UK Rock Legends UFO Reissue Rare 1988 EP With Vintage Live Bonus Tracks & Other Treasures!
The legendary British rock band’s rare 1988 EP, Ain’t Misbehavin’, is making a triumphant return in a Deluxe Bonus Track Edition reissue, promising a treasure trove of sonic delights for enthusiasts and collectors alike. Recorded in the wake of the band’s electrifying 1987 tour in support of their ’85 album Misdemeanor, this EP marked the final collaboration between UFO frontman Phil Mogg and the virtuosic Japanese-born guitarist Atomik Tommy M.Much like its predecessor, Ain’t Misbehavin’ goes full throttle from beginning to end with Mogg matching his vocal prowess to the pyrotechnic playing of guitarist Tommy alongside superstar bassist Paul Gray (The Damned) and former Magnum drummer Jim Simpson. The brilliant lead off track, “Between A Rock And A Hard Place,” ranks up there with some of the band’s best rockers. Check out this special digital single release of the track below!
This deluxe reissue not only reintroduces the original EP in all its glory but also treats fans to a selection of bonus tracks, including vintage live performances and other rarities that showcase UFO’s dynamic live energy and musical evolution. The artwork has been revamped with an even sexier front cover image, and the whole thing is being released on all formats this June 14 so order your copy today!
TRACK LIST: 1. Between A Rock & A Hard Place 2. Another Saturday Night 3. At War With The World 4. Hunger In The Night 5. Easy Money 6. Rock Boyz, Rock 7. Lonely Cities (Of The Heart) BONUS TRACKS 8. Only You Can Rock Me (Live In Milwaukee 1986) 9. The Chase (Live In Milwaukee 1986) 10. Night Run (Live In Milwaukee 1986) 11. Doctor Doctor (Live In Milwaukee 1986) 12. Between A Rock & A Hard Place (Instrumental Version)
Dokken’s One Live Night Is Now Available For The First Time On 180g Vinyl Through Deko Entertainment
Featuring the Original Lineup in a Special Semi-Acoustic Performance and Limited to Only 250 Copies of Each VariationStocktom, NJ – Dokken, formed in Los Angeles in 1978, had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as “Alone Again”, “In My Dreams”, and “Burning Like a Flame”, and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The classic Dokken line-up consisted of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitar, Mick Brown on drums and Jeff Pilson on bass.One Live Night is the 1996 semi-acoustic live album of the then reunited Dokken who recorded the album before a live audience at The Strand, an intimate concert venue in Redondo Beach, California, on December 13, 1994, and prior to their 1995 tour. The album went virtually unheard at the time of its release, being overshadowed by the then fledgling grunge and alternative rock movement.
Listen to “Alone Again” here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwY1B6rqmBU Now it is available through Deko Entertainment for the first time on 180g vinyl as a double album with a beautiful gatefold. Completely remastered, repackaged, and limited to only 250 copies of each variation. This intimate performance includes versions of “Tooth and Nail”, “Into the Fire” and “Alone Again”, as well as covers of the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” and Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “From the Beginning”. This is a must have for any Dokken fan!
Legendary Rockers BLUE ÖYSTER CULT Share New Single “Don’t Come Running To Me”+ Music Video New Studio Album ‘Ghost Stories‘ due Out April 12th via Frontiers Music Srl. Pre-Order HERE
Legendary rockers BLUE ÖYSTER CULT share the second single from their upcoming release, ‘Ghost Stories,’ out April 12th on Frontiers Music Srl. The track, entitled “Don’t Come Running To Me,” is accompanied by a new music video.
After the resounding success of their 50th Anniversary celebration, ‘Ghost Stories‘ sees the band eagerly gearing up for an exciting new chapter in their storied career. This highly anticipated album marks a fitting finale to the recording legacy of one of rock’s most iconic fixtures from the past 50 years.
In partnership with Frontiers Music Srl, ‘Ghost Stories‘ will captivate fans with a collection of reimagined and completed songs that span from 1978-2016. These musical treasures, long considered the ‘lost gems’ by BLUE ÖYSTER CULT enthusiasts, were originally recorded between 1978 and 1983, except for one track from 2016, “If I Fell.” Also included is the only known recorded performance of their concert classic “Kick Out the Jams” (MC5 cover). Some of the material is from workshopping albums, some from performance rehearsals, and all were recorded once in the hopes that someday they’d see the light of day.
As BLUE ÖYSTER CULT embraces its ‘classic rock’ phenomenon status, the anticipation for this album is reaching a crescendo. Fans are eager to experience the culmination of the band’s artistic vision and witness the completion of songs that have become part of their folklore. The band will also add some of the songs in their up-and-coming 2024 shows.
With a legacy spanning over five decades, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT continues to be a formidable force in the classic rock scene. The exciting partnership with Frontiers Music Srl and the visionary leadership of Serafino Perugino add an extra layer of anticipation to the release of ‘Ghost Stories.’ As the band bids farewell to their recording career, they do so with a flourish, offering fans a musical odyssey that is sure to leave a lasting imprint on rock history. Truly, a remarkable journey.
Work in the studio for the album was completed by Richie Castellano along with remaining original members Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and both Albert Bouchard and Rick Downey appear on drums with additional overdubs recorded by Joe Bouchard. All these original lineup members appearing on ‘Ghost Stories,’ create a musical journey that traverses decades and promises easter eggs for days.
George Geranios, the band’s original audio engineer and an integral part of the band’s golden years produced the tracks along with BÖC and all were originally recorded on reel-to-reel analog tape. He transferred them to digital audio which is when modern AI and magical musical talents meet and the collection of vintage multi-track recordings was de-mixed, re-mixed, and produced by Steve Schenck and Richie Castellano to become ‘Ghost Stories.’ The two explain the album’s amazing process HERE
Band Members & Credits:
Eric Bloom – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Albert Bouchard – Drums, Vocals
Joe Bouchard – Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Old Habits Die Hard is the fourteenth studio album from the legendary British AOR rock band, FM. The album is released by Frontiers Records on Friday May 3, 2024, and available to pre-order from https://orcd.co/oldhabitsdiehard.
The first single “Out of The Blue” is now available and is available on all streaming platforms from https://orcd.co/fmoutoftheblue.
Released to coincide with the band’s 40th Anniversary (1984 – 2024), vocalist, guitarist and founding member Steve Overland says, “the new album encompasses the best melodic elements of the band’s illustrious 40-year spanning career.
‘We really looked at what made the most popular FM albums great and tried to focus on that,” says Steve about the new album Old Habits Die Hard.
FM are known by many for their big choruses, twin lead guitars and Steve Overland’s intimate, yet powerful vocals, and clean guitar sound. Following 2022’s Thirteen album, Old Habits Die Hard was delayed slightly by keyboard player Jem Davis’ cancer diagnosis (thankfully he’s now received the all-clear) and then by the sudden passing of FM’s founding guitarist Chris Overland (Steve’s brother), which hit the band hard.
“Chris’s passing came out of the blue and it was devastating,” says Steve. To add insult to injury, close friend of the band and long-time collaborator of Jim Kirkpatrick, guitarist Bernie Marsden passed away just two days after Chris.
The tragedies that plagued the band through the recording process only reinforced FM’s resolve and desire to make the best album that they could to represent their 40 years in the business. The new album is also a fitting tribute to Chris Overland.
Over the past 12 months, during their extensive touring schedule, FM produced the album themselves and recorded the bulk of it at their own Dale View and Electric Pepperland recording studios.
Opening track and first single “Out of The Blue” was a song that originated from keyboard player Jem Davis. Says Jem, “the band love the music of Toto and Foreigner and so I tried to put those influences into one track. ‘Once Steve got involved and started singing it, I knew that we were onto something special.”
“Out Of the Blue is a song that old school FM fans will really latch on to,” says Steve. “So far, the reaction to the track has been amazing.”
The album continues with the rocker “Don’t Need Another Heartache” an AC/DC meets Foreigner anthem with an infectious chorus. ‘This song will probably be in the live set for the 40th anniversary tour as it’s one of our favorites from the album,” explains drummer and founder FM member, Pete Jupp.
“Whatever It Takes” and “No Easy Way Out” are typical FM melodic tracks and could fit seamlessly on to one of the bands earlier classic albums. Bass player and founder member Merv Goldsworthy explains, “No Easy way Out has the big typical FM chorus. It’s a massive hook. The kind of thing that we’ve become known for. It’s one of my favorites on the album.”
The heavier side of the album is represented by “Lost,” “Another Day in My World,” and “Leap of Faith.” Whilst more hard hitting, these songs embody the catchy melodic choruses that FM are known for.
“Cut Me Loose,” “California,” and “Blue Sky Mind” are poppier, more feelgood tracks. “Blue Sky Mind” was conceived again by keyboard player Jem Davis who originally wrote the song about his experience with his cancer diagnosis. ‘That song really was therapy for me. It was important that I got it out of my system and into music,” says Jem.
“Black Water” is a brooding, bluesy track that grows and grows. ‘This is a real favorite of mine,” says FM guitarist,Jim Kirkpatrick. “I could hear Brian May playing the guitar solo, so I pulled out my Brian May signature guitar and tried to do my best impersonation of him. Hopefully I got somewhere close.”
Track Listing 1. Out of the Blue 2. Don’t Need Another Heartache 3. No Easy Way Out 4. Lost 5. Whatever It Takes 6. Black Water 7. Cut Me Loose 8. Leap of Faith 9. California 10. Another Day in My World 11. Blue Sky Mind Production Credits Old Habits Die Hard Produced by FM, Mixed by Jeff Knowler, Mastered by Jim Griffiths at Principal Audio Photography by Paul Stuart Hollingsworth
Recorded at West3 Productions, Tremelo, Electric Pepperland, Morsecode Studios, JK Studios *All songs written by – Overland/Goldsworthy/Jupp/Davis/Kirkpatrick
2024 launches with a bang thanks to the announcement of ‘The Quantum Phase‘, the highly anticipated new record from supergroup THE END MACHINE. The announcement signals a notable change in personnel as well. Singer Robert Mason has officially parted ways with the group, paving the way for Girish Pradhan, the rising superstar vocalist known for his work under the moniker Girish And The Chronicles and, more recently, with Joel Hoekstra’s 13. The addition of Girish Pradhan to the band is a testament to the keen discernment of Serafino Perugino, president, and founder of Frontiers Records. Perugino, who serves as the executive producer for THE END MACHINE, recognized the incredible talent and potential in Pradhan and brought him to the attention of the band.
To herald this fantastic change and new album, THE END MACHINE shares their first single off of ‘The Quantum Phase,’ entitled “Silent Winter.” The track is accompanied by a new music video.
Jeff Pilson comments on the new track:
“‘Silent Winter’ is a song about the bleak prospects for humanity if we keep on our current trajectory. ‘Quantum Phase’ – the album – deals with what we must do to change course.”
Established in 2018, THE END MACHINE released their eponymous debut album, ‘The End Machine,’ in 2019 bringing early acclaim for not only contemporary production and a modern attitude, but also their perfectly crafted songs, paying homage to their roots and the music that they love. This attitude and talent was equally on display with their 2021 sophomore album, ‘Phase 2‘.
In delivering 2024’s ‘The Quantum Phase,’ THE END MACHINE has not only surpassed expectations but has penned the record of their lives! With each note and lyric, they have exceeded their own artistic aspirations, collectively crafting the album they always wished they had written. This monumental work stands as a testament to THE END MACHINE’s evolution, showcasing not only their musical prowess but also their unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of their creative expression.
Tracklisting: 1) Black Hole Extinction 2) Silent Winter 3) Killer of the Night 4) Hell or High Water 5) Stand Up 6) Burning Man 7) Shattered Glass Heart 8) Time 9) Hunted 10) Stranger in the Mirror 11) Into the Blazing Sun
Produced By: Jeff Pilson for Pilsound Music Inc Studio: Pilsound Studios, Santa Clarita CA Recorded By: Jeff Pilson and Girish Pradhan, additional engineering: Olivia Pilson Mixed By: Alessandro Del Vecchio Mastered By: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Band Members: George Lynch Girish Pradhan Steve Brown Jeff Pilson
Loverboy to launch previously unreleased live show in fully restored and remixed sound & vision through earMUSIC.
The story of Loverboy is akin to a Hollywood movie. Overcoming rejection to eventually become one of Canada’s most successful rock bands of all time and selling millions of albums in the process, is a feel-good story for the ages.
“Live In ‘82” has been lovingly restored by Paul Dean from his personal archive of 16mm film, the joyous energy of a band who helped define the golden era of 80’s music captured like lightning in a bottle. With their great music, colorful clothing, outrageous hairstyles (and headbands!), and terrific soundtracks for movies like ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’, and ‘Top Gun’, Loverboy has stood the test of time.
“Live In ‘82” will become available on limited CD+Blu-ray, limited LP+DVD and digital streaming and download on June 7th. Today’s announcement coincides with the launch of the first live track: ‘Turn Me Loose’ is available as digital single and live video.
For more than 40 years, Loverboy has been “Working For The Weekend” (and on the weekend), delighting audiences around the world since forming in 1979, when vocalist Mike Reno was introduced to guitar hot shot Paul Dean – both veterans of several bands on the Canadian scene – at Calgary’s Refinery Night Club. Along with Reno and Dean, Loverboy still includes original members Doug Johnson on keyboards and Matt Frenette on drums, with Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve replacing the late Scott Smith on bass.
With their trademark red leather pants, bandannas, big rock sound and high-energy live shows, the band has sold more than 10 million albums, earning several multi-platinum awards. Their string of hits includes, in addition to the anthem ‘Working For The Weekend’, such arena rock staples as ‘The Kid Is Hot Tonight’, ‘Take Me To The Top’, ‘Turn Me Loose’, ‘Jump’ and many more. Loverboyare not only masters of their craft as songwriters, but also renowned for being a formidable touring act, spending years on the road sharing stages with everyone from Def Leppard to Journey.
In 2009, the group was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and more recently the Canadian Walk of Fame, in the fall of 2023.
And there is no stopping the band this year, as they embark on a Live Nation promoted North American tour supporting Sammy Hagar, starting in July.
FEATURING MEMBERS OF EVANESCENCE, ALICE COOPER AND GRANNY 4 BARREL, KILLINGTON PIT ANNOUNCE NEW COVER SONG ‘RIDING ON THE WIND’ OUT NOW
As Killington Pit prepare to release their first original material later in 2024 and play their first live shows, the band recently released another of their hugely popular cover songs. On Friday, February 16th the band released a stunning cover of the Judas Priest classic “Riding On the Wind”. The track comes from Priest’s seminal 1982 “Screaming For Vengeance” album and is another perfect showcase for the sound and chemistry of newcomers Killington Pit.The track features a stunning performance video from the band HERE
The new cover version follows the bands initial two single releases. Their cover of Accept’s “Balls To The Wall” & Rainbow’s “Kill the King” now have over one and a half million streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.The members of Killington Pit connected during the pandemic lockdown and began recording together. As time progressed friendships grew and a core band formed with Terry LeRoi, Will Hunt, Troy McLawhorn and Chuck Garric. “Kill The King” also featured veteran guitarist Stef Burns (Alice Cooper/Huey Lewis & The News) and vocalist guitarist Jeff Blando (Slaughter/Lynchmob/Vince Neil).Will Hunt says, “‘Riding on the Wind’ was always my favorite Priest tune, before Scott Travis, of course. I definitely tried to approach it in a way I thought Scott would play it to give it some modern energy. The fellas and I had a lotta fun with this one!”Troy McLawhorn comments,“Glenn and KK were my teachers when I was learning to play the guitar. Not literally, but I listened to Priest constantly when I was a kid and spent a lot of hours trying to figure out how to play their songs on the guitar. Judas Priest is one of my all-time favorite bands! It was a lot of fun and a challenge to try to recreate the guitar parts for our rendition of ‘Riding on the Wind’. Again, I stuck pretty closely to the original because I respect and honor what they wrote and recorded, and I wanted to do it justice. I’m not trying to re-invent the song. I just wanted to feel the joy of playing it!!!”Chuck Garricadds, “Ian Hill of Judas Priest is a Bass icon! Thats what you get from a Metal God.”Terry LeRoi says, “Screaming For Vengeance is one of my all time favorite records. It’s been a huge inspiration for me over the years. ‘Riding On The Wind’ is the stand out track for me. Rob Halford’s voice is nothing short of amazing on this song and his midrange tones are ear shattering. His singing style and his willingness to pushing vocal limits is unparalleled and has always been my reference point. When Killington Pit started exploring possible songs to cover…this one was at the top of our list. It’s been such an honor to play with Will, Chuck and Troy and a privilege and great joy to pay tribute to Judas Priest!” LeRoi adds, “Over the coming months we will be releasing our full length covers album with accompanying videos. 2024 will see us playing select shows worldwide and releasing original Killington Pit music. We’re looking forward to sharing this with all of the fans!”
Killington Pit is: Vocals – Terry LeRoi Drums – Will Hunt Guitar – Troy McLawhorn Bass – Chuck Garric
Once a part of the LA scene, A DOLL’S HOUSE never released an album back in the late 80s, but 30+ years later the band has recorded and released their debut album. More of a lighter rock /AOR 10 track album, A DOLL’S HOUSE offers up some smooth sounding tunes, well recorded and produced, with excellent vocals. Worth checking out for tracks like “Woven”, “Steps To Summer”, and “And Time”. Lots of acoustic guitars (see ballad “Chimney”). *Check out the band’s 2 videos below, and links.
In the late ’80’s, two teenagers started writing songs in L.A. They started a band and played all the clubs, The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Troubadour, etc. They built a bit of a following and did well. But not well enough. Life took over and the party ended. They were barely 22.
Thirty years later, those same guys are in their 50s with careers, kids, mortgages — the whole deal. Bucking the odds, they set out to make an album. The gods smiled when they met Brian Wheat, a seasoned producer, perhaps best known as the bass player and co-founder of Tesla – a band that has charted multiple hits, sold millions of albums and is still going strong.
Brian listened to the songs and decided to take charge of the album himself – arranging, recording and mixing at his J Street Recorders studio in Sacramento, CA. The result is A Doll’s House first album: Annum. An album 30 years in the making. The debut single released this past Fall, Hey Wait, is emblematic of the band’s “Chill Rock” sound, blending groove with sticky melody and true musicianship and was received well at Triple A radio. Over Easy the new single is a prelude to the full album release coming out in 2 weeks.
DAVID SANTOS – Vocals
DAV PETRUNICH – Guitar
SETH RAFKIN – Bass
TONY DeFRANCO – Drums
Produced, mixed and engineered by Brian Wheat
Mastered by Mike Fitz
All songs written by Dav Petrunich and Seth Rafkin
Niagara Falls’ HONEYMOON SUITE debuted in 1984 with the Q107 radio contest winning cut “New Girl Now”, which lead to a record deal and a highly successful debut album. The band followed that up with further successful albums The Big Prize (1986, produced by Bruce Fairbairn), Racing After Midnight (1988, produced by Ted Templeman), and 1991’s Monsters Under The Bed (co-produced w/ Paul Northfield). Following that run it would be a decade before another HMS album, and another after that! But the end of this week sees the release of Honeymoon Suite’s brand new studio album ‘Alive‘.
In this conversation I talked to guitarist/songwriter Derry Grehan about making the new album Alive, as well as the recent remix & reissue of the Clifton Hill album, what else he’s up to, and some of the band’s he grew up on. HMS is one of the first band’s I saw live, and growing up near the Falls was well aware of them – they broke out big right away, drawing instant comparisons to Loverboy (who had a similar early success with their debut LP), but after that string of 3-4 albums I moved on to other things, and wasn’t aware most of these guys aren’t still in the Falls (or so close), so we began with that….
How’d you how’d you end up in Nashville?
Well, I’ve been in Illinois, Central Illinois for 20 years. I moved from Toronto, to Illinois, where I have my house there. And I recently, about six months ago got another place in Nashville with my daughter, who’s a singer-songwriter as well. So I’m kind of biding my time between two places because I love Nashville. And I’ve been kind of commuting back and forth for a long time here working with people. So we just decided to get 2 places. But I’m kind of down here a little more than I’m a back in Illinois and hoping to relocate here permanently.
So you must have a lot of other things on the go other than just a new Honeymoon Suite stuff coming out?
Well, I always find things to do. I do some co writing with a few people, once in a while and work with my daughter, and I’ve been working on a solo record. And this Honeymoon Suite thing is there, it keeps me pretty busy as well. So there’s always something to do.
So the new album ‘Alive’, that’s coming out – It’s kind of been in the works for a few years, right? Like there’s been a few singles out since 2019.
Yeah, it has taken good three years probably since we started it. Probably three years ago, Johnnie and I started but we went to Nashville, to meet with our producer Mike Krompass, who was down here at the time. I reached out to him, see if you’d be interested in working with us. And he was, and we went to his place and started writing songs. And he said I want to produce produce your album. So lots of trips back and forth. And then COVID hit in what 2022. So Mike, moved to England at that time. So we were going back and forth to his place, his studio in England doing stuff, but then COVID hit we couldn’t travel anymore, so I guess what I’m saying is just everything got pushed back, you know, then it took longer. You know, the way it was.
So did you guys have all the songs or all the songs at that time when you started? Or was this kind of still adding?
No, not right away. But we wrote, we had a fair amount of them, but we also wrote a few along the way and developed them over, you know, a year or two.
I saw you guys out in Port Colborne a couple of years ago. 2019. with David Wilcox, and I think the new track was on the radio at the time, but I don’t think you guys played it.
No, we hadn’t put the songs in the show. We’re really careful about putting new material in the show. Although we love it, you know, people are there to hear the hits. And like with this new album, or our singles are really doing well, so we’ll probably put out a new song or two in the set…
Can you tell me a bit about how you and Johnnie, obviously you guys live pretty far apart so how you guys collaborate and get things together?
Yeah, you know, we we’ve lived here he’s been up in your area and I’ve been in Illinois for 20 years, but it hasn’t impeded us at all, you know, John and I, it’s been a long time since we live together or lived in the same place. We just, you know you got the internet now and everything’s recorded digitally and Pro Tools and all that. So if I have an idea, I’ll just send files to him. And we send stuff back and forth by the Internet. Once in a while, of course, we see each other a lot when we’re touring. because all the band guys- we all live in different places. When we tour, we all go to an airport and then meet up in the city and we hang out for a couple of days. And then sometimes we’ll get together on the road and bang some things out.
Can you tell me a bit about the songs, the singles, you guys got out like ‘Find What You’re Looking For’ and ‘Tell Me What You Want’ – what they’re about, and what how you guys came up with some of the ideas?
‘Find What You’re Looking For’, that was the first one that we wrote with Mike, and that was one of the first songs we recorded and finished. Mike had a lot to do with that; Mike’s a great producer and the sound around it’s classic Honeymoon Suite, but he made it sound not dated, he gave it a kind of a modern sound to the production but without alienating you know, the real sound of the band. ‘Tell Me What You Want’ is a good example of that. It’s kind of different for us. We tried some new kind of production techniques and sounds and I think it’s a cool song. What’s it about? ‘Tell me what you want’ – It’s I guess, when you’re in a relationship, sometimes you just can’t figure that other person out, whether it’s your girlfriend, or boyfriend or whatever, it’s like, I don’t get you, man. Like, I’m doing everything for you to me, tell me what you want. You know, it can be that old struggle. And then ‘Find What You’re Looking For’ is a track that I’ve had for years actually, and it was called something else, but I always loved the the verse in that song it was so heavy, we just didn’t have a great chorus. So eventually, we worked on that with Mike and we did come up with a really good chorus for it. And if you listen to the lyric, it’s really cool and find what you’re looking for – Grabbing and and don’t don’t give up.
The new one is ‘Alive’, the title track and I was watching that today and 2 things – I like that it’s short and to the point, punchy; all the songs are easily memorable. And also, you guys still play the – like with the video, you still use the falls in the background and a lot of local scenery…
We decided to go back to Niagara Falls and do the video for that just as a kind of a nod to our past. And if you remember – one of the first videos we did was ‘Burning In Love’, in Niagara Falls. So it was fun to go back to that same location, walk around with a camera crew and watch people look at us funny. And put Johnnie back in Niagara Falls. So I think it was really cool.
Do you guys have much of a hand in the album artwork or is that kind of brought in to you guys?
No, actually, Mike, our producer, he also has his own record label and his own team of people. They came up with the concept of the the guy on the front with the hat, cloud on his face. Mike actually presented that to us and and I was like, right away. I’m like ‘That’s great!’. Everybody thought that was cool. Say no more. You know. I like it, Yeah.
It’s a very different cover to me, you know. Like I love the ‘Clifton Hill’ cover with the classic shot of Clifton Hill from the bottom, and obviously the earlier covers, but yeah this is very different cover. It almost looks like something that I might expect from one of those prog bands or something but…
Yeah. Like Pink Floyd maybe a little bit. Yeah. But it’s very artsy and cool, but I think it goes with the music really well.
You also have the reissue of ‘Clifton Hill’ out(!?)
Well, that is a guy that we’ve been working with, actually does our merchandising called Greg Campbell. He’s run our web store for a long time. He does a lot of bigger bands. He’s done really well for us with our merch and our albums in Canada. He approached us and he’s just a fan of the band, and he always liked the Clifton Hill album. He has a relationship with a studio in Toronto; so he approached us with a proposal, he said ‘You know, I love the Clifton Hill album, would you guys be interested in re mixing it?’ And I said ‘for sure’ because the original one – It’s okay, but it could be better. So I gave him the tracks, the stems, and he mixed it and it’s amazing what they pulled out of there. You know, the engineer found tracks I forgot that I did. So I’m very happy with it.
Do you know where that picture came from? Was that just an archived photo on the cover?
Yeah, we actually..my wife and I did the artwork for that back then. Of course we call it ‘Clifton Hill‘ because we wanted something related to the Falls. And we actually got that from the Niagara Falls library, if I remember correctly. We found it in their archives looking for pictures of Clifton Hill, you know. And we asked them for permission to use it, and they did. So it was really cool because that’s the Clifton Hill that I remember growing up in the 70s. That’s what it looked like, it was really cool.
You said you’ve got a solo album you’re working on!?
Yes. So during COVID all us musicians had a lot of time on our hands, you know. So I would spend a lot of time in my studio just writing and playing guitar, which I do every day. And I started cataloging a lot of riffs and ideas. And a lot of things that I come up with weren’t really Honeymoon Suite they’re just more like heavier rock riffy kind of stuff. And it occurred to me that I would have probably enough to maybe do a little solo instrumental album, which I’ve always wanted to do, but I never had the time or the right tracks. So Yes – it’s almost finished, it’s going to be like 10 songs. It’s all guitar, no singing, just all instrumental. I’m playing everything on it, and I got some wicked drummers playing on the stuff, and some of it’s pretty heavy. And it’ll be coming out, probably in a couple of months.
Can I ask you what you grew up on listening to as far as bands. I know a lot of bands that came through and that but you know, you guys would have seen shows at Niagara Falls Convention Center and stuff like that back then, and in Buffalo.
For sure, well growing up in the Niagara Peninsula, like I grew up in St. Catharines. It actually was a great place because at that time in the 70s and early 80s – there’s so many bands playing in the clubs. You get all the cool bands from Toronto coming down – Triumph and Max Webster and all that. playing Uncle Sam’s you know locally and Montebello (Park) in St. Catharines. You’ve got these great recording bands coming down and then you had Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the Aud in Buffalo, Niagara Falls Convention Center – these huge venues just like an hour away. And so every band you wanted to see came through. So where I grew up on man like Deep Purple was my band – Ritchie Blackmore. I saw them with at the Aud. I saw Kiss and Bowie and Blue Oyster Cult. It was great area, a great time and that’s where I saw a lot of my bands that I love, you know!?
That’s cool. Actually my second show I ever saw was 1984 when I saw you guys opening for April Wine at the Kingswood (Music Theater).
Wow, early days, Awesome!
I remember because Corey Hart, there was big sign up that Corey Hart had cancelled. but we didn’t know who was going to be the band until you guys came on. But I don’t think the album was out at that time, I think we just knew you guys from the Q107 contest.
Yeah, right. So that’s what happened. A lot of things were going moving really fast then, and I remember Corey had to cancel some shows. So they just called us up and asked us ‘do you guys want to drive eight hours down and open up for April Wine?’ Hell Yeah! You know, we would play anywhere and everywhere.
Did you keep a lot of stuff growing up – as far as albums and stuff, like buy a lot of stuff and still because I see the album like Clifton Hill came out on limited vinyl reissue and that as well.
Yeah, I wish I knew that vinyl was going to come back like it did man like I wish I kept my records. I had tons of them. But you know, moving from place to place – those damn things are heavy and I had milk cartons full of great records. I wish I’d kept them all but I gave them away or I traded them in, you know and now that I have a turntable and I’m back into vinyl, I’m rebuilding my my collection. So the only thing I kept was about 60 Purple albums. Is it Honeymoon Suite ones.
What’s your favorite Deep Purple albums?
Well, you know, Machine Head was a classic. And then the first one with Coverdale and Hughes – Burn, that’s another classic. Made In Japan, man wore that one out. Love that!
So Purple was your number one band grown up?, anything else as far as guitar players or favorite albums?
Well, sure, I mean, Ritchie Blackmore! Early Santana. Yeah. You know, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk. Anything that was rock and heavy I love.
Canada’s own STRIKER has a new album out this week, titled ‘Ultrapower‘, the Edmonton band’s 7th record. First off, love this cover-art by Al Perez/Ramone Sketch, awesome retro 80s drawing of machine/robot and cool colorful lettering drawn in. These guys are really more fast paced hard-rock /metal, but throw in elements of AOR/pop, prog-metal, and party type rock & anthems. The band’s latest single “Give It All” even features keys and saxophone, and those big ’80s backing vocals, making this one sound like it could be out of some lost ’80s action hero movie! For the most part this is really good, with standouts “Circle Of Evil” (the previous single, a Malmsteen inspired metal cut about secret societies, etc..), as well as ’80s styled arena rockers “Turn The Lights Out” , “City Calling” (influenced by 80s AOR & pop like Kenny Loggins and Toto) , and “Ready For Anything”. Most interesting track is the sorta progressive “Blood Magic”, with a few twists and changes, big guitar solos, with the band citing King Diamond as an influence here. Musically these guys pick up lots from ’80s bands like Dokken, Queensryche, Anthrax, as well as Judas Priest (the ’80s stuff)… Well worth checking out. A fun rocking album! *Check out the band bio below, as well as the 3 videos from Ultrapower, and links!
STRIKER:
Dan Cleary – Vocals Tim Brown – Guitar John Simon Fallon – Guitar Pete Klassen – Bass Jono Webster – Drums (album only)
Blending classic heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal, Striker has been making shredtacular anthems since 2007. The band has toured multiple times across Europe and North America, chosen to open for Metallica in their hometown of Edmonton, AB, Canada along with many festival appearances that include 70,000 Tons of Metal, Wacken Open Air (Germany), Bang Your Head Festival (Germany), and more to add to the almost 1000 shows performed in their decade-plus career. The band has been honoured with multiple Best Album awards in their home country of Canada from the JUNO Awards(The Canadian equivalent to the American Grammy), Western Canadian Music Awards, and the Edmonton Music Awards.
Striker is kicking off 2024 with their seventh studio album “ULTRAPOWER”, which follows their Juno Award-winning self-released full-length “Play to Win” (2018) released on their label Record Breaking Records. The new album also features the band’s latest lineup addition of long-time friend and guitarist John Simon Fallon (The Order of Chaos). For the band’s seventh full-length, they teamed up with producer Josh Schroeder (Lorna Shore, Tallah, King 810), entering the studio in March 2023. With the band writing material since 2018, “ULTRAPOWER” is a collection of five years of Striker tinkering and exploring new avenues.
“ULTRAPOWER is the amalgamation of 5 years of writing and exploring music. With influences from AOR to Speed Metal, Hardcore to Hair Metal, Steely Dan to Deathcore, you name it, it made its way into the album. In the end with the help of Josh Schroeder’s guiding hand, we melted it all together to present something uniquely Striker. Lyrically we’ve stuck to the Striker tradition of writing montage songs for movies that don’t exist, songs about our spiraling serfdom, and lyrics about the evils that lurk in the shadows.” adds the band.
“ULTRAPOWER” follows Striker’s six studio albums Eyes in the Night (2010, Iron Kodex), Armed to The Teeth (2012, Napalm), City of Gold (2014, Napalm), Stand in the Fire (2016, Record Breaking), Striker (2017, Record Breaking), and Play to Win (2018, Record Breaking).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Outsider Rock 