Clang & Clatter

Apparently Ed Roland has been brewing up something called the Sweet Tea Project for awhile now (Ha! Get it? Get it?!), but I just recently became privy to it via the Gretsch Guitars YouTube channel. The Collective Soul founder and frontman has joined up with a group of long-time friends to create music in the relaxed family atmosphere of his Atlanta home. The new album Devils ‘n Darlins has been complete for some time, but according to the Sweet Tea Project Facebook page, its release is “still on hold until the planets most surely line up,” and the band plans to announce 2012 tour dates soon. The clips I have heard have a more organic feel than Collective Soul, bordering on what all the cool kids call “roots rock,” but retains Ed’s unmistakeable voice.

Enjoy this “meet the band” playlist from project member Christopher Alan Yate’s YouTube channel.

Molken Music announced today the availability of this special digital-download-only title to help defray the cost of medical bills incurred by King’s X drummer Jerry Gaskill as the result of the heart attack he suffered on Sunday, February 26. Entitled Burning Down Boston: Live at The Channel 6.12.91, the album comes from a soundboard recording of a show on the Faith Hope Love tour and includes the following 14 cuts:

1. We Are Finding Who We Are
2. Mission
3. Far Far Away
4. We Were Born to Be Loved
5. It’s Love Intro
6. It’s Love
7. I’ll Never Get Tired of You
8. Visions
9. Over My Head
10. Moanjam
11. The Burning Down
12. Talk to You (Bonus Track)
13. Fall on Me (Bonus Track)
14. Power of Love (Bonus Track)

Head on over to Molken Music and purchase your copy today. All proceeds will go directly to Jerry to help offset his medical care.

King’s X frontman Doug Pinnick has been tweeting updates on drummer Jerry Gaskill’s condition after having emergency surgery and being hospitalized as the result of a heart attack on Sunday, February 26. Since that time, Gaskill has been sedated and on a ventilator, but he contracted pneumonia and had to have surgery to help him breathe easier after developing another lung issue.

The latest update from Pinnick was this encouraging news just a few hours ago:

Update!! Jerry is much better, he is awake, and getting stronger. Yay!!!

Doug then provided an address for anyone wanting to send cards and get well wishes.

Patient: Jerry Gaskill
Riverview Hospital
1 River Plaza
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Let’s all wish Jerry a speedy recovery and show our support for him, Doug, and Ty.

From the At the Drive-In website:

¡ATTENTION! To whom it may concern: AT THE DRIVE-IN will be breaking their 11 year silence. THIS STATION IS …. NOW …. OPERATIONAL.

I’m very interested to see how this turns out …

After months of speculation, tweeting, and hints about a collaboration between former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and prog-rock gun-for-hire guitarist Steve Morse, Portnoy has finally unveiled the details of the project. Named Flying Colors, it will include Portnoy and Morse, along with keyboardist and long-time Portnoy collaborator Neal Morse, bassist Dave LaRue, and vocalist/guitarist Casey McPherson. Said Portnoy of the project:

This album has bits and pieces of what you’d expect from each of us. The sum of all its parts led to brand new, unchartered territory for everyone involved.

The self-titled Flying Colors debut will drop on March 27 on the Music Theories Recordings label.

I’m really glad I waited a day before posting about the Black Sabbath reunion announcement that had the interwebs all abuzz yesterday. Tony Iommi has released the following statement on his website dispelling the news of a reunion of the original Sabbath lineup as “speculation,” asserting that he did not confirm that the band was getting back together.

I’m saddened that a Birmingham journalist whom I trusted has chosen this point in time to take a conversation we had back in June and make it sound like we spoke yesterday about a Black Sabbath reunion.

At the time I was supporting the Home of Metal exhibition and was merely speculating, shooting the breeze, on something all of us get asked constantly, “Are you getting back together?”

Thanks to the internet it’s gone round the world as some sort of “official” statement on my part, absolute nonsense. I hope he’s enjoyed his moment of glory, he won’t have another at my expense.

To my old pals, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, sorry about this, I should have known better.

All the best, Tony

Too bad …

Queen on the News of the World tour

Do you think you have what it takes to make the first official Queen video since 1999’s “Under Pressure”? Queen is giving you a shot to prove it.

To help celebrate the band’s 40 years in existence, Queen is inviting independent film makers to create a brand new video for “Sheer Heart Attack” from the 1977 classic album News of the World. The winning entry will be featured in all of the band’s media outlets, and Roger Taylor and Brian May will be judging the entries. Taylor had this to say about the competition:

The song is a full on rocker and was a blast to play live, so myself and Brian are really looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with. We have also roped in our old friend and video director David Mallet to help judge the entries, so the decision making could get interesting!

Read more about the competition here.

First it was Scorpions. Now it looks like Priest might be hanging up the guitars and putting the leather on the shelves after one final trek around the globe. I hate to hear this, but the guys are getting on in age—guitarist Glenn Tipton just turned 63!—and metal god Rob Halford’s voice isn’t what it used to be.

I sure hope they go out with some dignity and don’t pull a KISS, going on farewell tour after farewell tour.

From the Judas Priest website:

After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking their very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, JUDAS PRIEST - one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, have announced this will be their final world tour!!

However, the mighty PRIEST will certainly be going out strong as they rock the planet starting in 2011 on the massive EPITAPH tour - hitting all the major cities throughout the world they will be playing the songs that helped make the name JUDAS PRIEST synonymous with heavy metal!

With all guns blazing and amps cranked to eleven, the band will be giving all their fans one last chance to witness the ultimate metal experience that is JUDAS PRIEST!

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy

Via Spinner:

Mark David Chapman’s autographed copy of John Lennon’s ‘Double Fantasy’ is up for sale and is expected to fetch a staggering $850,000. The album, which Lennon signed for his killer outside of New York’s Dakota building five hours before he was shot dead on Dec. 8, 1980, has Chapman’s forensically enhanced fingerprints on the sleeve.

“The album is the most extraordinary artifact in rock ‘n’ roll history,” autograph dealer Gary Zinet told the New York Post. “There are evidence markings from the NYPD.”

But for some heartbroken Beatles fans, the idea of someone profiting from Lennon’s death goes beyond being just disturbing. And it explains why Zimet — who first sold the disc in 1999 — is again handling the confidential sale. “The current owner doesn’t want to be named because he received death threats,” Zimet said.

After Chapman murdered Lennon, the autographed album was found at the entrance to the Dakota, where Lennon lived, by a maintenance man, who handed it over as evidence.

According to the news on the interwebs this morning, a new Ozzy-era Black Sabbath box set called Complete Albums Box Set (Limited Collector’s Edition) is due to hit the streets in mid-November. The set’s box will come in the shape of (what else?) a black cross and will contain an exclusive 100-page illustrated book The Illustrated Black Sabbath Vinyl Collector’s Guide & Selected Discography 1970 - 1978 that features rare album covers from around the world. Also included in the collection will be the deleted and sought after double-album compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll, 3 exclusive radio documentaries, and a set of 3 guitar picks.

Here’s the full album lineup:

• Black Sabbath
• Paranoid
• Master Of Reality
• Volume 4
• Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
• Sabotage
• Technical Ecstasy
• Never Say Die
• We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘n’ Roll

Drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy announced late yesterday on his website that he is stepping down from the drum kit for the band he started 25 years ago:

Wednesday September 8th 2010

I am about to write something I never imagined I’d ever write:

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater….the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but 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…

Please don’t misinterpret me, I love the DT 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…

Dream Theater was always my baby…and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985…24/7, 365…never taking time off from DT’s never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was “off” between cycles)…working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band…

But I’ve come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out…and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a “hiatus” to recharge our batteries and “save me from ourselves”…

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather…I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be…

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way…so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes….

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about “always following your heart and being true to yourself”…sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater…and I would simply be “going through the motions”, and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come…I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played….

I’m sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world…I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work…I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)…but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within….

You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me….(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

Sadly…

Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,

MP

The Dream Theater guys have countered with an official statement of their own:

To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness — regret — we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike’s stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.

While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity — and in the same musical tradition — that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

Fans and friends: File this episode under “Black Clouds and Silver Linings.” As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we’ll follow that with a full-on world tour. “The Spirit Carries On.”

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.

Well, at least it sounds like an amicable split, but why does it feel more like a punch in the gut? I just can’t imagine Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy and vice versa. Unfortunately, I, like Mike, have found more enjoyment over the past few years in his side projects than in his main gig. I guess now he’ll have more time to work on things like Transatlantic.

The saddest thing about this whole affair is that I have absolutely no one I can tell who would even care but you guys.

Bummer.

Despite his absence behind the kit on the latest Cheap Trick tour—and the fact that he appears very thin and almost frail in photos I’ve seen lately—Bun E. Carlos refutes the rumors that he is ill or is no longer in the band in a recent Springfield State Journal Register article:

After 36 years I want to take some time off, so I’ve taken some time off. We’re supposed to record in the fall and stuff like that, so I expect I’ll be bumping into them then.

During the break, Carlos reveals plans to record and tour with his side project Tinted Windows, who he says have already begun the writing process for their sophomore release.

Let’s hope that is indeed the case and that the next album from Taylor Hanson and the boys is as solid as their debut.

Well, it appears that Pink Floyd’s EMI output between 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon and 1994’s The Division Bell is no longer available from online music retailers like iTunes because the band’s contract with EMI expired on June 30. Their earlier works prior to Dark Side of the Moon were covered under a different EMI contract, which means you can still purchase those albums in digital form, but unless the Floyd signs a new deal with EMI or enters into a contract with another distributor, classics like Animals, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here could disappear forever once EMI’s stock of physical media runs out.

Pink Floyd has been shopping around for a new home for their entire catalog for over a year now, but apparently they haven’t found the right match yet.

Looks like I might just need to go out and purchase the CDs while I still can.

Via Mac OS Ken via Gibson via the Associated Press.

I can’t feel this way much longer
Expecting to survive
With all these hidden innuendoes
Just waiting to arrive
— The Cars - “Bye Bye Love”

That buzz you hear is the rumor mill on the interwebs revving up and hinting that The Cars might be ready to Shake It Up and Let The Good Times Roll to say Hello Again to the fans with Ric Ocasek in the driver’s seat (puns intented, yep, every one of ‘em!).

This photo posted on The Cars Facebook fan page on July 13 showing original members vocalist/guitarist Ric Ocasek, keyboardist Greg Hawkes, guitarist Elliot Easton, and drummer David Robinson in the studio has rumors flying that the guys are working on a reunion. When asked about the rumors, Hawkes confirmed the photo was of a recent rehearsal but replied, “I hate to be vague, but I really can’t say” (hmm, sounds like a “yes” to me).

The original lineup of The Cars last worked together on 1987’s Door to Door album and broke up a year later, and vocalist/bassist Benjamin Orr died in 2000 from pancreatic cancer. Since then, Ocasek has worked as a producer, Robinson retired from music and runs an art gallery, Easton does session gigs, has done some solo work, and fills in as a hired gun in touring bands, and Hawkes has worked as a session musician and plays solo ukulele shows. In 2005 Easton and Hawkes played for a couple of years in a spin-off with Todd Rundgren (and with Ocasek’s blessing) called The New Cars.

You Might Think I’m crazy, but if this does happen, and if they record new material, and if (that’s a lot of ifs) they can manage to capture the Magic of their first two albums (I try to forget about all that other drivel they released), this might be Just What I Needed.

I guess I should probably apologize now, but I won’t.