Geezer Butler Remembers Ronnie James Dio On What Would Have Been Singer's 70th Birthday

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, would have celebrated his 70th birthday today (Tuesday, July 10) had he not passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

In a posting on his official web site, legendary bassist Geezer Butler — who played with Ronnie in both BLACK SABBATH and HEAVEN & HELL — wrote, "Today, July 10th, Ronnie should have been celebrating his 70th birthday, and probably would have been if he'd had his health checked regularly. I once asked him if he'd ever thought about retiring. He said he would make that decision on his 70th birthday. That is why today is so poignant.I think I know what his decision would have been."

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

A free public memorial service was held on May 30, 2010 at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, attended by more than 1,500 fans, friends and fellow musicians.

In March 2011, it was announced that the surviving members of the final lineup of DIO would embark on a project with former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens under the name DIO DISCIPLES.

His wife and manager, Wendy Dio, still oversees all projects and releases related to the career and music of her late husband.

Ronnie James Dio, real name Ronald James Padavona, was born in New Hampshire on July 10, 1942.

He moved to Cortland, New York at a young age, where he began playing with local acts. A street in Cortland, Dio Way, was named after him in 1988.

He released his first single, with a band called RONNIE AND THE REDCAPS, in 1959.

His first heavy rock act, ELF, released three albums and opened for DEEP PURPLE, where Dio's voice caught the ear of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Blackmore recruited Dio for his own band, RAINBOW, after leaving PURPLE in 1975.

Dio recorded three studio albums and one live set with RAINBOW before exiting in 1978, including "Rising" and "Long Live Rock And Roll".

He replaced Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH in 1980, recording the "Heaven And Hell" and "Mob Rules" albums, plus "Live Evil", before leaving in 1982. He rejoined the group 10 years later for an album called "Dehumanizer", and again teamed with the group under the HEAVEN & HELL banner in 2006. HEAVEN & HELL released an album called "The Devil You Know" in 2009.

He has also recorded 10 studio albums with his own band, DIO, including a classic 1983 debut, "Holy Diver", and an equally renowned follow-up, 1984's "The Last In Line".

Dio was also behind the HEAR N' AID project, a collection of metal artists who recorded the track "Stars" in 1985 to raise funds for African famine relief.

Rock and metal musicians around the world paid tribute to Dio in the weeks and months following his death. STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor shared his feelings with The Pulse Of Radio about the fallen metal icon. "When I got that news that he had passed away, man, it seriously — it broke my heart. It broke it in two. Because honestly, I just feel like there will never be another Ronnie James Dio. He had such a pure voice — and still singing his ass off. I just know he'll be missed, and I will miss him as well."

Ex-VAN HALEN and current CHICKENFOOT bassist Michael Anthony also shared his memories of Dio with The Pulse Of Radio. "I don't know anybody that didn't grow up listening to his stuff," he said. "You know, VAN HALEN, we used to do from the first RAINBOW album, we did 'Man On The Silver Mountain'. I remember one time, the second VAN HALEN tour we were doing some festivals in Europe, and we actually played on the same show as Ronnie's band. Real powerful voice, you know, and definitely a driving force in hard rock music, that guy was."

Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that he felt the loss of Dio very keenly. "He's just somebody I was influenced by," he said. " I played all the RAINBOW stuff, I played the DIO stuff, the SABBATH stuff when I was in, you know, high school. I don't think that it's really set in what a, you know, huge figure in rock 'n' roll we lost, you know. Really major. Probably one of the most influential heavy metal singers of all time."

Charlie Sheen Bashes Axl Rose At Slash's Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony (Video)

Grammy-winning iconic guitarist and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Slash marked a career milestone today, Tuesday, July 10, as he was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Slash's star is located directly in front of the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Blvd (6801 Hollywood Blvd, #105 Los Angeles, CA 90028). Slash's friends — celebrated film producer Robert Evans, actor Charlie Sheen and beloved radio host Jim Ladd — were guest speakers at the fan-packed ceremony. Afterwards, Slash and bandmate Myles Kennedy treated fans to a private acoustic performance and exclusive question-and-answer session at the Hard Rock Café on Hollywood Blvd.

Charlie Sheen, a neighbor and personal friend of Slash's who called himself a "Rock Star From Mars" when he underwent a public meltdown amid his firing from the CBS show "Two and a Half Men", spoke at Slash's induction ceremony. He said, "It's quite fitting that Slash is getting a star on the very street Axl Rose will one day be sleeping on."

He added, "This star is going to be stepped on more than the coke we did in the '80s."

Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame ceremonies, said, "Slash is widely considered one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time. We are proud to place his name among the stars on our fabled Hollywood Walk Of Fame."

Nile: 'At The Gate Of Sethu' First-Week Sales Revealed

"At The Gate Of Sethu", the seventh full-length album from South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE, sold 3,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 131 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

NILE's previous album, "Those Whom The Gods Detest", opened with 3,500 units back in 2009 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 160.

"At The Gate Of Sethu" was released in Europe on June 29 and in the U.S. on July 3 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Those Whom The Gods Detest" was once again produced and mixed by Neil Kernon, who has previously worked with NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE and DEICIDE, among many others. The CD artwork was handled by a true genius of darkened visuals, Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST, SEPTICFLESH).

Yes in Mexico 2012

Through their Twitter account Ocesa announced that Yes the influential prog rock band will be coming to Mexico in August 21. The event will take place in the new Pepsi center in Mexico City.

This famous rock band has been in stages since 1968 and nowadays they're touring with their new album "Fly From Here", and of course people want to hear the classics like Roundabout.

JD Allen Trio – The Matador and the Bull (2012)

Every so often, we are lucky enough to come across a record that flips previous musical conventions on its head — a record that is fresh, original and that forces us to think differently about our conception of music.
 Allen’s latest release, The Matador and the Bull, featuring Gregg August (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), is such an album. On many records, particularly in the jazz medium, we encounter roughly 6-10 songs each ranging from 5-10 minutes long — songs that are often individually unique unto themselves and that are seemingly unrelated to one another. But here, with the JD Allen trio, we get the complete opposite. The trio presents us with 12 short tracks (most which are under 4 minutes long) that largely center on a single theme — a story of bullfight, which musically unfolds before our ears from track to track, or more appropriately, from chapter to chapter. Here, we are encountering a unique musical experience as listeners, as we are challenged to combine our visual imagination with the aural presentation, in order to piece together the story.
On most occasions during this record, the music reflects the title of the respective track. For example, on “Paseillo,” JD’s running eight notes are swinging joyously in a galloping fashion that springs to mind a clear visual of a bullfighter riding around the ring on horseback. “Ring Shout!,” which has a less direct connection to bullfighting, is a religious ritual that originated amongst slaves in Africa who performed the dance by shuffling counter clockwise while singing, clapping and sometimes shouting. After a minute into this emotionally charged tune, we begin to hear shouts of “woah” from August or Royston. This continues throughout the remainder of JD’s playing, where he explores multiphonics, the altissimo register and at times screams at the top of his lungs on the saxophone.

The Matador and the Bull is a musical novel that presents the listener’s imagination with a blank canvas, leaving us free to interpret the album in their own way. For me personally, I’m dying to hear a live performance of this same concept — a few sets surrounding the same musical story.

Cancer returns for celebrated soul singer Curtis Salgado; lung surgery planned

Award-winning soul blues singer/harmonica master Curtis Salgado will undergo surgery on July 18 in Portland, Oregon, to remove a cancerous growth from his lung, according to his manager Shane Tappendorf.
A partial lobectomy will be performed to remove a segment of Salgado’s left lung, where a metastasized mass was found. It is suspected to be the same type of cancerous mass that was removed from his lung in 2008. Salgado will be hospitalized for a period of four to six days and will require a recovery time of up to four weeks. Salgado and his doctors anticipate a complete recovery.
“I am extremely grateful for the overwhelming support of my family, friends and fans and the courageous people that have faced this fight before me,” the 58-year-old Salgado wrote from his home this week. “I also want to thank the promoters and venues for their understanding regarding my medical situation. We will do our best to reschedule all of our performances affected by my surgery.”
Salgado, who was diagnosed with liver cancer on March 23, 2006, underwent successful liver transplant surgery on September 30, 2006 at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. He was recently named winner of the 2012 Blues Music Award for Soul/Blues Artist of the Year.
Donations to help with Curtis’s expenses can be made online at: http://curtissalgado.chipin.com/curtis- salgado-medical- fund. Donations can also be made to the Curtis Salgado Fund c/o Odaglas LLC Donation Account at all US Banks or by mail to US Bancorp, 2550 NW 188th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124. For additional information please visit www.curtissalgado.com and www.facebook.com/CurtisSalgado.

John Frusciante – Letur-Lefr (2012)

Posted by Nick DeRiso

 Share

If you think the name of erstwhile guitar god John Frusciante’s forthcoming EP is weird, check this out: It precedes a full-length project called PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone.

So, we’ll stick with the music … because it’s plenty weird too — a millennial amalgam of aerated, early 1980s-inspired electronics, soaring R&B vocals and gritty hip hop realism. You were expecting, like, guitar? Not so much on the former Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman’s Letur-Lefr, a progressive synth-pop surprise which arrives July 17, 2012, through Record Collection Music in advance of the subsequent album on September 25.

Instead, Frusciante delves deeper into sounds he’s claimed as influences for years like Depeche Mode, New Order and the Human League, but with new wrinkles courtesy of soulful wailer Nicole Turley (aka Frusciante’s wife) and RZA — the Grammy-winning producer/MC from Wu-Tang Clan.

Letur-Lefr opens with “In Your Eyes,” a track that quivers with a weird emotional fragility behind a series of thudding electronic beats. “909 Day,” with its icy synth and mechanized rhythms, then advances early experiments in new wave that go back at least to solo efforts like 2001′s To Record Only Water for Ten Days. It’s only with “Glowe” that we hear Frusciante (if only for a moment) mix in some guitar sounds, but — just like that — they vanish.