copy of the new memoir of Sex Pistols founder Steve Jones and it rocks . I have never been a fan of the Sex Pistols but to be honest however I have been going back to look or in this case listen with a fresh ear and mature outlook and to be truthful, it can be eye opening. The book makes plenty of references to the performances from television and at gigs and I have been watching them thanks to the power you-tube. The raw intensity of those early days of punk have always fascinated me.The stories behind the many bands managed or in this case mismanaged by Malcolm McLauren ( Adam Ant got easy easy just having to start over ) really fascinated me along with the sex , drugs and more drugs and a lot of pain with quite a bit of humor in the mix as well . Steve Jones shows his maturity in this memoir and the eventually of rockers growing older and looking back on their lives. Some of the best parts in the book of what is not Rock N Roll and the fact that its written in English and I mean London English so you better know your British slang to be able to read it you puff tosser .All humor aside we highly recommend this book and know you will get a kick out of it . It is available online at at fine booksellers everywhere just ask for Steve Jones Lonely Boy (c)2017 Da Capo Press