Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon of Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet about the current AC/DC situation in regards to the rumors of Brian Johnson potentially retiring from the band and who would make a vocalist good fill in on the remaining rescheduled tour dates.
Sweet told The Metal Voice,”First of all, you can’t replace Brian Johnson they have been at it so long they are so classic, they are legendary. I see it as why would you even want to do that? But at the same time, if the other guys want to continue on, they have lives they have a career, why shouldn’t they be allowed to do so. I don’t think you can replace Brian Johnson because but let’s just say Brian can’t tour and the guys decide to replace him and he is in agreement with it and it works out . So the question is at that point in time who? I think there are only a few guys who can pull it off. The guy from Krokus (Marc Storace) yeah no doubt about it, he’s got that vibe, he’s got that tone and he’s got that persona when you see him perform on stage he can fit in right there with AC/DC. The other guy that I think is brilliant, I was floored when I saw him live at Eddie Trunk’s event, I performed with him, the singer for Accept (Mark Tornillo), he is phenomenal he would tear up the AC/DC stuff.”
All Day and All Night Long is a documentary tour diary on Graham Bonnet(former lead Singer of Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group and Alcatrazz) and his newly assembled Graham Bonnet Band, it follows the band in the studio, at rehearsals and on their first proper tour of the U.K.
A multi-part diary covering the band’s experiences as the tour progresses and unfolds. The documentary tour diary is produced by filmmaker Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice and manager Giles Lavery of The Graham Bonnet Band.
Part 4 concludes the multi- part documentary you can watch the whole documentary below:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part Four finds the band in a few Spinal Tap moments; the band’s van trapped in mud at the side of the highway halfway to Newcastle and stuck in an elevator at Sheffield 02 Academy.
In Manchester, Graham Bonnet apologizes on stage for exposing himself on stage when fronting the M.S.G. band in 1982 which got him fired. “I just wasn’t very respectful of the audience or my penis”. The documentary also includes an interview with an audience member who was an eye witness of the whole M.S.G. incident back in 1982.
On their final tour date in London, Bonnet meets up with long time collaborator and English Singer Songwriter Russ Ballard (Rainbow, Kiss, Roger, Daltrey Ace Frehley etc..)
The lineup and camera crew includes Graham Bonnet, guitarist extraordinaire Conrado Pesinato, bassist Beth-Ami Heavenstone and former FATES WARNING, WARLORD drummer Mark Zonder, and Manager Giles Lavery
GRAHAM BONNET BAND’s new album, which will be made available later in the year via Frontiers Music Srl, will also include a bonus disc of brand new recordings of classic songs from the Graham Bonnet repertoire.
“All Day and All Night Long” is a documentary tour diary on Graham Bonnet (former lead Singer of Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group and Alcatrazz) and his newly assembled Graham Bonnet Band, it follows the band in the studio, at rehearsals and on their first proper tour of the U.K.
A multi-part diary covering the band’s experiences as the tour progresses and unfolds. The documentary tour diary is produced by Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice and Giles Lavery from The Graham Bonnet band.
Part 3 now available:
Also check out:
Part 1
Part 2
In part 3, Graham Bonnet returns back to his place of Birth in Skegness, England for a home coming show at ‘The Skycastle’ where he last played the venue 49 years ago. While in Skegness, Bonnet visits his parent’s resting place, his former band mates and his relatives.
While on tour in Glasgow, Scotland Bonnet salutes former Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain who recently passed away,” I’d like to say something, you lost one of your fellow countrymen, Jimmy Bain and I would like to salute him, a former member of Rainbow.”
In Newcastle, during a radio interview Bonnet states,” I started in 1968 that is my age now 68. It’s been a long trip, to see musical styles change, I’ve been through every kind of era and picked up a little bit of every era and added to my music now.”
Bonnet also tells the tale of when he got fired from The Michael Schenker Group after one show for exposing his penis on stage, in Sheffield U.K. in 1982, “my penis came out of my pants, I encouraged it, it was bit like getting a turtle out of a shell and I swung it.”
The lineup and camera crew includes Graham Bonnet, guitarist extraordinaire Conrado Pesinato, bassist Beth-Ami Heavenstone and former FATES WARNING, WARLORD drummer Mark Zonder, and Manager Giles Lavery
GRAHAM BONNET BAND’s new album, which will be made available later in the year via Frontiers Music Srl, will also include a bonus disc of brand new recordings of classic songs from the Graham Bonnet repertoire.
All Day and All Night Long is a documentary tour diary on GRAHAM BONNET(former lead Singer of Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group and Alcatrazz) and his newly assembled GRAHAM BONNET BAND, it follows the band in the studio, at rehearsals and on their first proper tour of the U.K.
A multi-part diary covering the band’s experiences as the tour progresses and unfolds. The documentary tour diary is produced by Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voiceand Giles Lavery from The GRAHAM BONNET BAND.
Part 2 is now Streaming here:
Also check out the Part 1:
In Part 2 Graham Bonnet responds to Ritchie Blackmore’s statements in regards to his Rainbow days when Blackmore tried to stop Bonnet from cutting his hair by guarding his hotel door, claiming Bonnet escaped by the back window and purposely cut his hair. Bonnet had this to say,” That never happened, basically my hair was all long in the back, I didn’t like having little straggly bits sticking out. It was untidy, so I decided one afternoon in Edinburgh I think it was, with my then wife, should we go for a walk in the city I’ll go and get a haircut while we are doing that, there was no guard on the door. I didn’t go out the bathroom window, that never happened, I just walked out of the hotel. I can’t understand why Ritchie is still talking about it, it was not meant to be anything but just a damn haircut, I would never do anything to sabotage the show or upset him in any way.”
Ritchie Blackmore in his documentary ‘The Ritchie Blackmore Story’ said
“Graham Bonnet kept threatening to have his haircut really short and we go that’s not going to work with the fans in 1979-80 everybody liked long hair, rough. So we got Colin Hart in the room next to him you make sure he did not leave his room and go out and get his hair cut, it’s getting kind of longer now and he looks now more for our audience. Colin goes leave it to me, he won’t get past me. So what happens, Colin calls me up. Oh no!, guess what? Bonnet got out the back window, he got into a taxi and got his haircut. I was seething.”
Part 2 highlights include, a visit to Cozy Powell’s memorial Plaque in Cirencestor, England and their first tour date at the Giants of Rock Festival at Minehead.
The lineup and camera crew includes Graham Bonnet, guitarist extraordinaire Conrado Pesinato, bassist Beth-Ami Heavenstone and former FATES WARNING, WARLORD drummer Mark Zonder, and Manager Giles Lavery
GRAHAM BONNET BAND’s new album, which will be made available later in the year via Frontiers Music Srl, will also include a bonus disc of brand new recordings of classic songs from the Graham Bonnet repertoire.
9 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds, UK
10 – Rebellion Bar – Manchester, UK
11 – 02 Academy 2 – Liverpool, UK
12 – Slade Rooms – Wolverhampton, UK
13 – Waterfront – Norwich, UK
16 – The Haunt – Brighton, UK
17 – Sin City – Swansea, UK
18 – Talking Heads – Southhampton, UK
19 – Bierkeller – Bristol, UK
20 – 02 Academy 2 – Islington London, UK
Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Steve “Lips” Kudlow vocalist and guitarist of the legendary Canadian band Anvil. Lips spoke about their new album, “Anvil is Anvil”, the firing of bassist Sal Italiano, their tribute song to Lemmy and Motorhead and the bands momentum and success after their 2006 documentary.
When asked about if the musical direction of Anvil is Anvil vs their last album Hope in Hell
“We wouldn’t have called it Anvil is Anvil if it would have changed. Its not really a change, its not off the trail.It’s what we have been doing all along and just maybe a little more focused, maybe it will become some people’s favorite Anvil album.”
When asked about the firing of bassist Sal Italinao and the hiring of Chris Robertson
“Basically what happened was, it was made obvious to him we didn’t need him anymore. On the last tour he did we brought Chris with us just to be the roadie. Chris was doing sound checks and it sounded better than it did with Sal and Sal felt like what the F**K am I am doing here and at the end of the tour he quit. You gottta understand we hired Sal in an emergency. So we hired an old friend and it wasn’t a permanent situation. Rehearsing without a bass player is no fun. Sal lived in New York city which is too far to rehearse. So we no choice but to get a bass player in Canada.”
When asked about the song ‘It’s your Move’ a tribute to Motorhead and the passing of his friend Lemmy
The song was done more in the level of hope that Lemmy would get to hear the song rather than I’m doing it cause he was going to die, I wasn’t thinking he was going to die. It seemed like he was going to go on forever, but unfortunately that was not the case.
Lemmy was a great guy I’m gonna miss him. It is a real hole in the fabric, no replacing that such a magical man
When asked if the interest in the band has diminished post 2006 documentary
The interest has not changed. I really don’t think so and in fact, more people have seen the movie since. We have an endless amount of work out there. Theoretically we are going to be playing until I die. I can make a living playing in Anvil for the rest of my life.
When asked about their continued success of the documentary
Anvil were an inspiration to Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica, we were one of their favorite bands we still are one of their favorite bands. You can’t hire Lars Ulrich (Metallica) to sit in on your documentary and say those things, he did for free.
Watch the Interview here:
‘Anvil is Anvil that will be released on February 26, 2016 on Steelhammer
Michael Sweet of STRYPER joined The Metal Voice in reviewing the new 2 hour and 11 minute concept album by DREAM THEATER entitled “The Astonishing”.
Sweet tells The Metal Voice,”What is incredible about Dream Theater and they show it so well on this album is everybody is playing for the song. They have all these parts worked out. That is musical thinking from another world. The time changes and the note changes, the chord changes, its insanity, it’s unbelievable. It just shows you the talent of this band.”
“It’s almost like when you read the bible you can read it a hundred times and continue to get something out of it each time you read through it, that is how this album is. You can listen to this album a hundred times and you are always going to hear new things, there is do much depth.”
Michael Sweet goes on to tell The Metal Voice that he will begin a short acoustic solo tour in the first week of February in the US and is just almost finsihed his new solo album which will be coming out on Rat Pack Records in May or June 2016.
4 – Southbridge, MA – Cannery Music Hall
5 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
6 – Elmhurst, NY – Blackhorn 51
March
26 – Valdosta, GA – The Salty Snapper
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Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
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