Rock Notes



 


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Black Sabbath Drummer Threatens To Walk Over Contract Issue

Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has announced that he will not be able to participate in the recording of the reunited band's new album or perform with them on tour unless he is presented with what he described as a "fair agreement" and a "signable contract" that financially reflects his contributions to Sabbath's history and his standing as a founding member of the band.

Ward issued a statement in which he said in part, "At this time, I would love nothing more than to be able to proceed with the Black Sabbath album and tour. However, I am unable to continue unless a 'signable' contract is drawn up; a contract that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band."

Ward added that he worked last year in "good faith" with fellow original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, including rehearsals and a November press conference in Los Angeles. But then, he wrote, "Several days ago, after nearly a year of trying to negotiate, another 'unsignable' contract was handed to me."

The drummer, who played on 10 of Sabbath's first 11 studio albums, emphasized, "Although this has put me in some kind of holding pattern, I am packed and ready to leave the U.S. for England. More importantly, I definitely want to play on the album, and I definitely want to tour with Black Sabbath."

The recording sessions for the original band's first new album in 33 years were recently moved to London so that Iommi, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, could be close to his doctors.

Ward wrote that he's "spent every day" getting ready to head to England, but added, "My guess is . . . I will know nothing of what's happening unless I sign 'the unsignable contract.'"

He also wrote, "The place I'm in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, I also have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign 'as is,' I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician."

Ward addressed the possibility of his being replaced, saying, "I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted . . . It would be a sad day in rock if this current situation fell to the desires of a few."

Sabbath is scheduled to release its new album later this year and is confirmed to play the U.K.'s Download Festival in June. All other tour plans, however, are up in the air pending Iommi's ability to overcome his illness.
Bruce Springsteen Set For The Grammys And The Apollo

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band will make their first performance of the year on the February 12th Grammy Awards telecast on CBS. Springsteen, who'll release his latest album, Wrecking Ball, on March 6th will be part of a high profile telecast featuring performances by Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys, Foo Fighters, Glen Campbell, and Coldplay, among others. "The Boss'" 2010 collection, The Promise, is nominated in the "Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package" Springsteen and co. has also just announced their first group appearance at Harlem's historic Apollo Theater for satellite radio listeners.

With fan anticipation running high, Steve Van Zandt spoke to The Huffington Post and talked about the upcoming Springsteen album, saying, "I'm going to let him talk about it but, basically, I will tell you this: I love the album. I just absolutely love it, I think you're going to love it. . . The fact that a guy at his level of success, at his age, is still making records this vital and this relevant and this good, makes me just doubly proud to be his friend. I would love him anyway as a friend if he wasn't doing anything, but it really make me particularly proud to know him, that he would be this engaged, doing something this wonderful at this stage in the game."

Van Zandt has always been a tremendous fan and supporter of Springsteen and recalled first taking notice of him during their pre-fame days back home in New Jersey: "Around '65 or so. We had local bands, y'know. He was out of Freehold, which was a bit further west and I was closer to the ocean. And it was a bit of a circuit that everybody played, y'know? And you'd run into each other. And then we started running into each other in New York, which was odd at the time, 'cause New York was usually about a year, or so, ahead of New Jersey. And so, we'd come in and steal what we could and go back and look brilliant."

AUDIO: STEVE VAN ZANDT ON MEETING BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Dave Grohl To Executive Produce Sitcom?

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has signed on to be an executive producer of a new sitcom for the FX cable network. According to Deadline, the show will star comedian Dana Gould and will focus on a rock band that's about to become superstars but seeks therapy to avoid breaking up a la Metallica. The catch is that the therapist they enlist hates people and is on the brink of getting a divorce herself. Gould will write the series as well, and enlisted Grohl to come on board because he is a fan of Grohl's music and because the former Nirvana drummer is known as a funny guy himself.

Grohl is no big fan of band therapy, telling NME.com a while back, "I believe one of the reasons (Foo Fighters have) managed to stay together (is) because we just don't tell each other everything."

Gould previously wrote a 2010 pilot for ABC called Nolan Knows Best.

Foo Fighters have several big events coming up on their calendar. On February 10th, the band will join James Taylor, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Coldplay and others honoring Paul McCartney as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Two nights later, the Foos will perform at the Grammy Awards, also in Los Angeles, where the band is nominated for six trophies.

Then on February 15th, Foo Fighters will perform at a fundraising concert for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign in Holmby Hills, California.
George Harrison's Son Getting married

George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison is engaged, according to Jam! Showbiz. Dhani, now 33, will marry longtime girlfriend Solveig Karadottir, a former model -- now psychologist -- sometime in June. The couple currently lives together in Los Angeles. Dhani, who fronts his own band, thenewno2 (The New Number Two), as well as the "emo" trio Fistful Of Mercy with Joseph Arthur and Ben Harper, co-produced his father's 2002 posthumous album, Brainwashed.

Over the years, Dhani has been involved in a number of Harrison-related and Beatles projects, including the recent Rock Band game and -- alongside his mom, Olivia -- the Martin Scorsese Harrison doc, Living In The Material World.

Dhani Harrison told us that he doesn't feel being the son of a Beatle is in any way a burden, and that his father influenced the way he feels about most things -- especially music: "I wouldn't change my life for anything, I love being who I am. And I feel a lot of my dad, the way I sound now to myself, the way I whine on about stuff and bang on about the music industry, and this that and the other -- I sound just like my dad. And now I know why he was so bitter about (laughs). . . because having seen what my dad showed me, he was just so not impressed by anything (or) anyone that was anything but real."

AUDIO: DHANI HARRISON ON BEING GEORGE HARRISON'S SON
Ringo Starr Revisits The '70s On 2012

Ringo Starr has long been known for his legendary covers -- but on his new album, Ringo 2012, he actually covers himself. Ringo tackled two tracks from the 1970's, re-recording the 1973 Ringo album classic, "Step Lightly," and a particularly hot version of "Wings" -- a fan favorite, which was a monumental chart bomb for him back in 1977, and now the new album's lead single.

Ringo told us that he wanted to stray a bit from the sound found on the Arif Mardin-produced version of "Wings" found on Ringo The 4th: "Well, 'Wings' itself, I did that in New York with Arif and, y'know, they were very strange days -- let's keep it simple. And I always had in my mind, though, the 'Wings' track. But there was something about it I always loved. And I'm makin' the record, I can put on whatever I like, and I decided to have a listen to it and I thought I wanted to do it myself now. Y'know, it has a reggae feel because I train, nearly every day and (laughs) I train to reggae music."

AUDIO: RINGO STARR ON 'WINGS'
The Eagles Announce First 40th Anniversary Tour Dates

The first handful of dates for the Eagles' 40th anniversary tour have dribbled out, with the band kicking things off on April 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirate. The band will take in further stops in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and New Orleans. The upcoming tour will feature a new multimedia screen production showcasing the band's career throughout the show.

Don Henley told us that he's always remained unsure of the Eagles' future ever since group began performing together again 1994 after a 14-year-split: "The group weather changes from week to week, so I don't, I take everything with a grain of salt now. And if it's the end, it's the end, and if it's not, then that's fine, too."

We asked Glenn Frey if he feels as though he's taking part in a historical outing every time that the Eagles reconvene to go on the road: "Oh listen, we are just a blip on the screen, babe. Y'know, we don't even think about those kind of things, although we've been, we've been around a while now, so we will rank as a band that was around for a while. But it's not for us to say."

The Eagles tour dates (subject to change):
April 12 - Dubai, United Arab Emirate - 7he Sevens Stadium
April 21 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 4 - Atlanta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater at Encore Park
May 5 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fairgrounds Racecourse

AUDIO: DON HENLEY IS FINE WITH WHATEVER DIRECTION THE EAGLES TAKE
AUDIO: GLENN FREY SAYS THE EAGLES DON'T WORRY ABOUT THEIR PLACE IN ROCK HISTORY
Van Halen Plays Secret Show In Hollywood

Van Halen played an hour-long secret show on Wednesday night (February 1st) at Henson Studios in Hollywood, California. The audience of about 250 attendees saw the band perform three songs from its new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, including "She's The Woman," "The Trouble With Never" and first single "Tattoo," as well as a brace of classics like "You Really Got Me," "Runnin' With The Devil," "Unchained" and "Dance The Night Away." The show served as a launch party for the record, which arrives next Tuesday (February 7th) as well as a warm-up for the band's tour, which kicks off on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky.

The encore of "Jump" featured an eight-person drum line and a dozen Vegas showgirls that led the crowd out at the end of the song.

A Different Kind Of Truth is Van Halen's first album with original singer David Lee Roth in 28 years.

Roth told the Los Angeles Times last week that the band has gone back into its archives to find previously unreleased material upon which to build the record, saying, "It's material that Eddie (Van Halen, guitar) and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976 and 1977."

The first review of the new disc popped up online Wednesday (February 1st) at Antiquiet, which said, "That old familiar feeling has returned, the unique flare of excitement that comes from a muscle car rhythm section led by a six-string wizard and a singing sexual megalodon with an ego that made Kanye look like a kid flaunting his new Spider-Man underoos -- and the pipes to back up the strut."