HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES have unveiled a new video for the song “Heroes”, taken from the band’s second album “Rise”, coming out on June 21st on earMUSIC as CD Digipak, 2LP+Download and Digital.
Watch “Heroes” here:
“Rise” is some of the purest, unapologetic and most enjoyable rock and roll of the year, made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form. Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album “Rise” consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, again beautifully performed on record by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died,” and Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” sung by Joe Perry. Produced by Tommy Henriksen and the Hollywood Vampires, “Rise” is set to the most anticipated rock albums of 2019 will be released on June 21st, 2019 on earMUSIC as CD Digipak, 2LP+Download and Digital.
Also watch “The Boogieman Surprise” live video here:
Fresh off a triumphant seven-city North America tour this week, which included a stop at the famous Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES have unveiled the brand new song “The Boogieman Surprise”. At the aforementioned L.A. performance, Steven Tyler, the Aerosmith frontman and long-time musical partner of Joe Perry, turned up for a guest appearance, as did Marilyn Manson. Johnny Depp took lead vocals on Bowie’s “Heroes” and the “world’s most expensive bar band,” as proclaimed by Alice Cooper, delivered a live master class of rock ‘n’ roll, which included their newest track “The Boogieman Surprise.”
The song has been part of the band’s live set since the 2018 world tour and is a highlight of every Hollywood Vampires live show. Written by the band, it features the undeniable chemistry between rock and roll royalty Perry, Hollywood superstar Depp and shock rock icon Cooper. A laid back groove, grinding guitars, and smooth strings create an epic, ominous, outsider anthem with Cooper’s vocal sounding as fierce as ever. Their stage telepathy is showcased in the accompanying live video, filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival 2018.
WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO TO “THE BOOGIEMAN SURPRISE” HERE:
“Rise”, the band’s 2nd album, is some of the purest, unapologetic and most enjoyable rock and roll of the year, made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form.
Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album “Rise” consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, again beautifully performed on record by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died,” and Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” sung by Joe Perry.
Produced by Tommy Henriksen and the Hollywood Vampires, “Rise” is set to the most anticipated rock albums of 2019 will be released on June 21st, 2019 on earMUSIC as CD Digipak, 2LP+Download and Digital.
THE HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES return with new music from their explosive second album, “Rise”. Rock and roll royalty Joe Perry, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp and shock rock icon Alice Cooper join forces once again for the unmissable rock album of 2019.
Seconds into the opening track “I Want My Now,” it’s clear this supergroup has created something special – the chemistry between the individuals is unmistakeable when they come together on stage or in the recording studio. Forget the star-studded lineup’s individual reputations, “Rise” is some of the purest, unapologetic and most enjoyable rock and roll of the year, made by masters of the craft and true fans of the form.
Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album “Rise” consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, beautifully performed by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band’s “People Who Died,” and Johnny Thunder’s “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” sung by Joe Perry. Raucous rock anthems like “The Boogieman Surprise” and “Who’s Laughing Now” (the first single from the new album), capture the natural, raw, celebratory attitude of Hollywood Vampires displayed in their rowdy shows around the world. But the album shows off their range as well with tracks like “We Gotta Rise” – a tongue-in-cheek politics song in the the tradition of Alice’s “Elected” – to the psychedelic gothic epic of “Mr. Spider.”
“‘Rise‘ is not only a totally different animal than the first Vampires album, it is unique to anything I’ve ever been a part of. I approached it very differently than I usually do when working on an album. Each of us; Joe, Johnny, Tommy and myself have written songs on this album. What is different though is that I didn’t try to change any songs to be more “Alice-like.” Because each of us has different influences, the sound of this album is very cool. I think that with this album, we are establishing what the Vampires’ sound really is, whereas with the first album we were more tipping our hats to our fallen rock n roll brothers.” – Alice Cooper
“’Rise’ came from pure creative energy, which is just like playing live with the Vampires. The record showcases everyone doing what they do best without anyone looking over our shoulders. There was no pressure or deadlines, allowing us to write and record an album that is one of the freest and most honest sounding records I’ve been part of. I can’t wait to perform some of these tunes live for our fans.” – Joe Perry
earMUSIC, the global independent rock label of Edel Germany GmbH, is proud to announce the worldwide signing of Hollywood Vampires. Following the release of Alice Cooper’s 2017 studio album “Paranormal” on earMUSIC, his best chart-performing work in decades, the label is proud to welcome the band to their family.
WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO TO “WHO’S LAUGHING NOW” HERE:
Produced by Tommy Henriksen and the Hollywood Vampires, “Rise” will be released on June 21st, 2019 on earMUSIC as CD Digipak, 2LP+Download and Digital.
1. I Want My Now
2. Good People Are Hard To Find
3. Who’s Laughing Now
4. How The Glass Fell
5. The Boogieman Surprise
6. Welcome To Bushwackers (feat. Jeff Beck & John Waters)
7. The Wrong Bandage
8. You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory
9. Git From Round Me
10. Heroes
11. A Pitiful Beauty
12. New Threat
13. Mr. Spider
14. We Gotta Rise
15. People Who Died
16. Congratulations
The Hollywood Vampires who previously performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Rock In Rio and the 2016 Grammy Awards in addition to hugely successful U.S. and EU/UK tours last year, will embark on a seven-date U.S. West Coast tour in May.
THE HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES ON TOUR:
5/10 – The Joint – Las Vegas, NV
5/11 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
5/12 – Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA
5/14 – The Fillmore – Denver, CO
5/16 – Sandia Resort – Albuquerque, NM
5/17 – Talking Stick Casino – Scottsdale, AZ
5/18 – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino – Indio, CA
MOTÖRHEAD icon Lemmy was remembered at last night’s Grammy’s when Alice Cooper’s HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES played ‘Ace Of Spades’ to a surprised pop and rap audience in Los Angeles, reports classicrock.com. Check out a video below (not good sound quality):
The explosive tribute came after Alabama Shakes won four gongs. They took home Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for ‘Don’t Wanna Fight’ – which they played live during the ceremony – plus Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-classical) for “Sound & Color”.
GHOST were named winners of the Best Metal Performance Award for “Cirice”, while Muse won Best Rock Album for “Drones”.
Dave Grohl introduced the Hollywood Vampires’ TV debut by saying: “Many of us play rock’n’roll but a rare few among us are rock’n’roll. Lemmy was rock’n’roll. He was a rebel, an outsider, one of a kind, and a way of life. He was Motorhead. He was a legend and I was proud to call him my friend.”
Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan then hit the stage, performing ‘Ace Of Spades’ in front of a bass rig featuring Lemmy’s trademark high mic stand and cowboy hat and bass. They appeared to have won over much of the bemused audience by the end of their short set.
Alabama Shakes bandleader Brittany Howard admitted it had been a “crazy” night for her, adding: “What an honour. We never even dreamed of this moment. When we started this we were in high school and we just did it for fun. We never thought we’d win any recognition like this. It’s beautiful – and I promise we’re going to keep going.”
Ghost frontman Papa Emeritus said in his brief acceptance speech: “Thank you so much for this. This is a big, big thing for us, obviously. A nightmare has just turned into a dream – thank you all for that.”
Buddy Guy’s “Born To Play Guitar” was named Best Blues Album while the reissue of Roger Waters’ 1992 solo album “Amused To Death” won Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package.
Maria Schneider’s work on David Bowie’s “Sue “(Or In A Season Of Crime) won Best Arrangement while Grammy’s were also received by Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples.
The ceremony also featured the Eagles delivering a musical tribute to late colleague Glenn Frey, Lady Gaga performing in memory of David Bowie, and Gary Clark Jr, Bonnie Raitt and Chris Stapleton staging a farewell to B.B. King.
Rock-related Grammy winners 2016
Best Rock Album: Muse, Drones
Best Metal Performance: Ghost, Cirice
Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight
Best Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight
Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color
Best Blues Album: Buddy Guy, Born to Play Guitar
Best Surround Sound Album: James Guthrie and Joel Plante, Amused To Death (Roger Waters)
Best Historical Album: The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 (Bob Dylan)
Best Arrangement: Maria Schneider, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (David Bowie)
Best American Roots Performance: Mavis Staples, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Vol 2
Best Album Notes: Joni Mitchell, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: (L-R) Musicians Johnny Depp, Matt Sorum (on drum riser), Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry of music group The Hollywood Vampires perform onstage during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/WireImage)
Alice Cooper and his HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES bandmates will bring some edge to the Grammys next week with a tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and the premiere of a hard-rocking, brand new song, ‘As Bad as I Am,’ according to rollingstone.com.
“We started this band as a means to toast our ‘dead drunk friends’ at the Rainbow, all the ghosts in the bar, and now I guess Lemmy is involved in that, too,” Cooper tells Rolling Stone. The group – which includes Johnny Depp, Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry and Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan, among others – are set to perform both during the awards ceremony, which will air live on CBS on February 15th.
“Lemmy was one of those salt-of-the-earth guys,” Cooper says. “Find me somebody who didn’t love Lemmy. He’s just one of those guys that’s impossible not to like.
“He was always funny,” he continues. “I’m a ‘healed’ alcoholic and I haven’t had anything to drink in 35 years. A lot of people that drink always feel a little bit like they owe an explanation to me. A couple weeks before his death, Lemmy came up to me and said, ‘Alice, I’ve quit drinking.’ And he’s got a glass in his hand. And I go, ‘Really?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, I don’t drink whiskey anymore. I drink vodka.'” Cooper laughs. “And I went, ‘Lemmy, do you think your liver has any idea what color the alcohol is?’ He said, well it’s a step down from whiskey.’ And I went, ‘OK. Any step’s a good step.‘” He laughs.
Although Hollywood Vampires are still planning what they will do at the Grammys, Cooper wants to sing ‘Ace of Spades.’ Asked if he’d attempt to approximate Kilmister‘s gravely snarl on the song, Cooper laughs. “I might do it more ‘Alice Cooper style,’ but it would still have to have that growl, that guttural voice to make it work. I can’t picture, like, Creedence Clearwater doing that song.”
The Grammys will also serve as the first time people will hear ‘As Bad As I Am,’ which will appear as a bonus track on the upcoming deluxe edition of Hollywood Vampires‘ 2015 debut. The digital release, which will also stream on Spotify, will also contain two previously unreleased covers – the Who‘s ‘I’m a Boy’ (“I did that song once with the Who because it was so obvious for Alice Cooper to sing,” the singer says, “‘I’m a boy, I’m a boy, but my ma won’t admit it‘”) and Love’s “7 and 7 Is” (“I still have no idea what the lyrics mean,” Cooper says with a laugh, “there might have been drugs involved”) – when it comes out on February 12th.
With a scratchy guitar riff and locomotive, Aerosmith-y rhythms, ‘As Bad as I Am’ and its catchy chorus – ‘Here’s to you, as good as you are/ Here’s to me as bad as I am’ – came from Depp. “Johnny says to me, ‘My dad was a bit of a rounder, one of those guys that was in and out of trouble all the time,‘” Cooper explains. “‘During Thanksgiving or Christmas, when we’d toast, he’d say, ‘Good as you are, bad as I am.‘” Cooper laughs. “And I went, ‘Wow, that’s really good.’ That actually sounds like an old, Irish toast of some sort. So once again, almost everyone in the band is a recovered alcoholic and it refers back to alcohol.”
Beyond the theme, though, Cooper‘s just happy with the way it sounds, and he’s looking for an opportunity to share it. “I like that it’s a pure rocker,” he says. “It moves. It’s what I think rock & roll needs right now.”
ALICE COOPER feels justified in celebrating the dead members of his Hollywood Vampires drinking club – because he once came within a month of joining them, according to classicrock.teamrock.com.
The shock-rock icon has recalled how his doctor warned he only had weeks to live if he didn’t stop drinking, after he’d started throwing up blood in 1982.
Until that point he’d been the leader of the Vampires, who met in the Rainbow Bar And Grill in Hollywood and included Keith Moon, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson and others. Most of them had passed away by the time he went to the doctor.
Cooper tells Rolling Stone: “He told me, ‘If you want to join your buddies, I’ll give you another month. Just keep going how you’re going and you’ll be with them.’
“I went, ‘Uh.’ He said, ‘You have a choice of stopping or joining them.’ At that point I said, ‘I’m a little tired of this.’ I didn’t want to die.”
He adds: “I guarantee you – Steven Tyler, Ozzy, Iggy, all the guys that are still here went through that decision. That’s why we’re all still here.”
He recalls those years as “the beginning of the end of my drinking career” but argues that it’s worth marking the Hollywood Vampires era in his covers album, which features Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and others playing tracks that originally featured club members.
Cooper says: “When you’re an alcoholic, at the back of your mind you know it’s a death wish. No matter how you disguise it, every time you have another drink you’re closer to the grave.
“Being able to survive it, I felt in some way I should document it. If any guy is allowed to make an album about his dead drunk friends, it would be me.
“33 years ago I came as close to joining them as possible without doing it. I’m a survivor.”
“Hollywood Vampires” is released on September 11th and the all-star band play three shows later in the month.
