Archive for July 18, 2014

JEFF BECK & ZZ TOP SET TO EMBARK ON NATIONAL TOUR

Posted in classic rock, guitarists, Hard Rock, Music, music news, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , , on July 18, 2014 by Metal Odyssey

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(Photo Credit: Ross Halfin)

Guitarist Prodigy Tyler Bryant To Open All Dates

(Los Angeles, CA) As announced, this August will see long time music legends, and mutual admirers, Jeff Beck and ZZ Top tour together for the first time ever.  The tour launches in Missoula, MT on August 8 and will run for five weeks with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Detroit, Dallas, Boston and NYC (full itinerary below).

Accompanying Jeff on the road will be Jimmy Hall on Vocals, Rhonda Smith on bass, Jonathan Joseph on drums and Nicolas Meier on guitar.  Hall, lead singer for the Southern rock group, Wet Willie, previously joined Beck in 1985 singing lead vocals on Beck’s album, Flash and was nominated for a Grammy award for the performance.

Also, just announced, is the special opening act on this fantastic double bill, 21-year-old Texas guitar prodigy, Tyler Bryant, who has previously opened for Jeff Beck, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Bonamassa, BB King, Heart and Vince Gill among many others.  Bryant will appear on all dates except as noted below.

ZZ Top 1

Formatted with musical synergy in mind, stops along the touring route will offer fans full Jeff Beck and ZZ Top sets, with a finale that joins the English fret master with the Texas rockers each night of the tour.  ZZ Top is touring in support of two new releases this summer including The Very Baddest of ZZ Top, a new compilation from Warner Bros. and Live At Montreux 2013 on DVD and Blu-ray from Eagle Rock Entertainment.

Although groundbreaking with the headliners, this tour is not the first live collaboration between the two camps. Gibbons joined Jeff Beck and his band on stage at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where they performed The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Foxey Lady” and ZZ Top’s hit “Rough Boy” together. The following year Jeff Beck joined ZZ Top in Lucca, Italy for an extended rendition of the band’s signature piece “La Grange.” Remarkably, however, this marks the first time Jeff Beck and ZZ Top are doing any sort of extensive touring together.

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ZZ Top with Jeff Beck Tour Itinerary:

Jeff Beck - ZZ Top - Tour Itinerary - 2014

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Source: MAD Ink PR

www.madinkpr.com

Stone - Motorhead Tee pic:small

LONG LIVE JEFF BECK.

LONG LIVE ZZ TOP. 

Stone.

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Stone Picks His Top 6 JUDAS PRIEST Albums… Whoa!

Posted in Heavy Metal, metal music, Music, music news, rock music, rock music news with tags , , , , , on July 18, 2014 by Metal Odyssey

Judas Priest - promo band pic - 2014 - #1986

JUDAS PRIEST – I ponder rather consistently, as to which albums are my favorite from the Judas Priest catalog. I’ve decided to choose my top six Judas Priest albums once and for all. Or is it really once and for all? Everyone has their own likes and dislikes; therefore my list is just that, a personal choice.  Four out of the six albums I’ve chosen are from the classic era of Judas Priest; an era that catapulted this iconic band into super Metal stardom.

Let me know which Judas Priest albums you would choose as favorites, via comments; it will be interesting discussion! Judas Priest really are the Defenders Of The Faith. There are great Metal bands and then there are F*#king great Metal bands. Judas Priest for me are F*#king great. Metal be thy name. – Stone

Judas Priest - Painkiller - promo cover pic - #4494

#6

PAINKILLER 

Released in 1990, Painkiller was a comeback album for Judas Priest after the Turbo and Ram It Down mainstream darlings. This was also the last studio album before Rob Halford stepped out and Tim “Ripper” Owens stepped in for 1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demolition. A kick-ass album is Painkiller, front beginning to end it rages. ‘Nuff said.

Judas Priest - Redeemer Of Souls - promo cover pic

#5

REDEEMER OF SOULS

I honestly never anticipated such a milestone album from Judas Priest! With the absence of guitarist and founding member K. K. Downing, I wondered how anyone else could step in? Well, Richie Faulkner has stepped in, quite superbly! Rob Halford sounds like he’s 25 years old on this album! This is a grand follow-up to 2005’s Angel Of Retribution; with my making no insult to 2008’s concept (detour) album Nostradamus.

I could easily have made this new Priest offering my #2 pick; only I would be ignoring all the influential reasons why I fell in love with this band in the first place. This new album from Judas Priest has me psyched-out beyond Metal belief; a consummate Metal album of 2014! I’m tempted to put this Redeemer Of Souls CD under my pillow at night. Just kidding. No, I’m not.

Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith - promo cover pic - #00115

#4

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

1984 was a very, very good year due to Defenders Of The Faith being released. With classics such as Freewheel Burning, Love Bites, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll and the anthemic Heavy Duty, studio album #9 from Judas Priest will forever give me super Metal powers. Well, I think so, anyways.

Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance - classic cover promo - #3061

#3

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE

There’s no denying that Screaming For Vengeance was my first album (vinyl) purchase of this amazing band. The first time I heard a Judas Priest song was You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ and I was transformed! The Hellion sent me over the Metal edge! I never heard anything that badass in my entire life! The rest is my being a Metalhead history. Thank you, thank you, Judas Priest. Thank you, again.

Judas Priest - British Steel - promo cover pic - #9094

#2

BRITISH STEEL

“Grinder, Looking for meat, Grinder, Wants you to eat”

Yes, even your neighbors grandmother knows the songs Living After Midnight  and Breaking The Law, however, it’s songs such as Grinder and Metal Gods that makes British Steel a beacon for Metal.

Judas Priest - Stained Class - promo cover pic - #7667

#1

STAINED CLASS

A 1978 release, Stained Class was ahead of its time. Really. Please name another Metal band that captured a Metal sound like this, back in 1978! You can’t! Black Sabbath’s Doom and Stoner Metal was the complete opposite! KISS, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Rainbow, Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin were all too unique with entirely different sounds; so different in fact, that Judas Priest made everyone else in 1978 sound like Hard Rock bands. This was… METAL! A New Wave Of British Heavy Metal!

This Judas Priest album was a look into the future of Metal, as we all know and cherish it today. Without this era of Judas Priest, there would be NO Metallica or any of their 1980’s peers; I firmly believe that. A strong, lean and yet (never before heard) powerful album, lyrically oozing with a rabid bite that only Rob Halford could deliver vocally! Stained Class is my favorite Judas Priest album of all-time. Metal be thy name. – Stone

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* For more info on JUDAS PRIEST:

Facebook: Judas Priest

Website: http://www.JudasPriest.com/

Stone - Motorhead Tee pic:small

LONG LIVE JUDAS PRIEST.

LONG LIVE THE NWOBHM.

LONG LIVE METAL.

Stone.

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