Hot off from winning Hard Rock Hell’s “Blues Artist of the Year” award and following hot on the heals of his recent singles Come On, Gasoline, and Sweet Carolina, Troy Redfern will release the fourth single Mercy from his critically acclaimed album The Wings of Salvation on Wednesday November 16, 2022.
The new single can be streamed, and the new album The Wings of Salvation can be ordered digitally, on CD or limited edition yellow & red splatter vinyl from https://linktr.ee/TroyRedfern.
The album is available on CD and limited edition yellow and red splatter vinyl formats, plus various bundles from the official Troy Redfern shop – https://troyredfern.com/shop.
Kicking off with a vintage slide riff that sounds like it came straight off a beat-up 45 rpm single, Mercy explodes into a Technicolor soundscape of rock ‘n’ roll euphoria.
“Mercy” is expertly laid down by drummer Paul Stewart (The Feeling) and bass guitarist Dave Marks, creating a pulverizing backdrop for Troy’s grinding, Les Paul guitar fretboard fireworks. Themes of love gone bad permeates this haunting blues rocker, building up to one of Troy’s most explosively intricate guitar solos to date.
“My goal was to make a record that was a true representation of where I am right now as an artist,” says Redfern. “I wanted to create something in the spirit of the old school classic rock albums that I grew up listening to.”
“I felt like the time was right to head back into the studio as the creative juices were flowing,” says Redfern. “On the new album, I wanted to approach the recording process by starting with a completely clean slate.”
Hard Rock Legends UFO’s “No Heavy Petting” Remastered Deluxe Edition 2CD and 3LP 180g Clear Vinyl Available January 20, 2023
British rockers UFO’s 5th studio album, 3rd with Michael Schenker on guitar. No Heavy Petting would be the lone UFO to feature keyboard player Danny Peyronel (ex Heavy Metal Kids), a classic album that would be a good indicator of what was to come over the next few years. Peyronel may have only been around for this album, but he did contribute the classic track “Highway Lady”, as well as co-writing “Can You Roll Her” – which makes a nice opening track on the added live show to this package. No Heavy Petting is a favorite amongst UFO fans, including me, as it includes such UFO favorites as “Natural Thing”, “I’m A Loser”, “On With The Action”, and the ballad “Belladonna”. Disc one also includes 6 ‘bonus’ tracks, most of which were issued years ago. It is the 2nd disc here that makes this package so much worth getting — UFO Live at The Roundhouse, although previously released on CD, in the 90s, this is finally being issued on vinyl. I hadn’t heard this show previously, but it sounds amazing here! Featuring 12 tracks, mostly from the band’s then-new album, and the previous 2, shows how many great songs the band had already, with half of this set eventually making it to the band’s iconic Strangers In The Night double-live album in ’79. Danny Peyronel would be replaced by Paul Raymond (RIP), and the ‘classic’ line-up of UFO featuring Raymond, Phil Mogg, Pete Way (RIP), Andy Parker, and Schenker would go on to greater success for the rest of the decade, but UFO’s great run of albums had already begun, with No Heavy Petting being one of the band’s best, sitting right in the middle of the Michael Schenker era.
* For more info and ordering, check out the press release & tracklisting below.
Hard Rock Legends UFO’s “No Heavy Petting” Remastered Deluxe Edition 2CD and 3LP 180g Clear Vinyl will be available January 20, 2023! Originally released in 1975, “No Heavy Petting” is UFO’s fifth studio album and the last to be produced by Ten Years After’s Leo Lyons. Stepping up from the rawer sound of “Force It,” the album was their first to feature a permanent keyboard player in the band and gave a nod to what was to come. The album includes a number of tracks that were to become staples of their live set for many years, including “Natural Thing” and “I’m A Loser.”
The newly remastered 2CD digipak with an O card deluxe version includes 5 bonus tracks (one previously unreleased), a poster booklet, and features the Roundhouse 1976 live set. The newly remastered clear vinyl 3LP gatefold deluxe version includes the Roundhouse 1976 live set previously unavailable on vinyl.
TRACK-LISTING:
2CD DISC ONE 1. Natural Thing 2. I’m A Loser 3. Can You Roll Her 4. Belladonna 5. Reasons Love 6. Highway Lady 7. On With The Action 8. A Fool In Love 9. Martian Landscape 10. All Or Nothing (Bonus Track) 11. French Kisses (Bonus Track) 12. Have You Seen Me Lately Joan? (Bonus Track) 13. Tonight Tonight (Bonus Track) 14. All The Strings (Bonus Track) 15. Have You Seen Me Lately Joan? (Acoustic) – (Bonus Track) previously unreleased
DISC TWO 1. Can You Roll Her – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 2. Doctor Doctor – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 3. Oh My – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 4. Out In The Street – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 5. Highway Lady – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 6. I’m A Loser – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 7. Let It Roll – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 8. This Kid’s – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 9. Shoot Shoot – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 10. Rock Bottom – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 11. C’mon Everybody – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 12. Boogie For George – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976
3LP SIDE ONE 1. Natural Thing 2. I’m A Loser 3. Can You Roll Her 4. Belladonna 5. Reasons Love
SIDE TWO 1. Highway Lady 2. On With The Action 3. A Fool In Love 4. Martian Landscape
SIDE THREE 1. Can You Roll Her – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 2. Doctor Doctor – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 3. Oh My – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 4. Out In The Street – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976
SIDE FOUR 5. Highway Lady – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 6. I’m A Loser – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 7. Let It Roll – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976
SIDE FIVE 1. This Kid’s – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 2. Shoot Shoot – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 3. Rock Bottom – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976
SIDE SIX 1. C’mon Everybody – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976 2. Boogie For George – Live At The Roundhouse, London 1976
Canada’s The Wring is gearing up to release a third album Spectra next month, which promises to be an assertive mix of different styles including hard rock, jazz, metal, classical, 80’s rock, 70’s rock, and probably a few other things. Solo artist Don Dewulf had the idea and with the help of accomplished musicians, the project has been brought to life. The next piece they are sharing is the single “Stiletto” ft. Marco Minnemann, which Dewulf outlines:
“This song is about the debilitating need for social media attention and validation. The blade goes in and you never even feel it, then you slowly bleed out. The verses are in 5/8 and ⅞ creating a somewhat jarring effect, and also speaking to the theme. Chandler does a killer job on the chorus vocal and there is a very peculiar odd-time breakdown before the solo. Very fun song to play.”
He also comments thatSpectra is a bit like a 1970’s King Crimson album, but without any ethereal soliloquies and certainly with a more significant hard rock/metal influence. Compared to last year’s full-length “Project Cipher”, this new offering carries on in the same tradition and headspace, but the songs are fuller and cohesive.
The album got its name because Dewulf feels that it really touches on a wide range of musical styles and themes. The mixes are very layered with a lot of detail; you can listen to it many times and still continue to pick out intricacies and small details each time.
Dewulf is writing constantly as he always has a lot of ideas to flesh out and bring to the ears of listeners around the world. He has no intentions of stopping soon, so fans of Spectra should keep an eye out for new music. The Wring is recommended for fans of King Crimson, Dream Theater, and Opeth.
The music video for“Stiletto” ft. Marco Minnemann can be seen and heard via its premiere on BravewordsHERE.
Track Listing: 1. Stiletto 4:40 2. Stones & Bones 4:58 3. The Prince 3.54 4. The Wolf 5:00 5. Tin Man 5:25 6. From Mars 4:43 7. Sins 4:43 8. Fallen 5:05
Album Recording Line Up: Don Dewulf – Guitars Marco Minnemann – Drums Chandler Mogel – Vocals Reggie Hache – Bass & Keyboards Isamu McGregor – Keyboards
San Antonio rockers Jason Kane & The Jive have a new single out titled “Coming Through”, which is now available on Spotify and Apple Music. The song is a 3-minute great groove rocker from the band’s forthcoming follow up to 2020’s highly recommended Soggy Noggin’, being worked on for 2023. The band recently posted – “Recorded last month at Studio E Recording here at home in SA, we present to you “Coming Through”, a high-energy boogie that’s sure to get you up out of your seat and moving to the beat!” Jason further explains about the song – “The song is about foolin around with someone’s chick, a tip of the hat to ‘Gimmie Three Steps’ Ronnie Van Zandt inspired We still don’t have a name for the new album, but it will be out sometime next year!”
For CD ordering, concert dates, merch and more on Jason Kane & The Jive check out the links below.
Jared James Nichols is from Wisconsin, a heavy blues/blues-rock player, with his own power-trio. I’ve seen him on a couple of occasions (opening for UFO), and he puts on a killer high energy performance. Definitely influenced by the likes of Cream and Mountain (seen him do a great cover of “Mississippi Queen” – search for a clip on youtube). So, if you get a chance to see this guy, do it! He’s got a brand new single & video out, check it out, along with the press release below.
Jared James Nichols just released his new single “Down The Drain” via Black Hill Records. On the hard-hitting track – produced, engineered, and mixed by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Slash, Rival Sons) – vulnerable vocals snake around melodic guitar in ominous fashion.
Baring its fangs, “Down The Drain” snaps into a chantable chorus punctuated by a wailing lead. Click here to listen to the single, and click here to watch the official music video, directed by Tom Flynn and Mike Watts (Lamb of God, All That Remains).
“If I were to pick just one record to encapsulate my sound it would be ‘Down The Drain,’” shares Nichols. “From a whisper to a scream, this song has it all. Lyrically, it stems from a familiar place that can hit home for all of us, feelings of despair and pain, but constantly searching to find love each day. Musically, ‘Down The Drain’ cuts like a knife and moves like a freight train. This song hits hard and is brutally honest in all aspects. Turn it up and rock it out!”
Nichols, known for his electrifying live performance, teased the release of “Down The Drain” earlier this month in front of a live audience at the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento and again this past Monday night in New York City, where he headlined the Mercury Lounge.
“Down The Drain” follows Nichols’s recent single “Hard Wired.” The hypnotic and hyper-charged song was born from a jam session with Tyler Bryant and Graham Whitford.
Click here to listen to “Hard Wired” and watch the official music video.
With nothing more than a Gibson Les Paul slung over his shoulder, a warm amp turned all the way up, and a hot microphone on and ready, Jared James Nichols churns out the kind of rock that rips, roars, and rolls without filter or apology. The Nashville-based multi-talent, who stands at a staggering 6 foot 5 inches tall, delivers a one-two punch of gritty vocals straight from the gut and incendiary fret fireworks.
Since emerging in 2015, Nichols has racked up millions of streams and acclaim from the likes of American Songwriter, Guitar World, Relix, and many more, and has performed alongside icons such as Slash, Billy Gibbons, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa, and even the late Leslie West, to name a few.
*More from Jared James Nichols coming soon!
Jared James Nicholls – Tour Dates
Thursday November 10 – Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Rock’n’Roll Chicken Shack Saturday November 12 – Kyle, Texas @ Skunkfest
Following on from last year’s release Live At The El Mocambo, Canadian rockers Coney Hatch have another live album almost ready to go. Recorded Live at the H.E.A.T. Festival in Germany, in December of 2018, the recordings were put on hold for release at the time when the offer to record at the El Mocambo came up, as the El Mocambo show would give the band the opportunity to also capture live video, as well as include “Hey Operator”, one of the band’s signature songs – which they had oddly forgot to play that night in Germany.
The upcoming live album will also include 2 bonus studio cuts that were completed in 2021 – “About A Girl” and “Heaven’s On The Other Side”.
“We’re excited to bring you a new live album recorded at the HEAT Festival Germany and put together by fine engineers in Canada. Available on CD and vinyl, the album also has two new Coney originals & freaking fine tracks they are.”
Coney Hatch Live In Germany (if that is the title!?) will be released via Explorer1 Records on CD & Vinyl LP, with the band aiming for an early 2023 release date. Artwork and track-listing to follow, as well as pre-order announcement.
Another fine sounding heavy rockin’ band from Finland, Leaflet has a brand new single out from their forthcoming 2nd album. Check out the video to the excellent track “Gonna Do It”. For more info on the band and their upcoming album, check out the press release below.
Finnish rockers LEAFLET will be releasing their sophomore album Something Beyond this coming January 2023 via Rockshots Records. The album follows their debut album Outta Door released through VR Label Finland in 2017.
Today, the band is “Gonna Do It” and pull the trigger by giving fans the first single off their second full-length. The track is a hard riffing fist-pumping track to get you off your feet and rocking out!
“‘Gonna Do It’ is about the feeling of getting stuck in your life. You realize it is time for a change, and that it is your own duty to change the course of your life. Of course, there is a risk involved and it feels scary as hell, but you need to hear yourself saying: “Gonna do it”. ‘Gonna’ is the heaviest track we have written so far. We had several versions of it and ended up pretty much re-writing the whole song during the pre-production process. We are glad we did because the end result sounds absolutely stunning with its monster opening riff, crushing chorus, and epic guitar solo!” says the band about the track.
The band comments on Something Beyond:“With this album, we are definitely showing that rock music is alive and pumping! The album is full of catchy metal-influenced rock tunes that would fit perfectly in the heavy rotation of every rock radio station. The album has a lot of variety within the songs, and we got a diverse selection of singles as well. Three very different singles trying to represent the entire album as well as possible. As singles, we got one heavy and hard-hitting tune, one straightforward and super catchy tune, and one fast-paced in-your-face type of tune. You should check out them all to see what you think! “
Formed in 2013, LEAFLET is a four-piece hard rock band from Turku, Finland. Their music can be described as metal-infused American-style hard rock and while you might hear echoes of bands like Alter Bridge or Shinedown they have their own unique Nordic flavor. “Our musical cocktail is a blend of many things. Although we love the 80s, we are trying to keep our hard rock fresh and not follow the retro route”, the band says.
The band has performed on Finnish festivals such as Kuopiorock and Saaristo Open Air along with touring across their home country to support their debut album. They also spent time on the road in the Baltics with Willie & the Goodsouls in 2018 again playing clubs and festivals.
In 2019, LEAFLET released “Johnny Two-Face” as a single through VR Label Finland followed by an ambitious music video shot in both Turku, Finland, and Tokyo, Japan. After a couple of years of silence due to the pandemic, the band is now back with their second album Something Beyond to be released by Rockshots Records on January 20, 2023, sounding stronger than ever.
Track Listing: 1. Gonna Do It 2. Resonate 3. Alone Alive 4. Earth 5. Johnny Two-Face 6. Tattoos of Life 7. Shades of Black 8. Someone Somewhere 9. Something Beyond
So, this is the 2015 reunion show of the actual Alice Cooper (the band) that penned and recorded all those hits (a number of which are here), and classic albums like Love It To Death, Killer, School’s Out, Billion Dollar Babies and Muscle Of Love. The greatest American rock n’ roll band, ever! So, there was finally a reunion, minus original lead guitarist Glenn Buxton, who passed away in 1997. Filling in was Alice’s current solo band player Ryan Roxie, who does an excellent job. The sound on this release is amazing, considering it was in a shop in Dallas (Good Records), and not a theatre or something, so somewhat informal. The band was there to promote Dennis Dunaway’s bookSnakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! and played this 8-song set. With Michael Bruce (guitarist) taking vocals on the opener “Caught In A Dream”, you can tell by the audience reaction when Alice comes out to join the band for “Be My Lover” and the rest. It’s a killer performance, being done by those that created these songs and know how they should sound. Check out Dennis’ bass on “Is It My Body”, the way it should sound. The show ends with “School’s Out” (surprise!), with harmonica added by Chuck Garric (Alice’s present bass player), but the band returned to perform “Elected” for the encore.
Live from the Astroturf is full of energy, and the bandmembers sound like they’re having a great time, with between song banter, drum rolls, and laughs; Alice tells a few humorous tales as well. Added here is the soundcheck instrumental performance of “Desperado”. This release (on Ear Music) is a worldwide reissue of the Record Store Day album from 2018, but has been repackaged nicely, with a different cover, inserts, vinyl variants, and all CD and LPs numbered (I got the ‘glow in the dark’ green vinyl!). An amazing addition to the Alice Cooper collection! Looking forward to watching the included Blu-Ray disc of the documentary of the whole event, later. There’s also been 2 videos released from this album…
Press info:By 1974, the Alice Cooper group had risen to the upper echelon of rock stardom… and then, parted ways. In October 2015, over 40 years later, record store owner and superfan Chris Penn convinced the original line-up to reunite for a very special performance at his record store Good Records in Dallas, Texas. Alice Cooper (vocals), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass) and Neal Smith (drums) were joined on stage by Alice’s current guitarist Ryan Roxie (standing in for the late Glen Buxton). A packed audience, believing they had come to Good Records for Dennis Dunaway’s ‘Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!’ book signing, were surprised to bear witness to a full-blown happening. The historic reunion show including all-time classics such as “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” is now becoming available for the very first time worldwide. Luckily the event was documented. “Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper” (edited and directed by Steven Gaddis) toured the world to the acclaim of music fans and rock journalists alike. The documentary won multiple awards for it’s coverage of the historic event. Now all Alice Cooper fans and rock music lovers across the globe can enjoy this movie as it’s included as a video bonus to this live album. Pop the popcorn, blow up the balloons, dim the lights, and crank it up!
Seattle and Los Angeles-based heavy metal four-piece RivetSkull’s re-imagined full-length album was released on July 8th of this year. Trail of Souls: Samsara is a complete re-recording of the band’s self-published 2020 album Trail of Souls. The first single released was “Crash and Burn”, along with a psychedelic video. Of the single, RivetSkull says:
“‘Crash and Burn’ is about the pitfalls of relationships. Though you can try to stay clear of danger, sometimes you can’t help but fall into the same traps! The new recording and production convey the drive and momentum a song about recklessness should be swimming in. We think we got there with this song and all the others on the album.”
Oozing energy and easy-to-move-to vibes, the single brings back the classic sound of the 90s, played with precision and expert musicianship. The members of RivetSkullhave been playing together previously for many years and vocalist Chad McMurray has training from Maestro David Kyle (vocal coach to Geoff Tate, Layne Staley, Ann Wilson), ensuring that the band is able to deliver a high level of production and professionalism. After self-recording and releasing their debut album during the global pandemic, they’ve revisited their songs with professional production that captures the massive sound that fans have come to expect from their live shows.
Since it’s release, Trail of Souls: Samsara has only been gaining momentum. Within the first month of it’s release, RivetSkull was fortunate enough to be featured on Band in Seattle, KISW’s Loud and Local Band of the Week, and they were interviewed for the Concerts that Made Us podcast.
Recorded at London Bridge Studio (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Queensrÿche) and produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Deftones, Seether), Trail of Souls: Samsara promises much more than a sonic retouch of the original. The reworked collection features new cover artwork and the previously unreleased recording of a cover of Aerosmith’s “King and Queens”, which has now been issued as the album’s next single/video –
*Recommended for fans of Dio, Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest, RivetSkull is well suited for those with a taste for classic metal).
Track Listing: 1. Crash and Burn (2:49) 2. Forever (5:24) 3. Mystified (3:45) 4. Another Way to Heaven (7:29) 5. Narcissus (5:01) 6. Trail of Souls (4:04) 7. It’s Not Enough (4:02) 8. Kings and Queens (Aerosmith cover) (5:16)
CROSSOVER is a British band of veteran rockers put together by guitarist Paul Gaskin (Gaskin) and drummer Gary Pearson (Vardis) in 2017. Originally, the band also featured singer Mike Starrs (ex Lucifer’s Friend, Colosseum II). Kevin Riddles (Angelwitch, Tytan) on bass and Martin Howells on keyboards. Following a couple of years of major health issues, and a few members moving and leaving the band regrouped with a few new faces, and Gaskin & Starrs writing new songs together. Ken Lorenz joined on bass in early 2020, just as the pandemic kicked in. From then the band was limited in their activities – “We literally could do nothing, except write new songs on our own, or Mike would send me lyrics, and I’d come up with the music. As things were easing in 2021, I decided we should get into the studio and start recording some of the songs, so at least we’d have something to work at and aim for. “ recalls Paul Gaskin. As Ken Lorenz left for a bit, Neil Murray (a friend of Mike Starrs) came in to play on a few songs. There are a few clips of the band on youtube, but at present the band has released a very limited (signed) CD single “Shangri-la” & “Gypsy Blood”. “We are currently looking for a label that suits us. In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to bring out a limited edition single to get some airplay. I chose a “radio friendly” number, and it’s one of those that Neil plays on.” PG.
The band: Mike Starrs – vocals Martin Howells – keyboards/vocals Ken Lorenz – bass/vocals David Pick – drums/vocals Me – guitars/vocals Guests; Neil Murray – bass Gary Pearson – percussion Kevin Riddles – bass *The single has Neil on bass and Gary on percussion on “Shangri – la”, and the regular band on “Gypsy Blood”.
Outsider Rock 