Source: Blabbermouth.net
German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS have made their official Christmas cards available via the band’s webstore. Each package contains six cellophane wrapped A5 cards, with envelopes. The inside reads, “Hope Your Christmas Rocks Like A Hurricane” and the cards feature a SCORPIONS logo on the reverse.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS opened the ski season earlier today (Saturday, December 1) at Ischgl in the Austrian Tirol by taking part in the legendary “Top Of The Mountain Concert” following in the footsteps of the likes of global super stars such as Elton John, Katy Perry and Rihanna.
Video footage of the pre-show press conference, as well as a German-language interview with SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker, can be seen below.
The festival opening week in Ischgl kicked off on November 23 and throughout the week there were various open-air concerts and entertainment, as well as the top class skiing, on offer.
During the festival opening week, a total of four concerts featuring international acts took place and admission was free for all those with a valid ski pass.
As well as the live music on offer, snow sports enthusiasts could enjoy freshly groomed slopes over 238 kilometres at altitudes with guaranteed snow all the way into the Swiss Samnaun region.
According to TMZ.com, SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak and his ex-wife are involved in a bitter custody dispute over their teenage son.
Kottak filed legal documents this month asking the court to change a decision that was made in July that awarded Athena Lee — MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee‘s sister — primary custody of their 15-year-old son and ordered him to pay more than $3,000 a month in child and spousal support.
In his request to modify an existing child custody order, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Kottak claims their son has been living with him since January of this year after the teenager had a falling out with his mother. Kottak also says Athena has been through several rehab stints for alcohol addiction.
The musician — who was married to Athena from 1996 to 2010 — says he should be granted primary physical custody, with Athena getting visitation rights. He also wants the court to reduce his child support payments.
Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, lists his income at $12,000 month but indicates that this could change because his contract with the band has yet to be renewed.
For her part, Athena — an acclaimed drummer in her own right who was a member of Kottak‘s band KOTTAK (formerly KRUNK) for a number of years — claims that she’s been sober since January 13, 2012 and is allowing her son to live with Kottak so he can stay in his school district.
“He’s trying everything he can to knock me down,” Athena says, adding, “It’s only about the money to James.”
The couple has three children; one girl, Tobi, and two boys, Miles and Matthew.
Athena, who is one of the stars of the new reality series “Ex-Wives Of Rock” on the Canadian network Slice, said in a promotional clip for the show, “Marrying a musician is not a bad idea — it’s the worst idea ever.” She also described her marriage to Kottak as “miserable.”
Video below: Athena Lee introduction video from “Ex-Wives Of Rock”:
Video below: James Kottak and Athena Lee interviewed together in May 2010 in Berlin, Germany during a KOTTAK European tour:
Pictured below: James and Athena at NAMM in 2009:
Source: Blabbermouth.net
German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS took part in a press conference on September 16 at Hotel Bourbon in Asunción, Paraguay. You can now watch video footage of the question-and-answer session below.
As previously reported, SCORPIONS‘ September 18 concert at Jockey Club in Asuncion was postponed due to a severe storm that claimed at least five lives and caused havoc in the capital and in several regions of the country.
Over 16,000 tickets were reportedly sold for the outdoor show, which was called off two songs into support band STEINKRUG‘s set.
The band and the promoters are reportedly hoping to reschedule the concert for sometime in October.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Fan-filmed video footage of SCORPIONS‘ July 7 concert at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York can be seen below.
The band’s setlist was as follows:
01. Sting In The Tail
02. Make It Real
03. Is There Anybody There?
04. The Zoo
05. Coast To Coast
06. Loving You Sunday Morning
07. Rhythm Of Love
08. Wind Of Change
09. Holiday
10. Raised On Rock
11. Tease Me Please Me
12. Hit Between The Eyes
13. Kottak Attack
14. Blackout
15. Six String Sting
16. Big City Nights
Encore:
17. Still Loving You
18. No One Like You
19. Rock You Like a Hurricane
SCORPIONS spent the first three months of this year in the studio with producers Mikael “Nord” Andersson and Martin Hansen resurrecting a dozen unfinished songs from what some people believe was the band’s best and most creative period — leftovers from the albums “Blackout” (1982), “Love At First Sting” (1984), “Savage Amusement” (1988) and “Crazy World” (1990) — for an album that is tentatively scheduled for release in 2013.
“We will dig in again and maybe have a selection of 16 to 18 songs and pick the best 12 from those,” Jabs tells Billboard.com. “It’s actually very good material.” He adds, “We’re doing it the way we are recording albums today, but the basic ideas, the riffs, the feel, the way they were written and arranged, we try to keep as much from the old recordings as possible. Thirty years later no one would come up with these ideas we came up with when we were younger, so we want to keep that spirit in there.”
According to Jabs, the idea for the project “came from the fans. They were the ones saying, ‘There must be some extra material from those days,’ and they were right,” he says.
The guitarist recently told ArizonaRepublic.com about the project, “There’s so much strong material, but it hasn’t ever been finished, especially the lyrics. They’re like ‘Blah blah blah blah blah.’ It was recorded like you would record a demo, no click track, anything. But the vibe is great because it’s from the time when we were starting out. Everything I played back then, I remember when I found a new riff, I would get excited. It’s slightly different today because I know it all. I’ve heard it all. So it’s much harder to get excited about the simplest or sometimes half-genius riff. But there was a definite spark in those old recordings and the idea is to redo them with today’s technology and take it further as a tribute to the fans.”
Source: Blabbermouth.net
German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS spent the first three months of this year in the studio with producers Mikael “Nord” Andersson and Martin Hansen resurrecting a dozen unfinished songs from what some people believe was the band’s best and most creative period — leftovers from the albums “Blackout” (1982), “Love At First Sting” (1984), “Savage Amusement” (1988) and “Crazy World” (1990) — for an album that is tentatively scheduled for release in 2013.
“We will dig in again and maybe have a selection of 16 to 18 songs and pick the best 12 from those,” Jabs tells Billboard.com. “It’s actually very good material.” He adds, “We’re doing it the way we are recording albums today, but the basic ideas, the riffs, the feel, the way they were written and arranged, we try to keep as much from the old recordings as possible. Thirty years later no one would come up with these ideas we came up with when we were younger, so we want to keep that spirit in there.”
According to Jabs, the idea for the project “came from the fans. They were the ones saying, ‘There must be some extra material from those days,’ and they were right,” he says.
The guitarist recently told ArizonaRepublic.com about the project, “There’s so much strong material, but it hasn’t ever been finished, especially the lyrics. They’re like ‘Blah blah blah blah blah.’ It was recorded like you would record a demo, no click track, anything. But the vibe is great because it’s from the time when we were starting out. Everything I played back then, I remember when I found a new riff, I would get excited. It’s slightly different today because I know it all. I’ve heard it all. So it’s much harder to get excited about the simplest or sometimes half-genius riff. But there was a definite spark in those old recordings and the idea is to redo them with today’s technology and take it further as a tribute to the fans.”
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 