The Muggs are getting ready to release our 4th studio album entitled, Straight Up Boogaloo on March 21st 2015. We are having a record release party on the same night at Magic Bag in Ferndale, MI. Would you be interested in reviewing this LP and have it correspond the week of our record release party? Please let me know.
Machinegun and Kim Maki aka Retro Kimmer be live in the studio with T Money Green on his 5Xl L Radio Show on February 27...Check out the show by clicking the photo or link....talking about REAL DETROIT MUSIC!
“PROPER VILLAINS” CD RELEASE MARCH 7 @ THE CROFOOT BALLROOM
(Pontiac, MI February 21, 2015) Stone Clover, the Motor City’s premier Irish rock band, is the group you've been waiting to party with! Join them to celebrate the release of “Proper Villains”, the band’s highly anticipated, studio CD of all original music. This “St Practice Day” party takes place on Saturday, March 7th at the elegant Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI, and is presented in association with Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey.
“This project has been a truly collaborative endeavor” says Paul Brady, the band’s lead singer and brew-master, “everyone contributed to the final product, and we owe a considerable debt…to a number of friendly bartenders. It was the “luck of the Irish” that led us to multiple award winning Producer Chuck Alkazian at Pearl Sound Studios. We’re positive that “Proper Villains” will pay homage to his string of Grammy success.”
Stone Clover puts a dizzying spin on everything from traditional Irish songs to their own infectious, high-octane originals, which are presented on ”Proper Villains”. Don't plan on sitting down once they've hit the stage - with swift guitar swirls and a dancing violin, on top of a mandolin or accordion, add the bass and drums and the mix drives the rhythm straight to your drinking hand. The next thing you know your glass is empty and you can't stop bouncing along!
“Stone Clover consistently packs smaller venues” continues Brady, “When the opportunity to throw this party in the ballroom at the Crofoot was offered, it was a no-brainer! They have an awesome stage with million dollar sound and lights, there’s plenty of parking, but most important…multiple bars! Nobody should have to wait for a drink. It’s the proper venue for “Proper Villains!””
The doors swing open at 7pm. Special guests Bill Grogan's Goat and Dragon Wagon get the party started at 8! Advance tickets are only $10 and are on sale now at ticketweb.com or the Crofoot box office. Good luck at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Michigan Humane Society.
For further details, visit www.StoneCloverBand.com, www.TheCrofoot.com, or call 248-858-9333.
Spread the news: My official autobiography, SNAKES! GUILLOTINES! ELECTRIC CHAIRS! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group, will come out on June 9th! Preorder your copy today, and keep an eye out on dennisdunaway.com and Facebook for special events and book signings.DD
‘Train Kept A Rollin’, was written by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. The song was given new life by The Yardbirds in 1965 then again by the inimitable Aerosmith when they recorded it for their second album ‘Get Your Wings” in 1974.
Their version is actually a two-part song, the first has a slower groove arrangement, while the second uses that of the Yardbirds. Aerosmith turned it into a hard rock standard and a staple of classic rock radio; it remains one of their most popular tunes.
But few people know that they had a little help along the way when, during the recording, Record Producer Jack Douglas saw the now legendary session man Steve Hunter sitting outside the studio taking a cigarette break from a different session and he asked Steve to play a solo over the first half of the track.
It was very quick Steve recalls, he got his own guitar which he thinks would have been a 1959 Les Paul TV Special. They took some time to get a sound, then, ran through the track. But, as he did not have the vocal in his headphones they ran through it again this time with the vocal in, and Steve nailed it.
He got paid about $750 for doing it, then, as it turns out, 'Train' had a huge impact on the career of the young, inexperienced Aerosmith. They went on to bigger and better things, becoming one of the highest paid, most domineering bands in Rock Music.
Unbeknownst to Steve, Douglas also enlisted his session companion Dick Wagner to play the solo over the second half simulated live ‘Yardbirds’ section.
Neither Hunter or Wagner got a credit on the album, as ‘ghosting’ as it’s sometimes called was fairly common practice at that time.
Hunter has no idea why he was asked to record the solo; as he says, it was none of his business. The rest of the band we’re all there, they were very nice to him and he was never asked to teach anybody what he played.
In 2013 Joe Perry played a solo on Steve's solo album 'The Manhattan Blues Project' (The Brooklyn Shuffle) alongside his buddy Johnny Depp, so clearly there are no hard feelings and why should there be.
Statement from Steve Hunter
"Aerosmith was in Studio C of The Record Plant and I was doing work with Bob Ezrin in Studio A. I had a long wait between dubs and was waiting in the lobby. Jack Douglas popped his head out of Studio C and asked "Hey, do you feel like playing? I said sure, so I grabbed my guitar and went in" "I had two run thru’s, then Jack said "great' that's it! That turned out to be the opening solos on 'Train Kept A Rollin’ " steve hunter 2/1/2015
Here is a selection of other classic solos from Steve Hunterer
Drum Legends Carmine & Vinny Appice Release New 'Drum Wars Live' Video - “Stand Up And Shout!”
Los Angeles, CA - Drummers and music fans worldwide are buzzing with excitement about the new live CD track and music video by drum legends, brothers, Carmine & Vinny Appice, titled “Stand Up And Shout!” Drumming demi-gods Carmine & Vinny Appice have both had extraordinary careers behind the drum kit, beginning with Carmine’s tenure in such legendary classic rock bands as Vanilla Fudge and Cactus as well as supporting stints with Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne. Meanwhile, younger brother Vinny made his name as a metal drummer for monster acts such as Dio, Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell.
Recently, these two drum virtuosos have been wowing audiences with their own rock show called “Drum Wars”, featuring not only the hits of their associated bands but also a thrilling series of solos that pit them against each other like the Gene Krupa/Buddy Rich drum battles of yore. Fortunately for us mere mortals, this unique concert experience was recorded in June 2014 at the Iridium in New York and is now available on CD courtesy of Deadline Music and Rocker Records. Along with Carmine and Vinny, the 'Drum Wars Live' CD features Jim Crean, Ethan Brosh and James Caputo!
“After a bunch of friends and fans gave us a bunch of footage and photos from our 'Drum Wars' shows we decided to put together a video from our live CD. The 'Stand Up And Shout' video is a good representation of what 'Drum Wars' is – a kick-ass show!” - Carmine Appice
Here's what's being said about the new video:
“A full force drum battle complete with showmanship, sight gags, musicianship, power and sibling rivalry, captured on video.” - Radio Chick. Talk show host NYC
“STAND UP AND SHOUT. Powerful and relentlessly appealing! A Metal Anthem with overtones of DIO and Cactus from two of the most powerful drummers in the world.” - Allan Handelman, Show and Syndicated Show “Rock Talk”. www.ifitrocks.com
“Stand for Vinnie... Shout for Carmine... Drum Wars thunders with double the power and double the punch! Drum Wars battles through the legendary drumming brothers' catalog and rocks you with shock and awe!” - A.J. Fritz Host of Fritzrocks WLVR FM
“This percussive pair will pulverize you with their paradiddles during Drum Wars on stage and on CD. Experience it while you can!”
On The Air & In The Wind, Fingers
“Drum Wars is a quick, fun listen that freshens riffs and energizes lyrics while keeping the songs relevant and fast paced. It's an easy beginning to end listen.”
- Orlando Mornings 943 The Shark,
Brian Orlando, Morning Show Host 943 The Shark
For those unsure of their ability to withstand the aural assault that the Appice brothers bring, a free downloadable track from the album has been made available on the Rocker Records website. Visit here: http://rockerrecords.bandcamp.com/
“When me and Vinny play together we push each other to our limits. Either while drum battling or playing great songs from our history on this CD, while backed up with a great band behind us!” - Carmine Appice
“A CD of great music and drums that punch with power and energy.” - Vinny Appice
More 'Drum Wars Live' tour dates are currently in the works for March and beyond. Also, coinciding with the 'Drum Wars Live' CD release was a series of European shows featuring both Carmine & Vinny performing alongside a jaw-dropping list of metal vocalists and musicians. Dubbed the Metal All-Stars, this year’s crop includes Geoff Tate formerly of Queensrÿche, Dave Ellefson of Megadeth, James LaBrie of Dream Theater, and lots more!! For details, visit:
http://www.metalallstars.com/
This January, Vinny Appice will be embarking on the Extreme Guitar 2015 North American Tour featuring Uli Jon Roth, Vinnie Moore, Craig Goldy, Elliott Rubinson, Vinny Appice, Mark Boals!
The genre breaking band DESTROY ALL MONSTERS featured a cast of Detroit deities including Mike Davis (The MC5) and Ron Asheton (The Stooges). COLIN BRYCE talks with them about art, noise and trees
The genre breaking band DESTROY ALL MONSTERS featured a cast of Detroit deities including Mike Davis (The MC5) and Ron Asheton (The Stooges). COLIN BRYCE talks with them about art, noise and trees
The Destroy All Monsters story began as an art project in around 1974 with the meeting of University Of Michigan (based in Ann Arbor) art students Mike Kelley, Jim Shaw, Carey Loren and front-person (most commonly known as) Niagara. Their love, respect and interest for all things trash, outside, artistic, unconventional, free, unfettered and noisy brought them together and paved the way for sonic excursions and sound treatments that should most probably be described as un-easy listening, or even – as a fitting tribute to their hero Godzilla – monstrous; unless of course you have an ear for that sort of thing. An artistic and musical mix up of Sun Ra (a Detroit area favourite), The Velvet Underground, Beefheart, comic books, Beardsley, Man Ray, countless B-movies (gangster, monster, exploitation) and a healthy distrust and distaste for authority and the mainstream and you’ll very nearly have a half-cup of the kool aid the Monsters were drinking.
After a close encounter at a one of their (very few) performances you may have found yourself in love with the bands mixture of cheap organs, effects, feedback, moaning, saxophone, violin, clanging, bashing, squealing, squalling and their interpretations of classics like ‘Nature Boy’ or even Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’. Alternately you may have wished you skipped dropping that second hit of purple micro-dot.
“The art collaboration was a group of us that jammed in a basement for about a year,” explains Niagara. “No one ever heard or saw us, except at a college art show. The earlier stuff was quirky and funny, in an anti-music way. We invented noise music, so they say.”
Hiawatha Bailey is a long-standing face on the Ann Arbor/Detroit scene, a close friend of the band who worked as road crew/sound man for Destroy All Monsters. As a performer in his own right he also shared many bills as a member of The Cult Heroes. He recalls seeing an early DAM show at the college: “It was kind of ’50s beatnik and way out in a way.”
It is after the departure of founder members Shaw and Kelley that Larry and Ben Miller joined the Monsters and helped to set off a newer, jazzier and refined approach to the art sonics of the earlier incarnation. But it was once former Stooges and MC5 members Ron Asheton and (a freshly released from prison) Mike Davis joined the gang that all bets were off and Destroy All Monsters became a more fully-fledged rock band with Niagara front and centre sipping on her (now legendary) can of Tab, her wild mane streaked and piled atop her head, and dressed in some of the finest mini-skirts, heels and leopard print brassieres the budget of an aspiring artist will allow.
“Mike (Davis/MC5) and I were in together at Lexington,” recalls Hiawatha. “After I was released I ended up staying at a friend’s place at Whitmore Lake on about 100 acres... Mike came up there for New Year after being at his father’s place in Detroit... I had set up some space to play... More people ended up coming over and Ron told me about Niagara.” It was up at this property that the new high-energy version of Destroy All Monsters first began to get it together.
It is without doubt that the signing on of Ron Asheton and Mike Davis and their contributions musically brought Destroy All Monsters out of the artistic shadows and onto the much larger world stage. The increasing profile of all things “punk rock” and the influence of Asheton’s and Davis’s former bands on the new “punk” groups – even though their previous bands had only been broken up a few years at that point – allowed Destroy All Monsters to get their mugs in magazines like Creem, Rock Scene, Bomp and others. Asheton’s knack for a crafty, hypnotic riff and his experience working with one-of-a-kind front persons clearly also helped broaden Niagara’s often monochromatic vocal styling’s and appeal.
You could say that Ron and Mike brought a bit more “chrome” in general to the Destroy All Monsters camp (pun intended). As interesting as some of the ideas of the early DAM incarnation were they were still a group of young artists exploring and learning how to apply their chosen aesthetics. Nothing wrong of course with artistic experimentation and it certainly works for Destroy All Monsters on the early tracks like ‘From Edgar Cayce’ or ‘Silver Noise Kill Kill’.
