BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TAPS CLARENCE CLEMONS' NEPHEW AND HORN SECTION FOR WORLD TOUR
Bruce Springsteen fans finally have an answer. As we first hinted to you, "The Boss" has tapped both Clarence Clemons' nephew Jake Clemons as well as a full horn section -- including a second sax player to -- replace the late Clarence Clemons, who died in June. In addition to Clemons, the full horn section hitting the road for the Wrecking Ball tour will be Barry Danielian on trumpet, Clark Gayton on trombone, Eddie Manion on saxophone and Curt Ramm on trumpet.
Backstreets.com posted a brief background on each player's past with Springsteen in concert and on record: "Jake Clemons has guested with the E Street Band before, but this will be his first tour; the other sax player, Eddie Manion, has played with Bruce in various incarnations for decades. . . Curt Ramm was a featured player at the end of the Working On A Dream tour; he and Clark Gayton also toured with the Sessions Band. Barry Danielian is a relatively new addition to the fold. Also back for the Wrecking Ball tour, from the Working On A Dream and Sessions Band tours, vocalist extraordinaires Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King."
Springsteen has long maintained that his live performances are the backbone of his career, which connects him not only to the audience and his bandmates, but ultimately to himself: "I knew that the most important thing to me was when I walked out -- whether it was in a little bar on any stage, how it made me feel. Because I wanna do -- find some way in. Some way to be a part of, I guess, a community that was either really there or that I imagined. That I dreamt of."
The new members of Springsteen's touring band will have to acquaint themselves quickly to his legendary 'anything goes' attitude towards his nightly setlists. Drummer Max Weinberg was asked if he could recall a key night when the band found themselves way out on a musical ledge: "Oh definitely. I remember we played a song -- the first time played (the Animals') 'It's My Life' -- which we used to play in the mid-'70s; we didn't know we were going to play that -- we'd never rehearsed it. We knew it. Bruce kind of started playing it on his guitar and then Roy (Bittan) came in on the piano. We just kind of fell into it. But that's the special quality of this band; that ability to pick up those impromptu cues from Bruce."
The expanded lineup of the E Street Band will be on hand on Sunday night (February 12th) when Springsteen performs at the Grammy Awards in L.A. and on March 9th at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theatre.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band U.S. tour dates (subject to change): March 9 - New York, NY - Apollo Theater March 18 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena March 19 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum March 23 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Times Forum March 26 - Boston, MA - TD Garden March 28, 29 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center April 1 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center April 3, 4 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center April 6, 9 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden April 12 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills April 13 - Buffalo, NY - First Niagara Center April 16 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center April 17 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena April 24 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion April 26 - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena April 29 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival May 2 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
METALLICA DRUMMER SAYS PROJECTS LIKE 'LULU' 'KEEP US ALIVE'
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Brazil's Wikimetal that he still feels good about recording the band's collaborative album with Lou Reed, Lulu, which came out to poor sales and disastrous reviews last November. Ulrich said, "It's definitely very unique, and whether it's unique in a good way or unique in a not-so-good way, I have no idea yet. The people whose opinions I trust say it's very good. It feels very good; it's a lot of fun to do. But whether it's making a new sound, or paving a new way, I have no idea."
The drummer added that Metallica's success has given them the freedom to try new things, which is essential to the band's longevity. He explained, "I think that 30 years in, we have to kind of do these things to keep us alive. If we get stuck doing the same thing over and over again, it becomes automatic . . . that's not the band I'd like Metallica to be. I know some people would like Metallica to make the same record every two years, but that's not what I want Metallica to do, and I'm not interested in doing that."
The band has been working on its next "official" album recently, with Ulrich saying it will be out "maybe in another year or two."
Meanwhile, Metallica will play its 1991 self-titled "black album" in its entirety this summer at several European festivals, and has just announced its own two-day festival, Orion Music + More, which will take place in late June in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Metallica will headline both days, which will feature a total of 22 acts. The group will play the "black album" at one show and 1984's Ride The Lightning in its entirety for the first time ever at the other.
RINGO STARR LAUNCHES 'WONDERFUL' VALENTINE DAY CONTEST
In celebration of Valentine's Day on Tuesday (February 14th), Ringo Starr has launched his "Wonderful Valentine" contest via his Facebook page. As a tie-in with his new track "Wonderful" from the just-released Ringo 2012 album, participants can hit the contest tab on the Facebook page and tell friends they think they are "Wonderful." Fans can enter to win a personalized video message from the "Ringed One" and share it come Valentine's Day. Ringo explained: "I hope this will be my big Valentine's Day song. I see a whole ad campaign -- 'Roses and Ringo' - because women love both and don't forget it." For more information, log on to: http://tinyurl.com/7s8r29r
Ringo is getting great notices for Ringo 2012, which marks the first time that he's self-produced an album on his own. He says that half the fun was laying down the album's basic tracks by himself: "So what I was doing -- I was having so much fun on my own -- so I'd put the synth (track) down, I'd play the drums, I'd put maracas on, I'd put tambourine on -- maybe cowbell. When it got to, like, I'm putting the gong on, I've got to call a musician to come on over (laughs)." )
Ringo Starr and his 12th All Starr Band will kick off their 25-date summer tour on June 14th in Niagara Falls, Ontario at the Fallsview Casino and wrap up the trek on July 21st at L.A.'s Greek Theater.
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band tour dates (subject to change): June 14, 15 - Niagara Falls, ON - Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort June 16 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center For The Arts June 17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena June 19 - Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion June 22 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater June 23 - Atlantic City, NJ - Caesars Atlantic City June 24 - Baltimore, MD - Meyerhoff Symphony Hall June 26 - Easton, PA - State Theatre Center For The Arts June 27 - Morristown, NJ - Mayo Performing Arts Center June 29 - Saint Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre June 30 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Live July 1 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall July 3 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheater July 4 - Orange Beach, AL - Amphitheater At The Wharf July 6 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre July 7 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium (***Ringo's 72nd Birthday!!!) July 18 - Hammond, IN - The Venue At Horseshoe Casino July 11 - Salt Lake City, UT - Usana Amphitheatre July 13 - Airway Heights, WA - Northern Quest Casino July 14 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery July 15 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater July 17 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery July 19 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay Juy 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
SHARON OSBOURNE SAYS SHE DID NOT FIRE BLACK SABBATH DRUMMER
The drama over the split between the reunited Black Sabbath and original drummer Bill Ward continues, with singer Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon now speaking out on the dispute. It's widely believed that Sharon was instrumental in alienating Ward by offering him a far smaller contract than the other band members, and reports have surfaced online that she in fact fired the band's founding drummer. But Sharon denied that in a post at Twitter, writing, "I am not in any position to hire or fire anyone in Black Sabbath. I don't manage the band, I manage my husband."
Ward announced two weeks ago that he could not participate in the planned reunion of the band's founding lineup without what he called a "signable" contract.
The other three members of Sabbath have already announced that they will move forward without Ward, with Ozzy's solo band drummer Tommy Clufetos reportedly already in the studio with them.
Ward himself told us some time ago that even though he played in Sabbath lineups without Ozzy on vocals, it was never the same as the original band: "You know, when Oz was asked to leave, there was just a string of replacement singers. I don't want to be belittling the singers that followed, 'cause Ronnie (James) Dio and Ian Gillan were, you know, excellent vocalists. But when that happened, when Ozzy's voice was removed, the whole thing changed."
Ward's son Aron also weighed in on the controversy earlier this week, writing, "The current 'Sabbath' statement reads as if someone would rather see the remaining members play in front of thousands of disappointed, confused and resentful fans then give my dad a dignified agreement."
A number of Sabbath fans have rallied around Ward, launching a new Facebook page dubbed "1,000,000 Black Sabbath Fans Say Yes To Bill Ward."
The reunion of the original lineup was announced last November, along with a new album and tour. But Iommi's cancer diagnosis last month has called into question how extensively the band will play live.
THE BEACH BOYS KICK OFF FIRST REUNION REHEARSALS
We've been telling you for months, but the Beach Boys have just announced that they indeed will perform on Sunday night (February 12th) at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The performance is the kick-off to the band's 50th anniversary reunion tour. The band, featuring co-founders Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and David Marks -- along with 47-year veteran Bruce Johnston, will perform as apart of a three-song medley with current Grammy nominees Foster The People and Maroon 5.
The upcoming tour marks Brian Wilson's first shows with the band since 1996, Jardine's first since 1998, and the first time that David Marks, Wilson, and Love have performed together live since 1963. The band has been rehearsing for the appearance in Burbank, California and recording their new reunion album in Hollywood.
Brian Wilson told us that he periodically checks out the latest crop of pop rockers and he's generally excited by what he's heard recently: "Yeah, I know, some of the young groups these days are emulating the Beach Boys' music, and I'm very proud of that. Of course, Brian Wilson music too, I'm very proud of it. Yeah, I try to check out just as much as I can, y'know, to get a cross sampling of what I think is going on."
David Marks, who grew up across the street from the Wilson family, including the late Beach Boys Dennis and Carl Wilson, has recently published his autobiography chronicling the band's early days, called The Lost Beach Boy. The book, which was co-written with Beach Boys historian Jon Stebbins, gives a warts-and-all view of Marks' life in and out of the band, yet he says he's not ashamed of any aspect of his life, including his decades of drug and alcohol abuse: "Seriously, I am not embarrassed by it. That's what happened, people learn from their experiences, other people can benefit from other people's experiences. The cool thing is that I survived. I'm here to talk about it and that's a cool thing."
VAN HALEN PLAYS 'DRESS REHEARSAL' SHOW FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS
Van Halen took over the the cavernous Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (February 8th) to play a "dress rehearsal" show attended by thousands of "family and friends" as a warm-up for the band's North American tour. According to Blabbermouth, guitarist Slash attended and later tweeted, "Van Halen was killer tonight at the Forum. Eddie (Van Halen) was brilliant. So amazing to hear/watch."
Fan-filmed footage of the show has surfaced on YouTube.
Van Halen kicks off its tour on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky.
The band is hitting the road in support of its new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, which came out this past Tuesday (February 7th).
The disc, the band's first all-new set in 14 years, is expected to sell between 180,000 and 200,000 copies in its first week for a possible Number One debut.
The set list from Wednesday night was: "You Really Got Me" "Running With The Devil" "She's The Woman" "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" "Tattoo" "Everybody Wants Some" "Beautiful Girls" "Ice Cream Man" "China Town" "Dance The Night Away" "Hot For Teacher" "Blood And Fire" "Panama" "Jump"
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