Da Capo Press are pleased to announce the publication of Heavy Duty by K.K. Downing, a memoir by the cofounder and former lead guitarist of heavy metal giant Judas Priest. This sharp, resonant, and revealing book gives fans a glimpse at the inner workings of the archetypal heavy metal band of the 1980s.
As the band approaches its golden anniversary, fans will at last be able to delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround this heavy metal institution. Whatever the topic, whoever's involved, K.K. doesn't hold back: internal struggles between band members, Downing's early life, the band's intense rivalry with Iron Maiden. . . everything is explored in Heavy Duty.
Also included in this first tell-all by a member of Judas Priest are rare and never-before-seen photos from Downing's personal collection.
"K.K. Downing gives us an incisive look into the machinations of one of the greatest innovators in Heavy Metal." ~ Scott Ian, Anthrax guitarist, author of ‘I'm the Man’ and ‘Access All Areas’.
We would love to partner with you to help spread the word about this explosive memoir. If you would like to review it on your blog or website, promote it on your social media or email newsletter, or host a giveaway, we would be more than happy to send you an advance reading copy. Limited quantities of finished books are also available should you wish to host a giveaway.
Ken "K.K." Downing is a guitarist and founding member of heavy metal band Judas Priest. He formed the band at the age of sixteen after getting kicked out of his home by his abusive father and the band eventually found success during the New Wave of British heavy metal in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. K.K. retired from the band in 2011 and lives in Shropshire, England.
Mark Eglinton is a frequent cowriter whose previous collaborations include Official Truth, 101 Proof with Rex Brown of Pantera and Confessions of a Heretic with Behemoth's Adam "Nergal" Darski, along with the solo project So Let It Be Written: The Biography of Metallica's James Hetfield. Eglinton divides his time between Scotland and the Pacific Northwest.
Last year Degreed released their self-titled album, the first release together with Gain/Sony Music. The album was well received by fans and critics both internationally and back home in Sweden. Swedish magazine Gaffa.se wrote in their review: "Degreed is still one of Sweden's most interesting bands" followed by Classic Rock: “As the saying goes, it’s all killer, no filler”.
It’s safe to say that the album ‘degreed’ opened new doors for the band and shortly after the release they spent a month on the road together with Swedish rockers H.E.A.T in Europe.
Now it’s time for the first single off the upcoming album. Degreed are back again with the new single Body Of Work, which will be released September 7, once again at Gain / Sony Music.
"You will not be able to sit still when you listen to this song.
It has a really nice groove to it, and the chorus is catchy with some really kinda "tongue in cheek" lyrics. Body Of Work will make you smile for sure."
Frontiers Music Srl is thrilled to announce the release of Holter's“Vlad the Impaler” on November 9.
Born as a one-off musical extravaganza between two Norwegian metal and hard rock giants, Trond Holter (ex WIG WAM) and vocalist JORN, the Dracula Rock Opera has now morphed into a full-time musical project with guitarist, producer, and songwriter Trond Holter at the helm.
While the original plan was to leave “Swing Of Death” as a unique one-off recording, the success Trond had staging the album as a musical in front of audiences in Norwegian theaters convinced him that a follow up was not only possible, but maybe even mandatory. He was sitting on plenty of material anyway and felt inspired to tell the stories of Dracula and other vampires that did not find a home on the debut album's storyline.
"The first round of the Dracula Rock Opera was, in terms of live shows, only half the story with about 45 minutes of music. So, I added some additional songs for the live shows in Norway, which completed the story,” tells Trond Holter. "It was my intention all along to make this into a big show, even if it took some years to complete. When I started working on the songs for the new album, I found parts of them were outdated, so I rewrote parts of them and that inspired me to write new songs as well. It's a bit hard for me to say being so close to the material, but it's a few steps up the ladder sound wise. You can easily recognize the spirit of the first album, only with more energy. The "Vlad the Impaler" album was made to fill out the musicals being performed for the first album, so it is in fact pretty much the sophomore album from Dracula."
The result of this new inspiration is “Vlad The Impaler.” Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracula, was Voivode (or prince) of Wallachia three times and is the historical figure that inspired the famous legends about Dracula.
With an outstanding line-up featuring singers Nils K Rue (Pagan's Mind) and Eva Iselin Erichsen, Bernt Jansen on bass, Per Morten Bergseth on drums, and Erling Henanger on keyboards, “Vlad The Impaler” starts where “Swing Of Death” left off. Musically, it is an album that gets straight to the point while simultaneously utilizing diverse musical landscapes and includes catchy and melodic songs in a similar style to it's predecessor. Think Savatage meets Meat Loaf meets Queen meets Alice Cooper with contemporary hard rock in the mix and you'll have a sense of what's in store.
"We all know Nils K Rue`s great work with Pagan's Mind. The vocals and theatrics he delivers both live and on record are simply amazing! And the higher he gets, the better he sounds!! I came across Eva Iselin Erichsen in 2016 and later, when I got the chance to have her audition, I was blown away. She's all over the place, live and on record, giving everything that she's got. She is an amazing singer and a real star in the making. We are ready to take the whole Rock Opera live across the European continent!” concludes Trond.
The album will be presented in the live setting in Halden, Norway with a special release show on November 10th. More shows are in the works including an appearance in spring at Karmøygeddon Festival (May 3. 2019).
Without a doubt, “Vlad The Impaler” is going to be one of the highlights of the heavy metal genre in 2018. Enjoy!
Sky Empire are a UK based progressive metal band with a distinctive sound, redefining the entire genre.
Let yourself be guided by the music as Sky Empire take their listeners on a journey, interweaving emotive storytelling through the fabric of powerful and evocative music.
Effortlessly and effectively blending the likes of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Dream Theater and Symphony X, Sky Empire are preparing to take 2018 by storm in the launch their new album, The Dark Tower.
There are no new acts coming through in the progressive metal scene doing what Sky Empire do, marrying artfully and thoughtfully the band’s propensity for daring musicianship with grandiose compositions set within the soundscape of modern metal music.
Line Up:
Tom Hobson - keyboards
Yordan Ivanov - vocals
Remi Jalabert - drums
Drazic Lecutier - guitars
Tony Snow - bass
The album will be released worldwide on September 2018, but a pre order for the CD version is now available on our website. So now is your chance to buy the album for a reduced prize. If you want to sample the music, here is a video to give you a taste:
And while we are on the subject; several titles are now on sale, so go check the web shop!
From the mind of Phil Vincent comes the next chapter in the book of melodic hard rock. D’Ercole unveils their 5th opus titled “Made to Burn”. This release sees Vincent (Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards), Damian D’Ercole (Guitars), and B.F. D’Ercole (Drums) continue their assault on the senses with 12 songs built to satisfy even the most discerning hard rock fan. Also included are the last recorded performances of renowned guitarist David Zychek on “Get Undone”, “Tragedy in Motion”, and “Feel the Burn”. Paul Sabu and Vince O’Regan also lend their immense talents, playing lead guitar on various rockers.
This album is made to be played loud…this is made to rock…this album is MADE TO BURN!
Available on CD from www.rockcompany.nl and many others or your favourite digital platform.
Palace, the brainchild of Swedish musician Michael Palace, will release their second album, "Binary Music" on December 7, 2018. Today, the band has released the first taste of music from the album in the form of single "To Have And To Hold".
Palace is a Swedish melodic rock band founded by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Palace. Heavily influenced by 80’s imagery and sounds, Palace delivers a massive melodic rock/AOR sound unlike you’ve ever heard before. With layers of keyboards, Palace deliver a heavier sound than most in the genre, with guitars a dominating feature. Swirling keyboards, layers of guitars, and fast moving 80’s themed melodic hard rock is what is on offer on “Binary Music”. After the very warm reception of the debut album, ”Master Of The Universe”, Michael was very excited to get to work on the follow up and face the challenges that came with it. ”I wanted to make an album that will give the fans even more of what they enjoyed the last time around, all the while staying creative and not shying away from new musical ideas,” he says.
Michael Palace began working with Frontiers as a songwriter and guitar player for First Signal (featuring Harry Hess of Harem Scarem fame), Cry of Dawn (with Goran Edman), Kryptonite (featuring Jakob Samuel of The Poodles), and Toby Hitchcock.
The successful collaborations led to a worldwide record deal with Frontiers for his own musical output. Then the subsequent success of ”Master Of The Universe” opened up even more opportunities for Michael to grow as a musician outside of Palace, appearing on many releases as a guitar player, songwriter, and at times, producer. Despite his young age, Michael Palace has accumulated a wealth of experience playing live and recording in the studio with several different acts in addition to the aforementioned acts and including Code Red, Jim Jidhed, Erika, Hank Erix, Find Me (Featuring Robbie LeBlanc) and Big Time to name a few.
”Since the release of the first album, I’ve had the chance to be involved in a lot of cool musical projects and made more music in two years than I’ve made in my whole life. It has been a fantastic learning experience and I’ve brought a lot of that new gained knowledge into the making of ”Binary Music”. I produced the new album with the guidance from my good friend and mentor Daniel Flores (Find Me, First Signal, The Murder Of My Sweet), and I can’t wait to produce more albums in the future," Michael explains.
THERE’S NO GETTING away from it, during the early 90s there were an enormous amount of hard rock bands that, although extremely talented, failed to connect with an audience. This was primarily due to the shifting sands of time and taste, with the media almost exclusively focussed on the sounds of Seattle, and, in particular, the emerging grunge movement. It was this obsession with a new trend that resulted in a number of perfectly serviceable groups being consciously sidelined. Saigon Kick was one such example.
Formed in Florida during the late 80s, this storming four man unit, led by vocalist Matt Kramer and guitarist Jason Bieler, crafted a particularly potent brand of hard rock that relied as much on power pop as it did on heavy riffs. It was an interesting twist on traditional rock and much edgier, leading to valid comparisons with other similar groups such as Love/Hate, the Wildhearts, Redd Kross, Cheap Trick and Kings X. There was also a perceptible psychedelic tinge to the arrangements helping the band to rise above the standard competition by a considerable margin.
Produced by Michael Wagener (Skid Row, Extreme, Ozzy Osbourne), and released on Atlantic records (via Michael Douglas’s Third Stone imprint), the record had been taped at a frantic pace in Los Angeles. Released in 1991 it sold well and quickly established the band as exciting contenders. The album contains a number of instantly catchy tracks, including ‘What You Say’, ‘Down By The Ocean’, ‘Love Of God’ and ‘Coming Home’. It was an impressive enough debut to warrant Atlantic records making a commitment to album number two.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, two bonus tracks, one of the best early 90s hard rock albums, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with unpublished photos and new interview
TRACK LISTING: 1. NEW WORLD 2. WHAT YOU SAY 3. WHAT DO YOU DO 4. SUZY 5. COLORS 6. COMING HOME 7. LOVE OF GOD 8. DOWN BY THE OCEAN 9. ACID RAIN 10. MY LIFE 11. MONTH OF SUNDAYS 12. UGLY 13. COME TAKE ME NOW 14. I.C.U. BONUS TRACKS: 15. HEY HEY HEY 16. COLOURS (Accoustic)
SAIGON KICK 'THE LIZARD' CANDY373
IN THE NOT too distant past, record companies would signs artists and let them develop over a period of time. A good case in point was the development of Saigon Kick. Their debut album was greeted with positive reviews and sold a healthy amount of copies, giving Atlantic records the confidence to push ahead and sanction a well-supported sophomore album, happy in the knowledge that the band was on an upwards trajectory.
With this kind of support, the band relished the opportunity to craft another record, an album that would show a refinement of their sound and style. This time around the emphasis was on finely honed songs, with far more mature arrangements, and memorable hooks. The band was perceived as operating in the melodic rock zone, which was quickly becoming obsolete in the face of the developing grunge revolution. But, like such fellow comrades as Love/Hate, Skid Row and Extreme, they managed to inject a degree of excitement into their music that actually gave them an edge over the fading late-eighties hard rock scene.
Originally issued in 1992, produced by band leader Jason Bieler, and recorded in Sweden, the contents easily eclipsed the quality of their debut album, showcasing a band with a much broader palate, focussing on sharp riffs and melodic hooks. This approach was emphasised by the surprise hit single ‘Love Is On The Way’, a track that not only upped the band’s profile but also helped the album achieve gold status.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, bonus track, Highly Regarded 2nd album featuring the hit single ‘Love Is On The Way’, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with unpublished photos and new interview
TRACK LISTING: 1. CRUELTY 2. HOSTILE YOUTH 3. FEEL THE SAME WAY 4. FREEDOM 5. GOD OF 42ND STREET 6. MY DOG 7. PEPPERMINT TRIBE 8. LOVE IS ON THE WAY 9. THE LIZARD 10. ALL ALRIGHT 11. SLEEP 12. ALL I WANT 13. BODY BAGS 14. MISS JONES 15. WORLD GOES AROUND 16. CHANEL BONUS TRACK: DEAR PRUDENCE
SAIGON KICK 'WATER' CANDY374
SAIGON KICK’S FORTUNES were radically reshaped with the release of their second album, ‘The Lizard’ and it contained the hit single ‘Love Is On The Way’. It was a track that made them MTV stars, helping to achieve a gold album. This was a major coup for this much-loved Florida four piece that had been signed to Atlantic Records via the imprint Third Stone, a company owned by Hollywood A-Lister Michael Douglas.
However, despite these achievements, all was not well within the band’s ranks. Bassist Tom DeFile and vocalist Matt Kramer had left the band. Kramer had clashed with main songwriter Jason Bieler and it was mutually agreed that the only way to solve the problem was for Matt to depart. Not surprisingly this move left the label somewhat confused as the project was set to move to another level of success. As with the previous record, it was agreed that Bieler could not only self-produce and record mainly in Sweden, but also take on the role as lead vocalist. It was a brave move and not one without reservations from various interested parties.
Issued in 1993, ‘Water’ was actually another comprehensive statement of intent. It signalled a move towards experimentation but the original framework was still intact. Hard riffing but melodic tracks, such as ‘One Step Closer’ and ‘Torture’ nestled comfortably with such wide screen pop psych fare as ‘Sgt. Steve’, ‘Close To You’ and ‘Fields Of Rape’. Oh, and look out for a superb version of Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, bonus track, Third and final album from this brilliant Florida based band, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with unpublished photos and new interview
TRACK LISTING: 1. ONE STEP CLOSER 2. SPACE ODDITY 3. WATER 4. TORTURE 5. FIELDS OF RAPE 6. I LOVE YOU 7. SGT. STEVE 8. MY HEART 9. ON AND ON 10. THE WAY 11. SENTIMENTAL GIRL 12. CLOSE TO YOU 13. WHEN YOU WERE MINE 14. REPRISE BONUS TRACK: 15. NOT ENOUGH
HOTEL 'S/T' CANDY302
WE OFTEN RECEIVE requests for obscure and now hard to find releases, but the amount of demand for the Hotel albums has been decidedly overwhelming, surprising when considering that the act barely made a blip on the radar back in the early 1980s when they were first issued. It appears that there is something of an insatiable appetite for music from that era, especially by melodic rock acts such as this, with a penchant for melody and strong hooks.
Originating from Birmingham, Alabama, Hotel evolved through a number of line-ups, based around the central duo of Marc Phillips and Tommy Carlton. They were originally signed to the Mercury label in 1977 but, after releasing one solitary single, found themselves cast adrift. In a fortuitous meeting on a plane journey, the head of the Scotti Brothers records was handed a tape which led to a new record deal. Recorded in Nashville and produced by their mentor Dain Eric, this album was issued in 1981, but despite good intentions failed to gain traction with the paying public at the time.
The album itself is a measured example of carefully crafted AOR, drinking from the same goblet as Player, Air Supply, Le Roux and the Little River Band. The musicianship is first class in all respects, with careful attention paid to arrangements and execution. From the harder rock of ‘City Lights’ and ‘Not Wise To Say’ to the beautifully crafted ‘Right On Time’ and ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’, the material is a fine example of the era’s signature slick sound.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, an obscure AOR classic, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with unpublished photos and new interview
TRACK LISTING: 1. YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING 2. YOU’LL LOVE AGAIN 3. RIGHT ON TIME 4. ONE TIME TOO MANY 5. OLD SILVER 6. NOT WISE TO SAY 7. LOSING MY MIND 8. CITY LIGHTS 9. HOLD ON TO THE NIGHT 10. YOUR GREEN EYES
HOTEL 'HALF MOON SILVER' CANDY303
IT’S ALWAYS VERY uplifting when a band originally tipped for better things actually fulfils their inherent musical potential. In the case of Hotel, a little known outfit from Birmingham Alabama, their self-titled debut album hinted at a somewhat suppressed melodic AOR talent that was itching to fully blossom. Fortunately that embryonic promise was perfectly realised with this, their second album, a record that has almost become a touchstone for fans of the AOR obscure.
‘Half Moon Silver’ is quite rightly regarded as a minor classic amongst AOR aficionados. Issued in 1980 and produced, once again, by their mentor Dain Eric, the album lunges purposely towards a harder rock edge. The vibe is very much one of waking up the neighbours, but not in a chest thumping sense, more in a measured and intense way. The guitars are far more prominent and the rhythm section is out to impress, but they leave room for vocalist Marc Phillips to inject passion and excitement into songs that have been meticulously constructed.
There’s plenty to highlight, but it’s the double whammy of ‘A Place In Time (Refugee)’ and ‘Now That She Loves You’ that really sets the pace. Elsewhere, there are some particularly delightful ballads, including ‘Talk To Me’ and the sublime title track. Once again, their label failed to maximise the potential of the record and, despite the band touring with Hall & Oates, the record sadly fell through the gaps, leaving them deserted in a world that, sadly, failed to recognise a seriously talented outfit.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, one of the best obscure AOR classics, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with unpublished photos and new interview
TRACK LISTING: 1. A PLACE IN TIME (REFUGEE) 2. COLD BLOODED RED HOT LOVE 3. NOW THAT SHE LOVES YOU 4. NED & MARY 5. HALF MOON SILVER 6. BLIND SIDE OF LOVE 7. I CAN’T BELIEVE 8. WANTING YOU TOO MY LOVE 9. HOW IT FEELS 10. TALK TO ME
PETER CETERA 'S/T' CANDY375
FOR MOST FANS of strident and forceful AOR Peter Cetera would not, under normal circumstances, be their first port of call. Having been a founder member and lead vocalist with horn rock band Chicago, his background was firmly in another musical world but this, his debut solo album, showcased a desire to break free of those chains and strike out in a new direction, a solo career that turned heads and eventually led to his departure from the mother ship.
Times had been disappointing for Chicago, their fourteen album run at Columbia records was abruptly terminated in 1981 when they were perceived as being irrelevant to the current market. Cetera himself had actually begun to record a solo album and was half way through the project when news came of not only Chicago’s ill fortune, but also of the cancellation of his own project. Fortuitously Chicago were picked up by the Warner Brother’s label who also exercised the option on his solo album, which was completed and released by their Full Moon subsidiary.
Issued in 1981 and produced by himself and Jim Boyer (Billy Joel, Steve Winwood) the album was quite a revelation to those who expected to hear a mellow example of his work with Chicago. The record, instead, was a punchy example of contemporary AOR, fuelled by crunchy guitar (featuring Steve Lukather and Chris Pinnick) and designed to fit in seamlessly with the work of say, Journey and Toto. Tracks such as ‘I Can Feel It’ and ‘Livin’ In The Limelight’ are classics of the genre.
Special Deluxe Collector’s Edition, Fully Remastered Audio, incredible AOR solo album from Chicago’s lead singer and front man, 12 page full colour booklet – 3,500 word essay, enhanced artwork with new photos.
TRACK LISTING: 1. LIVIN’ IN THE LIMELIGHT 2. I CAN FEEL IT 3. HOW MANY TIMES 4. HOLY MOLY 5. MONA MONA 6. ON THE LINE 7. NOT AFRAID TO CRY 8. EVIL EYE 9. PRACTICAL MAN 10. IVY COVERED WALLS
Threshold have surprised fans by announcing a new live album that will be available from the merchandise table at their upcoming October tour.
The album, entitled TWO-ZERO-ONE-SEVEN, was recorded during Threshold's last tour and continues the band's "direct-to-fan" series of albums which includes other live albums such as "Concert In Paris" and "Surface To Stage".
"I think our fans are going to love this" enthused Threshold keyboard player Richard West. "We've always put together our direct-to-fan releases with the same passion and care as our studio albums. TWO-ZERO-ONE-SEVEN is no exception, it looks and sounds beautiful and really captures the energy and excitement of our last tour."
TWO-ZERO-ONE-SEVEN will be available on digipak CD and 180g vinyl double LP formats. And for those fans who can't make it to Threshold's October tour, it will also be available from the band's website.
Prins Svart is actually a reunion of four musicians whose roads crossed in Stockholm in the mid 90's. Then, they toured Sweden as a Led Zeppelin tribute and after recording a self-produced CD called "Four Sticks", life took them in different directions: Sebastian Sippola (drums) played with "Grand Magus" and "Plankton", Tomas Thorberg (bass) toured with "Michael Schenker" and "Tiamat", (and played with Sebastian in "Plankton"), Stefan Berggren (vocals) started singing in "Company of Snakes" with Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, and Neil Murray (Whitesnake), and has been touring with "Don Airey Band" ("Rainbow", "Deep Purple") and "Uriah Heep", Henrik Bergqvist (guitar) played with "The Poodles" (since 2008).
Now the road has led them back to where they started and the result can be heard on the self-titled debut "Prins Svart". The music can be described as rock with roots in the 1970s, the decade when they were born, but with elements of the first half of the 1980s and bands like "Dio", "Whitesnake", "Rainbow" and "Ozzy Osbourne". The lyrics are in Swedish and describe "the human condition”: longing, hope, love and sorrow.
The production of the debut, "Prins Svart", is signed Dino Medanhodzic ("Hardcore Superstar", "Kill the Kong", "The Poodles", "Smash Into Pieces"), promising a more modern sound than the influences suggest. Someone said that "Prins Svart" sounds like Swedish band "Kent” if they had listened to Led Zeppelin instead of Depeche Mode"!
Escape Music pleases to announce the release date for Heaven’s Trail on Vinyl and CD!!
The Vinyl will be limited Edition to 500 copies only in transparent colour Red, and all will be numbered!
Track List:
1 Lethal Mind (4.39)
2 Too Late (4.37)
3 Changes (5.03)
4 Carousel (4.35)
5 Feed my Soul (4.51)
6 On The Rise (4.28)
7 The Flame (4.59)
8 Walking in the shadows (5.28)
9 Voodoo (4.14)
10 King of Pain (3.44)
11 Simplified (4.25)
Heaven’s Trail is:
Rick Altzi - Vocals (Masterplan, ex At Vance)
Barish Kepic - Guitars and Keyboards (ex-Jaded Heart, Powerworld, and Evidence One)
Michael Muller - Bass (Jaded Heart, ex-Mad Max)
Kevin Kott - Drums (Masterplan, ex At Vance)
Produced by Barish Kepic
Mixed and Mastered by Brian Anthony
Executive Producer Khalil Turk for Escape Music Ltd.
Heaven’s Trail is a brand new German Metal / Rock band formed by ex-Jaded Heart member Barish Kepic. Also in the line-up is another Jaded Heart member Michael Muller. These two respected musicians are joined by Masterplan members Kevin Kott on Drums and Vocalist Rick Altzi. So here we have an exciting new band that are made up of two of Germany’s finest Metal / Rock Bands. Barish Kepic is the principal songwriter and has arranged and produced all the songs on this exciting new album. With Brian Anthony twiddling the knobs then we are in for a real treat.
Their music is very powerful and hits home with great melodies and fantastic musicianship. Why not check out the video of “On the Rise” on you tube and get a taste of what these guys are all about. Make a date in your diary for October when this exciting album will be released, you won’t be disappointed.
Frontiers Music Srl is thrilled to announce the signing of Masters Of Ceremony, a new project masterminded by none other than one of the most talented writers, musicians, and producers of the German Heavy Metal scene, Sascha Paeth.
To label Sascha Paeth a multi-talented producer, engineer, musician, and songwriter might not quite cover his full set of skills and achievements. The Wolfsburg-born German multi-musician has produced countless bands including Avantasia, KAMELOT, Rhapsody, Epica, and more. Having worked on, produced, and engineered over 200 albums since 1988, it’s fair to say he has a reputation for being at the forefront of shaping the European melodic power metal sound. Now, Paeth is taking the next step in his artistic journey by releasing his new project, “Sascha Paeth’s Masters Of Ceremony”.
Sascha says, “Finally, I am putting my energy into a metal project of my own. It is the sum of my experiences over the years and a bit of a revival of what I was doing in the past.”
As a 15 year old teenager, you might have found Paeth playing a more bluesy style, or Van Halen-meets-Accept style hard rock, but it wasn’t long before Paeth joined Heaven’s Gate, where the music was harder and heavier. The experience was where he learned to enjoy inspiration from adapting, from new styles, and from new collaborations. It was the start of a long journey through the music business, a journey that is far from over!
“It took a few years of nice, and ambitious, talks about a possible collaboration with Frontiers,” says Sascha. “It’s my very first metal solo album and I am looking forward to sharing the progress on the production and revealing the band members over the next weeks and months."
The sky was crying when Gary Moore passed away on 6th February 2011. From Thin Lizzy to Colosseum II, together with his solo hits ‘Parisienne Walkways’ and ‘Out In The Fields’, Gary influenced a whole generation of guitar players and guitar playing.
The bass player/producer Bob Daisley had played with Gary since the 1980's, and is known for suggesting to Gary that he should make a blues album - the rest is history, ‘Still Got The Blues’ was an immense hit, followed by a series of classic modern blues albums. Bob, also known for his contributions to Rainbow and Ozzy Osbourne, was the driving force behind “Moore Blues For Gary”.
“In my opinion, Gary was one of the best guitarists who ever lived”, says Bob Daisley. “It was an honour for me to have worked with him and to have known him so well. When Gary passed away in 2011 the world lost one of the all-time greats. I don’t think that enough was said or done at the time to acknowledge the loss of such a great player so I took it upon myself to pay personal tribute to the man and record some new versions of his music, mostly from his blues catalogue.
I asked many members of the Gary Moore family tree, and some other great players, to contribute to the project. The response was not only encouraging, but very moving. It seems that the name Gary Moore is also synonymous with the words ‘respect’, ‘honour’ and ‘greatness’. I didn’t set out to recreate anything that Gary had done, or to compete in any way, these arrangements and performances represent a ‘hats off’ to Gary and nothing more. Long live the memory of Robert William Gary Moore. Yes, he was another ‘Bob’ - something that I wasn’t aware of for all of those years that I worked with him. I feel such gratitude towards the people who contributed to this album and I’m honoured to have worked with them all."
John Sykes (ex-Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) makes a triumphant return after a long absence with an uber-emotional rendition of ‘Still Got The Blues’, with the soulful vocals by Daniel Bowes (Thunder) complementing each other.
‘Parisienne Walkways’ is played by Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs) and Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders, The Almighty), with the unlikely pair resulting in a miraculous chemistry.
Gary's friends are here - his rocking keyboard / guitar / vocal sidekick Neil Carter sings ‘Empty Rooms’, which he co-wrote with Gary. Don Airey (Deep Purple, Rainbow) and Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) had joined forces with Gary on numerous occasions, together with Eric Singer (Kiss) and Darrin Mooney (Primal Scream). Brush Shiels, the leader of Gary's first professional band Skid Row, also makes an appearance.
Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), Steve Lukather (Toto), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow), Jeff Watson (Night Ranger), Damon Johnson (Black Star Riders, Alice Cooper) and Stan Webb (Chicken Shack) also unsparingly pour all their emotions to show their appreciation to Gary.
Gary's sons Jack and Gus are also involved, playing guitar and singing on ‘This One's For You’, showing that the ‘Blood Of Emeralds’ still runs their veins.
During his blues days, Gary made two albums to thank the guitarists that made him who he was: “Blues For Greeny” for Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, and “Blues For Jimi” for Jimi Hendrix. Now this is his turn to be rewarded with an album full of love and respect. We still got the blues for you.
Tracklist 1. ‘THAT’S WHY I PLAY THE BLUES’
VOCALS - JON C. BUTLER; GUITARS - TIM GAZE; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; KEYBOARDS - CLAYTON DOLEY
2. ‘THE BLUES JUST GOT SADDER’
VOCALS - JOE LYNN TURNER; LEAD GUITAR - STEVE LUKATHER; RHYTHM GUITAR AND SLIDE GUITAR - TIM GAZE; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; KEYBOARDS - CLAYTON DOLEY
3. ‘EMPTY ROOMS’
LEAD VOCAL, KEYBOARDS - NEIL CARTER; BASS GUITAR, HARMONICA, BACKING VOCALS - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; GUITARS - ILLYA SZWEC; BACKING VOCALS - ROSANNA DAISLEY
4. ‘STILL GOT THE BLUES (FOR YOU)’
VOCALS - DANNY BOWES; GUITARS - JOHN SYKES; KEYBOARDS - DON AIREY; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER
5. ‘TEXAS STRUT’
VOCALS - BRUSH SHIELS; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; GUITARS - TIM GAZE; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER
6. ‘NOTHING’S THE SAME’
VOCALS - GLENN HUGHES; FRETLESS ACOUSTIC BASS - BOB DAISLEY; CELLO - ANA LENCHANTIN; GUITARS - LUIS MALDONADO
7. ‘THE LONER’
GUITARS - DOUG ALDRICH; DRUMS - ERIC SINGER; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; KEYBOARDS - DON AIREY
8. ‘TORN INSIDE’
VOCALS, LEAD GUITAR - STAN WEBB; BASS GUITAR, RIFF GUITAR - BOB OB DAISLEY; DRUMS - DARRIN MOONEY; KEYBOARDS - LACHLAN DOLEY
9. ‘DON’T BELIEVE A WORD’
VOCALS, LEAD GUITAR - DAMON JOHNSON; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; RHYTHM GUITAR - ILLYA SZWEC
10. ‘STORY OF THE BLUES’
LEAD VOCAL - JON C. BUTLER; BASS GUITAR, RIFF GUITAR, BACKING VOCALS - BOB DAISLEY; LEAD AND RHYTHM GUITAR - TIM GAZE; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; KEYBOARDS - LACHLAN DOLEY; BACKING VOCALS - ROSANNA DAISLEY
11. ‘THIS ONE’S FOR YOU’
VOCALS - GUS MOORE; LEAD GUITAR - JACK MOORE; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; RHYTHM GUITAR - ILLYA SZWEC
12. ‘POWER OF THE BLUES’
VOCALS - JOE LYNN TURNER; LEAD GUITAR - JEFF WATSON; BASS GUITAR, RIFF GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - DARRIN MOONEY; RHYTHM GUITAR - ILLYA SZWEC
13. ‘PARISIENNE WALKWAYS’
GUITARS - STEVE MORSE; VOCALS - RICKY WARWICK; BASS GUITAR - BOB DAISLEY; DRUMS - ROB GROSSER; KEYBOARDS - CLAYTON DOLEY
MelodicRock Records is excited to unveil the full album credits for 'Voices From The Past' - a very special double CD voyage into the heyday of the Los Angeles 80s rock scene, with your hosts Jimmy Waldo & Steven Rosen.
Track Listing (& Featured Vocalists)
Disc 1:
01. Billy Trudell - (Ain't No Honor) Among Thieves 04:12
02. Jeff Scott Soto - Ice 04:29
03. Sherwood Ball - City Of Angels 03:34
04. Mike Val - Ricochet 04:16
05. Mike Val - When A Heart Beats Alone 04:14
06. Guy Perry - Lay This Ghost To Rest 03:59
07. Guy Perry - I Wish You Heaven 04:52
08. Paul Bardot - Hearts Under Fire 03:59
09. Paul Bardot - Blood In The Water 04:14
10. Mona Moore - Second Nature 03:45
11. Steve Plunkett - Still On My Mind 04:44
12. Steve Plunkett - Baby You're The Blood 03:32
13. Steve Plunkett - Tough Enough 04:01
14. Laura Creamer - Naked 04:34
15. Billy Trudell - When It Was A Game 04:19
16. Guy Perry - Water Under The Bridge 04:08
Disc 2:
01. JP Palalenka - Talking To Myself 03:34
02. Phil Brown - Phantom Of Passion 04:32
03. Mona Moore - (Don't Give Up) On Me 03:43
04. Mona Moore - Thrill Of The Chase 03:00
05. Jamie St. James - Answers In Your Eyes 03:37
06. Guy Perry - Toys Night Out 03:47
07. Greg Edelman - Blow The Beast 03:18
08. Mona Moore - Hold The Night 03:28
09. Laura Creamer - Still On My Mind (Second Version) 04:40
10. Jamie St. James - The Other Side 04:20
11. Mona Moore - Word Of Honor 04:50
12. Greg Edelman - Thinking Is A Dangerous Game 03:56
13. Jimmy Waldo - Island In The Sun (Inst.) 04:06
14. Paul Shortino - Fire Burns Twice 03:21
15. Desi Rexx - Too Far Gone 04:34
16. Mona Moore - Death Of A Kiss 03:15
Jimmy Waldo and Steven Rosen were a prolific writing duo at the height of hard rock’s popularity and were two of the go-to-guys for songs. But it didn’t stop there. This writing partnership lasted more than 30 years. And featured on these songs are the cream of the city’s musicians and singers – Jeff Scott Soto, Steve Plunkett, Billy Trudell, Keith Howland, Tim Pierce, Sherwood Ball, Tommy Thayer, Jamie St James, Marc Ferrari, Bob Kulick and more!
It is a story best told by Steven Rosen, who has penned a detailed essay for the liner notes. Here he summarizes:
Steven writes: "This songwriting partnership endured and survived the pummelling and pulverizing hammer of the music business, one that relentlessly and thoughtlessly banged you on the head with rejections and the closing of doors. Reaching out hundreds and hundreds of times to publishers, managers, music supervisors and anyone else who might listen to our music, we were summarily dismissed out of hand.
We’d sit for hours writing, recording, bashing our brains out and always coming away with something cool.
A handful of the songs here were things I wrote with other people and which Jimmy engineered. Jimmy had by the time we met, already played keyboards in New England and Alcatrazz and would go on to become a member in Blackthorne, Murder’s Row, Quiet Riot and ultimately Graham Bonnet’s band.
As time passed, we began writing with more specific artists and projects in mind. 'Naked' was written as a possible song for Heart; 'Ricochet' and 'When A Heart Beats Alone' were written for an L.A. glam rock band Jimmy was producing called Lace; 'City Of Angels' was written for the JapaneseNHK network; and 'Outlaws' was written for an indie film of the same name and so on.
Because we were writing for certain artists, we both knew we needed to pull in guitar players and singers who could convey a specific vibe. We were able to work with mad gifted players like Keith Howland (Chicago), Harry Cody (Shotgun Messiah), Tony Palacios (Guardian) and Lance Morrison (Don Henley, Rick Springfield).
And the singers? Oh, my god. Mona Moore brought drama and passion to these songs like no other vocalist I’d ever heard. Billy Trudell, working in Warpipes at the time, brought soaring and melodic thunder to 'When It Was A Game,' 'Runaway Fire' and '(Ain’t No) Honor Among Thieves.'
The songs on ‘Voices From the Past’ have remained dormant for years, residing in boxes, hidden in dusty corners. Giles Lavery, Graham Bonnet’s manager and a music historian with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things rock bordering on ultra-nerd, discovered these DATs, ADATs, reel-to-reels, hard drives and even cassettes deep within the bowels of Waldo’s garage. He started listening and was enthralled with what he heard. Giles rescued, resuscitated and resurrected these songs and for that Jimmy and I are eternally grateful."
As per usual, JK Northrup has done his complete remastering service on the tracks and Nello Dell’Omo has put together some classy artwork to match.
The double CD will be released via MRR on September 28.
Album Artwork by: Nello Dell’Omo
FULL SONG CREDITS
Disc 1:
01. (Ain’t No) Honor Among Thieves
Vocals – Billy Trudell
Guitars – Harry Cody
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Patrick Dollahan
02. Ice
Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals
Bob Kulick – Guitar
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Writers: Jimmy Waldo/Jeff Scott Soto/Arlene Matza
03. City Of Angels
Vocals – Sherwood Ball
Guitars/bass – Michael Angelo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo/Grover Jackson
04. Ricochet
Vocals – Mike Val
Guitars – Keith Howland
Bass – Lance Morrison
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Drum programming – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Mike Val/Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo
05. When A Heart Beats Alone
Vocals – Mike Val
Guitars – Keith Howland
Bass – Lance Morrison
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
06. Lay This Ghost to Rest
Vocals – Guy Perry
Guitars – Tony Palacios
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo
07. I Wish You Heaven
Guitars – Tommy Thayer
Vocals/bass – Guy Perry
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Brad Bailey
Writers – Steve Rosen/Tommy Thayer/Adam Wolfe
08. Hearts Under Fire
Vocals – Paul Bardot
Bass – Lance Morrison
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards/production/drum programming
Writers – Steve Rosen/Lance Morrison
09. Blood In the Water
Vocals – Paul E. Bardot
Guitars – Keith Howland
Bass – Lance Morrison
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo
10. Second Nature
Vocals – Mona Moore
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass – Ron de la Vega
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
11. Still On My Mind
Vocals – Steve Plunkett
Guitars – Steve Plunkett
Keyboards – Steve Plunkett
Produced by – Steve Plunkett
Writers – Steve Plunkett/Steve Rosen
12. Baby You're The Blood
Steve Plunkett – Vocals
Bob Kulick – Guitars
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Plunkett/Kulick/Waldo
13. Tough Enough
Steve Plunkett –Vocals, guitars, bass, drum programming/production
Writers – Steve Plunkett / Steven Rosen
14. Naked
Vocals – Laura Creamer (Bob Seger)
Guitars – Keith Howland
Bass – Lance Morrison
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Drum programming/engineering – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo
15. When It Was A Game
Vocals – Billy Trudell
Guitars – Harry Cody
Keyboards/drum programming – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Jimmy Waldo/Steve Rosen
16. Water Under the Bridge
Vocals – Guy Perry
Guitars – Tommy Thayer
Bass – Guy Perry
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Brad Bailey
Writers – Tommy Thayer/Steve Rosen
Disc 2:
01. Talking To Myself
Vocals – J.P. Palalenka
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass – Ron de la Vega
Keyboards – Ron de la Vega
Drums – Pete Christian
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
02. Phantom Of Passion
Vocals/guitar – Phil Brown
Synclavier programming – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Phil Brown/Steve Rosen
03. (Don’t Give Up) On Me
Vocals – Mona Moore
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass – Ron de la Vega (Patti Griffith)
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writer – Steven Rosen
04. Thrill Of the Chase
Vocals – Mona Moore
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass – Ron de la Vega
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Jimmy Waldo
05. Answers In Your Eyes
Vocals – Jamie St. James
Guitars – Marc Ferrari
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steven Rosen/Mark Ferrari
06. Tough Enough (Second Vers)
Vocals – TBC
Steve Plunkett – Guitars, bass, drum programming/production
Writers – Steve Plunkett/Steven Rosen
07. Toys Night Out
Vocals – Guy Perry
Guitars – Harry Cody
Bass – Tim Skold
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Harry Cody/Tim Skold/Steve Rosen
08. Blow the Beast
Vocals – Greg Edelman
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass – Ron de la Vega
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Brian Levi
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
09. Hold the Night
Vocals – Mona Moore
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Keyboards – Steve Vonderheide
Writers – Steve Vonderheide/Steve Rosen
10. Still On My Mind (Second Vers)
Vocals – Laura Creamer
Guitars – Steve Plunkett
Keyboards – Steve Plunkett
Produced by – Steve Plunkett
Writers – Steve Plunkett/Steve Rosen
11. The Other Side
Vocals – Jamie St. James
Guitars/bass – Marc Ferrari
Writers – Steve Rosen/Marc Ferrari
12. Word of Honor
Vocals – Mona Moore
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Jimmy Waldo/Steve Rosen
13. Thinking Is A Dangerous Game
Vocals – Greg Edelman
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass/keyboards – Ron de la Vega
Recorded by – Brian Levi
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
14. Island In The Sun (New Inst. of Alcatrazz song)
Jimmy Waldo – All Instruments
Writer – Jimmy Waldo
15. Fire Burns Twice
Paul Shortino – Vocals
Paul Shortino – Guitar
Jimmy Waldo – Keybords
Drum Programming Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Jimmy Waldo/Paul Shortino
16. Too Far Gone
Vocals – Desi Rexx (D’Molls)
Guitars – Danny Johnson
Jimmy Waldo – Keyboards
Writers – Danny Johnson/Steve Rosen/Desi Rexx
17. Death Of A Kiss
Vocals – Mona Moore
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass/keyboards – Ron de la Vega
Programming – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
PRE-ORDER BONUS DOWNLOAD TRACKS:
Runaway Fire
Vocals – Billy Trudel
Guitars – Danny Johnson (Private Life, Steppenwolf)
Bass – Danny Johnson
Keyboards – Jimmy Waldo
Recorded by – Jimmy Waldo
Writers – Jimmy Waldo/Steve Rosen
Voice From the Past
Vocals – Ralph Morman
Guitars – Steve Rosen
Bass/keyboards – Ron de la Vega
Writers – Steve Rosen/Ron de la Vega
'Ice' featuring JEFF SCOTT SOTO – Vocals, BOB KULICK – Guitar, JIMMY WALDO – Keyboards. (Writers: Jimmy Waldo / Jeff Scott Soto / Arlene Matza)
AFM Records proudly announces the signing of Finnish melodic metal act ARION. The band led by guitarist Iivo Kaipainen, been around since 2011, when all members (most of them students of the Sibelius musical high school in Helsinki) were still teenagers. In 2013 ARION entered the limelight for the first time when participating in Finland's Eurovision Song Contest qualifiers with their song “Lost". The then unknown band ended up on a sensational #5 and shortly after was offered a deal by a Finnish label.
ARION's debut album “Last Of Us" was released to critical acclaim in 2014, delivering an extremely mellow up-to-date melodic/power metal in the tradition of Finnish metal greats such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. In the past few years ARION have stood busy with live shows and working on new material for their upcoming album, so the band's sophomore opus, titled “Life Is Not Beautiful", will be released on October 19th (CD, Digipak with 3 bonus tracks, Vinyl).
Tracklisting:
01. The End Of The Fall
02. No One Stands In My Way
03. At The Break Of Dawn (feat. Elize Ryd)
04. The Last Sacrifice
05. Through Your Falling Tears
06. Unforgivable
07. Punish You
08. Life Is Not Beautiful
09. Last One Falls
10. Last Of Us (2018) – bonus track on Digipak
11. Seven (2018) – bonus track on Digipak
12. I Am The Storm (2018) – bonus track on Digipak
Influential Rock Pioneer Drops from the Spotlight, Produces Celine Dion,
Returns 30 Years Later on His Own Terms with New Album 2.0 (October 19 / Megaforce), Featuring Re-recordings of His Biggest Hits
“I was like a ghost. I would always be there in the background, but I was never there in the foreground. I let the artists do that. And that was a plan.” - Aldo
A fit, handsome twentysomething in a leopard-print bodysuit exits a helicopter and is followed by armed guards toward some kind of warehouse. Entry is gained via a magical Gibson Les Paul, which, naturally, the young hero uses to fire laser beams at the door. Inside, he meets his band onstage and performs “Fantasy,” among the earliest staples on MTV, and one of the best and most perfect singles in rock history—a flawless balance of pop-metal craftsmanship, studio ingenuity and hard-earned musicianship, flaunting killer guitar leads and trailblazing synth parts.
“I don’t know what possessed me to wear a stripper’s leopard-print outfit,” Aldo Nova says today, chuckling. A remarkable record from start to finish, Also Nova can be understood in rock history as both an icon of its era and a profound but still unsung influence on things to come.
On October 19, the guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer will release his first new album release in over three decades. Titled 2.0 (Megaforce), it’s a collection of supercharged reinventions of six classic songs off his self-titled smash debut, plus one new original, “I’m a Survivor,” initially written for Foreigner singer Lou Gramm.
2.0 stands as a testament to the extraordinary integrity and continuing imagination of an uncompromising artist who would only make his comeback on his terms. “I thought, ‘I’m gonna become visible again when I have something to say, and when I have something that’s good enough that I can present it to my fans,’” Nova says. “Because that’s always been my priority.”
The idea for 2.0 was set in motion in late 2016. “When I turned 60, I told myself I was going to turn the page,” Nova says. “I realized I had to shut the book and write a completely new book.” He wanted to celebrate his debut’s 35th anniversary in some fashion, but rather than simply remaster and reissue the album, he thought to “bring the songs into the 22nd century.” He was sober, calm, confident, full of faith and in the best shape of his life. As it turned out, the angst, ego and hunger of his younger days were overrated.
A Montreal native, Nova was approached by a 15-year-old Celine Dion to producer her first album, and released Blood on the Bricks on Jon Bon Jovi’s Jambco label in 1991. It stood as the culmination of a long-running friendship and, as any knowledgeable rock fan might argue, a thank-you note of sorts: the rock superstar lifting up the personal hero whose sound provided the blueprint for his own hits.
Nova provided guitar, keys and background vocals for the demo of Bon Jovi’s first hit, “Runaway,” and ended up playing with an assemblage of session musicians throughout Bon Jovi’s 1984 self-titled debut. Nova’s imprint is also all over Jon Bon Jovi’s debut solo album, Blaze of Glory—especially the chart-topping title track, on which Nova’s writing and producing went uncredited but were absolutely essential.
Blood on the Bricks was released alongside “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and the landscape changed completely. “Nirvana was amazing,” he says. “Just the way Kurt Cobain could rip his own soul out when he sang.”
Over the next three decades, Nova’s journey would take him through great professional highs and painful personal lows, and eventually into self-discovery and spiritual contentment. He decided again to focus on his roles as a writer, producer and session musician, capitalizing on the goodwill he’d generated in the industry to put food on the table for his family.
During the ’90s and 2000s, in addition to tracks for popular foreign-language artists, Nova collaborated with Jon Bon Jovi, Faith Hill and Clay Aiken (he co-wrote his hit “This Is the Night”), and did hugely successful work with Celine Dion. In 1997, Nova won a Grammy for Dion’s blockbuster album Falling Into You—“It’s a paperweight,” he laughs; “what I do today is what counts”—and co-produced/co-wrote later Dion singles like the global smash “A New Day Has Come” and “You and I,” the latter chosen as Hillary Clinton’s campaign song in 2008.
Canadian music-industry bigwig Paola Simonetto became the love of Nova’s life, as well as his advocate and catalyst. Simonetto continues to inspire and support Nova, though not from this earthly plane. “During the time that I was working on 2.0, my wife was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” he explains. “I managed to finish the album right before she passed away on Christmas Day. I still was able to take care of every doctor’s appointment, every chemo treatment. I was cooking and cleaning and at night I worked on my album.
“She always had very good ears. She gave me a lot of pointers on what to do with the music and what not to do,” he continues. “She was a big part of why 2.0 sounds as good as it does.”
“With 2.0, my goal has already been achieved, as far as I’m concerned,” Nova says. “I wanted to beat the 1.0 to death. The second thing is to reintroduce my music to the old fans, and play to a new generation of fans who just developed an interest. I don’t think that young generation has heard music like this ever before. I’m on top of my game now. I’m ready for it.”
Founded in 1983 by guitarists Billy Rowe and Fernie Rod, Jetboy continues to crank out their brand of rock n' roll in the 21st century with the same passion that has existed from the beginning.
And rock ‘n roll is what you’ll get on their upcoming new album “Born To Fly”, which is set for release January 25, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.
On the song and video for the title track, vocalist Mickey Finns says, “‘Born to Fly’ is just about the feeling of being meant to do something great, and fighting and working to make it happen, never giving up, or giving in and sticking to your guns to do it on your own terms. Remember sometimes greatness comes in small accomplishments. If it feels great to you, then it is great!!”
This new album – put together by the band’s core of guitarists Billy Rowe, Fernie Rod and vocalist Mickey Finn, alongside former faster Pussycat bassist Eric Stacy and drummer Al Serrato – is the first fully-fledged set of new material from JETBOY since 1990. “The band wasn’t working on any new material when Frontiers approached us. Mickey and I had written one or two songs a few years back, but that’s about it. For myself, I’ve been very into writing music and got very into recording, so I had a good amount of complete musical songs that I always felt could end up as new JETBOY material, and some of it did. But, the majority of the songs on this album were written within a couple of months after we got the offer from Frontiers,” says guitarist Billy Rowe of the writing process for “Born To Fly”.
Rowe continues, “Writing and recording this album came so naturally, there was no struggle at all. We feel it happened at the right time and was meant to be. The spirit of the band has been at an all time high ever since we started this new album. We shared ideas via email and then demoed every song before entering the studio. Once we started tracking this album we all felt something special was going on.”
Best described as a blend of edgy rock and roll with a traditional blues based influence, their new album “Born To Fly” is the perfect vehicle to exploit the commanding style of the bands classic rock ‘n roll sound. “The musical inspiration for the “Born To Fly” album came from a life long list of influences from bands we all grew up on from the 1970’s. JETBOY has always approached it’s writing with a simple stripped down, no nonsense rock n roll structure, starting with a great riff and a catchy hook. This album flowed so organically, everything felt like it was meant to be. We’ve also all really grown as musicians, which really helped capture what we feel is some of our best work to date,” states Rowe.
Vocalist Mickey Finn says the “lyrics flowed amazingly fast, with most songs being written in one sitting. My feelings were to stay true to JETBOY'S roots and style, but to also incorporate where we are at today, pleasing old and new fans alike. My wife was the inspiration for "Every Time I Go" and my firstborn son inspired "The Way You Move Me". Our life struggles as a band and lifelong friends inspired tracks like "Beating The Odds" and "Born to Fly". "Inspiration from Desperation" covers our political climate in America these days, "Brokenhearted Daydream" reminds us that love is sometimes fickle and hearts get broken, but don't let it destroy your heart, we have to learn to move on and allow love to come into our lives again. So, all in all, lots of inspiring messages on the record, as well as some good old rock ‘n roll fun and "Party Time" lyrics make it a well rounded listen!
“Born To Fly” is a fine rock record by any measure, hinting back to the band’s ‘80s sound and 70’s influences, while adding 30 years more experience to the grooves. JETBOY is ready to fly again.
