Feb 27, 2013

Stone Temple Pilots have announced that they have fired singer Scott Weiland. Weiland's former Velvet Revolver bandmate Slash was right, despite what Weiland claimed just yesterday. Weiland also issued his own response to the firing today.

The band posted the following short statement on their facebook page earlier today: "Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland".

Slash had mentioned in an interview a couple of months ago that Weiland had been fired by the band, but Weiland just told Rolling Stone yesterday (February 26th) that "STP has not broken up, I haven’t quit. I haven’t been fired. Slash doesn’t know anything about STP. We’re talking right now about when we want to tour next." He did state that the group has been going through a rocky period, adding: “There were some hurt egos. But that’s the way it is. No one has ever fired anybody in STP. We’re like a family. It’s also a partnership. I started the band. We’ve always kept things going. We’ve taken time off before. They’ve done their own projects and I fully support that. No one has been fired and I haven’t quit. That’s all hearsay." I guess Slash was right after all.

Weiland issued his own response earlier this afternoon: "I learned of my supposed ‘termination’ from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be ‘terminated’ from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that’s something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday."

Weiland will kick off his tour performing STP songs from the band's first two albums 'Core' and 'Purple' on Friday (Mar. 1) in Flint, Michigan. We'll have to see what the response and attendance is at these shows. It seems to me Weiland does a great job of alienating and pissing off any former and current band members, sometimes multiple times. Good luck Scott, maybe not the most wonderful time of this year so far.

Sep 14, 2012

Glenn Hughes and Black Country Communion are readying the release of their third studio album 'Afterglow' on October 30th and have released the first webisode of the making of the album which you can watch below. But, Glenn Hughes has already said it could be the BCC's last because he wants to be in a band that can take on a long term touring commitment, and because of guitarist Joe Bonamassa's solo career, that is just not going to happen. He has mentioned that he has formed a band called Kings Of Chaos with Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Duff McKagan (ex-Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver/Loaded), Matt Sorum (ex-Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver) and Steve Stevens (ex-Billy Idol), but he has also talked with David Coverdale about some kind of possible resurrection/tribute of the Deep Purple Mark III lineup.

The "Mark III" version of Deep Purple featured guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, the late Jon Lord on keyboards and organ, drummer Ian Paice, as well as singer David Coverdale and bassist/singer Glenn Hughes. Hughes recently told CBS Local that "Jon, David and I were trying to get it together," but the holdup has been Blackmore: “We couldn’t get ahold of him. We sent carrier pigeons, and the Pony Express. But nobody at 'Castle Blackmore' answered the door. It wasn’t meant to be."

A full reunion will never happen now because of Jon Lords unfortunate passing, but Hughes says, "I wouldn’t be surprised if we did something, David and I. Something might pop its head in the next two years."

When asked if there was a specific project in mind, Hughes said, "No! (But) David and I have talked about this weekly since Jon died. How we can do something to keep the flame burning. But we don’t want to hinder the heritage of the band, some bands get back together and sound bloody awful. It’s the 40th anniversary of 'Burn' next year. I’m not giving you a hint to something that’s gonna happen, but you just never know."

The closest thing to that reunion is the two tracks Hughes is a part of on 'Re-Machined: A Tribute To Deep Purple’s Machine Head' (out Sept. 25) Hughes plays bass and sings on new versions of 'Maybe I’m A Leo" and "Highway Star."

Orange Amplification has announced that Glenn Hughes is now endorsing their amps. His move to Orange Amplification sees him returning back to his roots of using a British-made vintage inspired amp with full modern tones.

"I plugged into to that Orange amp and it was as though it had been designed for me!" Glenn said. "It was the Glenn Hughes sound... It was the sound I had with TRAPEZE in '69 and the sound I had with DEEP PURPLE!"

Glenn will be using the AD200B MK3 head with an OBC810 8 x 10" bass speaker cabinet on his latest tour. The AD200B MK3 is quite simply one of the purest bass amps ever produced with a creamy dynamic low end and a focused midrange crunch. The OBC810 is a revered bass cabinet first made in small numbers back in the 1970s, and recently relaunched, it has to be heard to be believed.

May 19, 2012

Velvet Revolver guitarist Dave Kushner talks about getting the band back together for a recent benefit show, Scott Weiland's recent comments saying he's back in the band and Slash's response saying that is definetely not happening. He also talks up his new project PusherJones, which has a song on the 'Avengers Assembled' soundtrack.

Dave Kushner's new project PusherJones is an "animated" rock band, featuring The Simpsons' creative director Dave Warren, singer Frankie Perez (Camp Freddy and Scars On Broadway), bassist Scott Shriner (Weezer) and drummer Joey Castillo (Queens of the Stone Age). The group's first single, 'Count Me Out,' is featured on the 'Avengers Assembled' soundtrack and will be on the bands upcoming E.P.

Kushner describes the band's sound as "A cool riff-rock thing. We're all influenced by everything from Zeppelin and Sabbath to newer bands," he says, adding that the lyrics for "Count Me Out" chronicle a fish-out-of-water story about the genesis of the band. "A lot of it has been based on different stuff that has happened to me or stuff I've heard being in Velvet Revolver for eight years," says Kushner. "It's basically about a big, notorious rock band, and there's a new guy that's coming into the band. You're basically seeing all of the dysfunction and insanity, and the things that make for great rock bands through the eyes of the new guy."

PusherJones hope to become a real cartoon, as Kushner is currently shopping a pilot episode in the hopes of landing an animated TV series about the trials and tribulations of a famous rock band. "The original concept was for a Gorillaz-type thing, animated," Kushner says. "Basically, me and Dave Warren became friends through Don Bernstein, who used to buy all the memorabilia for the Hard Rock. Dave worked on the The Simpsons, and then he and I started talking about stories and different ideas. It eventually became an idea for a TV show, but then we thought, 'The music has to be as good as the animation.'

Kushner hopes that the band will eventually play shows or record a full-length at some point. "That's the hope, that we can do that," he says. "Who knows what Weezer, Queens of the Stone Age, or Velvet Revolver are going to do next? It's just a matter of getting everyone's schedules and ducks in a row."

May 14, 2012

During an interview with ABC News Radio, Scott Weiland revealed that the Velvet Revolver reunion has already progressed. "They gave me a couple of songs and myself and Dave (guitarist Dave Kushnter) and Duff (bassist Duff McKagan) are gonna be getting together for a song writing session next week." Weiland also said late summer or early fall is a fair timetable for a few live dates. "We’ve all grown a lot. We’re able to put egos and differences and old...conflicts aside and so that’s really cool."

That apparently is news to Slash, who said: "I have absolutely no intention of going back to that." Slash was interview by radio station 93X inMinneapolis, Minnesota, and said he was surprised to hear Weiland talking as if the Velvet Revolver reunion was already taking place. "He did not (say that), he’s out of his mind,” he exclaimed in a good-natured manner when told of Weiland’s statement. "There’s been a common rumor going around, I know that he’s been positive on that subject."

Slash also jokingly said he’ll check with his former Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver bandmates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum but that his schedule is booked throughout 2012 with solo dates behind the new 'Apocalyptic Love' album. Listen to the interview with Slash here.

May 9, 2012

KISS, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Matt Sorum (ex-Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) are part of a new video for 'Adopt the Arts,' with the goal to save and continue arts programs in California schools.

Jane Lynch, Macaroni, Johnathon Schaech, Tony Okungbowa, Shay Carl, Epic Lloyd, Hiimrawn, Davin Dell'osa, Wayne Hoffman, and the awesome artwork of Mary Doodles are also featured in this comedic approach and raising awareness to keep arts in our school. The video may be funny, but the arts disappearing from our schools most definitely isn't.

It is the mission of Adopt the Arts Foundation to bring together well-known artists, public figures, and the general public to save the arts in America’s public schools. Adopt the Arts Foundation is dedicated to improving the academic performance of every child through the gift of making art and music to our public school students.
Go to www.adoptthearts.org if you want to help get it back.