Source: Bravewords.com TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA vocalist Georgia Napolitano has checked in with the following update:
“Just after Midnight on New Years Eve 2014 we played at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany to over 1 million people. This was the experience of a lifetime and I will never forget it for as long as I live.”
TSO’s upcoming European tour dates are as follows:
January
14 – Olympia – Paris, France
15 – Porsche Arena – Stuttgart, Germany
16 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle – Dusseldorf, Germany
17 – Forest National – Brussels, Belgium
20 – The Arena – Nuremberg, Germany
21 – Festhalle – Frankfurt, Germany
22 – AWD Hall – Hanover, Germany
25 – Tempodrom – Berlin, Germany
26 – Stadthalle – Vienna, Austria
28 – Big Box – Kempten, Germany
When it comes to playing fast, few can beat GENE “The Human Drum Machine” HOGLAN, writes Neil Shah in The Wall Street Journal.
“There are young dudes coming up behind me who want to take my throne, but I’m not going to give it up that easy,” says Mr. Hoglan, 46 years old, who warms up with drum sticks twice as heavy as usual, a trick he learned from baseball that makes his normal sticks seem lighter. To tone his legs, crucial for foot-drumming, he wears 3-pound ankle weights. When he pops these off, he can really fly.
Though he weighs nearly 300 pounds and is, in his own words, “really lethargic,” Mr. Hoglan has been called one of the quickest and most precise drummers in heavy metal.
Source: Bravewords.com
In addition to shows in Belarus, Ukraine, and Sweden, W.A.S.P. will play a series of ten concerts in Russia next year; confirmed dates are as follows:
May
20 – Minsk, Belarus – Re: Republic
21 – Kiev, Ukraine – Bingo
22 – Kharkov, Russia – Zhara
23 – Rostov, Russia – Odo
24 – Krasnodar, Russia – Arena Hall
25 – Stavropol, Russia – Dkis
27 – Novosibirsk, Russia – Otdykh
29 – Ekaterinburg, Russia – Tele-Club
31 – Samara, Russia – Odo
June
1 – Nizhny Novgorod, Russia – Milo
3 – Moscow, Russia – Glavclub
4 – St. Petersburg, Russia – A 2
6 – Sölvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock
Source: Bravewords.com
According to The Guardian, a permanent museum is to be created in a bland office space in a London attic. They are rooms that rock music pilgrims have been pleading to get into for decades – the rooms rented in the late 1960s by JIMI HENDRIX, poignantly described by him as “the only home I ever had”.
The Heritage Lottery Fund will soon announce a £1.2m grant to restore the rooms to their appearance during 1968, when Hendrix paid £30 a week to share the flat with his girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. The rooms will hold displays on his life, work and musical legacy.
A unique pair of blue plaques on the outside wall of the 18th-century listed building celebrates the two musical giants whose time there was separated by centuries: Hendrix lived at No 23 Brook Street, and George Frideric Handel at No 25. The Mayfair properties, separate houses when constructed in 1721, are now linked as the Handel House Museum.
Self – described “hybrid vocalist,” due to his skill in different vocal styles and ranges, ICED EARTH‘s Stu Block is busy preparing for the imminent release of new album, “Plagues Of Babylon,” (6th January on Century Media Records) along with the Worldwide Plagues Tour. Stu joined ICED EARTH in 2011, replacing vocalist Matt Barlow and went on to release his first album with the band, the highly acclaimed “Dystopia.”
Blackdiamond had a chat with Stu just before Christmas to discuss the new album and all things ICED EARTH. Some excerpts from the interview can be read below and you can listen in full on the audio player:
Discussing new album “Plagues Of Babylon” Stu described his thoughts:
“I’m excited! It’s up to the fans – I can’t wait to see what they have to say about it. We’re happy with it, we’re proud of the album.
The first half is a concept piece about the zombie apocalypse, being sort of placed inside the Something Wicked universe and the second half is stand alone songs, ones that have their own subject matter. It’s all very dark and very heavy, we’re really proud of it.”
“Plagues Of Babylon” will also be released on vinyl, prompting a discussion:
“It’s something that a lot of people are holding onto again, I have a bit of a vinyl collection myself – you get more artwork on that kinda stuff, you can see more detail. You get picture discs, the sound is pretty cool, I think some people are getting back into it.”
On Stu‘s future, when asked if he had other plans as well as his role in ICED EARTH, he said:
The recordings for the new album from TIMO TOLKKI’S AVALON began in late November at East Sounds Studios in Helsinki, Finland with drum recordings from original STRATOVARIUS drummer and Tolki’s former bandmate, Tuomo Lassila.
In addition, original Stratovarius keyboardist Antti Ikonen has joined the line-up. He played all keyboards on the classic Stratovarius albums such as Fright Night, Twilight Time, Dreamspace and Fourth Dimension. The album is the first time Tolkki, Lassila and Ikonen have worked together since 1995.
Tolkki: “It is incredibly refreshing to create and play new music with his old friends and that the spirit and the atmosphere has been absolutely great and positive!”
Tolkki has just checked in from the studio and talks about the guitars and recording equipment being used:
Fans can follow the progress of the making of the album, including writing and recording sessions and special cameos from the musicians and singers involved, from the new website this location.
The confirmed cast of musicians/singers is once again full of internationally acclaimed artists including NIGHTWISH/REVAMP singer FloorJansen and Simone Simons of EPICA fame.
A European Tour is being planned for May to coincide with the release of the album. More details on the live lineup and dates will be revealed later.
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video