MusicWire Magazine

MusicWire Magazine - www.musicwiremagazine.com

NewsWire Media WorldWide Publishing

This website designed and hosted by:

MasterPlan Design Solutions

www.masterplandesignsolutions.com

Looking for a Web Design Company? Try Ours...Simple...

MasterPlan Design

VAN HALEN DRUMS

ENTER HALL OF FAME

MusicWire Magazine - Alex Van Halen’s historic drum kit is the latest acquisition of Cleveland’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum.

The set, which was used on more than 100 shows during Van Halen’s 1980 World Invasion Tour in support of the “Women and Children First” album, is now on display at the Cleveland site.

JOE WALSH ANNOUNCES

NEW SOLO ALBUM DETAILS

MusicWire Magazine - Joe Walsh of The Eagles is gearing up to release his first solo album in 18 years.

Walsh tells Ultimate Classic Rock that he has completed work on the record, which will be called “Analog Man,” and should be released sometime in the winter of 2012.

“I know in the past, I’ve had screwy album titles, but I decided to call it ‘Analog Man’," Joe explains. “Because, you know, my generation of musicians, we grew up analog, and now it’s a digital wor ld. We had to learn it, you know? Everything’s totally different. There’s no record companies — who knew that would happen? They were so powerful when I was young!”

“This is my first real experience doing my music digitally,” Walsh continues. “In the old days, there was more of a tendency to set up the band, mic everything, record the whole band together and when you got a good take, that was it. You couldn’t go in and make everything perfect. Nowadays, music is constructed. Musicians come in and play their part, and you put them on one at a time.”

Fans can expect to hear a song or two, including the title track (sample lyrics: “I’m an analog man in a digital world / I’m gonna get me an analog girl / Who loves me for what I am”) from "Analog Man" when Walsh sets out on a 3-week solo tour, beginning October 11 in Austin, Texas.

This will be Joe’s first solo effort since 1992’s “Songs for a Dying Planet.”

HAGAR: VAN HALEN USED

ANTHONY TAPES ON TOUR

OCT. 2011 - MusicWire Magazine - There’s no love lost between Sammy Hagar and the Van Halen brothers, which is evident pretty much every time the Red Rocker speaks.

Hagar’s latest rant about his former bandmates may be as much about them as it is Sammy standing up for his pal, ex-VH and now Chickenfoot bassist Michael Anthony.

By all appearances, and by the words of both Anthony and Hagar in recent years, Michael was kicked out of VH for being friends with Sammy at a time when the brothers weren’t working and he was, eventually inviting the bassist to join him on the road, earning the ire of both Eddie and Alex.

That move led to a serious pay cut for Anthony on the 2004 VH reunion tour with Hagar, who wouldn’t do the trip if Michael wasn’t involved (Eddie reportedly didn’t want him along). Further, Anthony says he was forced by the VH brothers to sign over his rights to future earnings from the band as…what…retribution for wanting to play live music with someone they deemed as the ‘enemy’?

Anthony was replaced by Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, who toured with VH in 2007/08 on the band’s reunion trek with David Lee Roth…and is reportedly on the forthcoming VH album.

Now, in a new interview with Attention Deficit Delirium, Hagar accuses VH of using Anthony’s talents on the road, even after they unceremoniously dismissed him and his contributions to the group and its legacy.

“Those vocal harmonies on the last tour were Mike on tape,” asserted Hagar. “Mike should’ve reamed them for it. Wolfie don’t sing like that, and Ed sure as hell don’t. Go on the Internet and listen to Ed’s voice live from the reunion with me. Hear him sing on ‘When It’s Love’ and some of those songs. Ed can’t sing, and his voice is shot if he can, from cigarettes and booze anyway.”

Sammy didn’t stop there.

“I just don’t see Van Halen getting together again,” said the Red Rocker. “I don’t know what would have to happen for it to happen. I don’t think they’re ever going to get together with Dave. They’ve been working on that record for a year and a half or whatever, and they keep postponing and postponing it. I just know that Wolfie, Dave and Ed are not the Van Halen that the world wants to see. To do it with David without Mike was a horrible decision, but those guys haven’t made a good decision since I left the band. I don’t think so. It’s not about me, I just think that they really burned Mikey and burned the fans by throwing him out before Dave came back finally.”

SCOTTY McCREERY, BLAKE SHELTON OCCUPY COUNTRY CHARTS FOR ANOTHER WEEK

Montgomery Gentry, Keith Urban

Have Highest Album, Song Debuts

10.29.11-MusicWire Magazine - For the third week in a row, Scott McCreery's Clear as Day ranks as Billboard's top country album. Also, two straight weeks at No. 1 for Shelton's "God Gave Me You."

The No. 2 through No. 5 songs are the Eli Young Band's "Crazy Girl," Strait's "Here for a Good Time," Miranda Lambert's "Baggage Claim" (leapfrogging from No. 9) and Taylor Swift's "Sparks Fly."

Bunching up directly behind Clear as Day in this week's Top 5 country albums parade are Lady Antebellum's Own the Night, Lauren Alaina's Wildflower, the multi-artist soundtrack to the film Footloose and Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party.

GEORGE JONES

ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES THROUGH NOVEMBER 2012

MusicWire Magazine - At age 80, George Jones is continuing to tour with concerts scheduled this weekend and more than 30 additional dates planned in the U.S. and Canada through November 2012. His tour dates include shows Friday (Oct. 28) in Elkhart, Ind., Saturday (Oct. 29) in Waukegan, Ill., and Sunday (Oct. 30) in Green Bay, Wis. His roadwork for the year concludes Dec. 17 in Tulsa, Okla. He returns to the road in February and will head to Canada for a 10-day tour in May. "I'm always excited to get back out on the road, and we're working up new shows and new songs," Jones said. "I'm feelin' great and givin' the road hell!" Jones was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.

MUSIC CITY

WALK OF FAME

INDUCTION CEREMONY

NOVEMBER, 2011

More>>>

VAN HALEN REUNION TOUR, NO SAMMY HAGAR OR MIKE ANTHONY

MusicWire Magazine - Van Halen reunion won’t include Sammy Hagar

In Sammy Hagar’s mind, Van Halen is stuck in 2004.

Or maybe it’s Sammy Hagar that’s stuck in Van Halen’s 2004.

Either way, that was the last time Hagar toured with VH, on a reunion tour that, in hindsight, was created only to sell an ill-planned greatest hits collection (“Best Of Both Worlds”), following the public relations disaster that was "VHIII."

There seems to have been no communication between Sammy and the VH camp since the ’04 tour ended with a thud in Tuscon, with Eddie smashing a guitar on stage, to the shock of many.

There was, of course, the hugely successful 2007/08 reunion tour with David Lee Roth, and now a new album with the Diamond one is on the horizon…more than 25 years after the smash “1984” release.

Rolling Stone caught up with Hagar at Chickenfoot’s recent New York show to get his take on the Grammy Awards’ announcement that their November 30 Nominations Concert special will include "a special, live announcement from an iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place" on the Grammy stage on February 12, 2012” – which was followed by the tweet, "Who do u predict the reuniting band will be @ #GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance the Night Away'?"

Hagar tells RS that any VH reunion won't include him.

"If Van Halen plays, it will be Dave, Eddie, Alex, and Wolfie [Wolfgang Van Halen], his kid – it wouldn't be Mike [Anthony] and I. First of all, we wouldn't be invited and second of all, if we were invited, we probably wouldn't do it. If Eddie is in the same condition he was the last time I saw him, I don't want to step onstage with him."

Ok, so did Hagar actually make the pending VH reunion news about him - or did Rolling Stone need a hook and a headline for a non-story?

STONES, JAMES DURBIN LEAD

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES

MusicWire Magazine - Rock heavyweights are starting to bring out the big guns with new releases for the holiday season.

Topping the list this week is the major “Some Girls” reissue by The Rolling Stones; the 1978 album now comes with a bonus disc featuring tracks from the original sessions…and then there’s the “Some Girls Live In Texas” concert DVD for fans to take in, as well.

The debut from James Durbin should get a lot of attention from music buyers, along with the Chris Cornell live set, "Songbook," recorded on his spring tour. There’s new Nickelback and Daughtry, the massive Rush box set, “Sectors,” and more on this week’ list of rock releases.

MUSIC

Here’s a look at some of the new music in stores this week - to check out all the new releases available, click here.

• Chris Cornell – Songbook [mp3] iTunes / Amazon

• Chris Cornell – Songbook [CD] Amazon

• Daughtry – Break The Spell [mp3] iTunes / Amazon

• Daughtry – Break The Spell [CD] Amazon

• James Durbin – Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster [mp3] iTunes / Amazon

• James Durbin – Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster [CD] Amazon

• Halford – Live At Saitama Super Arena [mp3] iTunes / Amazon

• Halford – Live At Saitama Super Arena [CD] Amazon

• Nickelback – Here And Now [mp3] iTunes / Amazon

• Nickelback – Here And Now [CD] Amazon

• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls [mp3] iTunes

• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls [CD] Amazon

• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls [CD Box Set] Amazon

• Rush – Sector 1 [5CD+DVD] Amazon

• Rush – Sector 2 [5CD+DVD] Amazon

• Rush – Sector 3 [5CD+DVD] Amazon

MUSIC DVD

Here’s some of the new music DVD releases in stores this week - to check out all the new DVD releases available, click here (Amazon).

• Talking Heads – Chronology Deluxe [DVD] Amazon

• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls Live In Texas [DVD] Amazon

• The Rolling Stones – Some Girls Live In Texas [Blu-ray] Amazon

RIHANNA SAMPLES

METALLICA ON NEW ALBUM

MusicWire Magazine - Pop superstar Rihanna is getting a little heavy on at least one track on her new album, “Talk That Talk,” and she went to the right place to do that – Metallica.

Advance previews of the record, due November 21, say the track "Red Lipstick" features a sample of Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam,” with the tune’s heavy guitar riff featured at the beginning of the Rihanna song.

“Red Lipstick” is reportedly credited as being written/produced by The-Dream, Rihanna, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, William Kennard, and Saul Milton. The song features the Metallica riffage plus samples “Saxon” by Chase and Status.

Audio leaks on the song, so far, don’t feature the opening section with the Metallica heaviness….so we’ll wait for something to surface.

“Wherever I May Roam” was on Metallica’s 1991 self-titled record, commonly referred to as the “Black Album,” based on its cover. Metallica have just announced that they will play the album in its entirety during their headlining set at Download 2012, to mark the disc’s 20th anniversary.

LED ZEPPELIN IV RE-ENTERS BILLBOARD 200 ALBUM CHART AFTER 25 YEARS

MusicWire Magazine- Led Zeppelin are back on the US charts.

Billboard./biz reports that “Led Zeppelin IV” has re-entered the Billboard 200 charts for the first time since 1987.

With sales last week of around 3,600 copies, Zep IV is sitting at #166 on the list, having previously spent 260 weeks on the chart.

The classic 1971 album is up 273% in overall sales and 654% in downloads.

The resurgence may be attributed to the album’s 40th Anniversary on November 8, which received widespread media attention…and then there’s the price: it’s only $5.99 at AmazonMP3 and $6.99 at iTunes.

"Led Zeppelin IV" is the third best-selling album of all time in the U.S., with cumulative sales of more than 23 million.

INSIDE THE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE

Dateline: Mon 1.23.12

By JW Davis-Editor MusicWire

Tampa,Florida

The beautiful campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa was the setting for the pivotal GOP Presidential Candidates Debate just days before the crucial Florida primary vote.

The free exchange of idea's and information was at the core of tonight's debate and served as the bedrock of value by offering voters the opportunity to learn more about these candidates so voters can make an informed decision before they cast their ballots next Tuesday in the primary in Florida.

Theater One on the campus was packed with esteemed guests including the Ambassador's from England and France. In addition the Student Government organization had a very large tent set up on the lawn which allowed campus students to watch the event inside on a very large TV screen.

From my ring side position on the side of the auditorium with the media pool, the sparks were flying in the Theater within the first hour of the debate as Mitt Romney went on the offensive by making accusations at Newt Gingrich about his time working for and with Freddie Mac as a consultant. He accused Gingrich of working as a lobbyist and influence peddling.

Hot off a double digit win in South Carolina, Gingrich was caught flatfooted when Romney accused him of lobbying other congressional representatives and basically working as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac. Newt attempted to defend his time as a consultant making $25,000 a month.

Gingrich, now being viewed as the new heavyweight leader in the GOP Presidential race, managed to fend off Romney's attacks. Newt was calm, cool and collected as he obviously had the momentum going into this debate. Fresh off his 40-28% drumming of Romney in South Carolina, Gingrich showed no signs of slowing down as he defended himself against Romney. It was apparent to me from the beginning of the debate that Romney put Speaker Gingrich on the defensive the first chance he had.

Senator Rick Santorum had some really good answers and seemed confident and assured. He hammered at the need to address the issues instead of the candidates attacking each other.

Ron Paul seemed to be anxious at times and appeared really unhappy as Romney went after Gingrich with accusations.

Paul appeared disconnected and at times exasperated when the Romney Gingrich accusations flew at each other.

An Insider Advantage poll released Sunday night showed Gingrich besting Romney by 8 points among likely Republican primary voters while the latest Rasmussen poll finds Gingrich with 41 percent of the vote compared with Romneys 32 percent.

The entire debate appears here on this feature page for your viewing.

UP CLOSE AT THE TAMPA

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE DEBATES

OPINION

By: JW Davis - Editor MusicWire

Tampa, Florida - As I arrrived at the beautiful campus at the University of Southern Florida at Tampa, I was amazed at the size of this complex. This could not have been a more perfect place to hold a Presidential Debate. The media center set up for the press was absolutely one of the most professional layouts I have ever witnessed since I have been in the journalistic field.

I have covered the appearances of Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush over the years as well as many Rock-n-Roll, Country and Jazz music concerts and talked with some of Country and Rocks biggest stars.

This event was one of the best I have ever attended. NBC's representative, Erica was one of the most polite and gracious young lady's I have ever witnessed. She was calm, cool and collected as she carried out her duties in coordinating the press pool, which can be taxing to say the least.

As I watched the Candidates come onto the stage, I was also amazed at their seemly professional appearances. Mitt Romney seemed to be the most Presidential, not only in looks but mannerisms. Newt to me appeared to be the most relaxed appearing candidate and one that you could just walk up to and talk to like you would your neighbor. Ron Paul appeared to be the most disconnected appearing one also. Santorum looked like the guy who just came off the college campus and appeared relaxed and professional looking as well.

I was very pleased as the debate took on a very professional and measured tone. The answers from the candidates were sincere and well spoken.

Then, not to long into the debate, Mitt suddenly started attacking and accusing Gingrich of being a lobbyist, an influence peddler and just basically raking Newt over the coals about his Freddie Mac consulting business. He went on and on accusing Newt and basically berating and trying to humiliate him.

To me, this just seemed to be the worst thing that could happen in a debate. As I looked over at the auidence, most of them were just sitting there with a blank look. Some of them had stunned looks on their faces, others seemed to be relishing the scene.

In any case, I felt like I was in a surreal movie and could not believe the stuff that was coming out of Romneys mouth. I remember thinking, Why is Brian Williams, the moderater allowing this to go on and on? He just seemed to be sitting there and allowing Romney to continue his attacks. I remember thinking to myself, is this really what the people who came here wanted to see and hear? This was the most disappointing part of the debate for the evening. I was truly relieved when Brian Williams came back after a commercial and moved on to get the debate and the candidates focused back to the issues.

Allowing these candidates to carry on with these attacks against each other will only allow the Democrats and Obama to have more fodder to use against the eventual GOP nominee as the election draws nearer.

I really hope, for the sake of the voters, that in future debates, these candidates stick to the issues and quit playing into the hands of the Democrats and concentrate on their opponent, and not each other. I really believe the voters want to hear how these men, who want to be President, will solve some very important and messy issues that threaten the existence of our beloved country.

We would like to hear your opinon. Please email JW at musicwiremagazine@gmail.com.