ROCK ON THE RANGE 2012 REVEALS MASSIVE LINEUP FOR SIXTH ANNUAL PREMIER DESTINATION ROCK FESTIVAL

PERFORMERS INCLUDE INCUBUS, ROB ZOMBIE, SHINEDOWN, MARILYN MANSON, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SLASH, MEGADETH, CHEVELLE, CYPRESS HILL, MASTODON AND MORE

ROCK ON THE RANGE returns for its sixth year boasting a massive lineup covering the rock spectrum. America’s premier destination rock festival will be held May 18-20 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH featuring performances from Incubus, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson, Five Finger Death Punch, Slash, Megadeth, Chevelle, Cypress Hill, Mastodon and many more. Read more

Slash | Made in Stoke 24/7/11

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer

The difference between playing an epicentre of a snobby pro muso scene like London or L.A. and a place like Stoke-on-Trent (a former coal mining town with population of 457,165) is conveyed on this live release with telling panache. Here the ultimate guitar hero of the 80s blue collars is welcomed with open arms by the home crowd as he runs through the highlights of his two-decade catalog.

The MTV-era platinum bangers from the GnR era are naturally getting the most ecstatic reception, but the crowd is just about equally pleased to hear the Velvet Revolver material, as well as Slash’s newer offerings from the self-titled 2010 solo album.

Picking up on the jubilant vibe in the room (3000 capacity), Slash is tearing through the set with self-assured poise which is simultaneously laid-back and on the ball. He is instantly recognizable in his rich, fat trademark tone, his unique phrasing, and his ability to keep his cool even when his punky inclinations are telling him to go for deliberately messy leads.

The real gems of this record, however, are the improvisations – be it high-tech wizardry such as on “Paradise City” or the unrehearsed impromptu solo which makes “Rocket Queen” the greatest standout of this record. To show off the feel of a real balls-to-the wall rock impro, “Rocket Queen” leaves intact even the endearing small mistakes – immediately drawing the line which separates the men from the boys and the naturals from the geeks.
And speaking of men with a natural gift, there is another connection Slash is making on this record – at times deliberately – between himself and the legacy of those who came before him. Apart from obvious nods to Jimi Hendrix’s tone and feel on “Mr. Brownstone” and “Civil War”, he is also referencing the legend (and here perhaps semi-consciously) when playing his impeccable rhythm parts. Those immediately bring to mind lesson number one of Hendrix’s legacy: that you can’t be a great lead player without becoming a great rhythm player first. And the way Slash builds on this maxim to show off his perfect sense of form and his finely honed, ever-so-slight disregard for the meter, says “Hendrix” even when he is not making such references intentionally.

This is way in which this release – apart from being a charter of Slash’s career – is also about the history of rock guitar and the influences and connections within it. And the fact that Myles Kennedy has taken the least resistance approach to vocals seems justified on such a guitar-oriented album. A more carefree, more punky version of Axl is what Kennedy is after here: not trying to compete with either Slash or the shadow of Axl, but instead providing a loose approximation to the sort of voice fans associate with those songs.

The absence of studio knit-picking in search for perfection on this album also goes to show that apart from being about history, it is about the joy of playing live, loving your instrument, putting the feel before the chops, and crossing geographical and cultural boundaries while carrying the torch of guitar rock.

Genre: Hard Rock

Band:
Slash – lead guitar
Myles Kennedy – lead vocals, rhythm guitar on “Nothing To Say” and “Watch This”
Bobby Schneck – rhythm guitar
Todd Kerns – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Doctor Alibi”
Brent Fitz – drums, percussion

Track listing:
Disk 1
1. Been There Lately
2. Nightrain
3. Ghost
4. Mean Bone
5. Back from Cali
6. Rocket Queen
7. Civil War
8. Nothing to Say
9. Starlight
10. Promise

Disk 2:
1. Doctor Alibi
2. Speed Parade
3. Watch This
4. Beggars & Hangers On
5. Patience
6. Godfather Solo
7. Sweet Child of Mine
8. Slither
9. By the Sword
10. Mr. Brownstone
11. Paradise City

Online: www.slashonline.com

Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5/10

Todd Kerns & Michael “The Doc” Ellis of Sin City Sinners

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

When you think of Vegas, you think of glitz and gambling. But one popular Vegas band the Sin City Sinners is helping to ignite the Vegas music scene with their energized re-vamped version of popular covers that they have branded with their own unique sound and the band also performs catchy original tunes. The debut release of “Exile On Fremont Street” has unveiled such popular original tunes as “Going To Vegas” and by popular demand prompted the release of an acoustic CD entitled Broken Record.

Fronted by Slash bassist Todd Kerns, Sin City Sinners is comprised of guitarist Brent Muscat, bassist Michael “The Doctor” Ellis and drummer Rob Cournoyer. The band performs every Friday at Sunset Station in Henderson and every Saturday at Sante Fe Station in Las Vegas. Just announced the Sin City Sinners will be taking over a 6-week residency at The Rio beginning on June 27. If you have ever seen the Sin City Sinners perform live you know that singer Todd Kerns is an amazing front man and guitarist. In 2010, Todd had the opportunity of a lifetime transpire when Slash asked him to join his band as a bass player. Todd will be heading to Europe in July to perform with Slash on his European Tour.

Hardrock Haven is proud to present an exclusive interview with Sin City Sinners featuring Todd Kern of Slash / Sin City Sinners and bassist Michael “The Doctor” Ellis of Sin City Sinners. Sit back and enjoy as Todd and Michael reveal how the Sin City Sinners have taken over the music scene of Viva’ Las Vegas.

HRH: I want to Thank you Todd and Michael for checking in with HRH. The band is notorious for bringing in special guest stars and tonight at The Rio was no exception.

Todd: We had Carolyn, a friend of ours, Paul Shortino, Jizzy Pearl, Lou Merlino who is part of the team anyways, and Jeff Tortoro. He is a drummer for Blue Man Group. When Jeff gets up and holds the microphone it is a whole another story!

HRH: The band has a new album out Exile on Fremont Street.

Todd: It is not really new. It has been out a year. We also have an acoustic EP out.

Michael: The acoustic EP is a lot of stuff from the Fremont album and two new tracks.

HRH: The band does a lot of great cover tunes like “Ah! Leah” by Donnie Iris. It is great how all the bands influences sort of mesh together.

Michael: Donnie Iris is all Todd’s doing.

Todd; It is a song I have been listening to as a kid. I saw him play it on Solid Gold. I love that song. Every band I have ever had I play that song.

HRH: You mentioned that the Sin City Sinners would be playing at the Rio on June 27 again.

Michael: Yes, we are doing a six-week run. We got guests line up. We want to do something different from our Friday and Saturday night show. We used to do guests all the time. Now we are going to do special guests at Rio starting June 27th for a six week run.

Todd: We started the guest thing at The Dive Bar on Tropicana. We would have guests like George Lynch and Vinnie Paul. Then we moved over to Green Valley Ranch. We did a year and a half over there including Kip Winger. Then we started doing our own thing with the record and everything. Now we are back doing this. It is going to be fun.

HRH: Did Vinnie Paul produce your album Exile On Fremont Street?

Todd: He sat in a little bit on it.

Michael: He came over one day, at the request of us. Todd was doing some sort of interview. I couldn’t be there. So I asked Vinnie to come over because the drums sound weird on our record. He is pretty hands on. He is a good player and happy to work on one of his favorite songs “Arianna.” That is one of his favorite songs. He came in and sort of just started pushing dials.

Todd: He was really sort of a consultant.

HRH: How did the Sin City Sinners get started?

Todd: We started out doing some fuckin’ little silly thing on Tuesday night at The Dive Bar. Now one of the bands when you talk about Vegas you talk about us!

Michael. I can sum it up real quick; we have a dynamic front man and great manager. He is the best front man since David Lee Roth. I have always felt that.

Todd: Yes, Todd is very charismatic and a great showman. Now does the myth that everyone who lives in Vegas is not from here hold true for the band?

Todd: I am from Canada.

Michael: I am (from) Redondo, Calif. I claim all of Southern California. Hollywood down is all mine. Brent is from LA and Rob is from New Orleans. Vegas is one of those towns where everyone is from somewhere. You will meet locals.

Michael: I have been here 15 years. I have only met 2 people born here.

Todd: I have been here 5 years.

HRH: I have been here 2 months. The Boston scene was really great back in the day. I am impressed with your band for re-energizing the local music scene here in Vegas.

Michael: Oddly enough, I thought there was an original scene here for a while, but I haven’t seen it much as of late.

Todd: Vegas is really not sort of structured for original bands. There is only like two clubs to play in this town. Vamp’d is there. Ron Keel does that thing on Monday night. The Dive Bar is here and Double Down. Playing live is a blessing to be able to do it for a living.

HRH: Now Todd, you will be going out on tour with Slash in July. Slash will be doing the European tour. Tell us about that. Are you excited?

Todd: Yes, it is always great to get out and to different parts of the world and see new things. It is getting so familiar to me now. I have been to England several times.

HRH: How is the European music scene? It is different playing in Europe versus the U.S.?

Todd: For me you get there you see when you are playing. It is always good to go out and see music everywhere and take in the whole thing. It is always good to come home too.

HRH: Are you going to be playing The States with Slash too?

Todd: We don’t have any plans for the year. He will be working on the new record.

HRH: Yes, I have heard that Slash will be working on the new record soon.

Todd: I am going out to LA on Monday. We are going to spend a few days putting songs together. Then we go out to Europe. Then we are going to try and start that together. Myles is on the road with his band. So when we get back. We probably won’t record the record till the Winter. Through the fall, we will chip away at it.

HRH: What have you learned as a musician from working with Slash?

Todd: He is a really kind and wonderful guy. He is also into playing guitar and music. All day long he sits there playing the guitar. It is kind of inspiring. It is in his hands all day long. It is his everything.

HRH: How did you get the gig-playing bass with Slash?

Todd: Fitz is the drummer and friend from way back. The guy that they had just wasn’t working out. I didn’t know what to expect. It was super overwhelming. Next I was sucked into this black hole. In a lot of ways, I think he speaks the same language as me. Slash is a musician. I know that most musicians like Michael and I, he sort of resonated a certain frequency. When you find people on the same frequency as you, you kind of like make good music together. There are plenty of musicians that I have played with and I am pretty outgoing. I play with anybody. But there are certain musicians, you have a connection with and that is when it is special. But that is when, you are not working. The people you don’t jive with is kind of work. But luckily in this situation, Michael and I vibe very well. It is funny me and Brent Muscat started it years ago and we had a different drummer briefly and a different bass player. Two different bass players until Michael came along. This is by far the best version. It really kind of became something special. And here we are.

HRH: Any East Coast tours planned for the world to see the band?

Todd: We always threaten to go out of town. But we end up being so busy in Vegas, we can’t go anywhere. It is a good problem to have.

Michael: We used to blame it on Todd. Whenever he gets back we will go on tour! Truth is there is enough work here in town to keep us here. It is hard to get out of town!

HRH: Anything else you want to say to the HRH readers?

Todd: If you are in Vegas look for us. Friday is Sunset Station, Saturday at Santa Fe and starting June 27 every Monday at The Rio.

Steven Adler of Adler’s Appetite

by Deb Rao
Staff Writer

These days former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler is at the top of his game. Steven and his band Adler’s Appetite are currently on the road with a new line-up that is comprised of Lonnie Paul on guitar, singer Patrick Stone, guitarist Michael Thomas, and bassist Chip Z’Nuff. Hardrock Haven had the opportunity to hear the new band line-up perform in Vegas as the band performed with a vengeance and a new born energy.

On May 17, Steven will release his memoir on paperback version, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex And Drugs And Guns N’ Roses. Be sure to pick up a copy, as Steven reveals all the mayhem that transpired back in the heyday of metal.

In an exclusive interview with Hardrock Haven, Steven unveils the new Adler’s Appetite band line-up, and discusses the release of his memoir, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex And Drugs And Guns N’Roses.

HRH: Steven, Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with Hardrock Haven. Let’s begin by discussing your memoir that will be released on May 17 My Appetite For Destruction: Sex And Drugs And Guns N’ Roses. What was the greatest goal and accomplishment that you were looking to achieve when writing your life story?

Steven: Taking full responsibility of everything that has happened in my life. I am not blaming anybody. I am not putting anybody down in my book. Everyone that is in my life and has been a part of my life I love. I am thankful they have been a part of my life.

HRH: With the release of your book, do you think that you have inspired and helped many of your fans to deal with their demons? I know Nikki Sixx has told me that with the release of Heroin Diaries, so many fans have thanked him for writing the book.

Steven: I hope so. That is always a plus if I could do that. For me in AA, one thing that is very important about getting sober is writing down your history and burning it. That is what I did, I wrote down my history. The book talks about it. I have partied with superstars and survived the story. The book is about all the scars and tattoos of my life.

HRH: Would you say that you have a new lease on life?

Steven: I am enjoying my life now. I am happy. I realized that if I didn’t go through all the hard times and rough times, I guess to appreciate pleasure you have to know pain. I know pain. I don’t want pain anymore. I don’t need it, and I don’t want it.

HRH: Steven, you have a great new band line-up. Tell us about the new players. We’re excited. You are playing here in Vegas tonight.

Steven: The new singer is Patrick Stone. He came from a band Aces N’ Eights. Slash is the one who hooked me up with him. He worked with Slash. I told him I needed a new singer. I asked him if he could help me. Slash said,” Yes, I can.” We have Lonnie Paul on guitar, and of course Michael Thomas and the world famous Chip Z’Nuff.

HRH: I hear you are going in the studio soon. Did you do some work with Fred Coury from Cinderella?

Steven: We did do some work with Fred. I love Fred very much. I have known him half of my life. It was really great working with him. But the people that are going to help me make the new record, I can’t mention their names yet. They wanted someone else. So I can’t name their name yet. Two months from now I can tell you. It is going to be all brand new material.

Chip Z’Nuff: We were told by the record company don’t say anything because there is going to be stars on this record far to huge to mention because of all the contracts and red tape that is out there. But I promise you; we are going to give the fans the best material ever written. We have been together for five or six years. Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. After the record, we will get right back on tour again. We want to play more of our stuff, and less of Appetite For Destruction.

Steven: We are always going to play GNR songs. They go over so well I love them. I know a lot of musicians that made records and they don’t listen to their own records. I listen to my record.

HRH: What would you say your greatest accomplishment is as a drummer? You are known for being one of the premiere drummers in the rock music world. You have inspired so many musicians.

Steven: I have to say having a dream and believing in myself and achieving it. Appetite For Destruction the five of us had this dream. Slash, and me we had a goal and a dream. We gave 100 percent and we achieved it. So now everything is gravy.

HRH: We appreciate your time Steven. Is there anything that you want to say to your fans here at Hardrock haven?

Steven. Well they can go online at www.adlersappetiteonline.com. Watch the band for the summer tour that we are doing. The fans coming to the shows are always video taping it. I love meeting everybody and signing stuff.

Chip Z’Nuff: This tour brings out all the rock stars, actors and actresses around. It is ridiculous the people who come out to hear Steven and these songs. We are going to be hanging with The Warrior a lot.

Steven: We are going to be going to Manny Pacquiao after party after our show.

HRH: Are you a big wrestling fan?

Steven: Wresting and boxing.

Chip Z’Nuff: I remember when The Warrior was a champion and he beat Hulk Hogan in front of 90,000 people. It was a huge event. He took time off to spend time with his family. Now he is coming out of retirement. He wants to hang out with a tough rock band. We are very grateful.

Steven: Manny Pacquiao is a big karaoke fan. I guess there is going to be a band set up at his after party and I am going to go up and play “Sweet Child Of Mine” with him. Well Chip and me are going to go up and Manny is going to sing.

HRH: Thank you Steven. It is an honor to speak with you.

Sydney Soundwave Festival 2011

February 27, 2011 at Sydney Olympic Park in Sydney, Australia.

by Cameron Edney
Guest Staff Writer

For those of us who have already experienced the Soundwave Festival train this past week how fucking AMAZING was that!

So many amazing sets, I don’t even know where to begin, but give me time and there will be a full coverage review going around! No doubt highlights for me included Stone Sour, Nonpoint, Dimmu Borgir, Taking Dawn, Devildriver, Rob Zombie and Iron Maiden.

After covering 26 of the 60+ artists on the bill we’ve finally compiled a ton of great photographs for your viewing pleasure. Anyways enough from me, it’s time for the pictures to tell the story of what was one hell of a kick ass day for rock, punk and metal lovers in Sydney!

Featured bands include:
30Seconds to Mars
36 Crazyfists
Breath Carolina
Bullet for my Valentine
Devildriver
Dimmu Borgir
Every Avenue
High on Fire
Ill Nino
Kylesa
Murderdolls
MXPX All-Stars
Nonpoint
Primus
Rise to Remain
Rob Zombie
Sevendust
Slash
Stone Sour
Taking Dawn
The Sword
Trash Talk

Sydney Soundwave Festival Photo Gallery

Photos provided by Cameron and Aimee Edney

Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge / Slash

by Cameron Edney
Guest Staff Writer

Last year rock vocalist and Alter Bridge front man Myles Kennedy teamed up with legendary guitarist Slash for one hell of a kick ass Sold-Out Australian tour that had to be seen to be believed. Not only did SLASH find himself with the perfect front man to perform an array of classic Guns n Roses tracks, but Kennedy’s astonishing efforts with Velvet Revolver and Slash’s Snakepit tracks had to be heard to really be appreciated!

After leaving Australia Kennedy went back into writing and recording mode with his band Alter Bridge. No stranger to Australia, Alter Bridge last hit our shores with Disturbed to support their second album ‘Blackbird’. 2010 saw Alter Bridge release one of the finest hard rock albums of the year simply titled ‘III’. Somewhat of a concept album, ‘III’ captures the imagination of the listener and tracks like ‘Isolation’, ‘Days Gone By’ and ‘All Hope Is Gone’ will leave you wanting more.

Next month Myles Kennedy will once again be returning to Australia to perform at the Soundwave festivals alongside SLASH for another round of kick ass rock n’ fuckin roll performances, we thought it was only fitting to catch up with him to discuss the latest and greatest Alter Bridge album to date, Myles recent Australian tour with SLASH and the upcoming Soundwave festivals.

Kick back as we ‘Slip to the Void’ with one of rock’s finest vocalists Myles Kennedy.

HRH: Hey Myles, it’s a pleasure to be speaking with you this afternoon, how’s everything going?

Myles Kennedy: Great man!

HRH: Congratulations on the latest Alter Bridge album ‘III’, it’s fantastic. Looking back over the whole recording and writing process is there anything you would have done differently?

Myles Kennedy: Not stressed out about it as much [laughs]. It was a pretty quick process for us relative to other records that we’ve done together. There was certain spontaneity to it, in the end it turned out to our advantage, it was a good process.

HRH: The album has remained in heavy rotation in my home for a couple of months now, and from start to finish the album kept me entertained. As some people may be aware the new album is somewhat of a concept album tell us where the idea came from and what the concepts related to.

Myles Kennedy: Well, once I realized musically where we were going on this record I wanted to make sure that the lyrics could grow with that. That it definitely fit with the music that was darker and heavier. When it came time to deal with the subject matter for it, there were some things I was thinking of from my life and some things I was dealing with; it was really easy to throw that on the canvas. It’s an album about losing innocence and realizing that a lot of things that you held on to be as truth weren’t necessarily what you thought they were, that’s kind of the story through a lot of the songs, not all of them but a good majority of them!

HRH: I would imagine when you’re piecing together a concept album, the writing and recording process is different as opposed to doing a standard 10 – 13 track album. Do you find it more difficult to do an album like this or do you look forward to the challenge?

Myles Kennedy: In some ways it was easier, I think where it was a little harder was when we were sequencing the record. There were certain songs musically where we thought it would go nicely in the middle of the record, but then the story line would change a little bit and we’d have to move a song towards the back of the record. There were little things like that but overall as far as writing it goes, it was pretty painless. It came together pretty quickly because we just didn’t have a choice.

HRH: Now this is album number three and Record Company number three for Alter Bridge, are we looking at a case of three times lucky?

Myles Kennedy: [Laughs] I hope so Cameron, I really hope so. So far, so good, we’ve been extremely impressed with the folks from Roadrunner. It was just a matter of us trying to find the right home for the kind of band that we are. We’re a different kind of band in a sense, we’re not all about writing songs that get on the radio, and a lot of major companies are really built for that. We’re all about touring and building up a fan base that way and Roadrunner really seem to get that; so far it’s worked out really well for us!

HRH: You will be back in Australia in February for the Soundwave Festival’s with Slash, you must be thrilled to be heading back here so quick after the recent sold-out shows!

Myles Kennedy: Oh absolutely, I’m very excited about that. I’ve heard a lot of great things about that festival; I’m really excited to say the least?

HRH: Are there any plans in the works for you to return later in the year with Alter Bridge?

Myles Kennedy: Yeah, we’ve been talking about it; we definitely need to get down there. I was made aware of just how many supporters we have when I was down with Slash a few months ago. We were playing some venues and so many people showed up wearing their Alter Bridge shirts and bringing their cd’s to get signed. We definitely have some folks down there that would show up to the shows, so hopefully we will make it happen!

HRH: Myles, you’re no stranger to Australia having toured here last year with Slash and winning over many Aussies a couple of years earlier with Alter Bridge. What fond memories do you have from your previous Australian visits?

Myles Kennedy: I was really impressed with how beautiful everything was and how cool the people were, it’s like heaven on earth. I’m a big fan of vegetable juice and I could find really good fresh vegetable juice in a lot of places for some reason [laughs].

HRH: From all the interviews I’ve done when this question has come up, I’ve never ever had anyone compare their memories of Australia with vegetable juice [laughs]

Myles Kennedy: [Laughs] yeah, I’m a bit of an odd bird [laughs].

HRH: The line-up for the Soundwave festival is amazing, featuring Slayer, Iron Maiden, Rob Zombie to name a few. Will you be putting much time aside to check out the other artists that are billed whilst here?

Myles Kennedy: Absolutely, for me that’s the best part about the festivals; getting to see other artists, cause at the end of the day I’m a huge music fan! I consider myself a lucky guy who gets to sing and play in bands; it’s going to be a lot of fun.

HRH: Over the years you have certainly played your fair share of festival bills. Are you a fan of doing the large festival shows or would you rather play smaller, more intimate shows. Both certainly have their advantages….

Myles Kennedy: Yeah, they’re totally different. Like I said, when you’re playing festivals you get to see other bands and get the opportunity to win over some new fans as well. The nice thing about the smaller venues is that it’s just so much easier to connect because of the size of the room and I think there is definitely a trade off there, I like doing both, it’s all good with me!

HRH: Myles whilst we’re on the subject of touring, does it ever get easier to leave the comforts of home to hit the road for weeks sometimes months at a time?

Myles Kennedy: I’m at the point now where my home is the road, especially this year; I’ve been gone so much! On the third of January I went to Florida to begin working on the Alter Bridge record and as soon as that was finished I immediately started touring with Slash. I’ve pretty much been gone ever since. My wife has been really supportive; my dog hasn’t been so supportive, he’s a little mad with me [laughs]. I’m lucky to get to go out and play every night, it’s cool.

HRH: Mate, there is no doubt that you are an amazing vocalist with one hell of a range! As we know singers get the raw end of the deal on the road, having to party less, have earlier nights, rest the voice etc. Before a show do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare or would you prefer to hit the stage running, full of adrenaline!

Myles Kennedy: I’m really into warm ups I usually warm up for an hour to ninety minutes before a show. It’s a big routine that I do, I’ve tried to not do that before shows and I’ve ended up having a bad show, so I’m religious about it now, I never miss it. I don’t drink on the road, it’s all about staying healthy so I can go out and deliver every night.

HRH: Going back to when Alter Bridge first formed can you recall the hardest time you guys had as an opening act?

Myles Kennedy: Oh that’s a good question; I guess sometimes we would play festivals in the beginning when people didn’t know who we were and we had to try and win people over. Sometimes you go out there and you have people sitting there staring at ya, generally you would win a few folks over. We’d come out happy in the end but it’s just those first few gigs that can get under your skin and psyche you out. Nothing is coming to mind other than that but I’m sure there’s something that I’m forgetting!

HRH: You’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some amazing artists over the years, whilst on the road who’s given you the best touring advice and what was it?

Myles Kennedy: To be honest I’m drawing a blank dude!

HRH: I’ve asked this question many times over the years and a lot of artists mention other bands have told them to ask for socks and underwear on the riders… is that something you guys were aware of or have done over time?

Myles Kennedy: You know what; we just started doing that on this tour. Our bass player Brian put socks and underwear on the rider and I don’t know, I always thought of that was a rock star thing to do; now it totally makes sense. When you have clean socks and underwear it makes the travelling experience much better, not to mention that you get to collect underwear from all over the world [laughs].

HRH: [Laughs] Mate we’ve hit the part of the interview where our readers get to find out more about the real you… What was the first concert you attended and how much of an impact did that have on you musically?

Myles Kennedy: The very first show I ever attended was Sammy Hager ‘I Can’t Drive 55’ tour, that was back in 85 and it had a profound effect. He’s such a great performer and I was so captivated by the energy of the show and the crowd, it really lit a fire under my ass and got me to work really hard and practice. It’s amazing that I get to do the same thing now for a living…

HRH: In recent years we’ve seen you do some amazing work with Alter Bridge as well as Slash. What else would you like to achieve musically? Can we see an all acoustic solo album in the future or anything like that?

Myles Kennedy: There is a solo record that I put together last year and it’s pretty much done, it’s just a matter of finding a window to release it, a lot of it is acoustic based, it’s not just a straight up acoustic record but the goal was to make something that I could go out and tour with just me and an acoustic guitar. I really want to get that done in the next couple of years, I think that would be a lot of fun!

HRH: I couldn’t agree more… can you recall the first song you ever wrote and what it was about?

Myles Kennedy: I do remember, the very first song that I wrote [laughs] actually co-wrote. I was in this band when I was a kid called Rat Scallion and I wrote the music to it but the bass player wrote the lyrics, and this is really vulgar but the song was called ‘The House That Jack Built’ and apparently from what the bass player said the lyrics were about masturbation, so that was the first song I co-wrote [laughs].

HRH: Myles, your vocal ability is nothing short of sensational and I’m curious… who have you been surprised to learn is a fan of your work!

Myles Kennedy: Oh I don’t know, I was real surprised when Slash called. I was blown away that he asked me to be a part of his record. I was surprised when Mark and the guys called years ago; I had no idea they even knew who I was. I’m always surprised when I find out people are familiar with something I’ve done, I’m just so flattered. I live in Spokane Washington, I don’t live in Los Angeles or New York so anytime I find out someone discovered something I’ve done I’m totally flattered.

HRH: What about rumours, what’s the craziest rumour you’ve heard about yourself and or the band?

Myles Kennedy: There was a funny thing that somebody told me the other day actually. On Wikipedia for a while, somebody has posted that I lived in Spokane, Washington with my husband which my wife wasn’t too thrilled to hear [laughs].

HRH: [Laughs] Myles in recent time there has been a lot of talk that Velvet Revolver are looking for a new vocalist, having seen you nail both Velvet Revolver and Guns n Roses songs during the recent Australian shows with Slash, is there any chance we could possibly seeing you front Velvet Revolver for the next album or maybe even a Guns n Roses mark II with Slash, Duff and Steven?

Myles Kennedy: Years ago they asked me if I’d be interested in auditioning, but it was the wrong time for me, this was about eight years ago. I think right now, between fronting Alter Bridge and going out on tour with Slash, I’m keeping so crazy busy I just don’t see how that would fit in, but I’m totally flattered that they even considered me at one point.

HRH: There have been so many highlights in your career from working with Slash, to the success you’ve shared fronting Alter Bridge and of course working with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. What would you consider to be your top five greatest achievements to date?

Myles Kennedy: Getting to spend some time and play a little with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, for me that was beyond a dream come true. Getting to tour with Slash and play on his record was amazing. There’s a song we did called ‘Blackbird’ that’s definitely a big moment for me. I did a record about ten years ago with The Mayfield Four called ‘Second Skin’ which I’m extremely passionate and proud of, a lot of blood sweat and tears went into that. Number five… this summer when I played [the] Download [Festival] with Slash in the U.K. That was a real special gig, one hundred thousand people were there, it was a fantastic afternoon.

HRH: Just before we wrap it up the new Alter Bridge Cd is out now, you guys are currently in Europe, what other immediate plans are in place for the band, are you working on a new Dvd at all, new video clips from the album?

Myles Kennedy: I hope we do, we worked with this director that’s been very influential with us so I think were gonna wrap up this first part of the tour in early January and we pick up again in April and my hunch is by the end of next year we might try and do something but don’t quote me on that. Our immediate plan is to keep touring as long as we can!

HRH: Myles it’s been a pleasure to chat with you today, all the best of luck with the new album, I can’t wait to see you again next month for the Soundwave Festival shows! Do you have any last words for our readers?

Myles Kennedy: We really look forward to getting down there; we love Australia, so hopefully you’ll come to the shows!

Rock On The Range 2010 LIVE!

May 22 & 23, 2010 at Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

by Chris A. & Deb Rao
Staff Writer

[author: Chris A.] It’s the fourth time Columbus has hosted the “Rock on the Range” festival and by the size of the audience you’d never know there was any kind of economic crisis. With approximately 50,000 people attending each day, “Rock on the Range” is proving to be “the” show of the year in the upper Midwest of the United States. Three stages, 30-plus bands, dozens of vendors and lots of creative merchandise for sale, it’s a big party and a very good time. As with past years, there were three stages; the Monster Stage was the main stage inside the Columbus Crew Stadium while the Kicker Stage was located on the north side of the stadium and the smaller Jaegermeister Stage was positioned on the south. “Rock on the Range” has always been a great place for upstart “baby bands” to get some exposure plus they don’t seem to shy away from including diverse acts on the bill. In the case of Rock on the Range, a show known primarily as a “metal festival” it was interesting that the show would be opened and closed by rap oriented acts. Headliners for Saturday on the Monster Stage were, “Rise Against”, “Three Days Grace” and “Godsmack”. On Sunday the main bands were, “Seether”, “Rob Zombie” with “Limb Bizkit” closing the festival.

Despite a damp start to Saturday, gray clouds and occasional sprinkles didn’t appear to hold the crowd back as the yellow benches in Crew Stadium started to disappear as fans arrived to the show. At noon, the show started with Windsor, Ontario Detroit Tigers fan, “Richy Nix,” a tall thin white-guy from Ontario, rapping to metal. Twenty minutes later on the main stage, “Sevendust” exploded into their set, erasing any memories of cockeyed baseball caps and robotic hand gestures, with in-your-face metal intensity. Nearly 11 hours later the sound of electric guitars and the gritty metal of “Godsmack” faded as day-one came to an end.

Sunday was a glorious day, blue skies, beautiful hot sun and no indication of rain. At noon, “Shaman’s Harvest” a great young band, opened the show on the Kicker stage. Over the course of the next 11 hours Apocalyptica performed its brand of “metal”. Australian metal band “Airbourne” made a lot of friends and demonstrated why we all love blues-based rock ‘n’ roll! At nearly 10 pm, Fred Durst and the now out-of-seclusion “Limb Bizkit” capped off an incredible two-days of great music.

With three stages and almost invariably two running at one time, it was impossible for anyone to see all the bands. As seems to be the case with Columbus rock ‘n’ roll crowds, the fans were very mellow at Rock on the Range. It was a big party with lots of beer and thousands of friends. Sitting back and observing, It was amazing to watch the incredibly orderly procession of thousands of people snaking along the paths to get from stage to stage. Venue security, the Columbus Police Department (who were there in numbers) were extremely fan-friendly and were clearly there to keep an eye on things and to snatch up the occasional drunk-moron who got a bit too out of hand.

Each performance day started at 12 noon and for the most part the show stayed on time and ran smoothly. “Rock on the Range” 2010 was a very successful event with great bands and thousands of happy fans. Keep any eye here for interview articles from John 5, Airbourne and others from the weekends show. For more information on “Rock on the Range” visit www.rockontherange.com You can also see my photos of “Rock on the Range” by visiting www.chrisa.us

Rock on the Range Photo Gallery

Photos appear courtesy of Chris A. and Deb Rao

[author: Deb Rao] As thousands of rock fans descended to Columbus, Ohio at Crew Stadium, one thing was for certain the sporting venue was turned into a rock and roll extravaganza for one of the most anticipated events of the summer Rock On The Range 2010. The event promised to feature one of the most solid line-ups to date. This year Rock On The Range was hosted by Mistress Juliya and broadcast live by Nikki Sixx and his new hit radio show Sixx Sense.

Tattoos, body jewelry and rock clothing venders filled the area to the hilt. The crowd featured a young audience and some older fans of the older bands. One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s line-up on May 22 headlined by Boston’s Godsmack with the diversity to the line-up. ROTR featured the best in punk, alternative, hip-hop and hard rock cutting edge bands making an impact in music today. The festival featured three stages of music included the Jager Stage. Kicker Stage, and Monster Stage. I found myself mostly stationed at the Kicker Stage but after the days shooting of that stage was over, I managed to catch full sets of Rise Against, Three Days Grace, and Godsmack. More on the main acts later.

My journey began early in the morning from Boston, as my flight landed in Columbus, Ohio a tad late due to flight delays. But no worries a full day of music was ahead of me. One of the first acts I had the pleasure of seeing was Eleven Seven Music recording artists Drowning Pool on the Monster Stage. This band is one of the hardest working bands in music today. Singer Ryan McCombs has picked up the pieces and breathed new life into the band. As the sun tried to break through the ominous clouds, Drowning Pool heated up the stage with a set that included these songs,”Enemy,” “Sinner”,”37 Stitches,” Feel Like I Do”,”Regret”,”Tear Away”, and “Bodies.”

Next up on the Monster Stage was Puddle of Mudd who is in the midst of a successful headlining tour. Puddle Of Mudd is best when performing at festivals like this. Lead frontman Wes Scantlin always manages to get the crowd rolling and today’s performance was no exception. The band opened with the ferocious “Control”, as Wes took full control of the moment and the mosh pits began. Slammin’ into new song “Spaceship’ let the party begin as Wes yelled,”What’s up Motherf***ers?” Highlight of the set with fists in the air included the AC/DC cover “TNT.”

I proceeded to make my way to the Kicker Stage to catch one of the most exciting and promising acts of the day Halestorm. Mistress Juliya introduced the band as Lzzy Hale dressed in a black and red dress and hit the stage with a set that was clearly mesmerizing. Halestorm opened their set with “It’s Not You.” The ’80s had Heart and Pat Benetar as the reigning rock queens. Well, this is the Millennium and Lzzy Hale most definitely deserves the title as best new female of the decade. Lzzy can rock with the best of them and Halestorm clearly won the title for best act on the Kicker Stage at ROTR 2010.

It was great to see all the female musicians performing here today. Next up another great band that gave an outstanding performance was Christian rock band Skillet. Fronted by John Cooper, his wife Korey Cooper on guitar was also spellbinding. Jen Ledger was featured on drums. The band also featured a cello and violin, which added a nice flavor to the hard rock sound. Highlights of the set were the songs “Hero”, and “Monster.”

The Kicker Stage featured some of the best acts all day. Next up Killswitch Engage made Massachusetts proud. It was exhilarating to see all the talent from the Mass area here today. Highlight of the Killswitch Engage set was when singer Howard Jones dedicated the song “Holy Diver” to the legendary Dio. Metal horns in the air. May you rest in peace.

Throughout the day many of the bands held meet and greets including Adelita’s Way and Puddle Of Mudd. It was great to see the inter-action between fans and bands. This festival is all about the music. The rock stars left their attitudes at the door and chatted with the fans and showed their appreciation.

The event was blessed by the weather this year as the sun finally broke through the crowds with temperatures in the 80′s. Finally, the Kicker Stage music was over and now it was time to enjoy the Monster Stage. The floor began to fill up to capacity for The Deftones. I spoke with many fans who were eager to see the band. The Deftones took full advantage of the set premiering many new songs from their latest release Diamond Eyes. They are definitely one of the best punk rock bands around; true pioneers.

One of the most promising acts on the Monster Stage was Rise Against. I never heard of them before and really enjoy their high-energy set. The award for most promising act on the Monster Stage would have to go to Three Days Grace. This is a band that you associate all their hits on the radio when you hear them they play live and you go “I know that song.” This was my first time seeing this Canadian band perform live and I have to say I was very impressed by Adam Gontier vocals. Sporting a black hat, Adam and company delivered a set that was powerful and poignant. Adam is the master of love gone wrong songs. I highly enjoyed the “I Hate Everything About You.”

Boston’s Godsmack was the headliner on the Monster Stage and did Boston Proud. Sully Erna took full control of the Mid-western crowd and showed them how we rock in Boston. Their set list included

Godsmack Set List:
Awake
Straight Out of Line
Re-Align
War and Peace
The Enemy
Bad Religion
The Oracle
Cryin’ Like a Bitch
Keep Away
Speak
Voodoo
Batalla de los Tambores

Spotted in the audience, was Jackass star Jason Acuna. Actually, he was sitting in back of me with a beret of beauties on his lap. The announcer of the show commented that this years show broke all attendance records. Rock On The Range 2010 proved to be a haven for rock fans to unite and enjoy some of the best cutting edge bands in music today. It was a time to make new friends, spend time with old friends, and celebrate the exciting new wave of music today.

Special Thanks to the great staff of MSO for letting Hardrock Haven cover Rock On The Range 2010. Be sure to check out Rock On The Range interviews with Puddle Of Mudd, Sevendust, Richy Nix, and coming soon Adelita’s Way and Apocalyptica.

Rock On The Range May 22 Line-up:

Monster Stage:
Sevendust 12:25
Drowning Pool 1:40
Puddle of Mudd 2:55
Papa Roach 4:15
Deftones 5:35
Rise Against 7:05
Three Days Grace 8:51
Godsmack 9:45

Kicker Stage:
Richy Nix 12:00
Violent Soho 1:05
Adelita’s Way 2:20
Halestorm 3:40
Skillet 5:00
Killswitch Engage 6:20

Jager Stage:
Like A Storm 12:00
Taddy Porter 1:05
Janus 2:20
Non Point 3:40
Helmet 5:00