White Lion Singer Talks About New Solo Album

Scott Smith of May The Rock Be With You recently conducted an interview with White Lion singer Mike Tramp. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

May The Rock Be With You: You have a brand new album due on October 5 through Kick Music/Sony Music in Denmark titled "Mike Tramp & The Rock N Roll Circuz". Can you explain the concept behind the "Rock N Roll Circuz"?

Mike Tramp: Well, it sort of came about during the [Danish] TV show ["Tramp Allstars"; see video below] that I was doing, where from week to week I used a lot of different costumes and outfits. When people were asking what I was all about, I just used to say that this was my rock 'n' roll circuz. When later, I prepared to record the album and put it all together, I created an atmosphere around the band that made us visualize this old fallen apart circus. From there we built certain things into the songs and into the album. But it's still a Mike Tramp album.

Is this album going to primarily be a local release in Denmark?

The album will first be released in Denmark and then bit by bit in other countries. But from day one, I am making the album available on my website and others, so my diehard-loyal fans around the world can also experience what I call my best album ever, my masterpiece. Copenhagen, Denmark is now my main base and home. I have returned to where I was born and it is the right time in my life to do this. There is so much that has matured here and ready to be harvested. But most of all, I am ready to come back home again.

What can we expect from the new album from a musical point of view? Is it a logical continuation from past solo releases?

Yes, it is a continuation from my past solo albums and then it is so much more. An artist hates to admit or say this but even though I am proud of songs that I have written and recorded on my other solo albums, I never managed to take the production all the way and obviously I know the reasons why. But this time no stone has been left unturned, no compromises have been made. This album is complete in every way.

Did you record the album entirely in Denmark and did you self-produce the album? Generally speaking, how did the recording process for this album compare to past experiences?

The album was all recorded and mixed in the same studio. I am co-producing this album with my friend and guitar player Søren Andersen. I proudly admit than Søren has been a blessing in disguise to this album. He was able to find all the missing things in my music and compliment my songwriting and it has left so completely satisfied with it all.

Will the "Rock & Roll Circuz" be taken on the road to promote the album? And if so, where will it go?

Of course. I am starting off with my first big tour of Denmark ever (check my MySpace for all the tour dates) and early next year I will venture out into the world, step by step. This album can sustain for a long, long time.

Upon your return to Denmark earlier this year, you appeared for a few months on the music reality TV show "Tramp Allstars". What was the reaction of the Danish people to your re-emergence as a public figure, given it's been over 30 years since you first shot to stardom with Mabel?

It was a great chance to show and tell an entire country my life story of 32 years in rock 'n' roll. You have to keep in mind that not everyone knew who I was. But I can tell you this much: now they do, and it is in a good way. I didn't sell out, I was able to give them everything I stand for and believe in…

Through your involvement with "Tramp Allstars", did you find it a satisfying and liberating experience pulling together a bunch of people from varying musical and social backgrounds and imparting some of your extensive rock 'n' roll and worldly wisdom to those you led? Is this something you could see yourself being more involved in down the track?

To be very honest, the thing that I loved most about it was not having to be up on stage being the singer, but instead being in front guiding and leading this choir. And yes, I would love very much to be working and helping others in the future, as I have much energy and knowledge that I like to pass on.

Read the entire interview from May The Rock Be With You.

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Rumoured Guns N' Roses Asia Tour Expands

With it being almost 12 months since the band released their first album in years, Guns N' Roses are starting to add tour dates.

Although it may be a rumor, yet another date has been added to their proclaimed Asia tour. According to AllAccess.co.kr, there is now a December 13 show at the Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul, Korea.

The band's official website doesn't have any news about the rumoured tour, but other tour dates keep appearing elsewhere.

Aside from the concert in Korea, there are also dates in Taiwan (December 11) and in the Japanese cities Osaka and Tokyo (December 16 and 19).

Aside from Asia, there have been a few rumors about shows in India, but there doesn't seem to be much proof.

Find out more information about the tour at RollingStone.com.

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Jeff Beck And Eric Clapton To Play London In 2010

Famous guitarists Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck have recently announced they will be playing a show together in 2010.

The duo plan to hit the stage at London's O2 Arena on February 13, 2010. The concert is reported to be a joint effort and it will be their first since their on-stage appearance in Japan earlier this year.

With their concerts moving geographically west, more and more rumors about a U.S. gig in 2010 are starting to heat up.

After their split show in Japan, Beck said the two "had a blast" playing together once again while Clapton had nothing but compliments for his fellow musician.

"I've always considered to be one of the finest guitar players around," he said. "He's a friend, a great guy, and a truly gifted musician. We had such a fun time in Japan that it seemed natural to play together again."

Tickets for the London concert go on sale on September 28.

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Slayer: 'World Painted Blood' Title Track Available For Streaming

"World Painted Blood", the title track of Slayer's highly anticipated new album, is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. Due on November 3 via American Recordings, the effort will initially ship with four special collector's edition CD covers. Each of the four covers will display one-fourth of a provocative continental map illustrated with human skulls and bones; when placed together, the four images form a complete and grisly map of the world.

All four of the initial CD packages will include a special blood-red, see-through top panel with the map displayed beneath it.

The "World Painted Blood Deluxe Edition" will have its own special layout of the map cover art and will be in a double-digipak housed in a blood-red, see-through plastic sleeve. The "Deluxe Edition" will include the "World Painted Blood" CD, the "Playing With Dolls" DVD, a 20-minute animated graphic novel featuring music from the album (including part of a new non-album song), and an expanded booklet.

"World Painted Blood" track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"As we're so excited about 'World Painted Blood'," said the band's drummer, Dave Lombardo, "we wanted to do something special for the packaging, and have been working with some really cool ideas. They've taken time to get just right, and with our headlining the Mayhem tour for most of the summer, it's just taken that much longer to get all these great ideas exactly the way we want them."

There will be three different editions of "World Painted Blood" — a limited-edition CD with multiple CD covers, a deluxe edition CD/DVD, and a high-quality, 180-gram vinyl edition; specifics for all editions will be detailed shortly.

"We hope our fans will like everything about 'World Painted Blood' as much as we do," Lombardo continued. "Recording this new album has been one of the greatest experiences we've had as a band. We were together during the writing process more than we had been for past albums, we worked more collectively, everyone's suggestions and ideas were heard and considered, and that camaraderie is definitely heard in the new album."

Read the entire article at Blabbermouth.net.

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Alice In Chains Drummer Compares Having New Album Illegally Downloaded To Prison Rape

Tim Virgin of Chicago's Q101 radio station conducted an interview with Alice In Chains when the band played an acoustic set at the city's Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday, September 19. During the chat, the Alice In Chains members were asked for their thoughts on their new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", being leaked on the Internet two weeks prior to the CD's official release date. "You know it's gonna happen 'cause it's part of [how the industry works nowadays], but you just hope it doesn't happen too far in advance," drummer Sean Kinney replied. "It's nothing unique [to this band]. [But] we hadn't been through it [before], 'cause we hadn't made a record in 14 years, so I think that's the initial shock. It's like, 'What?' We were talking about it earlier... It's like going to prison — you're know you're gonna get raped, but you're not ready for it. You think you're all prepared for it, but you're not really prepared for how violent that rape is. It's like, 'Wow! He's really giving it to me.'"

Tim Virgin's interview with Alice In Chains can be viewed here.

Alice In Chains recorded "Black Gives Way To Blue" with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush) at the Northridge, California studio of Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

In their first late-night network performance in more than 10 years, Alice In Chains will appear on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for two consecutive nights on Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30 at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT. The appearances follow Alice In Chains' sold-out national tour and coincide with the highly anticipated September 29 release of "Black Gives Way To Blue" (Virgin/EMI).

The much-buzzed-about event kicks off on Tuesday, September 29 on the Bud Light Outdoor Stage — the largest outdoor stage among the late night talk shows — with an electrifying performance in the middle of Hollywood. On Wednesday, September 30, Alice In Chains will perform a special intimate acoustic set on the late night's indoor lobby stage. Each performance will include one song from new album "Black Gives Way To Blue" and one classic hit. The September 29 show will see the group performing their brand-new, chart-topping lead single "Check My Brain" — hailed by Spin as "one of the catchiest songs of Alice In Chains' history" — and the show on the 30th will spotlight new acoustic track, "Your Decision".

Thanks for the report to Blabbermouth.net.

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