Confirmed bands so far out of a total of around 70:

Ozzy Osbourne
Judas Priest
Saxon
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Styx
Rhapsody of Fire
Mustasch
Destruction
Overkill
The Haunted
Jason & the Scorchers
Moonspell
Agent Steel
Ghost
Dan Reed Band
Walter Trout
Raubtier
Groundhogs
Mason Ruffner
Fläsket
Brinner
Rage (Acoustic)

The tickets to Sweden Rock Festival 2011 are now released and you buy them directly online.

More information at: http://www.swedenrock.com www.swedenrock.com

HURTSMILE is the new band featuring singer Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) who has teamed up with his brother Mark to write his most succinct record to date. The self-titled, HURTSMILE is a raw sonic sucker punch in the face! From the opening buzz saw riff of “Just War Theory” to the epic finale of “Slave” and “Beyond The Garden/Kicking Against the Goads”, Gary continues to push and poke you in the ear with his lyrically provocative themes.

“Hurtsmile was a long time coming. I always wanted to write a record with my brother,” says Gary. “I’m a big fan of Mark’s song writing and his snarling guitar riffs.” The timing was right as Extreme was in-between their touring and record cycle, leaving Gary the freedom. They recruited Joe Pessia (bass) an alumnus of Nuno Bettencourt’s Dramagods as well as the guitar player for Tantric. Joe also engineered, and co-produced the record with Gary. To round off the lineup they enlisted heavy hitter Dana Spellman on drums “It’s an east coast-Boston thing,” states Gary. “Mark, my brother, was in a band with Nuno’s brother. Joe was in Nuno’s band and Dana was a friend, and student of Mike Mangini (former Extreme drummer) . we like to keep it in the family.”

The lineup is not the only thing familiar with the band. In true Cherone fashion, the record is chock full of swaggering guitar, soaring vocals and the trademark Cherone eclecticism on tracks such as “Jesus Would You Meet Me”, the reggae-tinged “Just War Reprise” and the Dylanesq “The Murder of Daniel Faulkner (4699)”. “Hurtsmile was about returning to my roots, writing a record in my basement, a straight up rock ‘n’ roll record. but it turned out to be more diverse and ambitious than I expected.”

Gary is no stranger to taking on intense topics, and Hurtsmile is no exception. The first half of the record is a group of more loosely knit songs such as the cynically inquisitive “Just War Theory”, the limit’s of free speech “Tolerance Song (edit)” and the disturbingly mesmerizing “Kaffur (Infidel)”, inspired by the beheading of Daniel Pearl.

The 2nd half of the record is more conceptually cohesive; an introspective look at the nature of man and the condition of the human heart. “Stillborn” introduced earlier, and “Set Me Free” both touch on mans inclination toward darkness, culminating with an epic journey from sin to salvation. “Slave” to “Beyond the Garden/Kicking Against the Goads”.

For the most part both themes are represented as 2 sides of a record. A concept familiar to Extreme fans but make no mistake, whether reading between the lines or just moved by the visceral power of the music, this is a completely different type of record. Gary adds, “All the boys in the band have brought something new to the table, and you’ll never know what hit you!”

The songs “Just War Theory” and “Love Thy Neighbor” can exclusively be listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Web radio. Tune in at: www.frontiers.it/webradio

Hurtsmile:

Gary Cherone – Vocals
Mark Cherone – Guitars
Joe Pessia – Bass, Mandolin
Dana Spellman – Drums, Percussion

Produced by Gary Cherone, Joe Pessia

Ozzy Osbourne
Saxon
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Styx
Rhapsody of Fire
Mustasch
Destruction
Overkill
The Haunted
Jason & the Scorchers
Agent Steel
Ghost
Dan Reed Band
Walter Trout
Raubtier
Groundhogs
Mason Ruffner
Fläsket
Brinner
Rage (Acoustic)

The tickets to Sweden Rock Festival 2011 are now released and you buy them directly online at our homepage.

More information at: www.swedenrock.com

Frontiers Records is proud to announce the signing of a new Distribution Agreement for its label products with EMI Music Distribution in North America.

The new Agreement will be effective from January 1st 2011 and marks a “huge step forward in the label’s expansion strategy” – as stated by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino.

EMI Music will distribute physical product from Frontiers Records in the United States of America and Canada. Plans are already underway to expand the territorial areas of partnership.

“We are happy that Frontiers Records have chosen us to partner with to release some of the greatest rock bands of all time – on their label you will find greats such as Whitesnake, Asia and Yes” said EMI’s Executive VP / General Manager Mike Harris. “True classic rock artists that have sold millions of records worldwide. We look forward to a very rewarding relationship and know we will see true success in 2011.”

Frontiers has recently announced the new partnership with Derek Shulman and 2Plus Music Entertainment who will  oversee the label development and marketing over the North American market in conjunction with the EMI team in New York. Shulman said: “Our friends at EMI are all real music enthusiasts and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them. The North American Frontiers team is gearing up for the first quarter release, which includes new music from Mr. Big, Nelson and Whitesnake”.

The first releases which will be distributed with the new set up in January 2011 will be the recent YOSO debut “Elements”, the ALLEN LANDE hit album “The Showdown”, along with NELSON’s recent comeback “Lightning Strikes Twice” and MR. BIG forthcoming “What If.”. The first quarter release plan shall be officially announced shortly.

Pictured L to R: Mike Harris, Serafino Perugino, Derek Shulman, Mario de Riso, Sid McCain at EMI’s Head Office – NY

Frontiers Records Srl – v. G. Gonzaga, 18 – 80125 – Napoli Tel. +39 081 2399340 / 7753 – Fax +39 081 2399794- mario@frontiers.it – http://www.frontiers.it/ www.frontiers.it

]]> http://www.rocktracks.de/?feed=rss2&p=152 0 http://www.rocktracks.de/?p=147 http://www.rocktracks.de/?p=147#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 22:37:48 +0000 admin http://www.rocktracks.de/?p=147 MR. BIG – “Undertow”

The New Videoclip taken from “What If…” – Out in Europe on January 21st 2011

November 20, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Nokia Theatre Times Square
New York City, NY

November 21, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Palladium
Worcester, MA

November 23, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Metropolis
Montreal, QC

November 25, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Theatre Capitole
Quebec, QC

November 26, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON

November 27, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Royal Oak Music Theatre
Royal Oak, MI

November 29, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Bottom Lounge
Chicago, IL

November 30, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Cabooze
Minneapolis, MN

December 01, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Garrick Centre
Winnipeg, MB

December 03, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
MacEwan Ballroom
Calgary, AB

December 04, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Starlite Room
Edmonton, AB

December 06, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Showbox at the Market
Seattle, WA

December 08, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Regency Ballroom
San Francisco, CA

December 09, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Music Box at Henry Fonda Theater
Los Angeles, CA

December 10, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Marquee Theatre
Tempe, AZ

December 11, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Sunshine Theatre
Albuquerque, NM

December 12, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Bluebird Theatre
Denver, CO

December 14, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Tress
Dallas, TX

December 15, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Scout Bar
San Antonio, TX

December 17, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Orange Peel
Asheville, NC

December 18, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The State Theater
St. Petersburg, FL

December 19, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
The Masquerade
Atlanta, GA

December 21, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Lincoln Theatre
Raleigh, NC

December 22, 2010
Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms
Jaxx Nightclub
Springfield, VA

Here are the previews of the two MELODIC ROCK FANZINE covers:

This new issue includes reviews and interviews of Nelson, The Poodles, Darkwater, Signum Regis, F.E.A.S.T., Perfect View, Poison Sun, Prime Suspect, Jeff Scott Soto, Vega, Allen Lande, Michael Bormann… and more!

Electronic readble version of the magazine is available on the Frontiers official site and here.

Frontiers Records

«What If… » is MR. BIG’s first “all original”  album since the reunion of the four original members,  Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey back in early 2009. Sixteen years after the release of « Hey Man », the new recording is set to bring back MR. BIG on the height of the current Hard Rock scene.

Guitarist Paul Gilbert said: “This is the first MR. BIG album I have been a part of, since fourteen years and it was done in a snap. It was fun and we had really a  good time in making this one”. Continues Billy Sheehan “It’s so great to be back with Paul, Eric and Pat too. We wrote this record like we did in the old days for the first 2 records. Jamming together in the same room to write songs”. Pat Torpey adds ““Some of the recording process is different now from what we were used to in the old times. But I think this record really managed to capture the performances of the band, not of the individual musicians”.

Eric Martin concludes: “I like to compare this to the first album, when we just got to know each other in a reharsal studio and cut it in 8 or 9 days. This is like chapter 2. We had so many years, so many records and so many things behind us. Now this feels like a beautiful brand new chapter starting for all of us”.

« What If… » was produced by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Rush, Iron Maiden)  and the release will be followed by a World Tour which will kick off in South America in March and will hit Europe in early summer.

Formed in 1988, Mr. Big forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark “shredding” musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original line-up – vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Pat Torpey. Mr. Big produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres – be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock.

Their hits included “To Be With You” (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), “Wild World”, Green-Tinted sixties Mind”, “Just Take My Heart”, and a host of heavy metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy”, “Addicted to that Rush”, “Colorado Bulldog”, and “Take Cover”.

“What If…” will be released in a special edition CD + DVD in digipak, regular CD, vinyl and digital download and in a limited edition luxury box including the CD, DVD, LP and exclusive memorabilia.

“What If…” tracklisting includes: Undertow; American Beauty; Stranger In My Life; Nobody Takes the Blame; Still Ain’t Enough for Me; Once Upon a Time; As Far As I Can See; All The Way Up; I Won’t Get In My Way; Around The World; I Get The Feeling; Unforgiven (exclusive bonus track for Europe / North America – not on vinyl edition).

The DVD will include the videoclips of “Undertow” and “All the Way Up” plus a documentary “Making of” the album including interviews and exclusive behind the scenes features of the four members.

The first single “Undertow” will have an official promotional launch on November 27^th.