Marshall Of Rock

Rock Picks of the Week kick off with a new track from a classic artist. The new Jimi Hendrix release 'People, Hell and Angels,' will be out on March 5th, featuring 12 previously unreleased Hendrix recordings from 1968 and 1969. On 'Somewhere,' Hendrix is joined by Buddy Miles on drums and Stephen Stills on bass. Hendrix was experimenting during this period with new sounds and musical directions for 'First Rays of the New Rising Sun,' the planned double-album follow-up to Electric Ladyland. A great track from one of our musical geniuses, and it is a fantastic thing to get some unreleased music from the legend.

Something Unto Nothing (S.U.N.) is up next, with a rocking track form their forthcoming album. I'm the One', features blistering vocals from Canadian rocker and Juno winner Sass Jordan and the guitar skills from multi-instrumentalist Brian Tichy, who has played drums for Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, T&N, and more. Rounding out the band are bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake, Jason Bonham, Moby Dicks) and Tommy Stewart on Drums (Godsmack, Fuel, Lo-Pro).

The band's self-titled debut album will be released on February 5th. Tichy's recently announced he was leaving his drum duties for Whitesnake to concentrate on S.U.N.. Tichy's recent mountain bike injury, where he broke his collarbone after a fall, won't have any effect on his guitar playing for the band. Bassist Michael Devin will continue his duties when needed with Whitesnake.

Previously working together is what brought Jordan and Tichy together in collaboration of the new music. "I had played drums on Sass's 'Rats' record," explains Tichy. "I knew she was one of the best rock singers going. So after many years, we reconnected and tried a bit of writing together." Both felt that in order to write the best, trend-free music they could, they needed to get away. They chose the mountains of Canyon Country and in an old, deserted shack S.U.N. was born. "We didn't realize where we going when we started out," says Jordan. "As we continued the songwriting path from 'Burned' to 'Mobile Again' to 'Nomad' and on ... The whole thing started to take shape in the form of a '70s odyssey, a time travel trajectory."

A great new band that is all about the music, with fantastic musicianship and a classic rocking vibe. I am hoping for big things for Something Unto Nothing! They don't know where they are going, but they know they won't rest until the goal is finally realized…to become…Something Unto Nothing…

Another track from the new Lynyrd Skynyrd album, 'Last of a Dyin’ Breed,' is up next. The latest album from Skynyrd is full of fantastic music including this emotional power ballad.

'Ready to Fly' lyrically is about a man dealing with the impending death of his mother, as she faced her plight with dignity, knowing that, in Heaven, she'll be reunited with her family and friends and, most importantly, her husband who was killed in Vietnam. It is a southern rock ballad at it's best. Check out the lyric video for the track and another for Skynyrd's 'Good Teacher' from the same album below.

3 Doors Down are back with a new video for their track 'One Light,' which is featured on the band's 'The Greatest Hits' album, which is available now. The new album features 9 #1 hits remixed and remastered, with three new songs, including 'One Light' Check out the new clip and a 'making of' video for the song below.

3 Doors Down will kick off a tour with Daughtry and Aranda on Jan. 25th in Grand Prarie, Texas that will continue until May 11th in Mexico City.

'Cocaine Cowboys', the new single from Swedish rockers CRASHDÏET, is up next in the rock picks. The song comes off the band's fourth album, 'The Savage Playground', which will be released on January 25 in Europe (excluding Scandinavia) and January 22 in North America by Frontiers Records.

'The Savage Playground' was recorded during summer/autumn 2012 at Kingside Studios outside Stockholm with producer Otto Wellton. The band hopes to break through on a worldwide basis with a tour that will see the band going back to the U.S. as well as going to Japan for the first time.

The new album sees CRASHDÏET going in a heavier and direction. "'The Savage Playground' is our playground, it's the beginning and the end, it's the place where we eat and breed," says guitarist Martin Sweet. "We thought the time was right for us to do a edgier and not-so-polished-sounding album, kinda like what we sound like live. It's more organic and rough-sounding. And, of course, we're always evolving as musicians and like to try new ways of expressing ourselves, and that can most definitely be heard this album."

"The Savage Playground" track listing:
1. Change The World
2. Cocaine Cowboys
3. Anarchy
4. California
5. Lickin' Dog
6. Circus
7. Sin City
8. Got A Reason
9. Drinkin' Without You
10. Snakes In Paradise
11. Damaged Kid
12. Excited
13. Garden Of Babylon

CRASHDÏET also released a new DVD entitled 'Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild' on December 4th. The disc features three hours of live and behind-the-scenes footage complied by the band with Bear Productions.

Snakecharmer have released a video for the song "Accident Prone", the first single from their upcoming self-titled debut album.

Originally founded in 2011 by former Whitesnake members Micky Moody and Neil Murray, the Snakecharmer super-group Laurie Wisefield (ex-Wishbone Ash, Tina Turner), Harry James (Thunder), Adam Wakeman (Ozzy Osbourne) and Chris Ousey (Heartland).

The band will release their first album on January 22nd in North America (vis Frontiers Records) and January 25th.

Musically the record has been described as a finely crafted hard rock album with blues and melodic overtones, akin to Whitesnake (1979-81 era), Bad Company and with hints of early Foreigner as well.

"We've really enjoyed writing and recording the new album," says Micky Moody. Neil Murray adds, "We can't wait to get out on tour in 2013 to promote it. The songs on our debut album reflect the kind of music that the members of the band want to play, which is melodic rock with a blues influence. Each of us has played many different styles of music, and our influences are varied, but Snakecharmer originally came together to play mainly early Whitesnake songs, so that is our starting point. There wasn't a deliberate plan to write songs in a particular style; each song on the album started as a basic idea by one or two band members, and if the other guys were enthusiastic about the idea, then the song would be worked up into a finished song."

A new exhibition marking what would have been the 70th birthday of Jimi Hendrix will join previous exhibitions in London that marked anniversaries for the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd at The Hospital Club starting tomorrow (July 27). 'Hear My Train a Comin’: Hendrix Hits London' focuses on the nine months between September 1966 and June 1967 when he went from relative unknown to a superstar of the U.K. music scene.

Original blues records, fan letters, clothing and rarely seen photographs of Jimi will comprise a collection of over 100 different items. The Hospital Club will host the exhibition from from July 27th until August 31st. There will also be a video exhibition featuring Jeff Beck, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Iggy Pop, Al Hendrix, Charles Shaar Murray, Ravi Shankar and Joey Ramone to discussing the legend of Hendrix. Get more details at: www.thehospitalclub.com and see some photos from the exhibition here: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

A 304-page hardcover book featuring photos and the handwritten lyrics from Jimi Hendrix will be released on November 13th by Backbeat Books.

The book was compiled by Hendrix’s sister Janie L. Hendrix, who is the CEO of the family-run company. Janie stated, “When I was a child, I was always fascinated by my brother Jimi’s handwriting. I remember the feeling of being captivated the first time I saw his handwritten lyrics, thinking how beautiful, how complicated both the writing and the words were on paper. Even now they offer such an insight into who my brother was and is.”

Much material is handwritten on items like hotel stationary, and has never been seen publicly. The book is expected to sell for about $40.

Bob Dylan‘s influence on Hendrix will be documented in the book, and in addition to well-known songs penned by Hendrix, one will find unpublished songs from the posthumous release ‘Valley of Neptune’ and other sources.

The Isle of Wight festival last weekend promised to be one of the concert events of 2012, and despite the rain and mud, it delivered. Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, along with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band delivered memorable headlining sets, and Black Stone Cherry returned for another rocking appearance. Check out the footage below.

In case you don't know, The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island in England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–5 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent. The Isle of Wight Festival is an legendary concert experience, originating in 1968.

Here's one of my fav's Black Stone Cherry, with the only footage I've found posted of their set. VH1 Classic in the U.S. aired some of the SkyArts footage last Sunday night, but I didn't tune in early enough to see and BSC. They did show Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Pearl Jam, and much of that footage in available below as well.

Pearl Jam had an incredible set, which included many of their most well known tracks. At one point in the set, Eddie Vedder stopped down to speak about his admiration for the late Clash singer Joe Strummer and how he was on their minds as they played the festival. Vedder explained, "He would have loved this place. We were thinking about it on the way here, and sad to say, it’ll be almost 10 years in December he’s not been with us." The band then kicked into 'Arms Aloft' from Strummer’s late-in-life group the Mescaleros. The group has trotted out the cover at several stops over the past year.

Pearl Jam also performed a cover of the Beatles 'Rain' as a bit of commentary on the situation, and included the Ramones 'Blitzkrieg Bop,' the English Beat's 'Save It for Later,' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing' were infused into 'Daughter,' 'Better Man,' and 'Yellow Ledbetter.'

Pearl Jam’s Isle of Wight Festival Set List
1. Unthought Known
2. Last Exit
3. Hail Hail
4. The Fixer
5. Rain
6. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
7. Supersonic
8. Given to Fly
9. Untitled
10. MFC
11. Even Flow
12. Setting Forth
13. Corduroy
14. Arms Aloft
15. Jeremy
16. Why Go
17. Got Some
18. Daughter/Blitzkrieg Bop
19. Just Breathe
20. Better Man/Save It for Later
21. Porch
22. Blood
23. Alive
24. Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing

Tom Petty played his first ever U.K. festival headlining gig at the Isle of Wight Festival on Friday (June 22). It was part of his first U.K. trek in 20 year. The show opened with the 1978 classic track 'Listen to Her Heart' followed by 'You Wreck Me,' and hits like 'Don’t Come Around Here No More,' 'Free Fallin',' and 'Learning to Fly.'

Petty and the Heartbreakers then busted out some surprises, including the well-know Traveling Wilburys track 'Handle with Care' and Fleetwood Mac's 'Oh Well,' before wrapping up the set with 'Mary Jane’s Last Dance' and 'American Girl.'

Petty will complete his current European run with dates in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy.

Tom Petty’s Isle of Wight Set:
1. Listen to Her Heart
2. You Wreck Me
3. I Won’t Back Down
4. Here Comes My Girl
5. Handle with Care
6. Good Enough
7. Oh Well
8. Something Big
9. Don’t Come Around Here No More
10. Free Fallin'
11. It’s Good to be King
12. Something Good Coming
13. Learning to Fly
14. Yer So Bad
15. I Shoulda Known It
16. Refugee
17. Runnin’ Down a Dream
18. Mary Jane’s Last Dance
19. American Girl

Bruce Springsteen and the E Steet Band wrapped up the festival with an epic three-hour set, closing on June 24th with a cover of "Twist and Shout," the 1962 Phil Medley and Bert Russell song made famous by the Isley Brothers and the Beatles. Though rain and mud overtook the island, the enthusiastic crowd kept the energy level high from beginning to end. Springsteen lets loose with some dance moves and extended jam time for his bandmates. "I've got a fuckin' boat to catch!" he jokes halfway through the song. "I gotta get on a fuckin' boat!"

Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball" tour is currently in Europe through July 31st, before continuing in North America on August 14th.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band setlist:
1. Badlands
2. No Surrender
3. We Take Care Of Our Own
4. Wrecking Ball
5. Death to My Hometown
6. My City of Ruins
7. Spirit in the Night
8. Lonesome Day
9. Jack of All Trades
10. Atlantic City
11. Because the Night
12. Working on the Highway
13. Shackled and Drawn
14. Waitin' on a Sunny Day
15. The River
16. The Rising
17. Out in the Street
18. Land of Hope and Dreams
Encore:
19. We Are Alive
20. Born in the U.S.A.
21. Born to Run
22. Glory Days
23. Dancing in the Dark
24. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
25. Twist and Shout

Get excited people! The invasion of the holograms has begun. Billboard magazine reports this week that  fans could very well be treated to concert performances and even tours of 'virtual' rockers such as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison. Even the estate of Marilyn Monroe is investigating the hologram option. Why not have her do a duet with Kurt Cobain?...he said sarcastically.

Digital Domain Media Group, the company responsible for creating the Tupac hologram this past April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, has inked a deal with Core Media Group to produce a variety of 'virtual' Elvis holograms for events that could range from concerts to tours and even residencies. A return to Viva Las Vegas for the King?

Jimi Hendrix's sister Janie, who is president/CEO of Experience Hendrix, confirmed that she has been working with the London-based company Musion Systems for over a year to create a virtual version of her late brother. However, she stressed that "for us, of course, it's about keeping Jimi authentically correct. There are no absolutes at this point."

The Doors estate manager, Jeff Jampol has said he's working on a idea to present a 'virtual' Jim Morrison concert (one featuring the band) for nearly eight years. "We're trying to get to a point where 3D characters will walk around," he said. "Hopefully, 'Jim Morrison' will be able to walk right up to you, look you in the eye, sing right at you and then turn around and walk away." Jampol hopes to eventually create a multimedia experience featuring the band. The show might take place in either a tent or a freestanding building, with the walls pixilated like a large TV screen and utilizing lasers, lights, high-quality sound, vibrations, projected imagery and the 3-D figures, he says. Jampol also manages the estates of Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Peter Tosh and Rick James (bitch), so look for the possibility in the future of holograms of all of those artists. If you're going to do one, why not hologram them all. Get them all onstage together with a mash up from hell!

Plans for a virtual Marilyn Monroe concert is also in the works. The 50th anniversary of her death is coming up in August, and Digicon Media has discussed a "live" concert by the late sex symbol. The company's rep told the Hollywood Reporter it isn't working with Monroe's estate since it already holds "certain copyrights" on the starlet's name and likeness, so time will tell if the Marilyn hologram will appear. If she does, why not slap Marilyn Manson onstage with her.

You can obviously see where I stand on the whole hologram issue. Although I can see where it is a revenue stream for the families of the dead artists, we already have too much 'fake' live music already...without the actual musician being a fake version as well. At least when an artist does some lip-syncing in concert, it is still the real person...right? I just hope it isn't universally embraced. I can see it being a draw in places like Las Vegas however, especially with an Elvis hologram show taking the lead.

On Tuesday night (June 5), several talented musicians and bands gathered in Central Park to celebrate the music of Jimi Hendrix for the SummerStage Opening Gala, presented by City Parks Foundation and AT&T. Some of the artists participating included: Living Colour, Wyclef Jean, The Roots and G. Love.

The 2012 SummerStage Gala, presented by City Parks Foundation, brought together artists from different backgrounds and genres to honor Jimi Hendrix, who was born 70 years ago. The event kicked off the 2012 SummerStage season, which features over 100 free music, theatre, comedy, and children's programming.

Here is the complete Song List from the evening:

Wyclef Jean – “The Star-Spangled Banner”
The Roots – “Have You Ever Been To Electric Lady Land” & “Fire”
Bebel Gilberto – “Little Wing” & “Wind Cries Mary”
G. Love (ft. Soulive) – “If 6 Was 9” & “Ain't No Telling”
Soulive – “Manic Depression” & “Changes”
Keller Williams (ft. Soulive) – “Castles Made of Sand” & “Up in the Skies”
Amel Larrieux (ft. Soulive) – “May This Be Love” & “Angel”
John Scofield (ft. Soulive) – “Hey Joe” & “Purple Haze”
Karl Densen – “Spanish Castle Magic” & “Third Stone From the Sun”
Living Colour – “Power of Soul” & “Cross Town Traffic” Group Encore (minus Wyclef) – “All Along the Watchtower”

Here's more details, a thorough review of the show and a fantastic photo gallery at: www.charged.fm