Something now for not just the Bon Jovi fans, but DRUMMERS as well! Here, Tico Torres of Bon Jovi talks about the Remo heads he uses live and in the studio, and gives a mini demo at the end of the interview. For a man of very few solos and a totally underrated drummer it's quite a rare glimpse of something besides the regimented 2 and 4 of his Bon Jovi offerings.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Friday, 12 November 2010
Ellie Goulding - Your Song
Check out the video for Ellie's cover of Elton John's Your Song. It's simple but effective; the video has a real homely feel to it, and seems to show a real personal side to her, almost as if expressing how she's still human and normal since having been rocketed into fame. None of the passion is lost with her much gentler vocals, a really nice cover in all.
On the Jovi front, it's been a busy couple of weeks! I was at the cinema last night with about 20 other people to watch the New Meadowlands show; I guess there aren't many Bon Jovi fans in Southampton! It felt a bit weird clapping and singing along in a cinema, but by the end it was all good fun. A really cool show too, really showed off the band well, even though it was only ever going to be seen my diehards. The sound wasn't actually too bad in the cinema, a totally new way of watching a concert which I really enjoyed.
In the UK, Bon Jovi are the cover story for the Big Issue, priced at £1.70, with 85p going to the vendor; something I'm sure Jon is all the happier for. There's an a4 sized headshot of him inside sporting a greying beard, but of course he pulls it off.
And on the personal front, I've (Birds In Flight) got a busy next couple of weeks with gigs in Southampton that I'm of course looking forward to. We recorded last week so once it's all mixed and mastered we'll be setting up a Myspace page and I'll be able to share it with you then. For now, have a great weekend :)
On the Jovi front, it's been a busy couple of weeks! I was at the cinema last night with about 20 other people to watch the New Meadowlands show; I guess there aren't many Bon Jovi fans in Southampton! It felt a bit weird clapping and singing along in a cinema, but by the end it was all good fun. A really cool show too, really showed off the band well, even though it was only ever going to be seen my diehards. The sound wasn't actually too bad in the cinema, a totally new way of watching a concert which I really enjoyed.
In the UK, Bon Jovi are the cover story for the Big Issue, priced at £1.70, with 85p going to the vendor; something I'm sure Jon is all the happier for. There's an a4 sized headshot of him inside sporting a greying beard, but of course he pulls it off.
And on the personal front, I've (Birds In Flight) got a busy next couple of weeks with gigs in Southampton that I'm of course looking forward to. We recorded last week so once it's all mixed and mastered we'll be setting up a Myspace page and I'll be able to share it with you then. For now, have a great weekend :)
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
'Bizarre' Editor slates JBJ once again
Wanted to share this with you all, I know I'm probably giving the editor what he wants by causing a fuss and should ignore people like this but it really makes me angry. In The Sun, UK newspaper today, Gordon Smart who is the editor of the entertainment page Bizarre printed this, another pointless snipe:
"Jon Bon Jovi asked me to help promote his band's new greatest hits album. I was tempted - until I saw him high-five Belle Amie [contestants] on Sunday's X Factor. It was more embarassing than One Direction's pink eye a day earlier [boy band who were made-up a little strange]. He's still Jon Nob Jovi."
In a previous edition, he printed this which I highlighted on this blog:
"Jon Bon Jovi wins a new gong - Nob of the Year. There's no physical award for this, the leather-clad gimp is not worth £12.50 for the frame. Jon Nob Jovi told the Bizarre team that his five nights at London's O2 in 2010 should always be referred to as a residency, not a five-night run. I won't be going to any of his five-night run because he is yesterday's man, his music is dull and he stole his haircut from Lassie."
It's totally pointless and childish; what annoys me is that Gordon Smart is the editor of a page where he pretentiously claims everything in new music or fashion was his idea, or he predicted certain trends would happen. In these pages where he is forever licking the boots of Z-list manufactured popstars, many in fact spawned from the X Factor, he has the audacity to slate such a fine and respectable rockstar who has been in this industry for 27 years, and has since ploughed so much time, effort and money into charity. He is deserved of his time spent in the music industry, yet doesn't sit at home counting his millions but actually gets his hands dirty, helps people in need. Gordon Smart picked on him for literally no reason, it wasn't a provoked attack, and I just basically wanted to share this with Jovination and all fans of this great band. You can disregard it or you can join with me on Twitter asking why he continues to lay into Jon like this. His tag is @goagsieman and his column is a waste of printed space, full of pretentious opinions and not nearly enough 'real music'. As someone who has already attacked him on Twitter said, is he going to be remembered in 25 years? I think not.
"Jon Bon Jovi asked me to help promote his band's new greatest hits album. I was tempted - until I saw him high-five Belle Amie [contestants] on Sunday's X Factor. It was more embarassing than One Direction's pink eye a day earlier [boy band who were made-up a little strange]. He's still Jon Nob Jovi."
In a previous edition, he printed this which I highlighted on this blog:
"Jon Bon Jovi wins a new gong - Nob of the Year. There's no physical award for this, the leather-clad gimp is not worth £12.50 for the frame. Jon Nob Jovi told the Bizarre team that his five nights at London's O2 in 2010 should always be referred to as a residency, not a five-night run. I won't be going to any of his five-night run because he is yesterday's man, his music is dull and he stole his haircut from Lassie."
It's totally pointless and childish; what annoys me is that Gordon Smart is the editor of a page where he pretentiously claims everything in new music or fashion was his idea, or he predicted certain trends would happen. In these pages where he is forever licking the boots of Z-list manufactured popstars, many in fact spawned from the X Factor, he has the audacity to slate such a fine and respectable rockstar who has been in this industry for 27 years, and has since ploughed so much time, effort and money into charity. He is deserved of his time spent in the music industry, yet doesn't sit at home counting his millions but actually gets his hands dirty, helps people in need. Gordon Smart picked on him for literally no reason, it wasn't a provoked attack, and I just basically wanted to share this with Jovination and all fans of this great band. You can disregard it or you can join with me on Twitter asking why he continues to lay into Jon like this. His tag is @goagsieman and his column is a waste of printed space, full of pretentious opinions and not nearly enough 'real music'. As someone who has already attacked him on Twitter said, is he going to be remembered in 25 years? I think not.
Bon Jovi LIVE - One Night Only
I'm still buzzing. I'm still buzzing. Still in shock and awe. Tonight I went to the ITV studios in London along with my girlfriend, as I was lucky enough to win tickets to the intimate filming of this show for ITV. It airs on Saturday night here in the UK at 10.30, and includes a tour of Jon's home and his pub along with interviewing slots. There can't have been more than 200 people in the audience, and I was within arms reach of Jon and Richie when they came down the short catwalk on the stage and did an acoustic section. This included an Elvis cover of That's Alright Mama, When We Were Beautiful (harrowingly wonderful) and Prayer acoustic, which included Jon messing up the second line and starting again. But this summed up the whole mood of the gig; it was so laid back with Jon making jokes and silly faces inbetween songs, but the band were totally on the money when performing, as you'd expect. I feel so privelaged to have been part of something so intimate and to have been so close to Jon and Richie, and I urge to watch the show live or online when it airs, because it was a great gig. When We Were Beautiful and new single What Do You Got had both never been played in the UK either so this made it extra special. When I was walking into the studio, you could hear the band sound-checking What Do You Got, and, on leaving at the end, Obie O' Brien was walking down the corridor, so I jumped at the chance to shake his hand and tell him how great the show was! The set was short, maybe 8-10 songs but it was a fantastic night and, if I'm lucky, I'll spot myself on TV on Saturday :) Just wanted to share with you such an incredible experience.
Bon Jovi's stint on the X Factor on Saturday night was cool, if a little odd. They performed Livin on a Prayer, although the contestants joined them for the choruses which turned the classic anthem into a bit of a drunken karaoke singalong, although was still good fun. Next Thursday I'll be at my local cinema along with Jovination across the globe to watch the screening of The Circle Tour show which I can't wait for; it's a great month to be a Bon Jovi fan!
Bon Jovi's stint on the X Factor on Saturday night was cool, if a little odd. They performed Livin on a Prayer, although the contestants joined them for the choruses which turned the classic anthem into a bit of a drunken karaoke singalong, although was still good fun. Next Thursday I'll be at my local cinema along with Jovination across the globe to watch the screening of The Circle Tour show which I can't wait for; it's a great month to be a Bon Jovi fan!
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
No Apologies - Best of the Newbies
It's official, all four new Jovi tracks have been released and, in my humble opinion, No Apologies is the best of the lot and should definitely be the lead single promoting the Greatest Hits. You can check it out here. Here's hoping they'll perform this for X Factor show in the UK on Sunday night after promising 'something special and not to be missed' in their email...we'll see. I'm also eagerly awaiting ticket prices for the UK shows that go on sale tomorrow morning, I really hope it's not another case of the band ripping off their fans. I'm not going to take any kind of stand because I obviously want to see the show, and will begrudgingly spend a lot for tickets, but I just want the best seats and hate that they're suddenly so expensive when two years back I was in the Gold Circle for £35! We're not all on the rockstar salary so here's hoping they don't punish the poor again. I'm a little disappointed at the 'stadium tour' that was seemingly on the cards and we're stuck with a Festival slot, a cricket ground and one stadium in Scotland but apparentely Take That have got all the big stadiums booked for the same period. Stupid boy bands. I can't complain, this tour has seen them play countries that haven't seen the band for decades! Either way, I'm excited but anxious, I hate refreshing ticket sites at 8 in the morning, it's always so stressful, only once they're ordered can I enjoy the thought of another live Bon Jovi show next summer.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
This Week in the Music World
So, it's shaping up to be quite the exciting week in the music world. On Monday, the latest offering from the Kings of Leon titled Come Around Sundown was released. I'm a massive fan of their previous Only By The Night, it's one of my favourite albums and I was intrigued to see the kind of stance they might take. As with quite a lot of bands, I'm not a huge fan of their early stuff but was swept along with the wave of new fans when this came out. Although Come Around Sundown has only had a few listens through it's certainly sounding better each time round. I love having new albums, when you've got so much time to listen out for new things that you didn't hear before and when you're just waiting to be taken on a journey, no idea where the band are planning to take you next. There don't seem to be any massive stand-out Sex on Fire-esque tracks (although the single, Radioactive is pretty catchy) but it's definitely a lot more chilled out and, at the same time, feels a lot more soulful and passionate. Their Nashville roots are clearly identified with such song titles as Pickup Truck and Back Down South, with a slight return to their Countrified compositions but it's definitely standing out to me as a great album for fans and non-fans alike.
Diana Vickers was one of the featured artists on the X Factor this week, which is once more causing a stir between itself and the 'real' music industry and it's fans of 'real' music. Her new single, My Wicked Heart, has come under fire for its chorus being a complete rip-off of the Chili Pepper's Under The Bridge. Although she is qouted to have admitted listening to Under The Bridge before having written the song and being worried about it sounding similar, she then decided not to bother to changing it afterall. Have a listen for yourself, but the melody for the first four lines of the chorus is uncannily similar. The Chili Peppers certainly have a case that would surely stand-up in court, and I believe they are pursuing this root. I actually quite liked her when she appeared on the X Factor as a naive 17 year old daring to be different, with her quirky stage presence and vocal style but she has obviously sold herself to fame and allowed her record company to mould her into something a lot more generic and accepted in order to sell records. The auto-tuning of her single is also far too obvious. Disappointing stuff Miss Vickers.
Diana Vickers - My Wicked Heart
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
And finally, Bon Jovi are to be presented with the Global Icons Award at next month's MTV Europe Music Awards and I believe they're performing at the ceremony too. Just another one for the trophy cabinet for the band maybe, but it's still great news that they continued to be recognised and celebrated today.
So there's my two-pence for what it's worth, enjoy the rest of your week.
Diana Vickers was one of the featured artists on the X Factor this week, which is once more causing a stir between itself and the 'real' music industry and it's fans of 'real' music. Her new single, My Wicked Heart, has come under fire for its chorus being a complete rip-off of the Chili Pepper's Under The Bridge. Although she is qouted to have admitted listening to Under The Bridge before having written the song and being worried about it sounding similar, she then decided not to bother to changing it afterall. Have a listen for yourself, but the melody for the first four lines of the chorus is uncannily similar. The Chili Peppers certainly have a case that would surely stand-up in court, and I believe they are pursuing this root. I actually quite liked her when she appeared on the X Factor as a naive 17 year old daring to be different, with her quirky stage presence and vocal style but she has obviously sold herself to fame and allowed her record company to mould her into something a lot more generic and accepted in order to sell records. The auto-tuning of her single is also far too obvious. Disappointing stuff Miss Vickers.
Diana Vickers - My Wicked Heart
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
And finally, Bon Jovi are to be presented with the Global Icons Award at next month's MTV Europe Music Awards and I believe they're performing at the ceremony too. Just another one for the trophy cabinet for the band maybe, but it's still great news that they continued to be recognised and celebrated today.
So there's my two-pence for what it's worth, enjoy the rest of your week.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Tunebreaker
TuneBreaker™ is a (global) new music award aimed at emerging and truly independent artists. The TuneBreaker™ Music Award is both unique and innovative in its process (a process we cannot divulge just yet). We are not a corporate funded site looking for quick returns - we are a small team of experienced music industry people and mainly avid young music fans wanting to see a new industry of music. This award is as real and authentic as it comes.
The inaugural TuneBreaker™ Music Award commences in mid-November 2010 with the winner announced before New Year. This first award is only open to Artists and Bands that are resident in Great Britain and Ireland and is limited to a set number of entrants. Artists remember! Whilst you have to be from Great Britain and Ireland, fans can vote for you from anywhere in the world.
The actual 'competition' itself is all being kept quiet at the moment, but is soon to be revealed. In the meantime, if you're an artist then get your band signed up and if you're a lover of music make sure you do to!
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