MICHAEL SCHENKER

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Ronnie Romero & Loudness Akira Takasaki To Guest On New Michael Schenker Fest Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 28, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Michael-SCHENKER

Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to legendary guitarist Michael Schenker. Schenker spoke about his upcoming new Michael Schenker Fest studio album the musical direction and guests, the second leg of the tour that is beginning in April 2019, the sad passing of his drummer Ted Mckenna and comments on his and his brother Rudolf relationship.

Watch the interview here:

When asked about the sad passing of drummer Ted Mckenna
“Our dear friend and great drummer Robert McKenna had passed away on the 19th of January this year. So as you know we were in the middle of recording our second album and getting ready for the tour. I mean, it was as unbelievable shock for us. It just shows you, you never know what’s gonna happen next, it’s just unbelievable but I’m sure he is watching and wants us to carry on rocking. I went to his funeral on the 19th of February, very sad, great loss, thank you for everything Ted. So now we have drummer Simon Phillips who helped us and recorded ten songs off our new album and Bodo Schopf will also be joining us on tour as a permanent drummer. We might even end up playing with two drummers in the future at some places maybe. Simon did a fantastic job on the new album which will be released on the 23rd of August and Bodo also played 3 songs on the album and did a fantastic job. ”

When asked about the musical direction of the new album and if it is completed
“I actually have just got the master right now, so basically if I approve the master today and if I don’t make any corrections it’s done. After the first album Graham Bonnet said I want to write my own lyrics and do my own vocals and so he did and he did a fantastic job, incredible. That alone gives the album a kind of new flavor. Robin McAuley will do his own songs and of course Gary Barden will too. It’s a continuation of the first album. ”

When asked if there will be any news guests on the new album
“Yes, I don’t know how much I can say but on the 23rd of August we have some really cool surprises coming up. On Michael Voss wrote 4 song that was supposed to be used as the all singer songs but only used three, he then had this idea to have Ronnie Romero to sing on the 4th song, who he worked with before and who sings for Ritchie Blackmore and it turned out fantastic, incredibles. It’s Called, We Are The Voice.’ I also wanted to put a Japanese guitarist on our Japanese album bonus track for Japan. So I chose the guitarist of Loudness Akira Takasaki he is jamming on one part of the song. ”

When asked what would it take to make peace with his brother Rudolf
“It has nothing do with peace Rudolf is dangerous for me I have to stay away from him, it’s the only thing I can do, he’s a bully and he takes advantage of his little brother.
What do you do if you have a bully on your back? The best you can do is stay away I have no bad feelings or anything for Rudolf god bless him do what you do. I don’t need to put myself into a vulnerable situation and that’s what I would do if I would connect with him, it would just be the more of the same bullshit, more off the same ripoff, He’s a charming person he achieves everything with charm but I’m an artist so whatever. So the best thing for me is to leave him alone and I am better off. ”

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalists Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet, Doogie White, plus Robin McAuley of the MCAULEY SCHENKER GROUP

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST will kick off its U.S. tour on April 15 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The trek will include performances in Vancouver, Chicago, and New York before concluding on May 18 in Austin.

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MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST Currently Working On Second Album + Announcing New Drummer

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 16, 2019
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Michael-SCHENKER

Following the release of their successful first album “Resurrection”, MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST is currently recording their second album, co-produced by Michael Schenker & Michael Voss, which is tentatively scheduled to be released in August.

The news is bittersweet as the band recently mourned the passing of beloved MSF drummer Ted Mckenna.

Michael comments, “We are totally heartbroken to hear about Ted McKenna – our amazing drummer and dearest friend – passing away. It’s a massive shock and a huge loss to lose Ted so suddenly. He always had a smile on his face and was one of the most sincerely genuine people you could ever have the pleasure of meeting. One of the great rock drummers, he always played from the heart and his heart was music. Rest in peace Ted, we will miss you.”

Today, the band also announced they will be welcoming back Simon Philipps and Bodo Schopf – who each played drums in MSG – to the MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST line-up. Simon who played on the MSG debut album will return as the main drummer on the upcoming second album. Due to his schedule, he is unable to be the live drummer for the upcoming US tour. This role will be completed by Bodo Schopf, who played on “Perfect Timing” and “Save Yourself”. With the sudden passing of Ted Mckenna, Bodo will be featured on the upcoming record but in a smaller role as he had the important job of preparing for the US tour.

Michael states, “We are very grateful to Bodo for being a team player and working out with Simon what needs to be done in order for us to continue as smooth as possible and also to Simon for helping us to make it all possible. Bodo is the perfect choice to continue as the permanent drummer for Michael Schenker Fest. It is a perfect balance between the musicians from the past. It includes everything as a family to continue MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST.”

Bodo comments, “. I am very sorry that Ted had to leave us under these tragic circumstances and I’m proud to rock for him and all the MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST fans. RIP Ted”

Order “Resurrection” physically, here: http://nblast.de/MSFResurrection
Order “Resurrection” digitally, here: http://nblast.de/MSFResurrection
Order the 12′ single ‘Warrior’ here: http://nblast.de/MSFHeartAndSoul

MICHAEL SCHENKER Singer DOOGIE WHITE Recalls IRON MAIDEN ’93 Audition

Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 17, 2018
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TheMetalVoice-DoogieWhite

Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice recently interviewed Michael Schenker singer Doogie White (Yngwie Malmsteen, Tank, Rainbow). Doogie spoke about the new album by Michael Schenker Fest, Resurrection, his audition with Iron Maiden in 1993 and his time in Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Watch the interview here:

When asked about his time in Yngwie Malmsteen and the songs he enjoyed recording
“With Yngwie it was different cause I had no heart and soul really in it, it was more about the performances live because Yngwie wrote everything. He gave me all the lines and everything to do. I liked ‘Razor Eater’, I like ‘Rise up’ very much cause it had the energy live.”

When asked about the concept of the Michael Schenker Fest on record and on tour
“It was an exciting album to do it’s an exciting concept I think it was very brave of Michael Schenker to put something like this together and to be invited to enter the party . There is lots of friendly competition between the singers although they won’t admit it. Everybody has raised the game, everybody is at the top of their game and it’s a great live rock and roll show and that makes it exciting for the audience. Some people have the new album cause it only came out the day we started so it’s gradually picking up momentum.”

When asked about his 1993 Audition with Iron Maiden to replace Bruce Dickinson
“I had sent a tape in to Iron Maiden. Dickie Dell who was the production manager was at my door and he said what are you doing, I said I am going to Scotland, he said no you are not you have an audition with Iron Maiden Monday. So Dickie Bell gave me a cassette and a letter with the lyrics I think it had about 18 songs on it, mostly from the albums ‘A Real Live One’ and ‘A Real Dead One’. Dickie picked me up and dropped me off at Steve Harris’ place. ”

“The band was set up in a circle with Nicko Mcbrain in back of me and we ran through the songs and had a cup of tea and I had a chat with Steve and I went away and that was it. We played tracks like , Be quick or Be dead, From here to Eternity, The Evil that men do and then the classics like Run to the Hills. Steve had a definite idea on where he wanted to take the band, Steve called me up a couple of weeks later and said we are giving the job to Blaze. Blaze is great he is the hardest working man in Rock and Roll and he always delivers. Steve wanted something different for the band. the easy route for Steve would have been to go get a clone from a tribute band but Steve didn’t he took a brave step and they did two great albums. but really normal services have been resumed. Even if i got the gig it would have ended up the same.”

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST To Tour North America

Posted by tarjavirmakari on February 4, 2018
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

MichaelSchenkerFest-2018

Few rock guitarists have proven to be as influential and enduring as the great Michael Schenker. And March will be a busy month for Schenker, as he will be issuing his latest album on the 2nd, ‘Resurrection’, as well as launching a North American tour in support of it – kicking off on the 6th at the Fillmore in Silver Springs, MD, and wrapping up on April 3rd at the Ritz in Tampa, FL.

And what makes this tour truly unique is that it is being billed as “Michael Schenker Fest”, and will be featuring three classic Michael Schenker Group vocalists (Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, and Robin McAuley), plus the singer of Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock (Doogie White). And in addition to Schenker supplying guitar, he will be joined by second guitarist/keyboardist Steve Mann, bassist Chris Glen, and drummer Ted McKenna. Meet and greet packages are also available for purchase via michaelschenkerfest.com.

Michael Schenker Fest Resurrection Cover

First bursting on the scene in the early ‘70s with the Scorpions, the German guitarist and his seemingly always present Flying V were also a crucial reason in UFO becoming one of the world’s top rock bands that same decade (on the strength of such classic recordings as 1977’s Lights Out, 1978’s Obsession, and 1979’s Strangers in the Night), as well as supplying guitar on a Scorpions album that made important inroads into the American market (1979’s Lovedrive). But since 1980, Schenker has been best known for his work with MSG – including such further classic recordings as 1980’s self-titled debut (featuring Barden), 1982’s Assault Attack (featuring Bonnet), and 1987’s Perfect Timing (featuring McAuley).

And soon, lucky North American fans will get the chance to experience all eras of MSG, on a nearby concert stage!

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

03/06/2018  The Fillmore – Silver Springs, MD
03/07/2018  Carnegie Music Hall – Munhall, PA
03/09/2018  Berklee Performance Center – Boston, MA
03/10/2018  Irving Plaza – New York, NY
03/11/2018  Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
03/12/2018  Club Soda – Montreal, QC CANADA
03/14/2018  Royal Oak Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
03/16/2018  Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH
03/17/2018  Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
03/18/2018  Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI
03/19/2018  Cabooze – Minneapolis, MN
03/22/2018  Neptune – Theatre Seattle, WA
03/24/2018  Events Center – San Jose, CA
03/25/2018  The Grove – Anaheim, CA
03/26/2018  Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
03/27/2018  House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
03/29/2018  Cervantes Ballroom – Denver, CO
03/31/2018  Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX
04/01/2018  Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
04/03/2018  The Ritz – Tampa, FL

Michael Schenker Invites Phil Mogg UFO & Klaus Meine SCORPIONS To Join Schenker Fest

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 21, 2018
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

TheMetalVoice-MichaelSchenker

Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to guitar legend Michael Schenker (UFO, Scorpions, MSG). Schenker spoke about his new Album, Michael Schenker Fest ‘Resurrection’ featuring 4 singers of his past Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley and Doogie White. with guest appearances by METALLICA’s Kirk Hammett and Wayne Findlay , which will be available March 2 2018 on Nuclear Blast.

Watch the interview here:

Schenker also spoke about how his brother Rudolf Schenker from the Scorpions has mistreating him and explains Graham Bonnet departure from the band during the Assault Attack era after exposing his penis on stage

When asked about the idea to do a Michael Schenker Fest Album featuring all four singers from his different eras
“I had the idea of getting all these different lineups that I created over the years putting it all together and creating something very powerful. We have four singers, four completely different voices on one album. For the hard core fans it must be amazing to time travel and go from 1980 to today and hear these different voices. For myself I find it very entertaining especially hearing songs where they all sing together like the song Warrior.”

When asked about Graham Bonnet’s firing during the Assault Attack era, when Bonnet exposed his penis on stage
“I didn’t fire him. I really never fired anybody. With Graham it was the most unusual thing that ever happened in my life. We made a great record which became a musicians favorite, with a fantastic rhythm section and a fantastic vocalist a great chemistry. We were on stage in Sheffield, England starting our set and 15 minuted into the set I’m playing a solo and when I look to the center of the stage Graham was gone. Apparently he exposed himself . I don’t know what happened and I never tried to find out why he was gone and we had a Reading Festival coming up and so we asked Gary Barden if he could come back. ” (Bonnet has told The Metal Voice he was fired by Management )

When asked if he would ever reunite with UFO?
“Maybe Phil Mogg would be available in singing a few songs off ‘Strangers in the night’ with the Michael Schenker Fest for the 30 year anniversary of the album on some festivals. And maybe Klaus Meine from the Scorpions would consider at some point showing up at the Schenker Fest in 2019 singing my first ever written song ‘In Search of Pieces of Mind’ off the Lonesome Crow Scorpions album. ”

When asked if he was still upset at his brother Rudolf Schenker after the re-release box set of the Scorpions Lovedrive album
“My brother is a cheat. I stay away from him. Disrespectful disgracefully and let him be who he wants to be . I just cant trust him and I just stay away from him as far as I can because he rips me off whenever he can. He copied everything I did . If he wants some goodness to come out of it he has to clean his side of the street that’s up to him. Klaus Meine (Scorpions) is pure soul he is the only artist in the band, he is carrying the whole Scorpions. My sister said to me Rudolf is a greedy Wanker it raised concern and when they approached me with a 2015 Scorpions re-issue of Lovedrive and presented a completely false bio for the album I was very disappointed. The lied about everything. I was the one who helped them out and opened the doors for America for the Scorpions. It wasn’t therm helping me. I had a contract for Lovedrive as a six member of the band, there should have been a picture in there of me, they should have mentioned I wrote the intro to Holiday and the song Coast to Coast which I gave him my writing credits to Rudolf. Why does Rudolf play a Black and white guitar why does he dye his hair white? Rudolf was pretending to be me. Do you think Rudolf gives anybody his share in songwriting ? Rudolf Schenker is a desperate wanna be who rips his brother off. Rudolf cannot play guitar believe me.”

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST: Release Video And First Single; Album Announcement

Posted by aliblackdiamond on December 1, 2017
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Michael Schenker is one of the most significant rock guitarists in the history of music. He has mesmerised the rock community since the 70’s with his characteristic guitar play and constructed himself a monument during his time in UFO by writing hits like ‘Doctor Doctor’ and ‘Rock Bottom‘, as well as SCORPIONS classics such as ‘Lovedrive‘, ‘Coast To Coast’ and ‘Holiday‘, among others. His playing has influenced several generations of guitar players enormously.

Back in 1979, the “German Wunderkind” decided to be his own boss. He founded the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP aka M.S.G. and released the masterpieces “Assault Attack” and “Built To Destroy”, the live legacy “One Night At Budokan” as well as the McAULEY SCHENKER GROUP pearls “Perfect Timing” and “Save Yourself”. M.S.G. also became the home of great vocalists, most notably Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet (ex-RAINBOW etc.) and Robin McAuley. Those guys were also a part of the comprehensive MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST, whose celebrated Tokyo show was released as live CD, DVD and Blu-ray this March recently passed.

Now the time has come for Michael Schenker to move another step forward: he fulfils the long-awaited dream of all hard rock fans by announcing a new MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST studio album. Along with producer Michael Voss-Schoen, the band recently completed the recordings for the record, entitled “Resurrection”, out on March 2, 2018, on Nuclear Blast Records. Besides Michael Schenker and the three M.S.G. singers Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley, you can also hear Doogie White (Michael Schenker’s TEMPLE OF ROCK) as well as musicians Steve Mann (guitars, keyboards), Ted McKenna (drums) and Chris Glen (bass). In addition, there are also some guest appearances from Kirk Hammett, Wayne Findlay and Michael Voss-Schoen included.

Today, the band releases their new digital single ‘Warrior’ as well as a video including some impressions of the studio recording process. Watch this clip, here:

Get ‘Warrior’ digitally, here.

‘Warrior’ is one of two album tracks on which all of the four lead singers appear. It was composed by Michael Schenker, the lyrics were written by Michael Voss-Schoen.

“When Michael Voss-Schoen showed me his lyrical and vocals ideas, it instantly came to my mind that all four singers should be involved”, Michael Schenker looks back and adds: “I’m really fascinated by the result. It’s really interesting how the different voices complement each other. ‘Warrior’ is really heavy but at the same time ear-friendly and catchy!”

“Michael Schenker played the basic riff of the track to me and I immediately had the expression ‘Warrior’ pop into my mind. On the next day, the first raw version of the song was created; my vision was to let the four voices sound like the four musketeers!” comments Michael Voss-Schoen.

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST – Tour Dates 2018: 

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST
featuring 3 original M.S.G. singers Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley plus Doogie White (ex-RAINBOW, Michael Schenker’s TEMPLE OF ROCK)

03/06  USA     Silver Springs, MD – The Fillmore
03/07  USA     Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Music Hall
03/09  USA     Boston, MA – Berklee Performance Center
03/10  USA     New York, NY – Irving Plaza
03/11  USA     Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
03/12  CDN     Montreal, QC – Club Soda
03/14  USA     Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
03/16  USA     Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
03/17  USA     Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
03/18  USA     Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
03/19  USA     Minneapolis, MN – Cabooze
03/22  USA     Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
03/24  USA     San Jose, CA – Events Center
03/25  USA     Anaheim, CA – The Grove
03/26  USA     Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theatre
03/27  USA     Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
03/29  USA     Denver, CO – Cervantes Ballroom
03/31  USA     San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center
04/01  USA     Dallas, TX – Bomb Factory
04/03  USA     Tampa, FL – The Ritz

Meet & Greets: www.michaelschenkerfest.com

More info:
www.michaelschenkerhimself.com
www.facebook.com/michaelschenkerrocks
www.twitter.com/MW_Schenker
www.nuclearblast.de/michaelschenkerfest