The producers of Metal God, the '80s movie loosely based on the RIPPER OWENS/JUDAS PRIEST fairytale-come-true in which a tribute band singer lands in a superstar metal band, needed an audience for a concert sequence. So they called upon Concrete Marketing to help them turn it into a real-life concert in order to attract a real-life audience. It worked. For the price of a $5 ticket, proceeds going to the T.J. Martell Foundation, about five thousand fans showed up at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Saturday night to watch the fictional STEEL DRAGON perform two songs (several times over, for camera angle and plot purposes), sandwiched between performances by cover band METAL SHOP, GREAT WHITE, MEGADETH, and WASP. Most no doubt had seen three of the members of Steel Dragon perform before (albeit NOT playing to a tape of songs they pre-recorded)--the band features BLACK LABEL SOCIETY'S ZAKK WYLDE on guitar, DOKKEN's JEFF PILSON on bass, and second generation drummer JASON BONHAM (who now has a new band called HEALING SIXES), plus actor DOMINIC WEST (playing to tracks recorded by Wylde's BLS bandmate NICK CATANESE, who appears on screen in the tribute band, BLOOD POLLUTION) and the movie's star, MARK WAHLBERG. Even though these guys were put together by a casting director, they definitely looked like a band on stage and the music is pretty cool, too. Of course, it won't be heard until the movie (which will get a title change--probably to Rock God) comes out late this year or early next. Some audience members also recognized RALPH SAENZ (ex-L.A. GUNS) and RUSS PARRISH (FIGHT) despite their noms-de-stage of MICHAEL DIAMOND and RATCHET in tribute band METAL SHOP, which opened the show. Saenz, who'd returned from a previous night's gig in Phoenix, Arizona with his other tribute band, VAN HALEN homage-payers ATOMIC PUNKS, especially for the gig (and had to catch a plane to Las Vegas, Nevada to rejoin the Punks for a show later that night), has a small part in the movie as a singer who tries out for the slot in Steel Dragon that Wahlberg gets. "I audition with 'Long Live Rock & Roll' by RAINBOW," says the blond Saenz, who donned a dark wig for the scene. But he insisted that his on-screen appearance didn't land Metal Shop on the bill--it was the band's Monday night Viper Room (Los Angeles) gigs that did the trick. In any case, the early crowd appreciated the nostalgia of tunes like "Down Boys," "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Nothin' But a Good Time," and "Round and Round." Before Great White's performance and between all the sets, contests were held for best Metal Dude and Metal Babe, and C.C. DeVILLE kept the crowd pumped as M.C.. Glad he came to his senses and rejoined POISON, he was thrilled with the new material (he calls Power to the People's titular first single "a brick in the face") and was looking forward to the summer tour, which he says will "be bigger than it was last year." DeVille, who celebrated his 37th birthday as the clock struck midnight, said he felt happy and blessed, and was equally excited about the imminent release of his band SAMANTHA 7's debut on May 30. They're doing a signing at the Sunset Blvd. Tower Records on June 1, followed by a release party/show at the Whisky, but have no other dates scheduled and may not till after the Poison tour. Great White, who entertained the crowd with favorites like "Call it Rock and Roll," "Face the Day," "Can't Shake It," "Mista Bone," "Desert Moon," and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," are doing scattered 'fly in' shows while beginning to write songs for a new record that they'll start recording in the fall. Guitarist MATT JOHNSON, who was introduced to singer JACK RUSSELL by his brother-in-law and played on Russell's solo album, is not yet a permanent replacement for MARK KENDALL, who left--amicably, says Russell, who still sees him often--to start his own band. "He has some big shoes to fill," says Russell of Johnson. Great White's Greatest Hits album comes out July 18, and next year Russell will begin recording with JACK BLADES, BOBBY BLOTZER, and C.C. DeVille for a project tentatively called SPUN. Next up was VIC & THE RATTLEHEADS, which Megadeth was playing under (as they have previously for unofficial gigs) for the evening. The band had taken time out from recording a new album to appear at the event, which, aside from a one-off in Columbia, South America, will be their only date prior to the start of the summer tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE and ANTHRAX that begins June 24.With less than a month of work to do, they're hoping to get the record out in August, preceded by a single in July. Produced by frontman DAVE MUSTAINE and BILL KENNEDY, it's "very slamming, very heavy," according to bassist DAVE ELLEFSON. It's the first Megadeth record to feature guitarist AL PITRELLI, who proved himself on the road and was made an official member during the Japanese tour. "I couldn't be happier," says Pitrelli. "It's worked out perfectly." Even though the Steel Dragon filming delayed Megadeth's set (and therefore, WASP's following one) by two hours, most of the audience stuck around to see them perform songs like "Holy War," "Hangar 18," "She Wolf," "Symphony of Destruction," "Peace Sells...," and a cover of "Paranoid." There was quite a bit of action backstage as well, with rock and movie world notables crowding the corridors and dressing rooms. Wahlberg's on-screen love interest JENNIFER ANISTON appeared briefly with her real-life beau BRAD PITT, and members of the cast who weren't working that night, including Wahlberg's Blood Pollution buddies BLAS ELIAS, BRIAN VAN DER ARK, Nick Catanese, and actor TIM OLYPHANT were all on hand. So was bassist MIKE INEZ, who turned 34 at midnight, and will film a small role in the film on June 1. Inez, who recently got his pilot's license, is jamming in a new unnamed band with ex-QUEENSRYCHE guitarist CHRIS DeGARMO. Also there were JOHN LOWERY and TWIGGY RAMIREZ of MARILYN MANSON, BOB KULICK, WHITFIELD CRANE, JOHN TEMPESTA, SCOTT IAN, MIKE MATIJEVIC, and Bobby Blotzer, who talked about launching a RATT tour on July 14 that may also include WARRANT and UNION. Until then, he's put a jam band together called PHUCKET with JANI LANE and Ratt bandmates KERI KELLI and ROBBIE CRANE that will do a couple of weeks of dates, including a June 15 gig at L.A.'s Key Club. For more from Megadeth, Great White, C.C. DeVille, and Ralph Saenz, check out our exclusive streaming video coming up in the Members section of this site.
It seems that KISS' Alive IV album has been shelved indefinitely. No word on whether it will ever be released.
ALICE COOPER will warm up for his European tour with a show in his home town this Thursday, May 18 at the Webb Theater in Phoenix, Arizona. The tour, which will feature a brand new stage set and effects, including a new and improved guillotine, and some reintroduced rarities in the set list, such as "Caught in a Dream," "Dead Babies," "Black Widow," and "Go to Hell." Cooper and his band--now featuring ERIC SINGER on drums, RYAN ROXIE and PETE FREEZIN' on guitar, GREG SMITH on bass and TEDDY 'ZIGZAG' ANDREADIS on keyboards--will also be playing new material from Brutal Planet, due out May 23.
METALLICA's lawsuit against Napster hasn't been dropped, despite the company's action to block over 300,000 users who have traded in the band's copyrighted music. Metallica's S&M DVD, containing two bonus versions of "No Leaf Clover" not heard on the CD, will be out June 13.
SOULFLY, NASHVILLE PUSSY, (HED)PE and MUDVAYNE have been added to the Tattoo the Earth tour, joining SLIPKNOT< SEVENDUST and COAL CHAMBER on a run that begins in mid July. One of the first dates will mark a merger with the KUFO RockFest in Portland, Oregon on July 15, where the bill will include STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and other acts. See www.tattootheearth.com for more info.
GODSMACK isn't sitting around idle waiting for OzzFest to start. The band will be on the road on a headlining jaunt through June 17 in Los Angeles, taking a two week break before OzzFest launches on July 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The members of VAUGHN returned to a familiar haunt last Thursday--L'Amour in Brooklyn, New York, which they played often as TYKETTO--and entertained a lot of longtime fans with new material from Soldiers and Sailors on Riverside. According to frontman DANNY VAUGHN, the new songs went over "wonderfully. Everyone loves the new band and go so far as to say that we are better than Tyketto. Everybody loves the two new guys," he says, referring to guitarist PJ ZITAROSA and keyboardist KYLE CUMMINGS, who have joined him, drummer MICHAEL CLAYTON and bassist JAIMIE SCOTT. While that was the only U.S. show for now, Vaughn is "definitely going back to Europe in September. We need to find someone to back us in the States for a little tour," says the singer. "Now that I got a taste of it again, I miss it more than ever."
